NATIONAL BRIEFS

TEXAS: Flood death toll rising

The death toll from flooding caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Hermine climbed Thursday as the body of a swimmer was recovered in Texas and an Oklahoma driver drowned trying to cross a swollen creek. At least four people have died in Hermine-fueled flooding. Near San Antonio, the body of Derek Joel-Nelson Clemens, 23, who along with a friend was swept away while swimming, was recovered in the Guadalupe River. Crews were searching for his friend. Floods hit parts of Texas before the rain moved into Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. In eastern Oklahoma, Jackie Warford, 19, drowned after his vehicle was swept off the road.

WASHINGTON STATE: Soldiers' Afghan crimes

New details in Army charge sheets paint a disturbing picture of depravity, deceit and savage internal discipline involving at least 12 Stryker soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord during their recent deployment to Afghanistan. The soldiers, from the same company in the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, are charged with 76 crimes, including the premeditated murders of three civilians and the beating of fellow soldiers. Six of the men face charges of keeping trophy body parts from Afghan corpses, including a skull and fingers, according to the documents released Wednesday. One soldier is alleged to have stabbed a corpse in December. Three face charges of wrongfully taking and/or possessing photographs of bodies. The highest-ranking in the group, Staff Sgt. Calvin R. Gibbs, is accused of showing fingers from a corpse to a soldier in an attempt to keep him from talking to Army investigators about his and others' alleged use of drugs. Gibbs and four other soldiers from Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, face charges of murdering Afghan noncombatants and conspiracy to commit premeditated murder in Kandahar province.

PENNSYLVANIA: City's immigrant law blocked

A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that Hazleton may not enforce its crackdown on illegal immigrants, dealing another blow to 4-year-old regulations that inspired similar measures around the country. The city's mayor pledged to take the case to the Supreme Court. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia said Hazleton's Illegal Immigration Relief Act usurped the federal government's exclusive power to regulate immigration. Hazleton, a northeastern city of 30,000, had sought to fine landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and deny business permits to companies that hire them. A companion measure required prospective tenants to register with City Hall and pay for a rental permit.