A wildfire that had been smoldering for weeks in Yosemite National Park exploded during the weekend, forcing the park to evacuate hikers by helicopter.
The Meadow fire had grown to about 2,600 acres by Monday morning. The fire, started by lightning in August, had been confined to about 20 acres until wind Sunday spread sparks to areas of dry brush.
Hikers evacuated as Yosemite wildfire explodes in size
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin says execution procedures must be changed before resuming death penalty
New procedures to improve Oklahoma’s execution process must be implemented before the state resumes putting prisoners to death by lethal injection, Gov. Mary Fallin said after investigators presented their findings about an April case in which the inmate writhed and moaned on the gurney.
In its report released Thursday about the troubled April 29 execution of Clayton Lockett — who was declared dead 43 minutes after his execution began — the state Department of Public Safety made 11 recommendations include more training for medical personnel and having additional supplies of lethal drugs and equipment on hand.
Israel to build 283 homes on West Bank

The expansion of the Elkana settlement, in the north-west of the West Bank, was approved in January and the tenders were published on Thursday, Israel's land authority said.
It came after Israel announced its biggest land grab in the West Bank since the 1980s, saying it planned to expropriate 400 hectares (988 acres) of land in the south of the territory, between Bethlehem and Hebron.
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Bogus Photo Does Not Show Ferguson Cop Darren Wilson's Injuries; It's Not Even Him
Unarmed teen Michael Brown was fatally shot by officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug. 9, but the circumstances leading up to his death remain unclear. Though Ferguson police have said that Wilson's face was injured in an altercation with Brown moments before the shooting, Wilson has yet to come forward and speak publicly.
On Tuesday, Chicago firefighter Kevin O'Grady shared a Facebook photo he claimed showed a injured Wilson in the hospital after the incident. As it turned out, the man pictured is not Darren Wilson, but that didn't stop the image from going viral.
U.S. fast-food workers arrested in protests for wage hike
U.S. fast-food workers staged protests in some 150 cities on Thursday in a fight for higher pay, and organizers said dozens were arrested from Manhattan's Times Square to Las Vegas.
About 400 protesters clogged Times Square during morning rush hour in the latest of ongoing actions aimed at raising their wage to $15 an hour.
Murder Charges for Dad in Hot-Car Death
Justin Ross Harris will be tried for intentionally murdering his son as well as seven other felonies, charges that carry a possible death sentence.
A Cobb County grand jury indicted Harris for malice murder this morning after prosecutors presented their evidence in the case. Harris’ 22-month-old son, Cooper, died June 18 after his father left him for seven hours in a sweltering SUV in the parking lot of the Home Depot office where he worked.
USA Today lays off 60-plus staffers
USA Today laid off at least 60 staffers on Wednesday in an effort to cut back on costs, with the majority of layoffs taking place in the editorial department, sources at the newspaper confirmed.
The layoffs, first reported by Poynter, come in the wake of Gannett's recent announcement that it will spin off its print division, which includes USA Today and 81 daily local and regional newspapers.
Andrew Madoff Dead, Son Of Bernie Madoff Had Lymphoma
Andrew Madoff, the son of convicted fraudster Bernard Madoff, died on Wednesday from cancer, his lawyer said. He was 48.
"Andrew Madoff has lost his courageous battle against mantle cell lymphoma," lawyer Martin Flumenbaum said in a statement. "He died peacefully at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on September 3, 2014, surrounded by his loving family."
CVS Stores Go Tobacco-Free
CVS Caremark plans to stop selling tobacco products in all of its stores starting Wednesday — a move health experts hope will be followed by other major drugstore chains.
CVS announced in February that it planned to drop tobacco by Oct. 1 as the sales conflicted with its health care mission. To bolster its image as a health care company, CVS will announce a corporate name change to CVS Health. Retail stores will still be called CVS/Pharmacy.
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