The “town awash in poop” is not a sought-after tourism slogan, but it’s how the New Republic describes the California surf town of Imperial Beach near San Diego. The problem for residents is that the description is an apt one. The poop in question comes from across the border in Tijuana, Mexico. The trouble began in 2017 when a sewage pipeline burst and sent feces and wastewater into the Tijuana River and eventually onto the shores of Imperial Beach. Since then, the town has had persistent sewage contamination with cascading effects on the local tourism economy. Sections of Imperial Beach have been closed to swimmers for more than 900 straight days, and bars and restaurants are struggling to survive.

It’s more than a matter of a one-off cleanup. The story explores the complicated cross-border factors at play, starting with Tijuana’s surging population (thanks in part to NAFTA) without the sewage infrastructure to handle it. Congress has provided $300 million to address US-Mexico pollution, but the sum is seen as nowhere near enough. In the meantime, Imperial Beach locals are getting sick. Local officials and organizations are working to address the crisis through various means, including legal action, community recycling programs, and collaboration with health departments. However, a comprehensive solution remains elusive. Read the full story. (Or check out other longforms.)

SALT LAKE CITY — The families of three Utahns are mourning after their loved ones drowned while canyoneering in California.

The three friends were hiking near the Seven Teacups area in Tulare County when the incident happened.

“He loved making moments special for people,” said Summerisa Bell Stevens, sister of one of the victims, David Bell.

Friendly to everybody

From spending time with his family to the outdoors with friends Stevens described her 48-year-old brother as a friend to everyone.

“I think that is where he thrived. There wasn’t anything that he wouldn’t do for anyone,” Stevens said.

That dedication extended to Bell’s community. Bell was co-founder of the Harrington Center for the Arts, a non-profit in America Fork, devoted to supporting creatives and the arts, and owner of Runtastic Events, the creative force behind several marathons held across Utah.

“He helped people achieve a goal and then feel the joy from that,” Valecia Green, Bell’s older sister said. “He loved being outside, (and) he felt like he connected with God outside.”

On Friday, David was in California with a group of 13 friends, They were canyoneering near the Seven Teacups area in Tulare County, about 80 miles northeast of Bakersfield.

“They had had a seamless beautiful day canyoneering together. They were actually at very the end of that experience,” Stevens said.

“The leader [of the group] had done this trip, I think she said 15 times, so it was just the very last four foot drop into a pool, a little pool,” Green said.

“From the top of the surface you wouldn’t have been able to tell that anything was wrong,” Stevens added.

Something went wrong

According to Stevens and Green, David’s dear friend Jeannine Skinner was the first to jump in. The group soon realized something was wrong.

“At first they didn’t understand what was going on,” Stevens said.

Skinner wasn’t surfacing and appeared to be caught in an undercurrent unable to get out. Their friend Peter On was nearby and dove in first help her. David, who was higher up, soon followed him in.

“There was a circular current that they think was caused by either a large log or a rock that was pushed into that area,” Stevens said. “Pete immediately jumped into the water to help Jeannine. At one point he got out and he was able to get away from the current and extended his hand and she couldn’t reach it so he went back in to try to get her.”

Unfortunately, all three were caught in the current.

“It sounds like it was circular, they would come under and then come back up,” Green said.

“[Then] Dave was able to get himself out of the cycle at the same time that Pete went unconscious, but Dave saw that Jeannine was still in the pattern, he went back and tried to get her out as well,” Stevens said.

All three lost consciousness. Their friends were able to pull them out within seven minutes and performed CPR for more than 20 minutes, doing everything they could, but it was too late.

“These are all really experienced people and one of them was a nurse practitioner,” Stevens said. “We’ve been able to get a little bit of closure by talking to the people there.”

Holding onto their faith

As loved ones process this tragedy, they’re clinging onto their faith.

“These are three amazing, amazing individuals that will be very missed by family, friends and the community at large,” Green said.

The three victims’ bodies were recovered on Saturday. They will be brought back to Utah for funeral services.

According to NBC affiliate KGET, the Tulare County Fire Department initially reported that a fourth person injured but David’s family says there was some confusion and no one else was hurt.

There is a marathon in Payson on Sept. 7 that will be held in honor of David, Jeannine and Pete.

A *GoFundMe acccount has been set up for Bell.

The friends of David, Jeannine, and Pete are asked to share their memories and stories by clicking here.

*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

In an interview with Reuters, Satinder Pal Singh Raju, of Woodland, California, said FBI agents on Thursday came to speak with him and a friend who was driving the truck when they and another passenger were attacked on Interstate 505 South in Yolo County on their way back from a late dinner in Vacaville.

Nijjar was killed in June 2023 outside his gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. That killing, and Trudeau’s suggestion of possible Indian government involvement, triggered a diplomatic crisis between the countries.

Speaking through an interpreter, Raju said a white car pulled up to the left of their truck, then fell back behind them before pulling up alongside them again. That was when the first bullet was fired.

“With the first shot, I ducked down,” he said. “But then I heard more gunshots fired.”

As they attempted to escape the gunfire, their truck skidded and veered off the road into a ditch, said Raju. He and his two friends fled into a nearby field and hid behind a haystack while they called 911. Police officers later told him they located at least five shell casings.

The FBI’s Sacramento office confirmed it is collaborating with the California Highway Patrol “in support of the investigation” into the shooting.

A spokesman for the California Highway Patrol confirmed the shooting occurred, but declined to provide details and said the investigation is ongoing.

In the same month as Nijjar’s killing, the FBI foiled an alleged assassination attempt against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, another prominent Sikh separatist with dual citizenship in Canada and the United States. Pannun is general counsel for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a banned outfit in India.

The US Justice Department has charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with trying to arrange Pannun’s murder at the behest of an Indian intelligence official.

Gupta pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in New York.

Four Indian nationals in Canada are facing charges of murder and conspiracy in the death of Nijjar.

India has denied involvement in both incidents, and it was not clear if there is a connection between the drive-by shooting involving Raju and those earlier incidents.

The Indian Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on Friday about the recent shooting in California.

In the days and months after Nijjar’s killing, the FBI and the Canadian Royal Mounted Police privately warned at least seven Sikh activists that their lives could be in grave danger, without specifying the source of the threat.

Raju told Reuters he was not among those who received such calls. Raju is involved with SFJ, an advocacy group co-founded by Pannun that organises non-binding referendums around the world to urge Punjab to secede from India and carve out an independent state called Khalistan.

The movement led to a violent insurgency in India’s Punjab state in the 1980s and 1990s.

The August 11 shooting occurred two weeks after Raju had returned from Calgary, Canada, where he helped organise a referendum that drew the participation of an estimated 55,000 members of the Sikh community, according to Pannun.

In 2019, India declared SFJ an unlawful association, citing its involvement in extremist activities. Pannun and its members deny these allegations.

Raju is not as well known as Pannun internationally, but he said he is active with organising referendums.

He said he does not have enemies, and suspects the shooting was motivated by a desire to stoke fear in those supporting the Khalistan movement. “…this attack on me and the death threats is not going to deter me from continuing the campaign,” he said.