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PETIT-GOAVE, Haiti (AP) — An official with Haiti's Civil Protection Agency says the damage from Hurricane Matthew is the worst he's seen in his life. Matthew's center struck Haiti's southwestern peninsula before dawn. There is a wide swath of damaged or destroyed homes, washed out bridges and spotty communication. A U.N. official says 10,000 people are in shelters. The number of dead there is unknown. The death toll overall stands at 9 so far this week in the Caribbean. In the U.S., precautions are being taken from Florida's southeastern coast to the Carolinas.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Does the GOP have a crystal ball? The Republican National Committee has declared a winner before the vice presidential debate. A blog post is already available on the party's website claiming victory for Donald Trump's running mate, Mike Pence. The post also offers a preview of what Pence will talk about. It lists his "top moments" as the economy and "highlighting Hillary's scandals." Pence is facing Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine. It is their only debate of the cycle.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal authorities say about a dozen people have been jailed in cities across the country for running a sex trafficking operation that involved hundreds of women brought from Thailand to the U.S. An indictment says the women were forced to work as "modern day sex slaves." An indictment charges 17 people with various counts, including conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit forced labor. Today's arrests were in the Minneapolis area, Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
TOWNVILLE, S.C. (AP) — There was a large turnout of townspeople and classmates at a funeral today for the Townville, South Carolina, boy who died following a school shooting last week. Mourners packed a church to remember 6-year-old Jacob Hall. They filed past a casket adorned with large photos, balloons and a life-size figure of one of his favorite superheroes, Batman. A teen faces charges for allegedly killing his father and opening fire at school. A teacher and a student were also wounded. A third student was injured.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A school district is banning clown costumes and any "symbols of terror" during this year's Halloween season as authorities investigate the authenticity of clown-related social media posts. Principals in New Haven, Connecticut, plan to ban the costumes until additional information is available. There have photos on Instagram showing menacing-looking clowns with captions telling several area schools to "watch out" and "wait and see" whether the threats are fake.
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