Month: July 2021

Navy Helps Widow Celebrate 100th Birthday by Flying Her Around Ship Named After Late Husband

On her 100th birthday, the widow of the Navy’s first master chief petty officer in World War II visited the ship named after her late husband. The birthday girl was welcomed aboard the USS Delbert D. Black at Naval Station Mayport in Florida earlier in July to celebrate her 100th year of life. Irma Black…


Opening of I-40 Bridge Linking Arkansas, Tennessee Moved Up

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Transportation officials on Friday sped up their plans to reopen the Interstate 40 bridge linking Arkansas and Tennessee that was closed after a crack was discovered in the span. The Tennessee Department of Transportation said the eastbound lanes of the Hernando DeSoto Bridge over the Mississippi River will reopen to limited traffic on Saturday…


Bezos Loses Appeal of NASA’s Plans to Use Musk Moon Lander

The federal government Friday rejected an appeal by billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to get in on NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the moon by using rival Elon Musk’s SpaceX. NASA in April awarded the $2.9 billion contract for a lunar lander to the more established SpaceX, which also offered a cheaper price than the bids…


Arkansas Judge Restores $300 Pandemic Jobless Benefit Boost

An Arkanas judge on Thursday ordered the state to resume paying the $300 supplemental federal pandemic jobless benefit that the state’s governor blamed for fueling a hiring crunch and decided to end early. In granting the plaintiffs a preliminary injunction that reinstates the federal jobless compensation boost, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Herbert Wright Jr. expressed “serious…


Dressel, Ledecky Add Golds for Team USA

Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel added gold medals to their hauls on Saturday at the Tokyo Olympics. Ledecky clocked in at 8 minutes, 12.57 seconds, winning the women’s 800-meter freestyle. Ledecky, 24, of Washington, finished 1.26 seconds ahead of rival Titmus Ariarne of Australia. Italy’s Simona Quadarella won bronze, edging Team USA’s Katie Grimes. Ledecky,…


Six Dead and Eight Injured in Chilean Fire

Six people were killed and eight injured after a fire broke out at a shelter for patients discharged from a psychiatric hospital in Chile, officials said on Friday. The fire started late on Thursday in San Felipe, 90 kilometers (56 miles) northwest of capital Santiago, and also damaged four nearby homes, the Interior Ministry’s emergency…


The Sandpaper Concerto

For anyone who needs a smile today, we present to you the “Sandpaper concerto.” Because, obviously, music can be made out of anything.


US Navy Says Drone Strike Hit Oil Tanker Off Oman, Killing 2

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—U.S. Navy explosive experts believe a “drone strike” targeted an oil tanker that came under attack off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, killing two on board, the American military said Saturday. The strike Thursday night on the oil tanker Mercer Street marks the first-known fatal attack after years of…


Largest US Quake in Half-Century Causes Alaska Little Damage

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—The largest earthquake in the United States in the last half century produced a lot of shaking but spared Alaska any major damage in a sparsely populated region, officials said Thursday. The magnitude 8.2 earthquake was reported about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday, and it struck just south of the Alaska Peninsula, nearly 500 miles southwest…


In Bipartisan Letter, Graham and Cuellar Urge Biden to Hire Jeh Johnson as Border Czar

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) penned a bipartisan letter to President Joe Biden on July 30 urging the commander-in-chief to appoint a border czar, and recommended the former head of DHS, Jeh Johnson, or someone with similar credentials for the job. Graham and Cuellar, a Democrat representing a border county in…