×

National

Sheriff: 1 dead, 1 seriously injured in Lake Tahoe avalanche

TAHOE CITY, Calif. (AP) — At least one person has died and another was seriously injured Friday in an avalanche at a Northern California ski resort, authorities said.

The avalanche came after a storm passed through the area Thursday and dumped snow at Squaw Valley-Alpine Meadows, a ski resort in the Lake Tahoe area.

The Sierra Avalanche Center had warned of dangerous avalanche conditions for all elevations. Its website that there was “a high degree of uncertainty in regards to snowpack instability near and below treeline.”

The sheriff said the avalanche occurred “near the Subway ski run, which is a beginner’s area at the base of steep expert terrain that features a mix of runs through evergreen trees, around a series of and down narrow gullies.”

ICE leader blames ‘sanctuary’ policies for NYC killing

NEW YORK (AP) — The country’s top immigration official blamed the “sanctuary policies” of New York City on Friday for the sexual assault and killing of a 92-year-old woman, while the mayor’s office decried such rhetoric as “fear, hate and attempts to divide.”

Matthew Albence, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said at a news conference Friday that the slaying could have been prevented if city officials had complied with a federal request to turn over the assailant, a Guyanese national, for deportation.

“It’s unbelievable that I have to come here and plead with the city of New York to cooperate with us to help keep this city safe,” Albence said.

“Make no mistake,” he added. “It is this city’s sanctuary policies that are the sole reason this criminal was allowed to roam the streets freely and end an innocent woman’s life.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio has accused ICE of “spreading lies” and employing “scare tactics” that destroy trust in law enforcement. He said on Twitter this week that the city has passed “common-sense laws about immigration enforcement that have driven crime to record lows.”

“Fear, hate and attempts to divide are signatures of the Trump Administration, not New York City,” de Blasio spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein said Friday. “We are the safest big city in America because of our policies, not in spite of them.”

The remarks come amid an escalation of the conflict between the Trump administration and so-called sanctuary cities, and a week after the Guyanese man wanted for deportation was charged with sexually assaulting and killing the 92-year-old woman in Queens.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper?
   

Starting at $4.38/week.

Subscribe Today