Editor’s Note: This listicle is part of a weekly series by The Ball State Daily News summarizing five stories from across the United States. All summaries are based on stories published by The Associated Press.
Boy Scouts of America filing for bankruptcy, the flooding in Mississippi, Mike Bloomberg joining the Democratic debate stage, Virginia lawmakers rejecting an assault weapons ban and the Daytona 500 results make up this week’s five national stories.
Boy Scouts file for bankruptcy due to sex-abuse lawsuits
Barraged by hundreds of sex-abuse lawsuits, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday in hopes of working out a potentially mammoth victim compensation plan that will allow the hallowed, 110-year-old organization to carry on. The Chapter 11 filing in federal bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Delaware, sets in motion what could be one of the biggest, most complex bankruptcies ever seen.
Read More: Lawsuits
Hundreds still flooded from homes in Mississippi capital
Authorities warned the hundreds of evacuees in the Jackson, Mississippi, area not to rush back home until they got the all clear following the flooding of the Pearl River in the area. Forecast of more rain put counties farther south at risk of flooding. No injuries were reported from the major flooding in central Mississippi and southern Tennessee, but as high water recedes, officials expect to find damaged roads and problems with water and sewage pipes.
Read more: Mississippi
Bloomberg makes debate stage, facing Dem rivals for 1st time
Billionaire Mike Bloomberg has qualified for the upcoming Democratic presidential debate, marking the first time he’ll stand alongside the rivals he has so far avoided by bypassing the early voting states and using his personal fortune to define himself through television ads. A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll shows Sen. Bernie Sanders with a double-digit lead in the Democratic primary contest at 31 percent with Bloomberg in second place at 19 percent.
Read More: Election 2020
Virginia lawmakers reject assault weapons ban
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s push to ban the sale of assault weapons failed Monday after some of his fellow Democrats balked at the proposal. Four Democrats — most of them moderates — joined Republicans in Monday’s committee vote, rejecting legislation that would have prohibited the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms, including popular AR-15 style rifles, and banned the possession of magazines that hold more than 12 rounds.
Read more: Gun politics
Denny Hamlin wins 3rd Daytona 500; Ryan Newman hospitalized
Ryan Newman flipped across the finish line, his Ford planted upside down and on fire, a grim reminder of a sport steeped in danger that has stretched nearly two decades without a fatality. At the finish line, Denny Hamlin made history with a second straight Daytona 500 victory in an overtime photo finish over Ryan Blaney, a celebration that quickly became muted as drivers awaited an update on Newman’s condition.
Read More: Daytona 500