At least 55 people died on Maui. Residents had little warning before wildfires overtook a town

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Hawaii emergency management records show no indication that warning sirens sounded before people ran for their lives from wildfires on Maui that killed at least 55 people and wiped out a historic town. Instead, officials sent alerts to mobile phones, televisions and radio stations — but widespread power and cellular outages may have limited their reach.

PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: 'Jacks claim 10th straight district title

St. Maries (15-7) is currently ranked 13th in the MaxPreps.com rankings, which is used to determine seeding for state, which begins next Thursday at Capital High in Boise. The Lumberjacks won’t find out their first round opponent until this weekend, likely Sunday, when matchups are announced by the Idaho High School Activities Association.

Unmasking Idaho

Study finds state a leader in anti-mask tweets

Bill says Mississippi could check for voters' US citizenship

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi's top elections official told lawmakers Tuesday that he wants the power to check whether registered voters in the state are also U.S. citizens.

UN war crimes court convicts 2 Serbs over Bosnia atrocities

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A United Nations court on Wednesday convicted two former allies of late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic of aiding and abetting crimes committed by Serb paramilitaries in a Bosnian town in 1992.

Montana appeals TikTok ban, saying consumer protection outweighs First Amendment worries

The State of Montana filed its opening brief with the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Friday in its appeal of a preliminary injunction prohibiting the state from enforcing its ban on TikTok, contending that the state’s consumer protection interests outweigh First Amendment concerns that the lower court used as a partial basis to block the law.

NIC group faces investigation

COEUR d'ALENE — Northwest Athletic Conference representatives will visit North Idaho College next week to investigate the use of booster club funds for the athletic program.

Conference investigates booster club at NIC

COEUR d'ALENE — Northwest Athletic Conference representatives will visit North Idaho College next week to investigate the use of booster club funds for the athletic program.

A rundown of AP's year-end coverage.

EDITORS:

AP News in Brief at 6:04 p.m. EST

Congress rushes toward vote on $900B COVID relief bill

Wildwood brings back Festival peaches

SANDPOINT — Wildwood Grilling is excited to announce that the company will be bringing back the popular dessert from last year’s Festival at Sandpoint — cedar planked peaches. The dish will be sold at the Evans Brothers booth and all proceeds will be donated to The Festival at Sandpoint. But it will be back for one night only.

Safety issues mount as skiers hit backcountry in pandemic

DENVER (AP) — On March 14, Colorado's governor issued an executive order shutting down ski resorts across the state. The coronavirus had arrived and was spreading rapidly in small mountain communities that were attracting hordes of spring break revelers.

Coeur d'Alene commission OKs Marriott hotel on Northwest Boulevard

Construction could begin this year

It’s the third hotel planned for the downtown area, with a six-story, 131-room Marriott at Sixth Street and Sherman Avenue and Hagadone Corporation’s 15-story, 139-room hotel at First and Sherman also in the works.

Russian FM dismisses media reports about Navalny poisoning

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's top diplomat on Wednesday brushed off media reports alleging that there may have been several attempts to poison Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and that Russian security forces might have been behind the poisoning.

Bighawk pleads guilty to vehicular and sexual assault charges

Judge Molly Owen set a sentencing date of July 10 for a Polson man, who has two separate criminal cases against him. Cheyenne Blue Bighawk, 37, entered a plea of guilty in Polson District Court May 15 to negligent vehicular assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and in a separate case, he pled guilty to sexual assault.

Lester C. McKean

Lester C. McKean

ON THE AGENDA: Your government and schools in action

This list of local government meetings taking place this week includes just highlights from published meeting agendas that are available. To view the complete agenda, visit the web addresses included with the listings or call the entities directly.

Colombian fast food chain bets on automated restaurants

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A Colombian fast food chain is planning to turn its branches into automated restaurants at a moment when the coronavirus pandemic has slammed the food service industry worldwide.

Stampede keeps later start for 2018

A change in last year’s annual Kootenai River Stampede PRCA rodeo to deal with smoke from wildfires has led to a permanent change in the nightly schedule for the July 27 and 28 event at J. Neils Rodeo Arena.

Unmasking Idaho

Study finds state a leader in anti-mask tweets