National Spelling Bee reflects the economic success and cultural impact of immigrants from India
Since 1999, 28 of the last 34 Scripps National Spelling Bee champions have been Indian American. And most of those winners are the offspring of parents who arrived in the United States on student or work visas. The experiences of first-generation Indian Americans and their spelling bee champion children illustrate the economic success and cultural impact of the nation’s second-largest immigrant group. Many parents say they emphasize the value of education to their children because education was their pathway to the U.S. This year’s bee begins Tuesday at a convention center outside Washington and, as usual, many of the expected contenders are Indian American.
Grayson Murray’s parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray’s parents say their 30-year-old son took his own life. Murray died on Saturday, one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event at Colonial. Eric and Terry Murray are asking for privacy and that people honor Murray by being kind to one another. His death comes at a time when Murray appeared to be on track with his life and his golf. He has been open about his struggles with mental health and alcoholism. He said when he won the Sony Open in January that he had been sober for the last eight months.
Why did the French Open cancel a farewell ceremony for Rafael Nadal? And why is he unseeded?
PARIS (AP) — The French tennis federation has decided to put off holding a ceremony to celebrate Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros this year. He has said this might not necessarily be his final appearance at the tournament he has won a record 14 times. Tournament director Amélie Mauresmo said on Sunday at the clay-court Grand Slam event that Nadal let officials know he didn’t want to close the door on a return before he told the world that at a pre-tournament news conference. Mauresmo said it is up to Nadal when he wants to have a ceremony. The unseeded Nadal will face No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev in the first round on Monday.
In a north Texas county, dazed residents sift through homes mangled by a tornado
VALLEY VIEW, Texas (AP) — The dazed residents of a remote north Texas county sifted through their mangled homes after seven people there were killed when a tornado ripped through the region near the tiny community of Valley View. Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington says there’s “just a trail of debris left” Sunday in the area bordering Oklahoma. The dead included two children, ages 2 and 5, in Valley View, where barely 800 people live. The sheriff says the bodies of three family members were found in one residence. The county bore the brunt of powerful weekend storms that left 15 people dead across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Palestinian medics say Israeli airstrike kills 22 in Gaza’s Rafah as displaced people are hit
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian medics say an Israeli airstrike has killed at least 22 people when it hit tents for displaced people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. They say “numerous” others are trapped in the debris. The strike Sunday came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population had sought shelter before Israel’s recent incursion. The Israeli army says it is unaware of anything occurring in the area. Israel’s defense minister was in Rafah on Sunday, and his office says he was briefed on the “deepening of operations” there.
Here’s what every key witness said at Donald Trump’s hush money trial. Closing arguments are coming
NEW YORK (AP) — Testimony is over at Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York after a parade of 22 witnesses, including a porn actor, tabloid publisher and White House insiders. Prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers are scheduled to make their closing arguments on Tuesday. After that, it’ll be up to 12 jurors to decide whether prosecutors have proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump illegally falsified records at his company as part of an effort to keep embarrassing stories from becoming public during his 2016 presidential campaign. He’s pleaded not guilty. A conviction could come down to how the jurors interpret the testimony they heard and which witnesses they found credible.
What you can do to try to stay safe when a tornado hits, and also well beforehand
ATLANTA (AP) — Experts say planning before a tornado threatens is key for staying safe. Weather radios, basements and bicycle helmets can all help save lives. Rick Smith of the National Weather Service says a weather radio is something that every home and business should have. There are also other ways of getting warnings, such as a cellphone app. Experts say having multiple, redundant warning methods is important. Smith advises people to seek shelter underground if possible. And recent research shows that closing your exterior and interior doors can be a good strategy to alleviate the high winds somewhat — the opposite of the commonly held misconception that you’re supposed to open things up equalize the air pressure.
Indigenous community in the heart of Peru’s Amazon hosts film festival celebrating tropical forests
BELÉN, Peru (AP) — In the heart of Peru’s Amazon region, a poor Indigenous community put aside the trials and tribulations of everyday life and celebrated an international film festival with works from countries with tropical forests. Many who attended the 10-day event had never seen a movie on the big screen. Life in the community of Belén revolves around water. Houses and businesses are built on stilts because rains regularly lead to monthslong floods. Families own canoes to move around. So, members of the Muyuna Floating Film Festival set the screen on a 10-meter (33-foot) high wooden structure, allowing residents to enjoy the films from their canoes or the windows of their homes.
Bangladesh evacuates hundreds of thousands as a severe cyclone approaches from the Bay of Bengal
NEW DELHI (AP) — Bangladesh has evacuated nearly 800,000 people from vulnerable areas as the country and neighboring India await the arrival of a severe cyclone that has formed over the Bay of Bengal. Three airports have also been closed. The cyclone is expected to cross Bangladesh and India’s West Bengal coasts around midnight Sunday. The India Meteorological Department said the storm is expected to reach maximum wind speeds of up to 75 miles per hour, with gusts up to 85 mph. The region’s coasts are often hit by cyclones, but changing climate patterns have caused them to become more intense, making preparations for natural disasters more urgent.
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