Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.

Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.

Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

Partly cloudy skies. Low 56F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..

Partly cloudy skies. Low 56F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.

Sunlight magnified by glass bottles in an open garbage can ignited paper trash, starting a 500-acre (200-hectare) North Texas wildfire that destroyed five homes, fire officials said Thursday.

The July 18 fire on Possum Kingdom Lake’s western shore, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Fort Worth, took eight days to fully contain.

Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

NEW YORK — A woman who claimed Bob Dylan sexually abused her in 1965 when she was 12 years old dropped her Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit against the musician Thursday amid allegations she destroyed key email evidence in the case.

Principal Mandy Gutierrez has been reinstated as head of Robb Elementary School, where 19 students and two teachers were killed in a mass shooting in May.

Spain’s prime minister has kicked off his tour of the Western Balkans with a visit to Serbia. He is offering his country’s support for the integration of the volatile region into the European Union. Pedro Sanchez held talks with Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on Friday. In the coming days he plans to visit Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania. The Balkan nations are all in different stages of the EU accession process. EU officials have recently sought to encourage governments in the region to move on with reforms amid concerns over Russia’s efforts to boosts its influence in the Balkans.

Two Wisconsin residents are trying to show the state's absentee ballot request system is ripe for fraud, the latest chapter in a two-year fight over election administration in the battleground state. Former President Donald Trump continues to insist he won Wisconsin even though Joe Biden defeated him by 21,000 votes. Trump supporters continue to promote his baseless claims that the 2020 election was marred by fraud. They've pushed to decertify Biden's victory and persuaded the state Supreme Court to outlaw absentee ballot drop boxes. Now two people say they managed to request absentee ballots in Racine County in other people's names and get them mailed to different addresses in a case of political identity theft.

A fast-moving fire has damaged one of Philadelphia’s best-known cheesesteak shops, but authorities say no injuries have been reported. Dozens of firefighters and other emergency responders went to Jim’s Steaks on South Street when the fire was reported around 9:30 a.m. Friday. Smoke could be seen pouring from the building, but officials say all the employees were able to safely evacuate the structure. It wasn’t immediately known how many people were in the building when the fire broke out. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Jim’s Steaks opened its original location in Philadelphia in 1939. The South Street location opened in 1976.

PHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden has named Rosie Rios, who was U.S. Treasurer under President Barack Obama and more recently cohost of the Unicorn Hunters business-entertainment show, to succeed Philadelphia developer Dan DiLella as chairman of the government’s U.S. Semiquincentennial Comm…

Justice Samuel Alito mocked foreign leaders’ criticism of the Supreme Court decision he authored overturning a constitutional right to abortion, in his first public comments since last month’s ruling. The justice’s remarks drew more criticism as well as some support. Speaking in Rome at a religious liberty summit, Alito spent only a couple of minutes on the subject of abortion, and then only to discuss his foreign critics _ an unusual step for a high court justice. Alito singled out Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prince Harry of Great Britain, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The decision by the court’s conservative majority led roughly a dozen states to shut down or severely restrict abortions within days.

This week’s new entertainment releases include new music from Calvin Harris and a host of his musical friends, the four-part docuseries “My Life as a Rolling Stone” which takes an individual approach to each iconic band member, and Ron Howard tackles the riveting story of the 2018 rescue of a boys’ soccer team from inside a watery cave in the film “Thirteen Lives.” And straight out of San Diego’s Comic-Con, here comes “The Sandman.” Neil Gaiman, who wrote the acclaimed series of graphic novels, developed and is executive producer for the 10-episode series debuting Aug. 5 on Netflix starring Tom Sturridge.

Several workers suffered severe burns following a Friday morning explosion in central Mississippi. The explosion happened at a salt water disposal site in Madison County. At least six people sustained burns on at least 50% of their bodies, with one being burned from head to toe. Two people were airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center for treatment. Authorities say the cause of the explosion was still under investigation. The injured people are employees of W.S. Red Hancock, a Mississippi-based company. Company officials said they were assessing the situation Friday but had no additional information.

The parents of a 28-year-old Georgia woman who died after she fell from a moving patrol car following her arrest fought back tears Friday as they demanded answers in their daughter’s death. Brianna Grier suffered significant injuries July 15 and died from those injuries on July 21 at an Atlanta hospital. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said this week that the deputies who put Grier in the back of a patrol car to take her to the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office failed to close the rear passenger-side door before driving away. Grier's parents and sister appeared at a news conference Friday with prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump to demand answers.

The Taliban and an Afghan sports official say a grenade exploded during a game of cricket in Kabul, wounding at least four spectators at the stadium. No one claimed responsibility for the explosion on Friday afternoon at the International Cricket Stadium in Kabul, where several hundred people had gathered to watch the match between Band-e-Amir Dragons and Pamir Zalmi. The afternoon game was part of the domestic T20 Shpageza Cricket league games held every year. Cricket is a hugely popular sports in Afghanistan. The Taliban-appointed Kabul police spokesman, Khalid Zadran, said the game was briefly halted due to the grenade explosion but later continued.

The race for Arizona attorney general is wide open heading into the Tuesday primaries. Six Republicans and a lone Democrat are seeking their respective party's nomination for a job likely to have an outsized role in issues such as election integrity and abortion. Border security has emerged as the biggest issue during the campaign for the Republicans with abortion and concerns about elections discussed less frequently. The only Democrat running calls herself the “lawyer of the people” and says she'll fight for voting rights, the environment and the state's most vulnerable people.

Construction along the Hollywood Walk of Fame will begin next summer to make streetscape improvements for pedestrians and transit riders. Los Angeles Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell says the construction is expected to include an expanded pedestrian zone on part of Hollywood Boulevard, as well as sidewalk dining, bicycle racks, bus shelters, benches and landscaping. O'Farrell represents Hollywood. Money for the improvements comes from LA Metro’s Measure M, which was approved by voters in 2016 as a half-cent sales tax measure to fund traffic, transit and transportation projects. The LA Metro Board voted last year to put $7.2 million in Measure M funding toward the Hollywood Boulevard construction.

American golfer Sean Crocker retained his one-stroke lead at the Hero Open after shooting 6-under 66 in the second round of the European tour event. The star of Day 2 was Ewen Ferguson after the Scot made 11 birdies in a bogey-free 61 at Fairmont St. Andrews. Crocker backed up his opening-round 63 and was 15 under for the tournament as he goes for a wire-to-wire win. Scott Jamieson is playing in his native Scotland and was a stroke behind alone in second place after shooting 64. There was a five-way tie for third place.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is taking aim at what he calls the “Biden recession” and spreading blame to Democrat Stacey Abrams while at the same time arguing his own state's economy is good. Kemp said in a Friday speech in suburban Atlanta that his policies would be better for voter pocketbooks than Abrams. His Democratic rival says Kemp's policies have only been good for the rich and that Kemp's distinction between the national and Georgia economy is “mathematically and economically impossible." The economy is also central to Georgia's Senate race between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker.

Indiana senators have approved a measure to direct funding toward programs that help pregnant women, children and people who adopt. Friday's approval came during a divided special session where lawmakers have been wrangling over a proposal to ban nearly all abortions in the state. The spending bill from Senate Republicans passed 46–1. It allocates $45 million more in the coming year toward state agencies that “support the health of pregnant women, postpartum mothers, and infants,” especially among low-income families. The support would be available for families with children under 4 years old and comes with an estimated $5 million increase in tax credits for people who adopt. The House is set to vote on a similar bill later Friday.

Iran has raised the death toll from landsides and flash floods this week across the country to at least 53, including those killed in a mudslide in the capital, Tehran, the previous day. State TV reported that more than 30 people died in two villages, northwest and northeast of Tehran, after the monsoon dumped heavy rains that triggered mudslides there. Almost two dozen people died in eight other provinces and 21 out of Iran’s 31 provinces were affected by the heavy rains. There were fears the death toll could rise even further as searches were underway for those still missing and more heavy rains were expected in the coming days.

There is a lot of science fiction on television these days, and as with its theatrical big sibling, a lot of it relies on special effects and/or the built-in advantage of belonging to some extended, mutually promotional universe. Castles are built upon cliches, for reasons that can seem both…

LOS ANGELES, Calif., July 29, 2022 (SEND2PRESS NESWSWIRE) — Los Angeles-based CPA Firm, KROST CPAs and Consultants announced Paren Knadjian as Principal of M&A and Capital Markets and Brad Pauley as Principal of Tax. Knadjian has successfully completed over 200 M&A and Capital Market…

Florida is advising school districts to ignore protections for LGBTQ students that President Joe Biden’s administration is trying to implement. In a letter to the districts sent Thursday, Florida Education Secretary Manny Diaz said the proposed anti-discrimination language is not binding law and following the guidance could result in breaking state law. He said school districts could harm students and break Florida law if it follows proposed new rules under Title IX that would extend sexual discrimination protections to students based on their gender identity or sexual orientation. Last year, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning people assigned male at birth from participating in female sports.

A former opioid manufacturer is agreeing in principle to pay up to $2.4 billion in a deal with a dozen states over its marketing and product safety practices. State attorneys general announced the deal Friday regarding Allergan's practices. Allergan is now part of AbbVie but sold its generics division Actavis,  including its opioid products, to Teva Pharmaceuticals six years ago. The settlement calls for payments to be made to state and local governments. The agreement means pharma companies have consented to pay more than $40 billion to settle opioid crisis claims regarding manufacturers and distributors, The Associated Press has found.

Fifth-seeded Caroline Garcia advanced to the semifinals of the Poland Open after ending the clay-court winning streak of top-ranked Iga Swiatek at 18 matches. Garcia won 6-1, 1-6, 6-4. She broke Swiatek in the 10th game of the deciding set for her first win over the Pole. Swiatek had not lost on clay since the French Open quarterfinals in 2021. France’s Garcia next plays 10th-seeded Jasmine Paolini. Lucky loser Kateryna Baindl of Ukraine faces Ana Bogdan of Romania in the other semifinal match.

TAMPA, Fla. — Federal law enforcement officials appear to be investigating members of the Uhuru Movement in St. Petersburg for alleged connections to a Russian government official who prosecutors say directed U.S. political groups in a campaign to sow political divisions, spread pro-Russian …

The House is preparing to vote to revive a ban on semi-automatic guns. It's a response to the crush of mass shootings ripping through communities nationwide. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pushing the bill toward passage on Friday, but the legislation is likely to go nowhere in the Senate. Republicans dismiss the measure as an election-year strategy by Democrats. Once banned in the U.S., the high-powered firearms are now widely blamed in many mass shootings. Congress allowed the restrictions first put in place in 1994 to expire a decade later, unable to muster the political support to counter the powerful gun lobby. President Joe Biden has urged passage.

The school board for Florida’s largest district is rescinding a decision made last week that rejected new sex education textbooks for middle and high school students. The debate over the sex education materials in Miami takes place as school districts and boards navigate a new landscape in Florida classrooms over what officials deem appropriate content. Miami-Dade County has 334,000 students and is the nation’s fourth-largest public school system. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed new laws this year that prevent teachers from talking about gender identity and sexual orientation to third graders and younger and limiting how race can be discussed.

A person with knowledge of the negotiations says the Anaheim Ducks are closing in on a one-year deal with defenseman John Klingberg. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Ducks and Klingberg haven’t yet finalized every detail of the deal to bring one of the NHL’s top unsigned free agents to Orange County. Klingberg has spent his entire NHL career with the Dallas Stars, racking up 71 goals and 303 assists in eight seasons as one of the league’s better offensive defensemen. The Swede had six goals and 41 assists for Dallas last season, although he was a career-worst minus-28.

Four months after slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, Will Smith has apologized on camera for the move that shocked viewers around the world.

Extreme heat is forecast to stretch through the weekend in the Pacific Northwest and authorities are investigating whether triple-digit temperatures were to blame for the deaths of at least four people. The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office said at least three people have died from suspected hyperthermia during the heat wave in Multnomah County, which is home to Portland. A fourth death was suspected due to heat in Umatilla County in the eastern part of the state. The state medical examiner’s office said the heat-related death designation is preliminary and could change after further investigation. Oregon and Washington have seen scorching temperatures since July 25 and their will be no relief until Monday when cool air from the Pacific Ocean blows in.

Maybe the 30th time is the charm?

Kansas City Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt says the team prefers to renovate Arrowhead Stadium rather than build a new stadium. But that will depend on a number of studies that are examining the structural integrity of a building celebrating its opening 50 years ago this season. The future of Arrowhead will be determined just as the Chicago Bears decide whether to leave Soldier Field, which opened in 1924 and is the NFL's oldest stadium. The franchise signed a purchase agreement last year for the 326-acre site of the old Arlington Park horse racing track, which is about 30 miles northwest of its current stadium.

Vermont U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy has been discharged from a rehabilitation center following his second surgery to help repair a broken hip. The 82-year-old Leahy fell and broke his hip last month in his Virginia home. He underwent hip-replacement surgery June 30 at a Washington-area hospital. He was then moved to a rehabilitation center. An additional operation was done July 20. Leahy plans to return to the Senate next week. On his way home, he went to the Capitol to sign a newly passed bill that would boost the semiconductor industry and scientific research. As President Pro Tempore of the Senate, his signature is required before the bill can go before President Joe Biden.

The North Carolina Supreme Court is speeding up further challenges to the boundaries for the state’s legislative seats and congressional districts. The Democratic majority on the state's highest court agreed on Thursday to hold oral arguments in early or mid-October. The arguments won't alter the district lines for this year’s elections, which are already happening under the challenged maps. Any ruling could clarify further how to avoid partisan gerrymandering that the same 4-3 majority ruled in February that it found in the original maps the General Assembly drew. New versions of these maps followed. Republicans on the court say speeding up the case was unnecessary.

The House Jan. 6 committee will share 20 of its interview transcripts with the Justice Department as federal prosecutors have been increasingly focused on efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the election. A committee aide said that the panel will share the 20 transcripts but has “no plans to share additional transcripts at this time.” The person, who requested anonymity to discuss the confidential transaction, would not say which documents the committee is sharing. The information sharing comes after the committee had rejected a Justice Department request for transcripts in May.

Shark sightings have become more common along Long Island’s shores this summer. Since June, there have been at least five verified encounters where sharks bit swimmers. Though there were no fatalities, sightings prompted officials to temporarily close some beaches to swimming, including New York City’s Rockaway Beach and a Long Island beach where a surfer was bitten on the calf. Sharks aren’t new to New York’s waters. But in the last century the state had documented only 13 shark attacks. Experts say the recent bites were likely accidents that happened as sharks chased schools of fish.

FANTASTIC Sale Saturday July 30th 8am-2pm. Glenwood Drive…

Office/Dispatcher - phone, computer and clerical skills r…

There will be a presentation on the “Danger of an Article…

Peaches, cherries, canning tomatoes, sweet corn. Baughman…

-Petersheim’s- Red Haven peaches, sweet corn, cucumbers, …

LOST: Saturday July 16th - A silver necklace with open ci…

FOUND Mercedes Key Fob behind CVS near Oil City Post offi…

Attention Please read 2nd Timothy, Chapter 3 in the Bible.