The Columbian

Nation & World

Surfers paddle back to shore at Hanakao?o Park following the paddle out ceremony held to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Lahaina wildfire on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Lahaina, Hawaii.

Maui remembers the 102 lost in the Lahaina wildfire with a paddle out 1 year after devastating blaze

August 8, 2024, 7:19pm Nation & World

Dozens of Maui surfers, canoe paddlers and boat riders made their way into the ocean off Lahaina on Thursday to remember the 102 people killed when the nation’s deadliest wildfire in more than a century destroyed the historic town one year ago. Read story

U.S. and other frustrated mediators call on Israel, Hamas to resume Gaza talks, saying, ‘no excuses’

August 8, 2024, 5:45pm Nation & World

Leaders of the United States, Egypt and Qatar jointly demanded Israel and Hamas return to stalled talks on the war in Gaza next week, saying Thursday that “only the details” of carrying out a cease-fire and hostage release remain to be negotiated. “There is no further time to waste, nor… Read story

FILE - NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are welcomed by the crew of the International Space Station upon their arrival using the Boeing Starliner spacecraft on Thursday, June 6, 2024.

Could 2 astronauts be stuck at the space station until next year?

August 8, 2024, 4:55pm Business

NASA is wrestling over how and when to bring two astronauts back from the International Space Station, after repeatedly delaying their return aboard Boeing’s troubled capsule. Read story

Rule that denies housing to the most disabled vets to end

August 8, 2024, 4:54pm Nation & World

Responding to months of pressure from veterans advocates and elected officials, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Thursday that it will change a widely criticized rule that excludes the most disabled veterans from subsidized housing designed for them. Read story

FILE - The sun rises on St. Mary’s Cemetery, April 19, 2019, in McKees Rocks, Pa.

COVID-19 falls to No. 10 cause of death in U.S.

August 8, 2024, 3:27pm Health

U.S. death rates fell last year for all age groups compared with 2022, federal health officials said Thursday. Read story

Yup Chuan the male Panda eats bamboo in front of the media at the San Diego Zoo prior to the opening of the new exhibit Panda Ridge, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in San Diego.

What’s black and white and fuzzy all over? It’s 2 giant pandas, debuting at San Diego Zoo

August 8, 2024, 3:07pm Life

California’s governor flew in for the young bears’ debut. Throngs of media gathered inside the zoo, while the city of San Diego warned of traffic jams ahead of the much-anticipated event Thursday. Read story

Austrian police officers watch swifts gathering in the city centre in Vienna on Thursday, Aug.8, 2024. Organizers of three Taylor Swift concerts in the stadium in Vienna this week called them off on Wednesday after officials announced arrests over an apparent plot to launch an attack on an event in the Vienna area such as the concerts.

Suspects in foiled attack on Taylor Swift shows were inspired by Islamic State group, officials say

August 8, 2024, 12:45pm Entertainment

Both suspects in a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift shows in Vienna appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, Austrian authorities said Thursday, and investigators found bomb-making materials at one of their homes. Officials said one of the two confessed to planning to “kill as many people… Read story

Street artist Marko93 works on a piece during a live artistic performance at City Hall, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Paris, France.

Street art pops up throughout Paris, adding some Olympic color to major landmarks

August 8, 2024, 11:11am Nation & World

Paris is getting a colorful splash of Olympic creative spirit with nearly 30 vibrant street art pieces that have popped up on bustling metro station walls, a large billboard at the airport and in front of city hall. Read story

FILE - Uvalde School Police Chief Pete Arredondo, third from left, stands during a news conference outside of the Robb Elementary school on May 26, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.

Former Uvalde schools police chief says he’s being ‘scapegoated’ over response to mass shooting

August 8, 2024, 10:41am Nation & World

The former police chief of the Uvalde school district said he thinks he's been “scapegoated” as the one to blame for the botched law enforcement response to the Robb Elementary School shooting, when hundreds of officers waited more than an hour to confront the gunman even as children were lying… Read story

This image released by the Food Safety and Inspection Service, an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, shows the product label for Boar's Head Virginia Ham meat, one of 71 products recalled as an investigation into a deadly listeria outbreak. The popular deli meat company is recalling an additional 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat products made at a Virginia plant as the investigation continues, U.S. Agriculture Department officials said Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

Third person dies in listeria outbreak tied to Boar’s Head deli meats

August 8, 2024, 10:41am Business

Three people have now died in a listeria food poisoning outbreak linked to Boar's Head deli meats, federal food safety officials announced Thursday, and the overall number of people sickened rose to 43. Read story