National News - The Morning Sun

People stand by cases of bottled water as the City of Germantown gives them out to residents on Monday, July 24, 2023 at Forest Hill Elementary School in Germantown, Tenn. Residents of the Tennessee city were told that diesel fuel spilled into a local reservoir, and to avoid drinking tap water. People remain under an order Wednesday, July 26 to avoid using water for everything except flushing toilets. They can’t drink or boil tap water, or use it showering or bathing. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian via AP)

6 days after fuel spill reported, most in Tennessee city still can't drink the tap water

It’s been six days since residents of a Tennessee city were told that diesel fuel spilled into a local reservoir, and most of them still can’t drink their tap water. Many of the 40,000 people who … more

By ADRIAN SAINZ | 7/26/23

Natural gas burns on a kitchen stove in Atlantic City N.J., Thursday, July 26, 2023. Government pushes to move buildings and vehicles away from burning fossil fuels to help address climate change are generating pushback in New Jersey and around the nation, with opponents worried about the cost of switching. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Clean energy push in New Jersey, elsewhere met with warnings the government is coming for your stove

New Jersey is pushing an ambitious agenda to move its 9 million residents away from natural gas and gasoline to heat their homes and power their cars, in favor of electricity to do the job of both. … more

By WAYNE PARRY | 7/26/23

Emergency responders battle flames as a large construction crane caught fire in Manhattan on Wednesday, July 26, 2023 in New York. The crane caught fire and its arm hit a building as it crashed to the street below. (WABC via AP)

New York construction crane catches fire, and its arm hits skyscraper as it crashes to street

A fire on a tall construction crane in Manhattan has caused its arm to hit a building as it crashed to the street below. Photos and videos posted on social media show flames bursting from the car of … more

7/26/23

FILE - A Mega Millions wagering slip is held in Cranberry Township, Pa., Jan. 12, 2023. The huge $820 million Mega Millions jackpot up for grabs Tuesday, July 25, 2023, is the eighth-largest U.S. lottery prize.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Mega Millions jackpot rises to $910 million after no one wins top prize

The Mega Millions jackpot climbed to an estimated $910 million after a drawing without a winner extended a stretch of bad luck dating back to April. The numbers drawn Tuesday night were: 3, 5, 6, 44, … more

7/26/23

A boat that washed ashore on Oahu sits on a beach in Punaluu, Hawaii on Monday, July 24, 2023. The boat that washed ashore in Hawaii last week has been identified as belonging to a California mariner who ran into trouble while sailing from San Diego to Guadalupe, Mexico, seven months ago. (Nikki Schenfeld/KHON-TV via AP)

A man tried to sail from California to Mexico. He was rescued, but abandoned boat drifted to Hawaii

A boat that washed ashore in Hawaii has been identified as belonging to a California mariner who ran into trouble while sailing from San Diego to Mexico. KHON-TV reports the U.S. Coast Guard … more

7/25/23

In this image provide by NOAA, the sun shines on coral showing sign of bleaching at Cheeca Rocks off the coast of Islamorada, Fla., on July 23, 2023. Scientists have seen devastating effects from prolonged hot water surrounding Florida — coral bleaching and some death. (Andrew Ibarra/NOAA via AP)

Water at tip of Florida hits hot tub level, may have set world record for warmest seawater

The water temperature on the tip of Florida hit hot tub levels, exceeding 100 degrees (37.8 degrees Celsius) two days in a row, which meteorologists say could potentially be the hottest seawater ever … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN | 7/25/23

FILE - A Chase bank branch is seen through glass on Jan. 11, 2016, in New York. An unexplained outage at Chase Bank Tuesday, July 25, 2023, has led to interruptions for users of the Zelle payment network, who took to social media to complain. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Unexplained outage at Chase Bank leads to interruptions at Zelle payment network

An unexplained outage at Chase Bank led to interruptions for users of the Zelle payment network, who took to social media to complain. Zelle said on Twitter that its network is functioning normally … more

By The Associated Press | 7/25/23

A person tries to cool off in the shade Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Phoenix could get a mild break from the extreme heat, as record spell nears the 30-day mark

Longtime Phoenix residents know that sweltering Julys are to be expected, but no one could have predicted the brutal heat wave that has enveloped the country’s fifth largest city this summer. … more

By WALTER BERRY and TERRY TANG | 7/25/23

Authorities continue to work at the home of suspect Rex Heuermann, bottom right, in Massapequa Park, N.Y., Monday, July 24, 2023. Heuermann has been charged with killing at least three women in the long-unsolved slayings known as the Gilgo Beach killings. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Investigators pore over evidence from the home of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer as search ends

The investigation into the Long Island home of alleged serial killer Rex Heuermann is now complete. Suffolk County district attorney Ray Tierney announced the end of the search on Tuesday, noting … more

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ | 7/25/23

FILE - Students walk through Harvard Yard, April 27, 2022, on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. On Monday, July 24, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation into Harvard University's policies on legacy admissions, which give an edge to applicants with family ties to alumni. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Education Department opens investigation into Harvard's legacy admissions

The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into Harvard University’s policies on legacy admissions, which give an edge to applicants with family ties to alumni. Top colleges’ … more

By MICHAEL CASEY | 7/25/23

FILE - This undated photo provided by Roscosmos shows the International Space Station. A NASA power outage disrupted communication between Mission Control and the International Space Station on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP, File)

NASA power outage temporarily halts contact with space station

A NASA power outage has disrupted communication between Mission Control and the International Space Station. Mission Control couldn't send commands to the station and talk with the seven astronauts … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 7/25/23

Sexual assault survivors Amy Yoney, right, and Laurie Kanyok, left, embrace after speaking to members of the media during a break in sentencing proceedings for convicted sex offender Robert Hadden outside Federal Court, Monday, July 24, 2023, in New York. The former obstetrician was convicted of sexually abusing multiple patients over several decades. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Gynecologist who sexually abused dozens of patients is sentenced to 20 years in prison

A federal judge has given a 20-year sentence to a gynecologist who sexually abused dozens of patients for over two decades at prestigious New York hospitals. The judge says Robert Hadden's crimes … more

By LARRY NEUMEISTER | 7/25/23

A Star of David hangs from a fence outside the dormant landmark Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood on Thursday, July 13, 2023, the day a federal jury announced they had found Robert Bowers, who in 2018 killed 11 people at the synagogue, eligible for the death penalty. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Defense wants Pittsburgh synagogue shooter's long-dead father exhumed to prove paternity

Lawyers for the gunman who killed 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue have requested a court order to exhume the body of his long-dead father. Robert Bowers’ lawyers said Tuesday that they want the … more

7/25/23

Illustration about ticks transmitting tick-borne illnesses. (Illustration/Amelia Bates, Grist via AP)

Cases of tick-borne illnesses are on the rise. Some experts believe climate change is the cause

Many tick-borne illnesses are becoming more prevalent with some experts attributing it to climate change. Medical researchers are particularly concerned about tick-borne encephalitis virus, or TBEV, … more

By ZOYA TEIRSTEIN, Grist | 7/25/23

Israeli soldiers stand by a car used by three alleged Palestinian gunmen after they were killed in Nablus, West Bank, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Israeli security forces said they opened fire at Palestinian militants who had shot at them from a car, while Palestinian media described the Israeli killing of the gunmen as an ambush following the militants' attempted attack on Israeli forces near a Jewish settlement overlooking Nablus. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Israeli military kills 3 alleged Palestinian gunmen in volatile West Bank

The Israeli military says it has killed three alleged Palestinian gunmen in the northern occupied West Bank. Tuesday's incident was latest bloodshed in one of the most violent stretches of the … more

BY MAJDI MOHAMMED | 7/25/23

Delaware County Cherokee citizen convicted of murder

TULSA Okla. – A federal jury convicted James William Buzzard, 50, a Cherokee citizen and Delaware County resident, of first-degree murder in Indian Country; assault with a dangerous weapon with … more

Staff Reports / news@morningsun.net | 7/25/23

Branson man sentenced for distribution of fentanyl, heroin

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Brandon Michael Jones, 26, of Branson, Missouri, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen Bough to 216 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a single count of … more

Staff Reports / news@morningsun.net | 7/25/23

FILE - A woman fans herself in Madrid, Spain, July 10, 2023. A new study Tuesday, July 25, finds these intense and deadly hot spells gripping much of the globe in the American Southwest and Southern Europe could not have occurred without climate change. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

Study finds climate change fingerprints on July heat waves in Europe, China and America

Climate change’s sweaty fingerprints are all over the July heat waves gripping much of the globe. A new study finds these intense and deadly hot spells in the American Southwest and Southern Europe … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN | 7/25/23

A beaver swims in Napa Creek, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, in Napa, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

California aims to tap beavers, once viewed as a nuisance, to help with water issues and wildfires

Beavers have long been treated as a nuisance for chewing down trees and shrubs and blocking up streams. But the animals are increasingly being seen as nature's helpers in the midst of climate change. … more

By AMY TAXIN | 7/25/23

Pamela White poses in her home in Ponchatoula, La., with a photo of her son Dararius Evans, who was killed in January of 2020, Thursday, May 4, 2023. White and her family turned to Louisiana’s victim compensation board for help paying for the unexpected funeral. She was met with administrative hurdles, a denial that blamed her son for his own death, a lengthy appeal — all while paying up front through a personal loan that gathered interest as she waited. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Safety net with holes? Programs to help crime victims can leave them fronting bills

Thousands of crime victims each year are confronted with the difficult financial reality of state compensation programs that are billed as safety nets to offset costs like funerals, medical care, … more

By MIKE CATALINI and CLAUDIA LAUER | 7/25/23