August's supermoon is first of four lunar spectacle
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Monday's supermoon is the first of four this year, when the full moon gets a little closer to Earth than usual, making it appear a little bigger and brighter in the night sky. September's supermoon coincides with a partial lunar eclipse; October's supermoon is the closest to Earth of the year, while November's supermoon marks the end of the year. A supermoon occurs when the lunar phase of a full moon syncs up with the moon's particularly close passage around Earth. This usually happens only three or four times a year, with supermoons appearing in succession.
Two 18-year-olds charged with murder of former 'General Hospital' actor Johnny Wactor
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two 18-year-old men have been charged with the murder of former “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced the charges at a news conference Monday. Authorities say Wachter was stopping three thieves from stealing catalytic converters from his car when he was shot and killed May 25. Robert Barceló and Sergio Estrada were charged with murder, burglary and attempted robbery. They are scheduled to be arraigned Monday afternoon, but it is unclear whether they have attorneys. Another 18-year-old was charged with burglary and attempted robbery, and a fourth was charged with being an accessory after the fact.
Betty Jean Hall, activist who paved the way for women to enter the coal mining workforce, dies at 78
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Betty Jean Hall, an Appalachian lawyer and federal administrative judge who paved the way for women to enter the coal mining workforce, has died. She was 78. Hall died Friday in Cary, North Carolina, where she had lived since retiring in 2019, her daughter Tiffany Olsen said. A Kentucky native, Hall earned her bachelor's degree from Berea College in 1968 and then studied law at Antioch Law School in Washington, D.C. She also founded the Tennessee-based advocacy group Coal Jobs Project in 1977, which pressured mining companies across the U.S. to hire women by filing discrimination lawsuits.
Ruth Johnson Colvin, founder of American Volunteer Literacy Association, dies at 107
Syracuse, N.Y. (AP) — The founder of the National Association of Literacy Volunteers has died. Ruth Johnson Colvin, 107, died Sunday in Syracuse, N.Y., according to the nonprofit ProLiteracy. ProLiteracy was formed when the Literacy Volunteers Association merged with the Laubach Literacy Association. Colvin founded the National Association of Literacy Volunteers in 1962 to fight illiteracy and teach people to read and write. She was inspired by the 1960 census, which showed that 11,000 people were illiterate in her city of Syracuse. Colvin was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006. She is also in the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls.
President Biden takes first flight in long-delayed new helicopter, Marine One
CHICAGO (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday took his first flight in a modern VH-92A helicopter used as Marine One after years of delays in updating the aging aircraft that carries the president and vice president. Biden boarded the Sikorsky-made helicopter after arriving in Chicago on Air Force One to speak Monday night at the Democratic National Convention. His first flight as president took Biden from O'Hare International Airport to a parking garage at Chicago's Soldier Field, often used as a landing spot for presidential travel. It marked a key milestone in a two-decade process of updating the Vietnam War-era helicopters that have been used to transport the president in some cases since the 1970s.
Rainie Wilson's career has been a “whirlwind” and her new album explores the meaning of life and love
NEW YORK (AP) — Rainie Wilson releases her fifth studio album, “Whirlwind,” on Friday, and she says the title perfectly sums up the past few years. A little over a decade ago, Wilson was living in a camper trailer and playing open-mic nights on her way to making it in Nashville. Now she's a Grammy winner, the first woman to win entertainer of the year at the CMAs since Taylor Swift in 2011, has appeared on the hit TV show “Yellowstone” and, in June, was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. On “Whirlwind,” as on “Good Horses” with Miranda Lambert and “Hang Tight Honey,” Wilson manages to substitute the craziness of her own life and career for the craziness of others.
Four Ohio State players, led by Caleb Downs, were named to the Associated Press Preseason All-America First Team
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is one of the Buckeyes' No. 2 most highly-anticipated transfers. He and three of his new teammates were named to the Associated Press Preseason All-America team. Downs was joined by guard Donovan Jackson, receiver Emeka Egbuka and cornerback Denzel Burke to give Ohio State the most first-team selections. No. 1 Georgia and No. 9 Michigan each had three players named to the first team, including Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck.
The Yankees and Tigers interacted with Little League players and became kids for a day
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — The Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees were like kids again Sunday night, mingling with Little League players ahead of the Major League Baseball Little League Classic. Aaron Judge was constantly yelled “Judge!” by kids crowding around him from the moment the Yankees slugger stepped off the team plane until he made his entrance into the Little League World Series. Jazz Chisholm Jr. tossed souvenirs to pleading kids and filmed the mayhem with an old-fashioned handheld video camera. Giancarlo Stanton, wearing a Yankees uniform, showed the Little Leaguers on the bus how to properly grip a baseball. It's hard to say who had more fun.
'Alien: Romulus' tops the box office with $41.5 million
“Alien: Romulus,” the latest installment in the 45-year-old franchise, debuted at No. 1 at the North American box office. The 20th Century Studios release was shown in 3,885 locations in the U.S. and Canada, grossing an estimated $41.5 million in its opening weekend. Including international screenings in 49 markets, “Alien: Romulus” debuted with $108.2 million worldwide. The Walt Disney Co., which owns 20th Century Studios, took in the top two spots on the chart, with Marvel's “Deadpool & Wolverine” coming in at No. 2 in its fourth weekend with $29 million. “It Ends With Us” came in third with $24 million.
Caitlin Clark breaks WNBA rookie assist record as Fever beats Storm 92-75
INDIANAPOLIS (Associated Press) — Kelsey Mitchell scored 27 points, Kaitlyn Clark had 23 points and nine assists and Lexi Hull scored 12 of her career-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to help the Indiana Fever beat the Seattle Storm 92-75. Clark, who has 232 assists so far this season, broke Ticha Penicheiro's WNBA rookie record of 224 points set in 1998. Aaliyah Boston had nine points and a career-high eight assists to go with 15 rebounds for Indiana. Jewel Loyd led Seattle with 26 points, Skylar Diggins-Smith had 15 points and Nneka Ogwumike had 14 points, nine rebounds and four steals.