Wildfire threatens Washington state resort town
Wildfire threatens Washington state resort town
SPOKANE, Wash. — Big wildfires burning Monday near the central Washington resort town of Chelan were taking a toll on the region’s main economic engines — tourism and the apple industry.
Visitors stayed away and a big fruit warehouse filled with apples was destroyed by the fires, imperiling hundreds of jobs.
Several large fires burning near Chelan have scorched more than 155 square miles, destroyed an estimated 50 homes Friday and Saturday and forced about 1,500 residents to flee. Scores of homes remain threatened, and mandatory evacuation orders remained in effect for more than 2,700 people in the Chelan area.
The Chelan fires were just some of the many destructive blazes burning throughout the Northwest. In northern Idaho, more than 40 homes were lost near the town of Kamiah, and in Oregon a lightning-sparked blaze on the Malheur National Forest has grown to more than 60 square miles and has destroyed at least 26 homes.
So many fires are burning across the West that the National Interagency Fire Center announced Monday that 200 active-duty military troops are being called in to help. They will be sent to a fire on Aug. 23.
Bomb explodes in shrine in Bangkok; at least 18 dead, 117 wounded
BANGKOK — A bomb exploded Monday within a central Bangkok shrine that is among the city’s most popular tourist spots, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 100 across a hectic intersection surrounded by five-star hotels and upscale shopping malls.
It exploded during evening rush hour as the area was filled with tourists, office workers and shoppers.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Trump calls to end birthright citizenship, make Mexico pay for fence
DES MOINES, Iowa — Donald Trump is dividing his Republican presidential rivals anew with his call to rewrite the Constitution to crack down on millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, and to force Mexico to pay for a better border fence. Scott Walker embraced some of the plan Monday, but other contenders, such as Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina, dismissed elements as unworkable.
Trump’s immigration proposal, his first formal policy plan since announcing his candidacy in June, won praise Monday from the GOP’s conservative tea partyers, some of whom favor changing the Constitution to reverse the “birthright citizenship” guaranteed to anyone born in the United States, no matter the status of their parents. At the same time, surveys show a majority of Americans, including Republicans, support allowing many immigrants in the U.S. illegally to stay.
Judge gives Kentucky clerk time to appeal before issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples
MOREHEAD, Ky. — A Kentucky county clerk who objects to same-sex marriage was given room on Monday to continue denying licenses to gays and lesbians while she takes her case to a federal appeals court.
Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis is being sued by two gay couples, and U.S. District Judge David Bunning ordered her last week to issue them licenses despite her objections.
The judge reiterated that Davis is not entitled to any more delays, but because “emotions are running high on both sides of this debate,” he agreed to stay his Monday decision so that she could take her case to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeal.
Attorneys on both sides disagreed with the implications. Dan Canon, representing the gay couples, said Davis remains under the judge’s order. But Mat Staver, who represents Davis and is the founder of Florida-based Liberty Counsel, said the convoluted order essentially grants her request for more time.
Davis has refused to grant marriage license to anyone in Rowan County since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Kentucky’s governor ordered her to issue the licenses immediately, or resign.
Thieves used IRS website to steal tax info from additional 220,000 taxpayers
WASHINGTON — A computer breach at the IRS in which thieves stole tax information from thousands of taxpayers is much bigger than the agency originally disclosed.
An additional 220,000 potential victims had information stolen from an IRS website as part of a sophisticated scheme to use stolen identities to claim fraudulent tax refunds, the IRS said Monday. The revelation more than doubles the total number of potential victims, to 334,000.
The thieves accessed a system called “Get Transcript,” where taxpayers can get tax returns and other filings from previous years. In order to access the information, the thieves cleared a security screen that required knowledge about the taxpayer, including Social Security number, date of birth, tax filing status and street address, the IRS said.
The personal information was presumably stolen from other sources.
States raising taxes, fees, and debt to pay for backlog of highway and bridge improvements
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — While Congress remains stalled on a long-term plan for funding highways, state lawmakers and governors aren’t waiting around.
Nearly one-third of the states have approved measures this year that could collectively raise billions of dollars through higher fuel taxes, vehicle fees and bonds to repair old bridges and roads and relieve traffic congestion, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.
The surge of activity means at least half of the states — from coast to coast, in both Republican and Democratic areas — now have passed transportation funding measures since 2013.
Donald Trump reports for jury duty
NEW YORK — Donald Trump pulled up in a long black limousine and gave a very presidential wave as he made his way into the building. Then the billionaire promptly found himself seated next to ordinary, wage-earning, subway-riding New Yorkers, forced to wait — and wait some more — for the wheels of justice to turn.
The Republican presidential candidate reported for jury duty in Manhattan on Monday and spent much of the day like everyone else, filling out forms and wondering whether he would get picked.
By late afternoon, he was released without getting selected for a trial, his civic obligation fulfilled.
Trump had high praise for the public servants at the courthouse, saying: “The people in the court system are really professional. It was an honor to see how it worked.”
By wire sources