TROPICAL WEATHER
Tropical Storm Barry forms off Mexican coast
MIAMI (AP) - Forecasters say Tropical Storm Barry has formed off the southeastern Mexican coast.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the Atlantic season's second tropical storm is drenching areas in its path with up to 10 inches of rain in some places, raising the threat of flash floods.
Barry was about 75 miles (115 kilometers) east-northeast of Veracruz, Mexico, on Wednesday afternoon. It is expected to make landfall Thursday morning in Veracruz.
The storm has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (64 kph), just above the threshold of at least 39 mph (63 kph) to become a named storm. It formed as a depression off the coast of Belize on Monday.
A tropical storm warning is in effect from Punta El Lagarto to Barra de Nautla.
GULF OIL SPILL-INDICTMENT
Ex-BP employees face new indictments over spill
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Federal prosecutors have secured new indictments against a former BP engineer and a former BP executive charged separately with obstructing probes of the company's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Wednesday's indictment of former BP executive David Rainey adds language alleging that he knew of the pending congressional investigation he is charged with obstructing. A federal judge had dismissed the obstruction of Congress charge from Rainey's original indictment, in part because it didn't contain that allegation.
A grand jury also handed up a new indictment Wednesday against former BP engineer Kurt Mix, who is charged with deleting text messages about the company's response to the spill. The new indictment makes few substantive changes to the version it replaces and doesn't add any new counts.
EX-OFFICER-DOCTOR SHOPPING
Judge reschedules sentencing in doc shopping case
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - A federal judge has rescheduled for July 15 the sentencing for former narcotics agent Searn Lynch, who has pleaded guilty to lying to obtain prescriptions for pain medication.
The Oxford Eagle reports U.S. District Senior Judge Neal B. Biggers Jr. on June 11 granted the continuance motion sought by Lynch's attorney.
Lynch was fired from the Oxford Police Department in November after being charged with "doctor shopping" for prescription pain medicine. Court records show he was arrested on charges alleging that he got prescriptions from at least 17 doctors.
Lynch was indicted on two counts that he illegally doctor-shopped for prescription painkillers. He pleaded guilty in April to one count of obtaining prescription drugs by deception.
His sentence can carry a maximum of 4 years in prison.
WEST NILE-MISSISSIPPI
Second West Nile case reported for 2013
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi State Department of Health is reporting the second human case of West Nile virus for 2013.
The case was reported in Forrest County. In April of this year, one case was reported in Madison County.
The MSDH only reports laboratory-confirmed cases to the public.
In 2012, Mississippi had 247 WNV cases and five deaths.
MSDH State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs says Mississippi is entering into the high-risk West Nile season and the state typically sees more human cases in July, August and September than in other months.
Health officials say Mississippians should take precautions to protect themselves from mosquitoes.
NRC-TVA VIOLATIONS
NRC proposing $70K fine against TVA for violations
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing a $70,000 fine against the Tennessee Valley Authority for violations related to 1 of its East Tennessee nuclear plants.
According to a NRC news release on Wednesday, the violations have to do with the commercial grade dedication program during the construction of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2.
The NRC requires certain components in a nuclear plant to meet strict nuclear quality assurance standards. Commercial grade dedication is a process that provides reasonable assurance that components purchased from a commercial supplier are equivalent to nuclear grade items.
NRC inspectors found a breakdown in the program resulting in construction of unknown quality, a failure to report that breakdown and a failure to identify that issue as a significant condition affecting quality.
A TVA spokeswoman did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press for comment.
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