Kathy Mccormack

Omaha Public Schools has prohibited police from using electric-shock G.L.O.V.E. gloves in its middle and high schools after students, residents and school board members condemned the practice. Most of the Omaha Police Department’s 34 school resource officers had been trained to use the gloves, which the city bought from Compliant Technologies for about $66,000. Police said the devices were used twice during the 2025–2026 school year and defended them as a safe, low-force option, but Superintendent Matthew Ray said continued use would damage trust between students and law enforcement. Officers will still carry Tasers, batons, pepper spray and firearms.

Three children were swept into the rain-swollen Passaic River in Passaic, New Jersey. An 11-year-old girl survived, while her 10-year-old brother drowned; the mayor said the boy may have inadvertently helped his sister reach safety by placing his hand on her head as he struggled in the water. Authorities continued searching for a second 10-year-old girl using boats, divers, drones and sonar, while nearby firefighters rescued about 20 people from rising floodwaters.

A Kenmore Air DHC-3 Otter carrying a pilot and 10 passengers crashed and caught fire near Sucia Island in Washington’s San Juan Islands. Nearby boaters and emergency responders rescued everyone aboard, although one person was critically injured and others suffered head injuries, broken bones and cuts. The cause remains unknown, and the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. Kenmore Air canceled scheduled flights while the inquiry proceeded.

Pamela Smart, who is serving life without parole for helping orchestrate the 1990 killing of her husband, is seeking a new trial through a habeas corpus petition in New Hampshire. Her lawyers argue that inaccurate transcripts of recorded conversations, prejudicial media coverage, faulty jury instructions and an improperly imposed mandatory sentence violated her constitutional rights. State attorneys contend that most claims were already resolved or should have been raised earlier and ask the judge to dismiss the petition. Smart’s other avenues for sentence reduction have failed, though she accepted full responsibility for her husband’s death in a 2024 video.

Robert Tulloch, who was 17 when he helped murder Dartmouth professors Half and Susanne Zantop in 2001, is seeking resentencing in New Hampshire. His attorneys argue that his prison record, remorse and personal growth justify parole eligibility after 30 to 40 years. The hearing follows U.S. Supreme Court rulings limiting mandatory juvenile life-without-parole sentences and a New Hampshire ruling that such sentences violate the state Constitution. Tulloch’s accomplice, James Parker, received parole in 2024 after serving nearly the minimum term of his sentence.

Parker Tirrell and Iris Turmelle withdrew their lawsuit challenging New Hampshire’s ban on transgender girls participating in school sports after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld similar state laws and ruled that they do not violate Title IX. Turmelle’s family moved out of New Hampshire amid concerns about legislation restricting gender-affirming care, while Tirrell stopped playing high school soccer because of escalating political tension, protests and security concerns. Their lawyer said the case highlighted the personal costs of laws targeting transgender youth.

A severe heatwave is disrupting summer camps, outdoor events and public activities across the Midwest, with extreme heat warnings covering much of Iowa and surrounding areas. Heat indices are expected to exceed 100°F and the dangerous conditions are forecast to spread through the Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast during the Fourth of July week, potentially producing record temperatures. Communities are opening cooling centers, canceling events and modifying schedules, while the University of Wisconsin-Madison is closing or restricting access to buildings. Meteorologists and medical professionals are urging residents to hydrate, seek shade or air conditioning, wear light clothing and limit exposure during peak heat.

Utah declared a state of emergency and temporarily restricted fireworks through July 5 as the Cottonwood Fire expanded to more than 112 square miles in southern Utah. Strong winds grounded aircraft and drove extreme fire behavior, damaging Eagle Point ski resort and destroying homes and cabins while prompting evacuation warnings for several communities. Rare National Weather Service alerts, drought, low humidity and high winds heightened fire danger across the western United States. Additional fires, power shut-off warnings and public-land closures followed, with nearly 3 million U.S. acres burned since the beginning of the year.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox declared a state of emergency and restricted fireworks through July 5 as the uncontained Cottonwood Fire grew to nearly 111 square miles, severely damaging the Eagle Point ski resort. Rare extreme-fire warnings were issued amid drought, low humidity and winds gusting up to 50 mph. The Iron Fire also prompted evacuations, while wildfire danger extended across parts of Arizona, Colorado, California and Nevada.

Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp in Texas, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy nearly a year after floods along the Guadalupe River killed 25 girls and two teenage counselors. The filing lists more than $10 million in debt and follows a lawsuit by victims’ families seeking over $1 million, alleging inadequate flood preparedness and delayed evacuation. The camp has also abandoned plans to reopen amid outrage, lawsuits and investigations into missed warnings, poor emergency planning and inadequately trained staff.

Camp Mystic has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Texas, reporting more than $10 million in debt and between $100,001 and $500,000 in assets. The filing comes nearly a year after floods killed 25 girls, two teenage counselors and camp owner Richard Eastland, with at least 136 people killed along the Guadalupe River. Victims’ families are seeking more than $1 million in damages, alleging that camp operators failed to respond adequately to flood warnings. The camp also abandoned plans to reopen after hearings and investigations highlighted inadequate emergency planning, missed warnings and poorly trained staff.