Illinois man gets life sentences for deadly shooting at 2022 July Fourth parade

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — The suburban Chicago man who killed seven people at a 2022 Independence Day parade has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Robert E. Crimo III was sentenced Thursday after relatives of those killed in the shooting and other survivors gave emotional testimony. Crimo pleaded guilty to the shooting last month just moments before his trial was to begin. Authorities say the 24-year-old fired into crowds at the parade from a rooftop. Dozens were wounded in the shooting in a suburb north of Chicago. The judge ordered seven sentences of life in prison for the first-degree murder charges and 50 years for 48 counts of attempted murder.”

Judge blocks parts of Trump’s overhaul of US elections

NEW YORK (AP) — A voting rights advocate says a judge’s decision to block the Trump administration from immediately enacting certain changes to how federal elections are run is a victory for voters. President Donald Trump had called for adding a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form and other sweeping changes to U.S. elections in an executive order. The Republican president argued the U.S. fails to enforce necessary election protections. A federal judge in Washington sided Thursday with voting rights groups and Democrats to grant a preliminary injunction on parts of the order. The national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens says, “Efforts to silence the voice and votes of the U.S. electorate must not stand.”

Man charged with arson after authorities say he sparked New Jersey Pine Barrens fire

(AP) — Authorities say a man set wooden pallets on fire and failed to properly put them out in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, sparking a quick-moving wildfire with smoke affecting the air quality in the New York City area. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said the 19-year-old Waretown man faces aggravated arson and arson charges in the southern New Jersey wildfire. The fire by Thursday morning grew to more than 23 square miles. New Jersey also cautioned early Thursday about air quality. The prosecutor’s office said the arrested man has no attorney listed yet.

Whooping cough cases are rising again in the US, challenging public health departments

(AP) — Preliminary data from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention says the U.S. has seen 8,485 cases of whooping cough in 2025. That’s twice as many cases as this time last year, based on the CDC’s final tally. Rates of whooping cough started soaring last year after falling during COVID-19 because of masking and social distancing. Experts say the recent outbreaks of preventable airborne illnesses like measles and whooping cough could be indicative of changing attitudes toward vaccines. The shots, which also protect against diphtheria and tetanus, are given to infants at two months, fourth months and six months. The CDC recommends adults get follow-up doses every 10 years.