National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Volodymyr Zhukovskyy listens to evidence during his pretrial hearing at the Coos County Superior Court, on, Nov. 9, 2021, in Lancaster, N.H. Zhukovskyy, 25, of West Springfield, Mass., is scheduled to face trial starting on July 25, 2022, on multiple counts of negligent homicide, manslaughter, driving under the influence and reckless conduct stemming from the crash that killed seven motorcyclists that happened in Randolph on June 21, 2019. He pleaded not guilty. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool, File)

Truck driver's trial to start in death of 7 motorcyclists

The trial for a commercial truck driver charged with causing the deaths in 2019 of seven members of a Marine motorcycle club is starting Tuesday. Jurors on Monday traced Volodymyr Zhukovskyy’s … more

By KATHY McCORMACK | 7/26/22

Stacks of air conditioners, fans and other cooling equipment line the entrance of McLendon Hardware in Renton, Wash., on Sunday, July 24, 2022. The Pacific Northwest is bracing for a major heat wave, with temperatures forecast to top 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius) in some places this week as climate change fuels longer hot spells in a region where such events were historically uncommon. (Kori Suzuki/The Seattle Times via AP)

Northwestern US heat wave could have hottest day on Tuesday

The temperatures in Portland, Oregon, could top 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday amid the hottest stretch of a week-long heat wave in the Pacific Northwest region that rarely experiences such … more

By CLAIRE RUSH | 7/26/22

FILE - New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver speaks on Capitol Hill on July 24, 2018, in Washington. A conservative-backed initiative to publish voter registration records from across the country online for public consumption can move forward over the objections of New Mexico election regulators, a federal judge ordered on Friday, July 22, 2022, in a preliminary opinion. Oliver fears people may be less likely to vote if their information is online. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

US judge OKs online publication of New Mexico voter records

A federal judge says that a conservative-backed initiative to publish voter registration records online for the public to see can move forward over the objections of New Mexico election regulators. … more

By MORGAN LEE | 7/25/22

Steven Lopez, left, exits a courtroom, Monday, July 25, 2022, in New York. Lopez, a co-defendant of the so-called Central Park Five, whose convictions in a notorious 1989 rape of a jogger were thrown out more than a decade later, had his conviction on a related charge overturned Monday. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Co-defendant in Central Park jogger case is exonerated

A co-defendant of the so-called Central Park Five has had his conviction on a related charge overturned. Steven Lopez was exonerated Monday in response to requests by his attorney and prosecutors. He … more

By TOM HAYS | 7/25/22

This Oct. 2021 image provided by Rideback Rise shows comedian Hasan Minhaj, left, giving a master class, in Los Angeles, that showcased the type of programming Rideback Rise will provide to its fellows and others. (Jenna Kim/Rideback Rise via AP)

Hollywood producer's new nonprofit to boost diverse creators

Hollywood film producer Dan Lin — known for movies such as Disney’s live action “Aladdin” and “The Two Popes” — is launching a nonprofit with more than $1 million from the Ford and … more

By KAY DERVISHI of The Chronicle of Philanthropy | 7/25/22

In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell, left, escorted by a U.S. Marshal, wears leg shackles as she enters the courtroom for her sentencing in federal court, Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in New York. Maxwell was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in prison for helping the wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams)

Maxwell’s new digs: Fla. prison known for yoga, music, abuse

Ghislaine Maxwell is off to Florida to serve a 20-year prison sentence for helping financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. The 60-year-old former socialite was moved from a New York … more

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and MICHAEL BALSAMO | 7/25/22

Assistant State Attorney Mike Satz, checks into evidence the weapon used in the MSD shooting during the penalty phase of shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, July 25, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Carline Jean/ Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Florida school shooter's AR-15 rifle shown to his jurors

Jurors in the penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz have now seen the AR-15 rifle he used to murder 17 people. Prosecutors on Monday showed the black Smith & Wesson semi-automatic … more

By TERRY SPENCER | 7/25/22

FILE - A burned hillside where crews are planting seedlings including Giant Sequoia in Mountain Home State Demonstration Forest outside Springville, Calif., on April 26, 2022. Destructive fires in recent years that burned too hot for forests to quickly regrow have far outpaced the government's capacity to replant trees. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)

US to plant more trees as climate change kills off forests

The Biden administration says it will replant trees on millions of acres of burned and dead woodlands as officials struggle to counter climate change's increasing toll on the nation’s forests. As … more

By MATTHEW BROWN | 7/25/22

Whale whomping: Jumping humpback lands on boat; no one hurt

Boaters and whale watchers off Massachusetts got a surprise over the weekend when a humpback whale breached and landed on the bow of a 19-foot boat. Town officials say the boat operator reported no … more

7/25/22

Brian Gadzuk, 56, clears out the trunk of his Jeep to make space for a new air conditioning unit in the parking lot of McLendon Hardware in Renton, Wash., on Sunday, July 24, 2022. The Pacific Northwest is bracing for a major heat wave, with temperatures forecast to top 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius) in some places this week as climate change fuels longer hot spells in a region where such events were historically uncommon. (Kori Suzuki/The Seattle Times via AP)

Heat wave to hit Pacific Northwest 1 year after deadly event

The Pacific Northwest is bracing for a major heat wave this week with temperatures forecast to top 100 degrees in some places as climate change fuels longer hot spells in a region where such events … more

By CLAIRE RUSH | 7/25/22

Actor Wes Studi poses for a portrait in New York on June 14, 2022, to promote his film "A Love Song." (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

For once, Cherokee actor Wes Studi cast as romantic co-star

In Wes Studi’s potent and pioneering acting career, he has played vengeful warriors, dying prisoners and impassioned resistance leaders. For three decades, he has arrestingly crafted wide-ranging … more

By JAKE COYLE | 7/25/22

FILE - Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is met by reporters outside the hearing room where he chairs the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, at the Capitol in Washington, July 21, 2022. Manchin has been an obstacle for Biden's climate change plans, a reflection of his outsized influence at a time when Democrats hold the narrowest of margins in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Sen. Manchin isolating after positive COVID test

Sen. Joe Manchin has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms. The 74-year-old Democrat from West Virginia tweeted Monday that he had tested positive that morning. He is fully … more

7/25/22

A bird flies above an air tanker battling the Oak Fire in Mariposa County, Calif., on Sunday, July 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Firefighters slow growth of California blaze near Yosemite

Firefighters significantly slowed the spread of a smoky wildfire burning near Yosemite National Park. Thousands of residents of remote mountain communities are still under evacuation orders Monday. … more

By NOAH BERGER and CHRISTOPHER WEBER | 7/25/22

FILE - This undated file photo provided by NerdWallet shows Liz Weston, a columnist for personal finance website NerdWallet.com. Big home repairs often catch us by surprise, but maybe they shouldn’t. Every part of a house has a relatively predictable lifespan. Knowing when your furnace, roof, floors and even pipes will wear out can help you budget for their replacements. (NerdWallet via AP, File)

Liz Weston: How to budget realistically for home repairs

Big home repairs often catch us by surprise, but maybe they shouldn’t. Every part of a house has a relatively predictable lifespan. Knowing when your furnace, roof, floors and even pipes will wear … more

By LIZ WESTON | 7/25/22

FILE - A lottery ticket vending machine sits a convenience store, July 21, 2022, in Northbrook, Ill. The next Mega Millions drawing is Tuesday, July 25, 2022 with a jackpot at $790 million. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, file)

Is $790 million worth a $2 Mega Millions ticket? It depends

Is $790 million worth $2? That’s a good question, given it costs $2 to buy a Mega Millions lottery ticket that could pay off with an estimated $790 million prize, the nation’s fourth-largest … more

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE | 7/25/22

FILE - A student wears a mask and face shield in a 4th grade class amid the COVID-19 pandemic at Washington Elementary School on Jan. 12, 2022, in Lynwood, Calif. As a new school year approaches, COVID-19 infections are again on the rise, fueled by highly transmissible variants, filling families with dread. They fear the return of a pandemic scourge: outbreaks that sideline large numbers of teachers, close school buildings and force students back into remote learning. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Some schools hit hard by virus make few changes for new year

COVID-19 infections are again on the rise and filling families with dread as a new school year approaches. They fear the return of the pandemic scourge of outbreaks that sideline large numbers of … more

By SHARON LURYE and COLLIN BINKLEY | 7/25/22

FILE - This aerial photo provided by the Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service shows a tundra fire burning near the community of St. Mary's, Alaska, on June 10, 2022. Alaska's remarkable wildfire season includes over 530 blazes that have burned an area more than three times the size of Rhode Island, with nearly all the impacts, including dangerous breathing conditions from smoke, attributed to fires started by lightning. (Ryan McPherson/Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service via AP, File)

Alaska experiencing wildfires it's never seen before

Alaska is burning this year in ways rarely or ever seen. So far this year more than 530 wildfires have burned an area the size of Connecticut and the typically worst of the fire season lays ahead. … more

By MARK THIESSEN | 7/25/22

Police officers stand near the scene of a shooting at Peck Park in San Pedro, Calif., Sunday, July 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Authorities: 7 hurt in shooting at Los Angeles park

At least seven people have been injured after gunfire erupted at a Los Angeles park. The LA Police Department said the shooting occurred around 3:50 p.m. Sunday at Peck Park in LA's San Pedro … more

7/24/22

Mhamed Moussa Boudjelthia, of New York City, works a grill Sunday, July 24, 2022 at Promised Land State Park in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains in Greentown, Pa. He and friends came to escape the heat in the city. Residents around the Northeast braced for potentially record-breaking temperatures Sunday as a nearly weeklong hot spell continued. (AP Photo/Jeff McMillan)

Northeast US swelters under 'extremely oppressive' heat

Residents around the Northeast U.S. are bracing for potentially record-breaking temperatures as a nearly weeklong hot spell continues. Officials are warning of “dangerous” heat Sunday. The … more

7/24/22

Writer/director Jordan Peele arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Nope," Monday, July 18, 2022, at TCL Chinese Theatre. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Jordan Peele's ‘Nope’ debuts at No. 1 with $44 million

Jordan Peele’s UFO thriller “Nope” topped the North American charts in its first weekend in theaters with an estimated $44 million in ticket sales, Universal Pictures said Sunday. Though it … more

By LINDSEY BAHR | 7/24/22