Two members of a Dartmouth College fraternity and a sorority have been charged in the death of a student who was found dead in a river over the summer after attending an off-campus party where alcohol was allegedly served to people who were under 21.

Won Jang, a 20-year-old who was a student at the college and a member of the Beta Alpha Omega fraternity, attended a party off campus in July held by Alpha Phi, a sorority, the Hanover Police Department in New Hampshire said in a statement Friday. The department said Jang and most of the other attendees were under 21 years old and drinking alcohol that was bought and served by Beta Alpha Omega members who were over 21.

After the party, several attendees decided to go for a swim in the Connecticut River, but when a heavy rainstorm occurred many of them left in groups.

“No one in these groups noticed that Jang was unaccounted for. It was confirmed via multiple interviews, to include Jang’s family, that he could not swim,” Hanover police said in a statement.

An autopsy report later determined that Jang’s cause of death was drowning, according to police. His blood alcohol level was .167, the department said. That amount is more than twice the state’s legal amount allowed for drivers 21 and older.

Jang was an undergraduate student from Middletown, Delaware studying biomedical engineering and was a student mentor, according to The Dartmouth. Scott Brown, dean of the college, said Jang “wholeheartedly embraced opportunities at Dartmouth to pursue his academic and personal passions,” according to the paper.

Two members of Beta Alpha Omega fraternity were each charged with a misdemeanor for providing alcohol to persons under 21 years old. The Alpha Phi sorority was also charged with a misdemeanor violation of facilitating an underage alcohol house, the police also said.

Neither Alpha Phi nor Beta Alpha Omega responded to a request for comment.

Dartmouth College said both the Alpha Phi chapter on campus and Beta Alpha Omega were “immediately suspended” after Jang’s death and an internal investigation was launched. The suspensions are still in effect “pending the results of Dartmouth’s internal investigation and conduct process” that the college said is still underway.

“Dartmouth has long valued the contributions that Greek organizations bring to the student experience, when they are operating within their stated values and standards,” the college said in a statement to NPR. “These organizations, as well as all Dartmouth students and community members, have a responsibility to ensure Dartmouth remains a safe, respectful, equitable, and inclusive community for students, faculty, and staff.”

The college also said that because of federal law it “cannot comment on individual disciplinary matters.”

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US retailers are extending their one-day seasonal Black Friday discount offers into a sales event lasting weeks in a bid to tempt US consumers to keep spending, as data suggests that their spree which has driven economic growth is beginning to falter.

Walmart, Amazon, Target and Macy’s are among the US retailers already offering deep discounts under the banner of Black Friday, long before it actually arrives this week.

Despite this, general merchandise unit sales were down 3 per cent year-on-year in the week ending 16 November according to data from Circana, which compiles retail point-of-sale data.

The National Retail Federation forecasts that winter holiday sales will reach almost $1tn in the US in November and December, a record $902 a head. But the rate of spending growth is expected to be about 2.5-3.5 per cent, the slowest since 2018.

“We’re seeing this drag-out of incentives to try to widen the window within which [retailers] can draw more consumers,” said Gregory Daco, chief economist at adviser EY Parthenon. “The likely reality in this holiday season is that we see fairly subdued sales because volumes are growing, but at a moderate pace — and [retailers have] much less pricing power.”

Retailers were “incentivising via discounts and different forms of promotions” for those at the lower end of the income spectrum while also “trying to grab higher-income individuals to make purchases during this wider window”, he said.

Although headline inflation has ebbed from the historic highs of the past couple of years, consumers “remain extremely frustrated by the persistence of high prices”, the University of Michigan said this week in a monthly survey.

Consumer spending has been the main driver of America’s robust economic growth in recent months. But consumer confidence is still well below the long-run average, sentiment surveys show.

The prospect of a fresh round of tariffs under Donald Trump’s incoming presidency raises the risk that inflation could take off again, economists have warned — posing a fresh drag on sentiment.

“Donald Trump’s return to the White House with a Republican majority [probably leads] to higher inflation, slower GDP growth and increased budget deficits,” Roland Fumasi, food and agribusiness analyst at Rabobank, said in a note.

If Trump increases tariffs, that would “lead to a rebound in inflation and a slowdown in economic growth”, he said.

“The negative impact on growth could be mitigated by tax cuts and deregulation by a Republican Congress. However, this would increase the budget deficit and reinforce inflation, especially in combination with reduced immigration,” he added.

Black Friday is one of the busiest times of year for consumer goods stores, and the period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday — the Monday following the holiday, when electronics vendors discount goods — is critical to retailers’ annual revenue.

NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz said that households’ finances were in “good shape”, offering “an impetus for strong spending heading into the holiday season”, although “households will spend more cautiously”.

Brian Cornell, Target chief executive, told analysts this week that consumers were becoming “increasingly resourceful” in the way that they shopped, “focusing on deals and then stocking up when they find them”.

The store group, which disappointed Wall Street this week by forecasting flat sales in the fourth quarter, ran a three-day “Early Black Friday” promotion in early November. On Thursday it launched a promotion titled “Black Friday deals” which will last to the end of the month, including items such as half-price Christmas trees and headphones.

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, launched the first of two week-long “Black Friday Deals” events on November 11. The second will begin on Monday, offering markdowns on televisions, iPhones, toys and jeans, among other items.

Amazon’s “Black Friday Week” began on Thursday. Home Depot’s “Black Friday Savings” offer lasts from November 7 to December 4.

Additional reporting by Will Schmitt in New York and Madeleine Speed in London

Two people were killed and one was injured after a Civil Air Patrol plane crashed near Storm Mountain in Colorado.

Authorities responded to a report of a plane crash roughly 80 miles north of Denver shortly after 11 a.m. on Saturday, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said.

Emergency crews and deputies found three passengers on board. Two were confirmed dead while the third was transported to a local hospital with severe injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

The plane belonged to the Thompson Valley Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, a civilian auxiliary of the US Air Force. The plane, which the National Transportation Safety Board identified as a Cessna 182, was conducting a routine aerial photography training mission when the incident occurred, Colorado Civil Air Patrol confirmed.

Pilot Susan Wolber and aerial photographer Jay Rhoten lost their lives in the crash while co-pilot Randall Settergren suffered injuries, the state’s Governor Jared Polis announced Saturday.

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These individuals “served the Civil Air Patrol as volunteers who wanted to help make Colorado a better, safer place for all. The State of Colorado is grateful for their commitment to service and it will not be forgotten,” the governor said.

The sheriff’s office is still working on recovery operations, which it expects will take several days “due to the extreme, rugged terrain,” authorities said. An investigation into the crash is also ongoing.

Major General Laura Clellan, the Adjutant General of Colorado of the state’s department of Military and Veterans Affairs, also issued a statement in the wake of the tragedy.

“The volunteers of Civil Air Patrol are a valuable part of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and the lifesaving work they do on a daily basis directly contributes to the public safety of Coloradans throughout the state,” she said. “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families of those involved in the crash. I would also like to thank all of the first responders who assisted with rescue efforts.”

Colorado Civil Air Patrol missions “range from search-and-rescue of lost hikers or hunters, location of downed aircraft, and transport of emergency personnel or medical materials,” the statement said.

Loveland Fire Rescue Authority, Thompson Valley EMS, UCHealth LifeLine, Larimer County Parks Rangers, Loveland Police Department, the United States Forest Service, and the Colorado Air National Guard also assisted with the incident response.