A CHALKED SIDEWALK message in California in support of those killed or wounded in the Feb. 14 Parkland shootings (Wikipedia).

New doubts about the efforts of law enforcement in the Feb. 14 shootings at a Florida high school that took the lives of 17 people surfaced on Thursday, as a report indicates that sheriff’s deputies were told to form a perimeter instead of confront the gunman.

The Associated Press is reporting that the Miami Herald newspaper has obtained a copy of the Broward County sheriff’s log, stating that Capt. Jan Jordan gave the order to form a perimeter around Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

That order is significant because training and national standard policy calls for law enforcement officers to immediately engage a school schooling suspect. That policy came in effect after the 2013 Columbine High School massacre when police waited outside the campus while 15 were killed by two gunmen.

Reports indicate that the first law enforcement officer did not enter the campus in Parkland until four minutes after the suspected gunman – Nikolas Cruz – had left the campus.

The news about the perimeter order comes after it was revealed the once officer – since retired – waited outside the school, claiming he thought the gunshots were being fired outside the buildings, not inside.

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Trump defends tariff talk; markets react

President Donald Trump defended his threat to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum on Friday, saying, “Traffic wars are good, and easy to win” in a tweet. He also messaged “Our steel industry is in bad shape. IF YOU DON’T HAVE STEEL, YOU DON’T HAVE A COUNTRY!”

Some of those who might be affected – the European Union, Canada, Germany – threatened to retaliate with tariffs on American goods. Meanwhile, the stock market gyrated on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 100 points, while the Standard and Poor’s 500 was up a half-point.

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SHOWERS expected this weekend.

Rain coming to Southern California

Some much-needed rain is expected to hit the Garden Grove-Huntington Beach-Westminster area starting Friday afternoon and continuing through Saturday, with a replay on March 9 and 10.

The National Weather Service is predicting showers over the area, with highs in the low 60s and lows in the low 40s.  Winds should be between 10 and 16 miles an hour from a southwest direction.