Dorothy Abernathy, regional media director of The Associated Press, shares 10 things you need to know Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items and much more in West Virginia newspapers.
1. IOWA SHOWS POLLING IS SLIPPERY BUSINESS
Pollsters had a tough time pinning down the state’s electorate, taking it on the chin when Donald Trump’s lead in pre-election polls ended with a Ted Cruz victory at Monday’s caucuses.
2. ELECTION MYSTERY MONEY RETURNS
Obscure donations are back, with more than $4 million flowing to groups supporting Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, The AP learns.
3. SOMALI OFFICIALS START INVESTIGATING BLAST ON BOARD PLANE
They say no evidence has been found so far of a criminal act in an explosion in an airliner which took off from Mogadishu’s airport and returned for an emergency landing.
4. TEXAS RESIDENT INFECTED WITH ZIKA THROUGH SEX
It’s the first instance of the virus being transmitted within the U.S. amid the current outbreak in the Americas.
5. SYRIA AID CONFERENCE TO SEEK RECORD $9B FOR 2016
The expectations are based on the reframing of the assistance debate, following the migration of hundreds of thousands of desperate Syrians to Europe, but there is often a shortfall in funding.
6. WHO IS FACING MORE SERIOUS CHARGE IN TEEN’S SLAYING
Authorities say Virginia Tech student Natalie Keepers helped dispose of seventh-grader Nicole Lovell’s body, adding a charge of an accessory.
7. JUDGE COULD RULE ON COSBY BID TO TOSS SEX-ASSAULT CHARGES
Judge Steven T. O’Neill hopes to decide whether to dismiss the case against the actor over an unwritten promise of immunity a former prosecutor says he gave the comedian’s now-deceased lawyer.
8. BIG FREIGHT RAILROADS TO MISS SAFETY TECHNOLOGY DEADLINE
A Federal Railroad Administration list provided to The AP shows Canadian National Railway, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern won’t be ready until 2020.
9. WHY CENTRAL FIGURE IN ‘SERIAL’ PODCAST TO ARGUE FOR NEW TRIAL
Adnan Syed’s motion centers on two issues: an alibi witness who was never called to testify, and cell tower data that defense attorneys argue is inaccurate.
10. WHAT CAN DEFINE SUPER BOWL LEGACIES
They are cemented or destroyed thanks to a sometimes fluky confluence of luck, hubris or the random bounce of a ball
