AP-Newswatch

They were alone in a fight to survive. Maui residents had moments to make life-or-death choices

As the Maui wildfire approached, residents of Lahaina had moments to make decisions that would determine whether they lived or died. It became a harrowing, narrow window of time in one of the most lethal natural disasters the country has seen in years. There were no sirens, no one to tell people what to do. Residents were on their own to choose whether to stay or to run. Some survived out of luck. They fled in cars or on foot, or heard from neighbors and people fleeing nearby which direction was safe to run. Some helped people over the seawall that separates the town from the ocean. At least 96 died, and those who lived are haunted by what they endured.

Judge sides with young activists in first-of-its-kind climate change trial in Montana

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A Montana judge has sided with young environmental activists who said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by permitting fossil fuel development without considering its effect on the climate. The ruling Monday in the first-of-its- kind trial in the U.S. adds to a small number of legal decisions around the world that have established a government duty to protect citizens from climate change. District Court Judge Kathy Seeley found the policy the state uses in evaluating requests for fossil fuel permits — which does not allow agencies to evaluate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions — is unconstitutional.

Six former Mississippi officers plead guilty to state charges for torturing two Black men

BRANDON, Miss. (AP) — Six white former Mississippi law officers who tortured two Black men have pleaded guilty to state-level charges. One of the officers shot one of the victims in the mouth during the racist assault, and then they covered it up for months. All six already admitted their guilt in a connected federal civil rights case. Prosecutors say some of the officers nicknamed themselves the “Goon Squad” because of their tendency to use excessive force. The state charges include home invasion, aggravated assault, conspiracy to hinder prosecution and obstruction of justice. An Associated Press investigation linked some of the officers to at least four violent encounters with Black men since 2019.

David McCormick is gearing up for a Senate run in Pennsylvania. But he lives in Connecticut

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former hedge fund CEO Dave McCormick often touts his deep connection to Pennsylvania as he lays the groundwork for another likely Senate run. McCormick says he lives in the state and points to his $2.8 million home in Pittsburgh. But public records and footage from home interviews with McCormick show the multimillionaire Republican spends much of his time living in Connecticut, where he rents a $16 million mansion on the coast. McCormick previously criticized Dr. Mehmet Oz because he said the 2022 Republican Senate nominee lacked ties to Pennsylvania. McCormick says he was raised in Pennsylvania, but plans to maintain a Connecticut residence while his daughters finish high school.

Michael Oher, former NFL tackle known for ‘The Blind Side,’ sues to end Tuohys’ conservatorship

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Former NFL tackle Michael Oher has filed a petition in a Tennessee probate court saying the couple he thought adopted him actually remain his conservators. Oher accuses Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy of lying to him nearly two decades ago by having him sign papers making them his conservators rather than his adoptive parents. The petition filed in Shelby County Probate Court asks for the conservatorship to be terminated along with asking for a full accounting of the money earned off the use of his name and story. He also asks to be paid what he’s owed with interest and damages. The Oscar-nominated movie “The Blind Side” was based on Oher’s relationship with the Tuohys.

Georgia begins quest for 3rd straight championship as No. 1 in AP Top 25. Michigan, Ohio State next

Georgia begins its drive for an unprecedented college football championship three-peat as the No. 1 team in The Associated Press preseason Top 25. The Bulldogs received 60 of 63 first-place votes to easily outpoint No. 2 Michigan. The Wolverines received two first-place votes. Michigan’s Big Ten rival, Ohio State is No. 3, with one first-place vote. Two more Southeastern Conference teams join Georgia in the top five. Alabama is No. 4, the Crimson Tide’s lowest preseason rankings since 2009, and LSU starts at No. 5. This is the second time in program history 2008 Georgia has been preseason No. 1.

A central Kansas police force comes under constitutional criticism after raiding a newspaper

MARION, Kan. (AP) — A small central Kansas police department is facing a torrent of criticism after it raided the offices of a local newspaper and the home of its publisher and owner. Marion County Record Publisher and Editor Eric Meyer says police raided the newspaper’s office on Friday, seizing the newspaper’s computers, phones and file server and the personal cellphones of staff, based on a search warrant investigating alleged identity theft. Police simultaneously raided Meyer’s home, seizing computers, his cellphone and the home’s internet router. Meyer blames the stress of the home raid for the Saturday death of his 98-year-old mother. Press freedom watchdogs condemned the raids.