Midday Roundup: Attorney says OSU driver was mentally ill, not drunk

Insanity defense? The driver who crashed into a crowd of spectators Saturday at Oklahoma State University’s homecoming parade is due in court today on second-degree murder charges. Four people, including a 2-year-old boy, were killed and dozens injured when Adacia Chambers’ sedan plowed through the crowd in Stillwater, Okla. Police initially charged Chambers with impaired driving, but her attorney, Tony Coleman, said she was not intoxicated but is mentally ill. Chambers’ family sent their condolences to the victims of the crash and their families. The dead include a 23-year-old MBA student from India and a married couple in their 60s. Nine children younger than 10 were among the injured, and 17 victims remain hospitalized, police said.

Rattled region. A 7.5-magnitude earthquake in the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan killed more than 100 people earlier today. The quake could be felt as far away as New Delhi and shook areas of northern Afghanistan that have suffered violence in the recent Taliban uprising. The quake caused damage to communication lines into the remote area, making it difficult to accurately assess the damage. The Pakistani and Afghan capitals of Islamabad and Kabul also felt the temblor, which shook the countryside for at least two minutes.

Could’ve been worse. Hurricane Patricia’s landfall in Mexico over the weekend did not have nearly the apocalyptic impact predicted. As the Category 5 storm came ashore in western Mexico, it collided with the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range and quickly dissipated into a tropical storm. Officials say mass evacuations ahead of the hurricane helped protect lives, as did its arrival in a pocket of sparsely populated coast between the tourist resort of Puerto Vallarta and the port city of Manzanillo. Meanwhile in Texas, the remnants of Hurricane Patricia dumped as much as 20 inches of rain and caused massive flooding over the weekend. Response teams in Houston had a few dicey moments with people stranded in their cars.South of Dallas, a freight train pulling 64 cars derailed when it hit a patch of track submerged under flood waters.

Banned banner. The University of Mississippi removed the state flag from campus today because it contains the Confederate battle flag. Student and faculty groups lobbied the university to take down the flag because many people view it as a symbol of slavery and racism. “Because the flag remains Mississippi’s official banner, this was a hard decision,” Interim Chancellor Morris Stocks said in a statement. “I understand the flag represents tradition and honor to some. But to others, the flag means that some members of the Ole Miss family are not welcomed or valued.” Ole Miss is the fourth public university in the state to stop flying the flag.

WORLD Radio’s Jim Henry and The Associated Press contributed to this report.