International:
A $42,000 project brought wild beavers back to London for the first time in 400 years.
“A family of five Eurasian beavers – a breeding pair and their three offspring – were transported from Scotland and released Wednesday at the Paradise Fields wetlands area, in Ealing, west London,” CNN reported.
The Ealing Beaver Project hopes to aid against flooding and help Londoners reunite with nature.
“Greenford is a high flood risk zone, and that’s only going to be exacerbated by climate change. The beavers should build a series of dams through the site and create wetlands … this acts as a giant sponge,” Sean McCormack, chair of Ealing Wildlife Group, said.
Wild beavers have been declared a protected species in England due to excessive hunting, which led to their previous extinction in the area.
The Ealing site will be closed off for a month to give the beavers time to feel at home in the new place, but visitors will be welcomed back into the space thereafter.
National:
Three men were arrested in Salem, Massechusets, during a drug bust. Investigators uncovered $8 million worth of pink, heart shaped doses of controlled substances.
Fentanyl and methamphetamine laced pills and powder were found in the seizure. The defendants, Emilio Garcia, Sebastien Bejin and Deiby Felix, were surveilled for three months following an overdose death investigation in July of this year.
The pills designed to mimic candy came in a variety filled with methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl. The quantity of fentanyl uncovered equated to about 900,000 individual doses.
Authorities were concerned by the design of the pills, a design targeted to entice teenagers.
“The only thing more depraved than trafficking deadly fentanyl is trafficking deadly fentanyl designed to look like candy to appeal to teenagers,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said. “The Justice Department is focused on attacking every link in the global fentanyl trafficking chain, and we will not stop until those responsible for the fentanyl poisoning epidemic are brought to justice. We also continue to urge families to have open and honest conversations about the urgent threat posed by this epidemic, and the fact that just one pill can kill.”
The FBI also spoke to the gravity of what the operation uncovered.
“This seizure by the FBI’s North Shore Gang Task Force saved lives in communities throughout Massachusetts,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said. “Not only was this seizure one of the largest in the history of Massachusetts, but some of the pills were created to look like candy, potentially presenting an enormous risk to children. The FBI will continue to relentlessly pursue those involved in narcotics trafficking to keep drugs off our streets, and out of the hands of children.”
Local:
The Oklahoma School Security Institute has launched a new app to increase safety of students. The app, ProtectOK, will serve as an anonymous tip service for students and parents.
If a student or parent observes suspicious behavior, they can use the app to give an anonymous tip which will be forwarded to the state’s terrorism intelligence center and state authorities.
“We’ve done a lot of work in training law enforcement and staff at schools to all be on the same system of response, so this Protect Oklahoma app brings a full circle to where now we’re looking into prevention,” Tim Tipton, the commissioner of public safety for Oklahoma, said.
The Department of Public Safety said it’s important to talk to children about the app so if they see something at school, they can report it.
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