This March 16, 2017 photo shows the sewage pump room at the West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle. The plant is still recovering from a massive equipment failure that crippled operations and caused millions of gallons of raw sewage and untreated runoff to pour into the United States' second largest estuary. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
This March 16, 2017 photo shows the sewage pump room at the West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle. The plant is still recovering from a massive equipment failure that crippled operations and caused millions of gallons of raw sewage and untreated runoff to pour into the United States' second largest estuary. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Credit: ap — Ted S. Warren

One Dead, 15 Injured In Cincinnati Nightclub Gunfight

Cincinnati — A gunfight broke out inside a crowded Cincinnati nightclub early Sunday, leaving one man dead and 15 others wounded after a dispute among several patrons escalated into a shootout, authorities said.

No suspects were in custody by late Sunday afternoon in the shooting at the Cameo club, which has a history of gun violence, and police said there was no indication of any terrorism link.

Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said one of the wounded was in “extremely critical condition,” while a hospital spokeswoman said two victims were listed in critical condition. Police began receiving calls at 1:30 a.m. about gunshots at the club near the Ohio River east of downtown Cincinnati. Isaac said some 200 people were inside the club, one of the few hip-hop venues in the city, for music and dancing.

Isaac identified the dead man as 27-year-old O’Bryan Spikes, but provided no other details. He said 15 others were injured, with some already treated and released from hospitals.

U.S.-Backed Forces Capture Syrian Air Base From ISIL

Beirut — U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces captured a strategically important air base from Islamic State militants in north Syria on Sunday in the first major victory for the group since the U.S. airlifted the forces behind enemy lines four days ago.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces announced they had captured the Tabqa air base, 28 miles west of Raqqa, the Islamic State group’s de facto capital in Syria.

The U.S., which has provided substantial air and ground support to the SDF, ferried hundreds of SDF forces, as well as U.S. military advisers and U.S. artillery, behind IS lines earlier last week.

The airlift was a major development to the SDF’s multi-front campaign to bear down on Raqqa, as U.S.-backed Iraqi forces simultaneously press their assault to seize Mosul from the militants, in neighboring Iraq. SDF forces are within 6 miles of Raqqa from the north.

Tabqa air base was captured by ISIL militants from the Syrian government in August 2014. Shortly afterward, the group announced it had killed about 200 government soldiers at the base, in a mass killing recorded and distributed on video over social media.

Seattle Plant Failure Dumps Millions of Gallons of Sewage

Seattle — Millions of gallons of raw sewage and untreated runoff have poured into Puget Sound since Washington state’s largest sewage treatment plant experienced equipment failures that forced it to stop fully treating Seattle’s waste.

The county-run facility has been hobbling along at about half-capacity since the Feb. 9 electrical failure resulted in catastrophic flooding that damaged an underground network of pumps, motors, electric panels and other equipment.

Though the worst may be over, the plant is only partially treating dirty water that goes down Seattle toilets and washes off roofs and roads before discharging it into Puget Sound. The plant is likely to face fines for violating federal clean-water laws.

Meanwhile, the King County Council has launched an independent probe into what went wrong.

Pope’s Sex Abuse Board Vows To Go on Without Survivor Member

Vatican City — Members of Pope Francis’ sex abuse advisory board vowed Sunday to press ahead with their work even without abuse survivors on the panel following the resignation of a respected child advocate.

The commission wrapped up a plenary Sunday saying it would “find new ways” to ensure people who were abused by clergy shape and inform its work. But no specifics were announced, and it wasn’t clear if survivors would be named as members down the line.

Irish abuse survivor Marie Collins, a founding member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, resigned on March 1, citing what she called “unacceptable” resistance to the commission’s proposals from the Vatican’s doctrine office, which is responsible for processing cases against abusive priests.

Collins mentioned in particular the alleged refusal by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to implement proposals approved by the pope and to collaborate with the commission. In a statement Sunday, the commission expressed support for Collins and separately, several members said they agreed fully with her criticism of the doctrine office.

Trump’s Border Wall Proposal Faces Many Obstacles

Washington — President Donald Trump has now laid out exactly what he wants in the “big, beautiful wall” that he’s promised to build on the U.S.-Mexico border. But his effort to build a huge hurdle to those entering the U.S. illegally faces impediments of its own.

It’s still not clear how Trump will pay for the wall that, as described in contracting notices, would be 30 feet (9 meters) high and easy on the eye for those looking at it from the north. The Trump administration will also have to contend with unfavorable geography and many legal battles.

— Wire reports