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'Victory for religious freedom': Georgia church won't face fines for evangelistic outreach

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — A local official has backed off threats to fine Flat Creek Baptist Church for hosting an evangelistic outreach that he claimed violated zoning regulations. The outreach involved a car show that attracted more than 1,200 people to Flat Creek Baptist Church on Saturday.

Q&A: SBC presidential candidates Mike Stone, Bart Barber discuss Guidepost, Saddleback, other issues

SUWANEE, Ga. – Georgia Pastor Mike Stone is promising to stand up against what he describes as a “cancel culture” within the Southern Baptist Convention if he’s elected SBC president. Meanwhile, Texas Pastor Bart Barber says he wants to finish tasks he began after being elected to the post a year ago.

Atlanta council OKs funding construction of police and firefighter training center

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta City Council early Tuesday approved funding for the construction of a proposed police and firefighter training center, rejecting the pleas of hundreds of opponents who packed City Hall and spoke for hours in fierce opposition to the project.

Chemical plant operator repays Georgia fire departments $37K for gear, overtime costs fire

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — The operator of a Georgia chemical plant where a raging fire erupted in April is reimbursing fire departments for damaged equipment and overtime pay accrued battling the blaze. Glynn County commissioners on Thursday accepted a check for around $37,000 from Pinova, which produces turpine resins used in glues and other adhesives in the port city of Brunswick.

Real-life ‘Fast and Furious’: Car sent flying over tow truck in Georgia, video shows

VALDOSTA, Ga. (AP) — It looks like a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster. A sedan rockets into the air after driving up the ramp of a flatbed tow truck on a Georgia highway. And the whole crash is caught on video by an officer's body camera. Shocked motorists and law enforcement watched in horror as the Nissan Altima was launched 120 feet down the highway in Lowndes County, according to a police report on the May 24 crash.

Police in Atlanta arrest 3 behind bail fund supporting protests against police training complex

ATLANTA (AP) — Police on Wednesday arrested three key Atlanta organizers who have been aiding protesters against the city's proposed police and fire training center. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced its agents and Atlanta police had arrested three officers of the group that runs the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, which has bailed out protesters and helped them find lawyers. Charged with money laundering and charity fraud are Marlon Scott Kautz, 39, of Atlanta; Savannah D. Patterson, 30, of Savannah; and Adele MacLean, 42, of Atlanta.

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Nation

2 dead in shooting after high school graduation ceremony in Virginia capital

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Seven people were shot, two fatally, when gunfire rang out Tuesday outside a downtown theater where a high school graduation ceremony had recently concluded, causing attendees to flee in panic, weep and clutch their children, authorities and witnesses reported.

Police in South Florida arrest 3 suspects in Memorial Day beach shooting

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) — Police in South Florida arrested two suspects over the weekend and a third on Monday following a Memorial Day shooting along a busy beachside promenade that injured nine people. Detectives from the Hollywood Police Department took Ariel Cardahn Paul, 16, into custody on Sunday night and Lionel JeanCharles Jr., 18, on Monday afternoon, the agency said in a news release. On Saturday, Hollywood detectives and the U.S. Marshal's Task Force arrested 15-year-old Jordan Burton.

Plane that crashed in Virginia lost contact with air traffic controllers during ascent, feds say

WASHINGTON (AP) — The pilot of a business jet that flew over Washington and crashed in a remote part of Virginia appeared to be slumped over and unresponsive, three U.S. officials said Monday, recounting observations by fighter pilots who intercepted the wayward flight. The revelations came as federal investigators trudged through rugged terrain to reach the site where the plane slammed into a mountain Sunday, killing four people.

Hoskin wins another 4-year term as chief of Cherokee Nation, country's most populous tribe

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) — Cherokee Nation’s Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. won reelection to another four-year term as leader of the nation’s most populous tribe, according to unofficial results posted Monday on the tribe's website. Those results, which are expected to be certified later Monday by the tribe's Election Commission, show Hoskin won nearly 63% of the vote in the four-way race for chief.

Papa Jake survived D-Day on Omaha Beach, now he's a TikTok star

COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France (AP) — World War II veteran Jake Larson, a 100-year-old American best known on social media under the name “Papa Jake," enjoyed giving hugs to the many fans he met during his trip to Normandy for D-Day commemorations. Larson, who has more than 600,000 followers on TikTok, attended a ceremony on Tuesday at the American Cemetery marking the 79th anniversary of the assault that led to the liberation of France and Western Europe from Nazi control.

Normandy marks D-Day's 79th anniversary, honors WWII veterans

ON OMAHA BEACH, France (AP) — An overwhelming sound of gunfire and men’s screams. That’s how World War II veteran Marie Scott described D-Day, as Tuesday's ceremonies got underway in honor of those who fought for freedom in the largest naval, air and land operation in history. This year's tribute to the young soldiers who died in Normandy also reminds veterans, officials and visitors what Ukraine faces today.

Collapse of major dam in southern Ukraine triggers emergency as Moscow and Kyiv blame each other

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The wall of a major dam in southern Ukraine collapsed Tuesday, triggering floods, endangering Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and threatening drinking water supplies as both sides in the war rushed to evacuate residents and blamed each other for the destruction. Ukraine accused Russian forces of blowing up the Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power station on the Dnieper River in an area that Moscow controls, while Russian officials blamed Ukrainian bombardment in the contested area.

France's spectacular abbey Mont-Saint-Michel celebrates 1,000th birthday

PARIS (AP) — France’s beloved abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel has reached a ripe old age. It's been 1,000 years since the laying of its first stone. The millennial of the UNESCO World Heritage site and key Normandy tourism magnet is being celebrated until November with exhibits, dance shows and concerts. French President Emmanuel Macron is heading there on Monday.

Recalled pillows linked to 10 infant deaths still being sold on Facebook Marketplace, US agency says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal safety regulators are urging consumers to stop using baby pillows that have been linked to 10 infant deaths but are still being sold on Facebook Marketplace, despite being recalled two years ago. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday that Boppy Newborn Loungers are no longer legally for sale but it has found thousands of them on Facebook Marketplace since the 2021 recall began.

Hundreds of journalists strike to demand leadership change at biggest US newspaper chain

NEW YORK (AP) — Journalists at two dozen local newspapers across the U.S. walked off the job Monday to demand an end to painful cost-cutting measures and a change of leadership at Gannett, the country's biggest newspaper chain. The strike involves hundreds of journalists at newspapers in eight states, including the Arizona Republic, the Austin American-Statesman, the Bergen Record, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, and the Palm Beach Post, according to the NewsGuild, which represents workers at more than 50 Gannett newsrooms.

Saudi Arabia cuts in oil supply could mean higher gas prices for US drivers

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Saudi Arabia will reduce how much oil it sends to the global economy, taking a unilateral step to prop up the sagging price of crude after two previous cuts to supply by major producing countries in the OPEC+ alliance failed to push oil higher. The Saudi cut of 1 million barrels per day, to start in July, comes as the other OPEC+ producers agreed in a meeting in Vienna to extend earlier production cuts through next year.

Braves recall Muñoz, acquire former Yankees right-hander Heller from Rays

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves recalled right-hander Roddery Muñoz from Triple-A Gwinnett and outrighted left-hander Lucas Luetge to Gwinnett before Tuesday night's series opener against the New York Mets. The Braves on Tuesday also acquired right-hander Ben Heller from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for international bonus pool money.

Phillies' Nola loses no-hit bid on homer in 7th against Tigers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola lost his no-hit bid against the Detroit Tigers on Nick Maton's three-run homer into the second deck with two outs in the seventh inning on Monday night. Nola had faced the minimum through six innings and struck out 10 with two walks. He ran into trouble in the seventh when two batters reached on a walk and fielding error. But the righty still had two outs when he hung an 0-2 breaking ball to Maton and the third baseman crushed one into right to make it a 5-3 game.