Sports have played a crucial role throughout my life. Growing up, I ran cross-country and was coached by my dad in basketball, until I found my true love: volleyball. I loved being a setter to the point that I dreamed about making plays. It taught me the things a sport often does: willpower, loyalty, discipline and how to come back swinging when you get knocked down. But what I remember most is simply how much I loved it. My obsession even dictated the college I chose, where a devastating injury broke my heart and ended my career. There’s one thing I feel obligated to tell you, though: I was never going to be a collegiate star. I went to a small school, and I still stand today at my maximum height of 5 feet flat. What I lacked in stature, I assure you, I did not lack in heart. I was a scrappy competitor, and I took losses hard. (Some would say I still do.) I embraced every morning and late night, the bruises and broken bones — not because I was destined to be Division I, but simply bec...

A Washington state man was arrested Monday on a first-degree arson charge in connection with the Old Trails Fire, one of several wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of structures and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate the Spokane area, authorities said. Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, was taken into custody after Spokane County Sheriff’s Office detectives and Washington Department of Natural Resources investigators developed probable cause to arrest him, according to the sheriff’s office. Citizen tips and information from Airway Heights police officers and Spokane County sheriff’s deputies who responded to the initial call and conducted evacuations helped lead investigators to Farinacci, the sheriff’s office said. Authorities described Farinacci as a convicted felon from Arizona but said they had found no documented criminal history involving fires. Investigators have not connected Farinacci to the two other major blazes burning in the area, the Autumn Lane and Fairview fires...

A Pennsylvania school bus aide was arrested after he allegedly inappropriately touched a 14-year-old girl with special needs and appeared to take photographs and videos of her with his cellphone, according to police. Ali Khan, 62, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, corruption of minors, indecent assault and related offenses, the Bensalem Township Police Department said. Khan was being held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility after failing to post 10% of his $500,000 bail. The girl’s parents contacted police on Thursday, July 30, to report that their daughter had allegedly been inappropriately touched by a bus aide earlier that day, according to investigators. HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR PLEADS GUILTY TO MULTIPLE SEX CRIMES INVOLVING TEEN SHE WAS MEANT TO HELP Police said their investigation determined that Khan allegedly touched the Bensalem High School student multiple times on Wednesday, July 29, and Thursday, July 30, while she was riding a bus to the school’s ex...

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Lindsay Clancy’s attorney sought to blunt prosecutors’ portrayal of the Massachusetts mother as organized and calculating, pressing a hospital psychiatrist to acknowledge that a person can communicate, make plans and carry them out while experiencing psychosis . "People can communicate and plan and act on plans even if they’re in the middle of a psychosis, right?" defense attorney Kevin Reddington asked Dr. Sejal Shah Monday. HEATED LINDSAY CLANCY COURTROOM EXCHANGE OVER 911 CALL, CRIME SCENE PHOTOS SETS STAGE FOR MOM’S MURDER TRIAL "Yes," Shah replied. Reddington then asked whether someone must be "drooling and stumbling and unable to walk and talk" to be psychotic. Shah said no and agreed that a person in psychosis can still communicate with others. Clancy is charged in the deaths of Cora, 5, Da...

Five months into the Iran war, America is winning almost every battle. The harder question is whether we are winning the war. No one should minimize what the U.S. military has accomplished. American air and naval power have inflicted extraordinary damage on Iran's military infrastructure. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has lost command centers, missile launchers, drone facilities, air defenses, coastal installations, logistics hubs, and key personnel . Our servicemen and women have once again demonstrated unmatched professionalism, precision, and courage. Those are genuine tactical successes. I'VE STUDIED MILITARY STRATEGY. TRUMP NOW FACES IRAN'S OLDEST BATTLEFIELD TRICK But military history teaches a hard lesson: tactical success does not necessarily produce strategic success. That distinction matters because the strategic center of gravity in this conflict is shifting. In the opening weeks, the focus was rightly on degrading Iran's military and nuclear capabil...

A new California law is expanding the state’s use of DNA technology in missing persons investigations, giving authorities another tool to identify unknown people and revisit unresolved cases. Gov. Gavin Newsom , a Democrat, signed the measure into law last month, loosening restrictions on California’s Missing Persons DNA Program. The program had previously been limited to identifying deceased individuals. Under the expanded law, its database may also be used to identify unknown people who are alive, allowing state forensic resources to assist in a wider range of investigations. MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING PARTNER ARRESTED IN MEXICO NEARLY TWO YEARS AFTER FLEEING WITH THEIR TWO CHILDREN The program supports coroners, medical examiners and law enforcement agencies seeking to identify missing or unknown individuals across California. "Any missing person case — adult, child, MMIP, or otherwise — is one too many. No family should know the prolonged uncertainty of waiting for answers, and t...