Terror Threat Rises As 9/11 Nears; Spotted Lanternfly Targeted

Good morning! It’s Sunday, Aug. 15, and here’s a sampling of what we’re catching you up on today: the mayor of Detroit is threatening legal action after claiming the city was undercounted in the 2020 census; police take an “American idol” singer’s baby; Texas officials plead with their governor; and New York City’s most stressful subway stations ranked.

Terror Alert Raised Ahead Of 9/11

The Department of Homeland Security this weekend warned of a heightened threat of terrorist activity ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The federal agency said upcoming religious holidays could also act as a catalyst for acts of targeted violence.

The new advisory noted that people are turning to online forums to "influence and spread violent extremist narratives and promote violent activity."

The bulletin follows an earlier release issued in May that expired Friday. Read the full story on Across America Patch.

Detroit Undercounted In Census: Mayor

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is planning to pursue legal action after he said the city was undercounted by at least 10 percent during the 2020 census.

Newly-released census data shows Detroit had 254,000 occupied households in 2020, Duggan said during a news conference Friday. However, "DTE (Energy) reports there are nearly 280,000 residential households currently paying electric bills," Dugan said. Read the full story on Detroit Patch.

Baby Of ‘Idol’ Singer Taken Away

Manatee County deputies took a newborn baby into custody from her parents, former "American Idol" singer Syesha Mercado and her partner, Tyron Deneer.

Deputies stopped the couple while they were driving with the newborn to conduct a welfare check. Manatee County officials reportedly insisted on taking the baby to the hospital for a checkup.

As of Thursday, the baby was still in protective custody. Read the full story on Bradenton Patch.

Around ‘The Patch’

‘Don’t Florida Our Virginia’: As new COVID-19 cases spike, candidates for Virginia governor are debating how the pandemic should be handled now and what policies and rules they would enforce if elected governor in November, via Falls Church Patch.

Death To NJ Lanternflies: Much of New Jersey remains under a different kind of quarantine — that of the spotted lanternfly variety. But wherever you are, if you see one, New Jersey wants you to destroy it, via Parsippany Patch.

Texas Officials Plead With Abbott: Texas officials from all corners of the state called on Gov. Greg Abbott to rescind his mask mandate ban and also urged state lawmakers to oppose laws interfering with local government, via Austin Patch.

Stress By Subway: A handful of subway stations across New York City’s five boroughs push stress levels to an all-time high, according to a new ranking of the city's "most stressful" subway stations, via New York City Patch.

NJ Little League Team Wins Big: The Toms River East Little League team is headed to the Little League World Series for the first time since 1999, and second time since its 1998 World Championship, via Toms River Patch.

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