Dorothy Abernathy, regional media director of The Associated Press, shares 10 things you need to know Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items and much more in West Virginia newspapers.
1. PANIC AT LA AIRPORT
Roads and terminals were reopening but travel delays ensued, after reports of a gunman opening fire that turned out to be false caused the panicked evacuation of hundreds of people.
2. WHO TURNED HEADS AT MTV’S VMA AWARDS
Beyonce proves once again she is the star who shines brightest, and uses the MTV Video Music Awards to showcase her skills and upstage her peers, from Rihanna to Britney Spears.
3. WHAT TRUMP COULD SAY ABOUT IMMIGRATION
It’s anyone’s guess what the Republican nominee might mention in a speech on illegal immigration on Wednesday in Arizona, after days of wavering on he would use a “deportation force” to eject all 11 million or so people in the U.S. illegally.
4. WHY CLINTON ISN’T TALKING ABOUT SYRIA
The Democratic nominee didn’t mention the war-ravaged nation at her political convention and has tap-danced around the issue. Her views might not be in line with that of her former boss, President Barack Obama.
5. WHERE A PURGE HAS ENSARED 20,000 PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS
In Turkey, where a high school sports teacher and a counselor are trying to understand how they got caught in a dragnet designed to root out followers of a U.S.-based Muslim cleric who Ankara blames for a failed coup attempt last month.
5. PHILLIPINE PRESIDENT SAYS HE’LL GO TO JAIL TO DEFEND DRUG WAR
Rodrigo Duterte says his bloody anti-drug campaign that has left nearly 1,800 people dead does not amount to genocide, as human rights groups express alarm over the killings.
6. CEASE-FIRE TAKES EFFECT IN COLOMBIA
Just after midnight, according to the commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a permanent cease-fire was ending 52 years of bloody combat between the government and the country’s biggest rebel group.
7. A NEW SPECTACLE BEGINS IN BRAZIL
Suspended President Dilma Rousseff faces her accusers in the Senate, a showdown sure to be filled with heated rhetoric.
8. A SMALL STEP THAT COULD BE A GIANT LEAP TOWARD MARS
Six scientists emerge from a yearlong simulation of the Red Planet in Hawaii, where they lived in a dome in near isolation.
9. A MEXICAN MUSICAL SUPERSTAR DIES
Juan Gabriel, a songwriter and singer who was an icon in the Latin music world, passed away at his home in California at age 66.
10. A MAJOR MOMENT IN TENNIS
As the U.S. Open begins, all eyes on are defending champion Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, two long dominant players who are trying to rebound from injuries.
