I love a good deal and I love markers.  So, when there’s a good deal on markers, you can count me in. When I found Crayola Classic 10-pack markers on sale a while back, I snatched them up.  Labeled “Preferred by Teachers,” I knew they would be just right for children’s church or Wednesday Nite Kidz.  I tucked them away for future use.

The PGA Tour says members who are playing in the Saudi-funded league in London are no longer eligible to play tour events. Commissioner Jay Monahan has sent out a memo indicating the sanctions against Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and 15 other players. The memo went out a short time after the LIV Golf Invitational outside London began with a 48-player field.

MADRID (AP) — Emergency agencies have deployed almost 1,000 firefighters, military personnel and support crews to fight a wildfire in southern Spain that has forced the evacuation of some 2,000 people. Authorities raced against the clock in the dry, hilly area of Andalucia as Spain’s AEMET weather service said Thursday that the country could be on the verge of a heatwave.

FRIENDSHIP, Ark. (AP) — State police say three people have been killed after at least a dozen vehicles collided in different spots during stormy weather along heavily traveled Interstate 30 in southwestern Arkansas. The Arkansas Department of Transportation reports the Wednesday afternoon crashes began in the eastbound lanes near Friendship, Arkansas, about 50 miles southwest of Little Rock.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A COVID-19 vaccine that could soon win federal approval may offer a boost for the U.S. military: an opportunity to get shots into some of the thousands of service members who have refused the other coronavirus vaccines for religious reasons. Already, at least 175 active duty and reserve service members have received the Novavax vaccine.

BEIJING (AP) — Thousands of coronavirus testing sites have popped up on sidewalks across Beijing and other Chinese cities in the latest development in the country’s “zero-COVID” strategy. Regular testing of residents is becoming the new normal as the ruling Communist Party sticks steadfastly to the “zero-COVID” approach that is increasingly at odds with the rest of the world.

BAKHMUT, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces pounded an eastern Ukrainian city and the two sides waged pitched street battles that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said could determine the fate of the critical Donbas region. Meanwhile, Russia claimed Thursday that it struck a training facility far from the front lines.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans applied for jobless aid last week but the total number of Americans collecting unemployment remains at a five-decade low. Applications for unemployment benefits rose by 27,000 to 229,000 for the week ending June 4, the most since mid-January, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

BOSTON (AP) — The Golden State Warriors’ last chance at pulling out a comeback victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals ended during a scramble that went Boston's way with 3½ minutes left. Marcus Smart emerged with the ball, and the Celtics held on to win 116-100 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The European Central Bank said it would carry out its first interest rate increase in 11 years next month, followed by another hike in September. The bank made the surprise move Thursday, saying that inflation had become a “major challenge” and that those forces had “broadened and intensified.”

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. markets appear to be heading for gains Thursday with European Central Bank announcing its first interest rate hike in 11 years. The bank will make two quarter-point increases, with the second arriving in September. The surprise decision is in reaction to inflation that has become a “major challenge,” with the central bank believing that forces pushing costs higher had “broadened and intensified.”

ATLANTA (AP) — Rookie Michael Harris gave Atlanta the lead with a two-run triple in the fifth inning that spoiled Jared Koenig’s major league debut, and the surging Braves beat the skidding Oakland Athletics 13-2. Ian Anderson pitched six solid innings and the Braves rallied from a 2-0 deficit for the second straight night to sweep the two-game series and extend their season-best winning streak to seven.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell broadly on Wall Street Wednesday, erasing most of their gains for the week, as investors were discouraged to see more evidence of inflation’s impact on businesses and another gloomy outlook on the global economy.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) – Send Relief has announced its intent to give $3 million to fund the proposed Sexual Abuse Task Force recommendations for sexual abuse reform, and an additional $1 million to establish a survivor care fund to provide trauma care for survivors and trauma training for pastors.

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The way Mary Cox sees it, the job of pastor’s wife can be one of the most difficult and most rewarding in ministry. “There are times when not everyone will like what you do, what you say, or even how you dress,” Cox said. “There can be a lot of pressure, but God gives us the strength and grace to push through so that we can enjoy the blessings that come with the role.”

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Longtime Georgia swimming coach Jack Bauerle has announced his retirement. Bauerle won seven NCAA women’s team championships in his 43 years as coach. The 70-year-old is the longest-tenured coach of any sport in Georgia history.

PEMBROKE, Ga. (AP) — A coastal Georgia county is restarting court trials and government services after a deadly tornado damaged a courthouse and other government buildings on April 5. Court proceedings resumed this week in a part of the Bryan County courthouse that wasn’t damaged when the twister hit Pembroke.

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — The school district police chief criticized for waiting too long before law enforcement confronted and killed the gunman during a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school did not appear at a City Council meeting in Uvalde on Tuesday, despite being newly elected to the panel. Mayor Don McLaughlin says he's unable to explain why school district police Chief Pete Arredondo wasn’t at the brief meeting Tuesday.

BAKHMUT, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces and Russian troops continue to battle back and forth in a key eastern city. At the same time, fears of a global food crisis have escalated because million of tons of grain have piled up in the besieged country’s silos. Russian forces were closing in Wednesday on control of the entire Luhansk region. It is one of two provinces that make up the industrial heartland known as the Donbas.

DULUTH, Ga. – Candidates for president of the Southern Baptist Convention have been influenced by a variety of preachers from the modern era, including Adrian Rogers and Martin Lloyd-Jones. They see themselves in biblical characters like Luke, Jeremiah and even Balaam’s donkey. The Christian Index did a Q&A with the candidates on a variety of topics for a series of stories that have been published over the past week. In today’s installment, which wraps up the series, the candidates were asked to answer 10 questions as briefly as possible.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos have entered into a sale agreement with the Walton-Penner ownership group. The buyers are led by Walmart heir Rob Walton, his daughter, Carrie Walton Penner, and her husband, Greg Penner. Although terms of the sale weren't disclosed late Tuesday night, the winning bid was reportedly for $4.65 billion. That's by far the most expensive deal for a sports franchise anywhere in the world.

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — One of the first people shot at by the gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, is now trying to comfort the community. Gilbert Limones and a coworker at a funeral home both came under fire as they were across the street from Robb Elementary School last month. Neither was injured, and Limones preached about the horror on Sunday at the small church where he serves as pastor.

ATLANTA – Georgia tax collections rose slightly last month compared to May of last year after two consecutive months of soaring revenues caused by a delay in last year’s filing deadline until mid-May. The state Department of Revenue collected almost $2.7 billion last month, up 1.6% from May of 2021.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says an armed man who made threats against Justice Brett Kavanaugh was arrested near the justice’s house in Maryland. A court spokeswoman says the man was arrested about 1:50 a.m. Wednesday. According to a law enforcement official, the man is from California, is in his 20s, and was armed with a gun and a knife.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Russia and Turkey have backed a maritme corridor to export Ukrainian grain to global markets amid an escalating world food crisis. Turkey's foreign minister hosted his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Ankara on Wednesday for talks on a U.N. proposal to free Ukraine’s Black Sea ports and allow 22 million tons of grain to be shipped. Ukraine was not invited to the talks.