Tuesday morning news: May 29, 2018

Tropical Storm Alberto lashes Florida panhandle » Subtropical Storm Alberto made for a wet holiday as it began lashing the Florida panhandle Monday.

Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford warned beachgoers of dangerous rip currents.

FORD: People are not allowed to go into the water. There could be legal consequences if they go in the water because there are very dangerous surf conditions. 

Still, many ventured onto the beach in Florida, although few went into the water.

John Hargan at the Riverside Cafe in St. Marks, south of Tallahassee, said it was “all hands on deck” Monday. 

Alberto is packing winds of 65-miles an hour and threatening the Florida and Alabama coasts with storm surge and flooding.

The storm is expected to continue heading north up into the Ohio Valley and could drop as much as a half a foot of rain on Tennessee by tonight. 

The first named storm of 2018, Alberto got the jump on the official hurricane season, which starts on Friday. 

Ellicott City flooding » Meanwhile in Ellicott City, Maryland, just south of Baltimore, a heartbreaking cleanup effort is underway.

Heavy rain over the weekend triggered what some are calling a 1,000 year flood, the second the town has suffered in two years.

Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said Ellicott City’s historic district only recently recovered from a 2016 flood.

KITTLEMAN: A lot of businesses and first floors are gone like they were two years ago. There are still cars throughout Main Street as there were two years ago. There are a lot of people whose lives are going to be devastated again, and they’ve been working so hard to come back.

Eight inches of rain fell on the area Sunday, causing the flash flood.

Recovery crews have not reported any fatalities, but authorities confirm one man is missing.

Hero teacher speaks out » The Indiana middle school teacher hailed as a hero for stopping a shooting Friday is speaking out.

Jason Seaman told reporters Monday:

SEAMAN: My actions on that day, in my mind, were the only acceptable actions I could have done given the circumstances. I deeply care for my students and their well-being. That’s why I did what I did. 

Students in Seaman’s Noblesville West Middle School classroom said he tackled and disarmed the student gunman, preventing further bloodshed. 

The 29-year old former college football player was shot three times but suffered no life threatening wounds and was able to leave the hospital Saturday.

Seaman encouraged people to focus attention on 13-year old student Ella Whistler— who remains in critical condition.

Police have not released the gunman’s name. 

Mexican drug lord’s wife arrested » Mexican police have arrested the wife of the man allegedly responsible for much of the heroin smuggled into the United States. WORLD Radio’s Kristen Flavin has that story.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: Authorities detained Rosalinda Valencia outside Guadalajara Saturday.

Valencia’s husband, Nemesio Cervantes, heads one of Mexico’s largest drug cartels. His wife will now face charges of running the cartel’s finances. 

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents called Cervantes their “top target” following the arrest and extradition of drug cartel leader Joaquin Guzman, known as “El Chapo,” last year. 

Mexican authorities declined to say how close they are to arresting Cervantes.

Reporting for WORLD Radio, I’m Kristen Flavin.

EU proposes ban on plastic straws » You may not be able to sip a soft drink through a plastic straw on your next European vacation.

The European Union is proposing a ban on plastic products like straws and stir sticks to reduce litter spoiling beaches and ocean beds.

The EU wants to cut the amount of marine litter in half over the next dozen years, estimated to cost $250 billion in environmental damage. 

The plastic items would not be banned completely, new regulations would require replacements to be made out of sustainable materials when possible. 

The EU Parliament and member states must still approve the plan.

I’m Jim Henry. Straight ahead: Sarah Schweinsberg reports on the ongoing criminal justice debate in Washington. And Jenny Lind Schmitt with details on Ireland’s abortion referendum. This is The World and Everything in It.

(Nick Tomecek/Northwest Florida Daily News via AP) Beachgoers walk on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Monday, May 28, 2018, as Subtropical Storm Alberto approaches the Gulf Coast. 

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