With retail sales continuing to grow, imports at major US retail container ports are expected to remain strong in September after setting three new records this summer, new figures suggest.

Struggling British department store group Debenhams has appointed restructuring experts KPMG to look at a number of options for the company, including a potential company voluntary arrangement (CVA).

US manufacturing grew at a faster pace in August, boosted by a number of industries including textile and clothing production – but a new survey shows concerns continue to grow over trade.

A 10% drop in global cotton stocks could bring the world’s cotton reserves down to a level not seen since the 2011/12 season, according to the latest update from an inter-governmental group.

LOS ANGELES — Actor David Henrie — who formerly starred with Selena Gomez on the Disney Channel teen sitcom “Wizards of Waverly Place” — was arrested Monday for allegedly carrying a loaded gun at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said.

Henrie, 29, was arrested about 9 a.m. during TSA screening in Terminal 2, and was booked on suspicion of possession of a loaded firearm, Airport Police Officer Rob Pedregon said.

According to TMZ.com, Henrie was in possession of an M&P Shield 9mm pistol.

Henrie starred as Gomez’s brother on “Wizards of Waverly Place” from 2007-2012, and also has made appearances on “How I Met Your Mother” and “Arrested Development.”

At slightly more than 2,000 square feet, the Villa Park Library’s intimate space seems to be just the right size for the library’s regulars, and thanks to a recent makeover, the patrons are enjoying it even more.

Friends of the Villa Park Library raised $20,000 to complete a recent renovation of the library, which is adjacent to City Hall, tucked away in a strip mall on Santiago Boulevard.

Perhaps the most notable upgrade is the addition of a designated children’s area, which is sectioned off from the rest of library by two curved book cases – just the right size for kids to reach for their favoritereads.

“I love when kids have a great space and this is a great space,” said Wilynda Leonard, whose five children, ages 9 to 18, use the library to do homework. “Kids know how to come to it. They know tocome right here.”

For Leonard’s 9-year old son, Zechariah, the coziness of the new children’s area is perfect.

“In other big libraries, the books are far away,” Zechariah said. “If you go to the kids section right here, you can just go get your book and walk back.”

Elsewhere, Chairs circling a pair of small, two-foot high round tables are positioned in the middle of the room to create a new conversation area.

A charging station for laptops and USB ports has been added along with a closed-circuit television above the checkout desk – it serves as a bulletin board announcing the library’s events and programs.

Zechariah’s brother, Gabriel, a junior at Orange Lutheran High School, walks to the library after school and does his homework.

“I like it because it’s really quiet,” he said. “It’s smaller than other libraries so it’s more comfortable.”

The library is part of the county’s OC Public Libraries division and is the only public library in the city.

“People like the way the upgrade looks,” said Arlyn Bottomley, whose been at the Villa Park branch for a year. “They always say, ‘You put more room in here,” but we didn’t. It’s the same amount of space wehad. That is what (administrators) wanted … to de-clutter and make more open space and make it more welcoming.”

By FRED SHUSTER | City News Service

LOS ANGELES — A sentencing hearing was postponed Monday for a former U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs contracts administrator who pleaded guilty to tax fraud and lying to investigators about his part in a bribery scheme at the VA’s Westside medical center campus.

Ralph Tillman, 58, of Whittier was granted a delay in sentencing until Sept. 24 to ensure that he will have access to his medications while in federal prison.

Tillman, who resigned from the VA in 2014 after being confronted by investigators, admitted that he took nearly $290,000 in “hush money” from Richard Scott, 58, owner of Westside Services, which had a contract to operate public parking locations across the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.

Scott of Santa Monica was sentenced last month to nearly six years in prison for swindling the VA out of at least $12 million generated by his parking lots and bribing Tillman to keep the long-running scheme secret.

RELATED STORY: Former Veterans Affairs worker from Whittier to plead guilty to taking bribes for covering up $11 million fraud scheme

Tillman faces up to eight years — but is expected to receive less than half that amount — when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner in downtown Los Angeles.

As part of his job, Tillman was responsible for managing contracts with “sharing partners,” such as Scott’s Westside Services, which were required to share revenues with the agency. He admitted that he first solicited a bribe from Scott in late 2003. About 18 months later, Scott began making monthly cash payments to Tillman, with Scott personally delivering the bribes in sealed FedEx envelopes.

In return for the cash, Tillman failed to scrutinize annual statements from Scott that he knew contained inaccurately reported revenues and expenses. Tillman also admitted that he knew Scott was defrauding the VA out of millions of dollars and that he entered into a contract extension with the parking lot operator in 2011 to continue the fraud and bribery scheme.

Prosecutors said that during an interview with special agents from the VA’s Office of Inspector General in September 2014, Tillman lied when he denied accepting money or anything of value from Scott. But in his plea agreement, Tillman admitted taking $286,250 from Scott from 2003 through last year, even after his retirement.

The defendants’ crimes have caused “profound and lasting damage” to the VA, said Meghan Flanz, executive director in charge of the master plan to revitalize the 388-acre medical center campus.

In a letter to the court on behalf of the healthcare system’s executive team in Los Angeles, she expressed “continuing anger, frustration and disgust regarding the actions of the defendants.”

Flanz wrote that while years have passed since Tillman and Scott first conspired to defraud the government, “their corruption continues to harm our campus, our employees, our reputation in the community, and most importantly, the veterans we are honored to serve.”

The VA contract with Scott was terminated in early 2017 after the agency settled a lawsuit that challenged the VA’s use of its Westside campus for any purposes not specifically related to the care and housing of veterans.

San Diego County Sheriff’s investigators and Navy Criminal Investigative Services are looking for suspects in the death of an active-duty Marine from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

Sgt. Christopher Truax, 21, was killed just after midnight on Friday, Sept. 7, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Lemon Grove sheriff’s deputies reportedly spotted Truax and a woman in a car parked in the middle of the street in the 7400 block of Pacific Avenue in Lemon Grove, according to a statement by Lt. Rich Williams from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

When deputies arrived, they found Truax bleeding from a gunshot wound. Paramedics worked to save him, but Truax died at the scene, according to the sheriff’s statement.

On Monday, following an autopsy, the San Diego County coroner ruled Truax’s death a homicide.

Truax, of Horseheads, N.Y., was part of Marine Wing Support Squadron 373, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, based at Miramar. He joined the Marine Corps in July 2104 and worked in food services.

“We join Sergeant Christopher Truax’s family in mourning the loss of a loved one,” Lt. Col. James Bauch, commanding officer MWSS 373, said in a statement. “He was a valued Brother-in-Arms to all who served with him and will be missed. We wish them comfort as they navigate the difficult days ahead.”

Truax had previously deployed with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. His awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Unit at 858-285-6330. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.

This is at least the second homicide of a Marine in the San Diego area over the last nine months.

In late December, Cpl. Ryan Harris, 21 was fatally stabbed in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter as he tried to break up a fight.

Harris, 21, of Elverta, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2015 and served as an automotive mechanic with the 1st Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment, 1st Marine Logistics Group at Camp Pendleton.

The two suspects in Harris’ death — Jose Oscar Esqueda, 30, and Jeff Shai Holliday, 24, both of San Diego — have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder, assault and conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with Harris’ death. They are expected to appear in court Tuesday, Sept. 11 to set trial dates, said Chris Lawson, a San Diego deputy district attorney.

By JONATHAN DREW

The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. — Florence exploded into a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane Monday as it closed in on North and South Carolina, carrying winds up to 130 mph and water that could wreak havoc over a wide stretch of the eastern United States later this week.

The South Carolina governor ordered the state’s entire coastline to be evacuated starting at noon Tuesday.

The storm’s first effects were already being seen on barrier islands as dangerous rip currents hit beaches and seawater flowed over a state highway. Communities along a stretch of coastline that is vulnerable to rising sea levels due to climate change prepared to evacuate.

For many people, the challenge could be finding a safe refuge: If Florence slows to a crawl just off the coast, it could bring torrential rains to the Appalachian mountains and as far away as West Virginia, causing flash floods, mudslides and other dangerous conditions.

The storm’s potential path also includes half a dozen nuclear power plants, pits holding coal-ash and other industrial waste, and numerous eastern hog farms that store animal waste in massive open-air lagoons.

National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham warned that Florence was forecast to linger over the Carolinas once it reaches shore. People living well inland should prepare to lose power and endure flooding and other hazards, he warned.

“It’s not just the coast,” Graham said. “When you stall a system like this and it moves real slow, some of that rainfall can extend well away from the center.”

A warm ocean is the fuel that powers hurricanes, and Florence will be moving over waters where temperatures are peaking near 85 degrees (30 Celsius), hurricane specialist Eric Blake wrote. And with little wind shear to pull the storm apart, Florence’s hurricane wind field was expected to expand over the coming days, increasing its storm surge and inland wind threats.

By noon Monday, Florence was centered about 1,230 miles (1,985 kilometers) east-southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina, and moving west at 13 mph (20 kph). Its center will move between Bermuda and the Bahamas on Tuesday and Wednesday and approach the coast of South Carolina or North Carolina on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Meanwhile, two other storms were also spinning in the Atlantic. Hurricane Isaac was expected to lose strength as it reaches the Caribbean, and Helene, much farther out to sea, may veer northward into the open ocean as the 2018 hurricane season reaches its peak.

Preparations for Florence were intensifying up and down the densely populated coast. Since reliable record-keeping began more than 150 years ago, North Carolina has been hit by only one Category 4 hurricane: Hazel, with 130 mph winds, in 1954.

The parking lot has been full for three days at the Ace Hardware store in coastal Calabash, North Carolina, where manager Tom Roberts said he sold 150 gas cans in two hours Monday, along with generators, plywood, rope, manual can openers, sand bags and a plethora of other items.

“I’ve been doing this since 1983,” Roberts said as he completed an order for another 18-wheeler full of supplies. “This is the craziest one.”

Many newcomers have moved to the coast in the nearly 19 years since the last strong hurricane — Floyd — threatened the area. Roberts said he’s telling them to get out of town.

“I’m telling them to go inland, but I’m worried about the rain and tornadoes too,” Roberts said.

Several meteorologists said Florence could do what Hurricane Harvey did last year over Texas, dumping days of rain, although not quite as bad.

“I think this is very Harvey-esque,” said University of Miami hurricane expert Brian McNoldy. “Normally, a landfalling tropical cyclone just keeps on going inland, gradually dissipating and raining itself out. But on rare occasions, the steering patterns can line up such that a storm slips into a dead zone between troughs and ridges.”

On North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Dawn Farrow Taylor, 50, was gathering photos and important documents and filling prescriptions Monday before heading inland. She grew up on the island chain, and says this will be only the second time she’s evacuated.

“I don’t think many of us have ever been through a Category 4. And out here we’re so fragile. We’re just a strip of land — we’re a barrier island,” she said.

In the village of Buxton, Liz Browning Fox plans to ride the storm out in her house on top of a ridge. She believes her home, built in 2009, will be secure, but it’s hard to foresee all potential hazards.

“You never know, there could be tree missiles coming from any direction,” she said. “There is no way to be completely safe.”

In announcing his evacuation order, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said an estimated 1 million people would be fleeing the coast. Eastbound lanes of Interstate 26 heading into Charleston and U.S. 501 heading into Myrtle Beach will be reversed when the order takes effect.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said his state was “in the bullseye” of the storm and urged people to “get ready now.”

___

Associated Press writers Jennifer Kay in Miami; Jeffrey Collins and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina; Seth Borenstein in Washington; and Jeff Martin in Atlanta contributed to this report.

The famous gardens of Impressionist painter Claude Monet in Giverny were the inspiration for the fresh, charming color palette of Gilles Mendel’s elegant spring collection. The arty reference was combined with a late Seventies’ vibe, which resulted in a certain free-spirited yet always refined attitude injected in the lineup.
Fluid, flowy dresses were cut in a range of silhouettes, from long-sleeved styles embellished with precious textured embroideries, to plissé color-blocked V-neck frocks with pretty beaded decorations on the sleeves. to a range of covetable silk devoré styles with abstract motifs.
The designer put the focus on the bodice with flattering corset constructions, introducing a vein of polished sensuality with bustier frilled organza gowns and a draped column style revealing an exquisite floral decoration at the waist.
In keeping with the moody weather of the week, the spring lineup was rounded out with a range of outerwear options, including a more quotidian, sporty-chic bomber with a drawstring and exclusive astrakhan panels as well as luxurious mink short jackets and shawls to layer over the collection’s pretty dresses for an extra-luxurious touch.

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