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    Plenty of things cause wildfires in California, but the most common is people. Whether their actions are purposeful, reckless or simply careless, people are responsible for about 95% of the state's wildfires. Officials say some examples include pushing a burning car into a gully, mowing the lawn on a hot summer day, miswiring a hot tub, driving cars with flat tires, burning toilet paper rather than packing it out of a campsite and setting off smoke bombs at gender reveal parties. Blazes can escalate quickly, especially in hot, dry conditions. Last year alone, people caused more than 7,000 wildfires. Cal Fire Battalion Chief David Acuna says it's usually people “not using appropriate judgment.”

      Covered with pins and adornments, Vivianne Robinson is hard to miss in the streets of Paris. The Olympics superfan has attended seven Summer Games over the span of 40 years. But this trip to Paris came at a hefty price. Ten thousand dollars, to be precise. The 66-year-old maxed out her credit cards and worked two jobs to afford the experience. After paying $1,600 for the opening ceremony, she ended up watching it on the screen. She's become somewhat of a celebrity herself and has vowed that no matter how much it costs, she'll make it to the next one.

        “The Redemption Tour” ended in a familiar spot for Simone Biles: atop the Olympic podium. The American gymnastics star and her singular brilliance powered a dominant U.S. women’s team in the finals inside a raucous Bercy Arena. With Biles at her show-stopping best, the Americans’ total of 171.296 was well clear of Italy and Brazil and the exclamation point of a yearlong run in which Biles has cemented her legacy as the greatest ever in her sport and among the best in the history of the Olympics.

          Fire crews are working to hold on to the progress made against the largest blaze in California this year ahead of warming temperatures forecast for later this week. Authorities lifted evacuation orders Tuesday in some communities of Butte County and said containment was 14%. The Park Fire started in the county last week before spreading to a neighboring county and scorching an area bigger than Los Angeles. The massive fire continues to burn through rugged, inaccessible terrain with dense vegetation, threatening to spread to two other counties. The Park Fire is now the fifth largest in the state’s recorded history.

            Authorities in Washington have determined that a Tesla that hit and killed a motorcyclist near Seattle in April was operating on the company’s “Full Self Driving” system. Capt. Deion Glover said Tuesday that investigators from the Washington State Patrol made the discovery after downloading information from the event-data recorder on the 2022 Tesla Model S. Authorities say no charges have been filed and the investigation is ongoing. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last week that “Full Self Driving” should be able to run without human supervision by the end of this year.

            U.S. road safety investigators say they will look into an April crash near Seattle after authorities determined that a Tesla was operating on the company’s “Full Self-Driving” system when it hit and killed a motorcyclist. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday it is gathering information on the crash from law enforcement officers and Tesla. Investigators from the Washington State Patrol determined that the system was in use after downloading information from the event-data recorder on the 2022 Tesla Model S involved in the crash. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is staking much of Tesla’s future on development of self-driving software. Tesla did not answer messages seeking comment.

            Thousands of illegal marijuana shops have flourished in New York under lax enforcement, but new rules are allowing officials to quickly padlock doors. The state legalized recreational use of the drug in 2021, but for several years law enforcement couldn’t close illegal pot shops without a protracted legal battle. Officials tried expanding inspection powers and sending letters to landlords, but most stores stayed open. The new rules passed earlier this year allow the sheriff’s department to keep stores padlocked in most cases during appeals. Licensed sellers say they’re seeing big sales increases as illegal shops close around them, but the estimated 2,000 illegal shops in New York City still dwarf the 150 legally opened statewide.

            U.S. arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico during July have plummeted to a new low for Joe Biden’s presidency, raising prospects a temporary ban on asylum may be lifted soon. The Border Patrol is expected to arrest migrants 57,000 times during the month, down 30% from June and the lowest tally since September 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic slowed movement across borders. Two Customs and Border Protection officials provided numbers to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the numbers hadn't been publicly disclosed. San Diego was the busiest corridor for illegal crossings in July.

            A person has been killed in a wildfire burning in the Colorado foothills as several blazes are torching large areas around the western United States. The blaze is one of several burning along the state's heavily-populated Front Range. Authorities said Wednesday that the body was found at one of five homes that burned in a fire near Lyons, Colorado. A second fire burning southwest of Denver has triggered evacuation orders for 575 homes. Around the U.S., nearly 28,000 firefighters are battling large fires that have burned almost 7,000 square miles of land to date this year.

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            Ahead of two upcoming court dates – one involving the temporary restraining order that Napa County Supervisor Belia Ramos obtained against Treasury Wine Estates executive Debra Dommen and one involving the supervisor’s family law case – here’s a rundown of what’s known, what’s not, and what’s next. 

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