UN cultural agency rejects plan to place Britain’s Stonehenge on list of heritage sites in danger
NEW DELHI (AP) — The United Nations’ cultural agency has rejected recommendations to place Stonehenge on the list of world heritage sites in danger over concerns that Britain’s plans to build a nearby highway tunnel threaten the landscape around the prehistoric monument. Stonehenge was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986 — an honor bestowed upon sites that have special cultural or physical significance. UNESCO experts had recommended listing Stonehenge as “in danger” over the plans for highway development. But the World Heritage Committee, which oversees the conservation of the sites, decided that Britain’s plans to mitigate the effect on Stonehenge were sufficient and that it should not be added to the “in danger” list.
An Alaska veteran is finally getting his benefits — 78 years after the 103-year-old was discharged
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Louis Gigliotti just recently got his veteran benefits. They came 78 years after the 103-year-old World War II veteran was discharged from the U.S. Army. Even though he had a veteran card, his caretaker says he never knew there were veteran benefits like free healthcare. So the Alaska man has been paying his own medical bills out-of-pocket for nearly eight decades. That’s changed now, and his caretaker is talking to the Veterans Administration health facility in Anchorage to get everything set up. Family, friends and patrons at the Alaska Veterans Museum gathered last week to honor Gigliotti.
John Mayall, tireless and influential British blues pioneer, dies at 90
LONDON (AP) — John Mayall, the British blues musician whose influential band the Bluesbreakers was a training ground for Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood and many other superstars,  has died. He was 90. He is credited with helping develop the English take on urban, Chicago-style rhythm and blues that played an important role in the blues revival of the late 1960s. A statement on Mayall’s official Instagram page says he died Monday at his home in California. Though Mayall never approached the fame of some of his illustrious alumni, he was still performing in his late 80s, pounding out his version of Chicago blues.
Physicality and endurance win the World Series of perhaps the oldest game in North America
CHOCTAW, Miss. (AP) — Indigenous peoples have been playing stickball for centuries. It’s perhaps the oldest game in North America, and every summer since 1975, teams have competed in Mississippi to become champion. A game of physicality and endurance, stickball is often called the grandfather of field sports.  The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has been producing some of the country’s best players for generations. and their annual tournament in Mississippi is the game’s premier event. In any tournament or exhibition game in the country, a team from Mississippi will almost certainly be the one to beat in the competition for glory, and a ceremonial drum.
As Olympic hosts, ‘Les Français’ are in the spotlight. Here’s why the French can’t be pigeon-holed
PARIS (AP) — The Olympic Games are putting the French in the spotlight, as the hosts. But who are “les Français” — as they call themselves? Short answer: They don’t fit neatly into any one box. They practically wrote the book on fraternity, liberty and equality but often fall short of their ambitious ideals. They’re fans of “le fast food” but also are among the least overweight populations in Europe. They’re a glorious mix of cultures but one of their national icons is a plucky cartoon character from ancient times. They’re official secular but immensely proud of their world-famous religious architecture. And, yes, they make great wine but no longer guzzle it like they used to.
Can you guess Olympians’ warmup songs? World’s top athletes share their favorite tunes
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Curious about the songs fueling the Olympians competing in Paris starting this month? The Associated Press has an idea. From far and wide, some of the world’s top athletes shared their favorite warmup tracks, revealing what gets them pumped before a crucial game, meet or match. In more than a dozen interviews, the AP spoke with several Olympians and Paralympians from the United States, like hurdler Rai Benjamin and swimmer McKenzie Coan. The list also includes competitors such as Cuban canoeist Fernando Dayan and taekwondo specialist Rebecca McGowan from the United Kingdom. Their chosen songs span several genres, including hip-hop, pop, R&B and rock.
Runners set off on the annual Death Valley ultramarathon billed as the world’s toughest foot race
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Ninety-seven runners have pushed off in desolate Death Valley for an annual ultramarathon billed as the world’s toughest foot race. The men and women ranging in age from 19 to 69 and hailing from 21 countries and 26 U.S. states started the Badwater 135 on Monday amid an excessive heat warning. Over 48 hours, the participants will run amid daytime temperatures reaching over 120 degrees Fahrenheit and night heat above 100 F. They will travel over roadways open to traffic and pass through places with names like Furnace Creek and Devil’s Golf Course. The race started in 1987 and is always run when temperatures peak in mid-July.
Surprise blast of rock, water and steam in Yellowstone sends dozens running for safety
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A surprise eruption in Yellowstone National Park has shot steam, water and dark-colored rock and dirt an estimated 100 feet into the sky and sent people running for safety. The hydrothermal explosion happened Tuesday morning in Biscuit Basin, a group of hot springs a couple miles north of Old Faithful Geyser. Video posted online shows a couple dozen people watching from a boardwalk as the eruption sprayed and grew in front of them. They ran to get clear as water and debris began to fall. The eruption damaged the boardwalk but no injuries have been reported. The basin is closed for visitor safety.
Wildfires send about 25,000 fleeing from Canadian Rockies’ largest national park and nearby town
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Multiple wildfires in the Canadian Rockies’ largest national park have sent up to 25,000 visitors and residents fleeing west over the last open mountain road. They navigated through darkness and soot Tuesday following a government alert during the area’s busiest tourist time of the year. Hundreds of wildfires are burning in western Canada, and those fleeing Jasper National Park and Jasper town in Alberta province were given the unusual order later to make a vast U-turn east if they needed a place to stay. That’s because to the west, British Columbia province already has more than 300 wildfires of its own.
Oscar Mayer Wienermobile flips onto its side after crash along suburban Chicago highway
OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP) — An Oscar Mayer Wienermobile got into a pickle on a Chicago highway. Police say one of Oscar Mayer’s hot dog-shaped Wienermobiles ended up flipped onto its side after crashing on a suburban Chicago highway. Illinois State Police say the Wienermobile hit a car Monday morning along Interstate 294 and its driver lost control and overcorrected, causing the vehicle to roll onto its side near the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook. No injuries were reported. The Wienermobile was later hauled away on a flatbed truck. A spokesperson for the Oscar Mayer brand, which has several Wienermobiles, tells the Chicago Sun-Times it’s “grateful that everybody involved is safe and there were no injuries.”
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