Heavy rain expected along Gulf coast

Heavy rain expected along Gulf coast

NEW ORLEANS

Areas along the Gulf coast could get up to 20 inches of rain from a system that could blow into tropical-storm strength, leading Louisiana’s governor to declare a state of emergency Thursday because of the threat of serious flash flooding.

Tropical-storm warnings are out for the Gulf coast from Mississippi to Texas. The National Hurricane Center said the system that is now a depression in the Gulf of Mexico will dump 10 to 15 inches of rain over southern areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama through Sunday and as much as 20 inches in some spots.

As for Katia in the Atlantic, it weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm, though forecasters say it will again grow stronger.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said it’s too early to tell if Katia will hit the U.S. It is expected to pass north of the Caribbean.

City weighs limits on Confederate flag

LEXINGTON, Va.

About 100 people rallied Thursday evening in opposition to a proposal to limit the flying of the Confederate flag in the rural Virginia city where Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson are buried.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans organized the “Save our Flags” gathering before the city, which was considering an ordinance to limit flags on downtown poles to just those of the United States, Virginia and the city of Lexington. The proposal has angered defenders of the divisive Southern symbol. It would not limit the flag’s display elsewhere.

4.2-magnitude quake hits LA area

LOS ANGELES

A magnitude-4.2 earthquake and aftershocks rattled nerves across the Los Angeles region Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

The quake hit around 1:47 p.m. and was centered 24 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was followed by more than a half-dozen aftershocks up to magnitude-3. The jolt was felt widely across Los Angeles County including the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, downtown and to the coast. It was felt as far north as Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert to as far south as Orange County.

US, UK call for new sanctions on Syria

PARIS

The U.S. and Britain called for a tougher stance over Syria’s bloody crackdown on protesters Thursday, demanding tough new international sanctions on President Bashar Assad and his regime.

In a round of talks on the sidelines of a Paris summit on Libya, the U.S., Britain and France discussed plans to escalate international action aimed at halting violence, which the United Nations estimates has seen 2,200 people killed since mid-March.

Mistrial in shooting death of gay student

LOS ANGELES

A judge on Thursday declared a mistrial in the case of California teen who shot a gay classmate in the back of the head during a computer- lab class as stunned classmates looked on.

Jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision on the degree of Brandon McInerney’s guilt for killing 15-year-old Larry King. The panel of nine women and three men said they took a series of votes — the last one with seven in favor of voluntary manslaughter and five jurors supporting either first-degree or second-degree murder.

Prosecutors now have to decide whether to re-file murder and hate-crime charges against McInerney, now 17, who was tried as an adult.

Associated Press