CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE-UTILITY LINES

Utility’s power lines caused huge 2019 California wildfire

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Fire officials say Pacific Gas & Electric transmission lines sparked a wildfire last year in Northern California that destroyed hundreds of homes and led to the evacuation of nearly 100,000 people. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection issued the finding Thursday. Cal Fire says investigators determined that power lines near the town of Geyserville ignited the fire that ripped through Sonoma County last October. The agency didn’t release details of the investigation but said it sent the report to the district attorney’s office for possible criminal charges. PG&E recently emerged from bankruptcy caused by its role in several devastating wildfires.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GEORGIA

Georgia gov sues to end cities’ defiance on mask rules

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is suing Atlanta to block the city from enforcing its mandate to wear a mask in public and other rules related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kemp and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, in a state court suit filed late Thursday, argued that Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has overstepped her authority and must obey Kemp’s executive orders under state law. The suit comes a day after Kemp clarified his executive orders to expressly block Atlanta and at least 14 other local governments from requiring people to wear face coverings. Kemp’s order was met with defiance Thursday by Bottoms and other mayors, who said they would continue enforcing their mandates and were prepared to go to court.

AP-US-CONFEDERATE-FLAG-PENTAGON

Officials: Pentagon eyes new way to bar Confederate flag

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say defense leaders are weighing a new policy that would bar the display of the Confederate flag at department facilities without actually mentioning its name. For weeks, those leaders have been tied in knots over the incendiary issue of banning the Confederate flag. No final decisions have been made, but officials say the new plan presents a creative way to ban the Confederate flag in a manner that may not raise the ire of President Donald Trump. Trump has defended people’s rights to display it. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing internal deliberations.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NORTH-AMERICA-BORDERS

US, Canada and Mexico borders to stay closed for travelers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S., Canada and Mexico have agreed to keep their shared borders closed to non-essential traffic until at least late August because of COVID-19. Acting U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf announced the agreement Thursday. He said restrictions on cross-border traffic that have been in place since March have helped slow the spread of the coronavirus. The extension agreed to by the three countries would keep the border closed until Aug. 21. The partial closure restricts crossing to commercial traffic, people returning to their home country and other travel deemed essential. It prohibits people from traveling between the countries for tourism or shopping.

BC-US-NAVY-SHIP-FIRE

After 4 days, 2 explosions, Navy warship fire extinguished

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard at a San Diego naval base has been extinguished after a four-day battle against one of the worst infernos to rip through a U.S. warship outside of combat in recent years. Now the attention is turning to the fate of the 840-foot (255-meter) amphibious assault ship that has a collapsed forward mast. Once it’s safe, officials plan to go compartment by compartment to examine its charred bowels and determine if it is salvageable. Teams were checking the vessel to make sure no fire remained. An official investigation will begin into the cause of the blaze that started Sunday.

AP-US-TEEN-DETAINED-HOMEWORK

Teen locked up over school work; school disagrees with judge

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A suburban Detroit school district says no student should be punished for missed work during the coronavirus pandemic. The statement comes two days after a news organization reported that a judge placed a teenager in juvenile detention. ProPublica reported that the 15-year-old girl has been in Oakland County’s Children’s Village since mid-May for violating probation in a case involving allegations of assault and theft. A judge cited a “failure to submit to any schoolwork and getting up for school.” The Birmingham school district says it’s not a party in the case. The district says students shouldn’t be punished for problems during the sudden switch to online learning.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CRUISE SHIPS

CDC extends US ban on cruise ships through September

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal ban on cruise ships operating in U.S. territory is being extended through September. The ban was due to expire next week, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the extension on Thursday. The move comes as coronavirus cases are rising in 40 states. Florida, where many cruises start, just had a single-day record of deaths from COVID-19. Major cruise lines that belong to an industry trade group had already canceled sailings until Sept. 15 because of ongoing discussions with federal officials over how to restart operations safely. The companies are trying to save cash and borrow more money to survive the pandemic.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ARKANSAS

Arkansas to require face masks to combat coronavirus surge

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has issued an order requiring people to wear masks in public throughout the state, which is dealing with a surge in coronavirus cases. The Republican governor issued the order Thursday after weeks of resisting such a requirement. His decision, which takes effect Monday, follows growing support from business and health leaders and comes a day after Bentonville-based Walmart said it would require customers to wear masks in all of its U.S. stores. Hutchinson had resisted calls for a mask mandate but allowed cities to require them. COVID-19 cases have surged in Arkansas since the state aggressively began lifting restrictions in May to reopen its economy.

AP-US-ELVIS-WEEK-MEMPHIS

Coronavirus alters Elvis Week; candlelight vigil still on

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — ‎Plans for the weeklong celebration of rock ‘n’ roll icon Elvis Presley on the 43rd anniversary of his death have been shaken up by the new coronavirus, but organizers are forging ahead with a combination of in-person and online events at Graceland next month. Fans will still be allowed to gather for an in-person vigil at Graceland to cap Elvis Week, scheduled this year for Aug. 8-16 in Memphis, Tennessee, where Presley lived. But they’ll have to make reservations ahead of time, stand 6 feet (2 meters) apart and follow other safety guidelines if they want to attend the vigil and visit Presley’s grave.

WAYFAIR-CONSPIRACY THEORY

Baseless Wayfair child-trafficking theory spreads online

CHICAGO (AP) — Self-proclaimed internet sleuths are matching up names of Wayfair’s products to those of missing children as part of a bizarre, baseless conspiracy theory that claims the retail giant is using storage cabinets to traffic children. Mentions of Wayfair and trafficking have exploded on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok over the past week. Even a national human trafficking hotline is suddenly taking calls from tipsters about the imagined scheme. Yet several of the people whom social media users claim were trafficked through the website are not even missing. Wayfair was forced to respond: “There is, of course, no truth to these claims.”

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