YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP | | | | Maui fire fatalities rise to at least 55. | | | |
The death count continues to climb and parts of coastal communities in Hawaii have been largely destroyed by wildfires, including the historic town of Lahaina. Also in the news: What to make of college football's chaotic realignment and the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. | | | | The eNewspaper is now available in the breaking news app. | | | | | |
Now, here we go with Friday's news. |
Disaster likely to become deadliest in Hawaii history |
Two days after rapidly spreading wildfires began racing through areas of the island of Maui in Hawaii, families and friends are still hoping to hear from missing loved ones. |
Officials said Thursday at least 55 people had died and the death toll will likely continue to rise. |
| • | Lack of communication is complicating rescue efforts: A spreadsheet created by Maui resident Ellie Erickson and shared widely on social media showed people from around the globe trying to reach people they know on the island. | | • | After Maui's Lahaina Town was razed by fire Tuesday night, residents and visitors are mourning the loss of cultural and religious sites that trace their roots back centuries. | | • | No warning: officials confirmed that emergency management records show no indication that the warning sirens were triggered before a devastating wildfire wiped out the town of Lahaina. |
| An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. PATRICK T. FALLON, AFP via Getty Images |
Back to school — and the culture wars |
Religious parents in one of the nation's most liberal counties are clashing with public school officials over whether elementary students should be allowed to opt out of reading books with LGBTQ+ characters in the latest culture war battle being waged inside the classroom. Three sets of parents and an advocacy group representing other families are asking a federal court in Maryland to suspend the policy – opening a new legal front at a time when schools are grappling with rules for transgender students and education has become a political flashpoint. Read more |
6 Colombians arrested in assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate |
The six men arrested as suspects in the assassination of an anti-corruption Ecuadorian presidential candidate are Colombian nationals, a police report said Thursday as authorities investigated the motive for a crime that shocked a nation already reeling from a surge in drug-related violence. Fernando Villavicencio, 59, who was known for speaking up against drug cartels, was assassinated in Quito on Wednesday, less than two weeks before a special presidential election. His death deepened the sense of crisis around organized crime that has already claimed thousands of lives and underscored the challenge that Ecuador's next leader will face. Read more | Ecuador's Interior Minister Juan Zapata (covered) and Police commanders give a report on the arrests done so far over the assassination on the eve of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, at the headquarters of the Police in Quito, on August 10, 2023. RODRIGO BUENDIA, AFP via Getty Images |
Supreme Court blocks Purdue Pharma's multi-billion opioid settlement |
The Supreme Court on Thursday temporarily blocked a settlement reached with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that required members of the Sackler family who once controlled the company to pay $6 billion but shielded them from future lawsuits over the nation's opioid crisis. A federal appeals court in New York approved the company's bankruptcy plan earlier this year. But a U.S. government trustee, part of the Justice Department, last month asked the Supreme Court to put that ruling on hold. The government argues lower courts should not have shielded the Sacklers from liability. Read more |
Who's to blame for college football conference realignment chaos? |
As a result of power brokers' actions − directly or indirectly – the once-glorious Pac-12 has nearly disintegrated, leaving huge fan bases on the West Coast abandoned by longtime peers in favor of more money from television companies, along with more cross-country trips for athletes in other sports across three time zones. On the other hand, the Big Ten Conference now is adding Oregon, Washington, Southern California and UCLA to expand to 18 teams for 2024, part of a strategy to deliver more big games and growth for some of the game's biggest brands. Read who deserves credit (or blame) for it. | University of Utah President Taylor Randall, left, and Mark Harlan, Director of Athletics, University of Utah laugh during a news conference addressing the move from the Pac-12 Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, in Salt Lake City. Rick Bowmer, AP |
Photo of the day: 50th anniversary of hip-hop |
50 Cent and Busta Rhymes bridged the gap between generations of hip-hop. Thursday night. On the eve of the genre's 50th anniversary, the rappers paid tribute to the past for 50 Cent's The Final Lap Tour. The moment proved to be extra emotional as an audience mostly decked out in New York-branded apparel celebrated hip-hop's anniversary a few boroughs away from the genre's birthplace. Read more | 50 Cent performs onstage during the 50 Cent: The Final Lap Tour at Barclays Center on August 10, 2023 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images |
Associated Press contributed reporting. | | | | |
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