Construction for the new Iversen Center for Faith on St. Thomas’ Upper Quad began early Wednesday morning. The workers chopped down trees and started to level the ground by the existing chapel in preparation for the expansion.

The construction for the chapel will continue through the spring and additional construction for the two new residence halls will begin when the semester ends.

In Australia, police say that the man accused of the Christchurch mosque attacks, will face 50 murder charges and 39 attempted murder charges at his court appearance Friday.

After the massacre on March 15th, Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant was arrested and charged with one count of murder.

Tarrant says he wants to represent himself in court.

In national news, a federal judge will hear arguments on whether a government watchlist of more than 1 million “known or suspected terrorists” violates the Constitution.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations sued in 2016 on behalf of Muslim Americans who said they were wrongly placed on the list and suffered negative consequences as a result.

The plaintiffs say the standard for inclusion is overbroad, and innocent Muslims are routinely listed by mistake making it hard for them to travel, complete financial transactions or interact with police.

A hearing is scheduled Thursday in Alexandria, Virginia.

Ava Diaz can be reached at diaz@stthomas.edu.