KHIMKI, Russia (AP) — A judge in Russia has convicted American basketball star Brittney Griner of drug possession and smuggling and sentenced her to nine years in prison. Judge Anna Sotnikova said the time Griner has served in custody since her arrest in February would count toward the sentence. Griner showed little emotion to the sentence.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Senators delivered an overwhelming bipartisan vote ratifying NATO membership for Finland and Sweden. Lawmakers call Wednesday's 95-1 vote to expand the Western defensive bloc a “slam-dunk” for U.S. national security and a day of reckoning for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

FLEMING-NEON, Ky. – It was a neighbor’s phone call that alerted Thelma Hall to the flash flood ravaging Fleming-Neon, a tiny community near the Kentucky-Virginia border. Cars were bobbing in the street just outside her front door in floodwater that killed at least 37 people throughout eastern Kentucky.

KELLY, La. (BP) – J Bear is old and can get stuck in his ways, stubborn even. At any moment he makes a racket for no other reason than to let others know he’s there. Small in stature, a first impression may leave you wondering what kind of good he can accomplish. But he can work with kids like no other animal owner Evelyn Pardue ever encountered.

NASHVILLE (BP) – Giving through the National Cooperative Program Allocation Budget remains far ahead of its annual goal with the fiscal year total growing to nearly $169 million—more than $10.4 million over the projected giving.

ATLANTA – From icy roads on wintry mornings in the Appalachian foothills to dirt roads that wash out in heavy rains, it’s not always easy getting to and from school in Georgia.  This year, rising fuel prices are making it more expensive as well.  

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski has been killed in a car accident in her northern Indiana District. That's according to a statement Wednesday from her office. Walorski, who served on the House Ways and Means Committee, was first elected to represent Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District in 2012. She previously served three terms in the state’s legislature.

NASHVILLE (BP)—Pro-life advocates expressed disappointment but resolve in response to the rejection by Kansas voters of an amendment to affirm the state constitution does not protect the right …

HINDMAN, Ky. (AP) — The long days searching debris-clogged creekbanks are taking a toll on search teams in flood-ravaged eastern Kentucky. Phillip Dix is leading a team from Memphis, Tennessee. He says his crew is used to the stifling heat and humidity. But he says they're tired under the grind of 12-hour days spent pulling people from danger.

ATLANTA (AP) — Nick Castellanos hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning as the Philadelphia Phillies took full advantage of an overturned call to beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1. The Phillies appeared down to their final three outs when J.T. Realmuto grounded into what was ruled an inning-ending double play.

BOSTON (AP) — The Christian flag that became the focus of a free speech legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court has been raised outside Boston City Hall to cheers and songs of praise. Wednesday's flag-raising took place about three months after the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision ruled that the city discriminated against Harold Shurtleff and his Camp Constitution group because of his “religious viewpoint” when it refused permission for him to fly the banner on City Hall Plaza in 2017.

STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia coroner says heat stroke is suspected of killing an elderly couple found dead in their home. The Statesboro Herald reports the bodies of Larry and Mary Greer were discovered Monday after someone called authorities to request a welfare check. Bulloch County Coroner Jake Futch said the husband and wife were both in their 80s and lived in a mobile home that had no air-conditioning.

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal regulators say a nuclear power plant being built in Georgia can begin loading radioactive fuel into one of its two new reactors. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced the approval Wednesday for the Southern Nuclear Operating Co. at Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro. It's a key step toward generating electricity at the first new nuclear reactor built in decades in the United States.

A mission trip for a team of women was an all-hands-on-deck, transformational experience. Six women from Iglesia Bautista Nueve Jerusalem in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the Arkansas Hispanic Woman’s Missionary Union traveled to Peru to aid in the ministry of Iglesia Bautista Gracia y Verdad, alongside International Mission Board missionary Amy Fisher.

ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp Wednesday extended the latest temporary suspension of the state’s gasoline sales tax that had been due to expire late next week. Kemp issued two executive orders, one extending the sales tax suspension and the other renewing the governor’s state of emergency declaration related to supply chain disruptions.

Emerging from the shutdowns and quarantines of the pandemic, Georgia Baptists are continuing to get back into the swing of international missions with vision trips and mission trips. Each of the six regions is focused on local, national and international partnerships. This has allowed churches to exponentially increase their impact and multiply their efforts.

ATLANTA (AP) — Looking to replicate the deals that helped carry them to a World Series title in 2021, the Atlanta Braves have pulled off a flurry of trades ahead of the deadline. They finalized a deal that brought starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi from the Houston Astros in exchange for former closer Will Smith. Then, barely beating the deadline, the Braves landed Angels closer Raisel Iglesias for reliever Jesse Chavez and youngster Tucker Davidson. The Braves also acquired Detroit's Robbie Grossman to bolster the outfield.

CHICAGO (AP) — Baseball’s trade deadline day was an action-packed affair — and no one had more fun than the Padres. San Diego made the biggest splash, acquiring Juan Soto in a massive deal with the Washington Nationals. The sweet-swinging Soto, still just 23 years old, joins Manny Machado in the middle of the Padres’ order, and Fernando Tatis Jr. is on his way back after being sidelined by a broken left wrist.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has left Taiwan after a visit that drew threats from China. China claims Taiwan as its territory and opposes any engagement by Taiwanese officials with foreign governments. Pelosi met with Taiwanese leaders on Wednesday.

NEW YORK (AP) — This back-to-school shopping season, parents are focusing on the basics while also trading down to cheaper stores as surging inflation takes a toll on their household budgets. That is particularly true for parents in the low- to middle-income bracket. Last week, Walmart noted higher prices on gas and food are forcing shoppers to make fewer purchases of discretionary items, particularly clothing.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Temperatures are soaring in a region of eastern Kentucky where people are shoveling out the wreckage of massive flooding. Many are working without electricity. The National Weather Service expects the heat and humidity to combine for a heat index of up to 100 by midday. Forecasters expect the steam bath to last through Thursday evening.

LONDON (AP) — The family of a comatose British boy at the center of a life-support battle says it has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights in a last-ditch bid to stop a hospital from ending his treatment. Archie Battersbee was found unconscious at home on April 7. Doctors believe he is brain-stem dead and say continued life-support treatment is not in his best interests.

The OPEC oil cartel and its allies have decided to boost production in September at a much slower pace than in previous months. The move Wednesday comes amid high oil prices and unstable energy supplies exacerbated by the war Russia is waging on Ukraine. The group considered what effects staggering inflation and rising COVID-19 rates may have on global demand for fuel in the fall, with gasoline prices at the pump still high.

ATLANTA (AP) — Spencer Strider struck out a career-high 13 in six-plus innings, Eddie Rosario tied a career-high with five RBIs and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 13-1 for their fourth straight win. The defending World Series champions are 40-14 since June 1, the best record in the majors over that span. They moved within 2½ games of the NL East-leading New York Mets.

KLAMATH RIVER, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters say they're making progress as they battle California's largest and deadliest wildfire of the year. The McKinney Fire in Northern California didn't grow on Tuesday, although it remains out of control. The blaze that began last Friday has virtually wiped out the tiny hamlet of Klamath River and at least four people are confirmed dead.