AP-National

KELOWNA, British Columbia (AP) — Firefighters in a scenic region of British Columbia say heavy rain overnight has helped douse wildfires that forced the evacuation of thousands of people from the Canadian province. Officials in southern British Columbia say 174 properties have been partially or totally damaged by the fires that had been rampaging around

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has rejected petition language for a constitutional amendment aimed at remaking Ohio’s troubled system for drawing political maps. Republican Dave Yost’s office said Wednesday that the submission by the group Citizens Not Politicians failed to present a fair and truthful

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ohio (AP) — The driver of a minivan involved in a crash with an Ohio school bus that left one student dead and more than a score of others injured is facing a criminal charge. Clark County Municipal Court records say 35-year-old Hermanio Joseph of Springfield is charged with fourth-degree vehicular homicide, a felony.

By VICTOR R. CAIVANO and DANIEL POLITI Associated Press LOMA HERMOSA; Argentina (AP) — Argentine authorities have reported a large number of arrests for lootings and attempted lootings in recent days, raising concerns about violence ahead of October presidential elections and prompting the president to appeal for calm. The arrests have prompted some business owners

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and RICHARD VOGEL Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A longtime friend says the California woman killed for apparently refusing to remove an LGBTQ+ rainbow Pride flag from outside her store was adamant that she would never take it down. Laura Ann Carleton was fatally shot Friday outside Mag.Pi, the shop she

By ACACIA CORONADO and JUAN LOZANO Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Temperatures are soaring in the central U.S., leading to deaths and damage. A National Weather Service official says more dangerous heat is expected this week. The harsh heat wave has led to deaths, broken records, damaged Texas roads and water lines, and evacuated

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas dispatcher who was shot in the parking lot of a Little Rock-area ambulance service over the weekend has died. Cassandra Pena-Romero died on Wednesday from her injuries from Saturday’s shooting in the parking lot of the Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services parking lot. Omar Pena-Romero, her estranged husband, was

By JOHN RABY Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A lawsuit that alleged widespread sexual, physical and mental abuse at a now-closed West Virginia boarding school for troubled youths has been settled for about $50 million. Attorneys announced the settlement Wednesday. It’s the second settlement of a lawsuit involving the former Miracle Meadows school in

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — A 51-year-old Montana woman who pleaded guilty to torturing and killing her 12-year-old grandson more than three years ago has been sentenced to life in prison. Patricia Batts was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty in May to deliberate homicide and two other felonies in the death of James “Alex” Hurley at

NEW YORK (AP) — A woman who killed an 87-year-old Broadway singing coach by shoving her onto a Manhattan sidewalk has avoided a lengthy prison sentence. Lauren Pazienza pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Wednesday, and will instead serve eight years behind bars. The 28-year-old teared up in court as she admitted randomly attacking Barbara Maier

By JULIE WALKER and KAREN MATTHEWS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Officials in New York say a golfer beat a goose to death with a golf club  in a misguided attempt to put it out of its misery. The golfer was arrested on a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge last week at the Putnam County

By CHRISTINA LARSON AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Most octopuses lead solitary lives. So scientists were startled to find thousands of octopus huddled together, protecting their eggs at the bottom of the ocean off the central California coast. Now researchers may have solved the mystery of why these pearl octopus congregate: Heat seeping up

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former Southern California running back Reggie Bush plans to file a defamation lawsuit against the NCAA over a statement made by college sports’ governing body about the circumstances of its decision not to restore the Heisman Trophy winner’s records. Bush objects to a statement issued in July 2021 calling the star’s

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and SUMMER BALLENTINE Associated Press The BTK serial killer has been named the “prime suspect” in two unsolved killings — one in Oklahoma and another in Missouri — leading authorities to dig this week near his former Kansas property in Park City, authorities announced Wednesday. Osage County, Oklahoma, Undersheriff Gary Upton told

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Follow along for live updates on the first 2024 Republican presidential debate. The field’s early front-runner, Donald Trump, skipped the event and conducted an interview with Tucker Carlson instead. What to know — GOP candidates tangle in Milwaukee as they vie to be the leading alternative to Trump — The key moments

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico judge has rejected a request by Alec Baldwin’s attorneys to dismiss a civil lawsuit by three “Rust” crew members who allege cost-cutting endangered the cast and crew as the actor-producer skipped his own safety training. Baldwin has argued he’s not responsible as

By COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press DENVER (AP) — A Colorado man charged with killing 10 people at a Boulder supermarket in 2021 is mentally competent to move toward trial, prosecutors announced Wednesday, raising the possibility that criminal proceedings stalled for over 1 ½ years could resume soon. In a court filing, they wrote that experts

BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese army says an army helicopter crashed during a training mission in a forest east of Beirut, killing two crew members and injuring one. The army, in a terse statement, said the helicopter crashed Wednesday night near the mountain town of Hammana. It gave no further details. Lebanon is in the

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarusian authorities have declared the country’s oldest and most prominent human rights group an extremist organization. The move Wednesday against Viasna — founded by imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, comes amid a yearslong crackdown on dissent in Belarus and exposes anyone involved in its