Cruz wins straw poll at gop summit
NEW ORLEANS — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz won the latest 2016 presidential straw poll Saturday at a conservative summit in Louisiana.
Cruz took 30 percent of the vote at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans. He edged out conservative speaker and author Ben Carson.
Organizers at the annual conference say about a third out of 1,500 delegates voted in the straw poll.
Cruz promised delegates Saturday to continue his uncompromising approach on Capitol Hill. Carson did not speak at the conference.
Climbers feared dead on Mount Rainier •SEATTLE — Mount Rainier National Park officials say six climbers are presumed dead after helicopters detected pings from emergency beacons in the snow and a debris field that might indicate an avalanche.
The Seattle Times reports that rescuers found tents, clothing and debris strewn over hundreds of feet down the mountain’s sheer north side. Air and ground searches have been suspended.
Suspect friends victim on Facebook •PORT ORCHARD, wash. — Authorities say that a 28-year-old man suspected of robbing a woman of her iPod and purse at a Washington ferry terminal friended her on Facebook the next day. The Kitsap Sun reports Saturday that Riley Allen Mullins was charged Friday in Kitsap District Court with second-degree robbery.
Man who accosted Pitt pleads no contest •LOS ANGELES — A man who accosted Brad Pitt on a red carpet pleaded no contest to battery Friday and was ordered to stay away from the actor and Hollywood red carpet events.
Vitalii Sediuk, 25, entered the plea during a court appearance Friday afternoon, two days after he leaped from a fan area and made contact with Pitt at the “Maleficent” premiere. He was sentenced to three years of probation and attend a year’s worth of psychological counseling.
Radar picks up swarm of grasshoppers •ALBU- QUERQUE — Weather officials in Albuquerque said Saturday a mysterious presence that showed up on its radar the past few nights has turned out to be of the insect variety.
The National Weather Service says a swarm of grasshoppers were detected over Albuquerque’s West Mesa for the fourth night in a row on Friday.
Meteorologist Chuck Jones said the swarm got caught up in winds heading southwest and is being carried as high as 1,000 feet.
Sinkhole swallows car •EVANSVILLE, ind. — A sinkhole swallowed a car on a street in southwestern Indiana, forcing the driver and his three passengers to climb to safety.
Timothy Stone told the Evansville Courier & Press that he, his girlfriend and two children had stopped at a stop sign Friday when their car started to sink. A police report described the sinkhole as 12 feet in diameter and 16 feet deep.
Man guilty in girlfriend’s murder •ROCHESTER, n.y. — A New York man who told police he “just snapped” and killed his girlfriend with his fists and a curling iron while visiting her college dorm has been found guilty of murder. A jury on Friday found 22-year-old Clayton Whittemore guilty of killing Alexandra Kogut, 18. Denver Post wire services
