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[h=4]The Short List: Wildfires' wrath in California; killing on a Mississippi campus; the death penalty on life support[/h]Out of the loop today? We've got what you missed.
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Flames from the Valley Fire consume a home Sept. 13, 2015, in Seigler Springs, Calif. The fire was one of more than 12 raging across the drought-stricken state.(Photo: Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images)
Homeowners come face to face with heartbreaking effects of climate change
At least one person is dead. Several are missing. Hundreds of homes are lost. That was the toll so far Monday as the Valley Fire raged near California's wine country, growing to more than 60,000 acres. The Valley Fire and the Butte Fire, less than 200 miles away, have together destroyed more than 500 homes and forced 23,000 people to flee. (One YouTube video appears to show a dramatic escape from the Valley Fire.) The Valley and Butte fires are two of about a dozen active fires burning in across the parched state — now in its fourth year of severe drought. "We are really in a battle with nature. That nature is more powerful than we are," Gov. Jerry Brown said at a news conference. Victory will be hard-won, researchers say. A study published Monday in the British journal Nature Climate Change finds that the snowpack in the state's Sierra Nevada has fallen to its lowest level in at least the past 500 years. What does that have to do with the wildfires? Plenty. The snowpack plays a crucial role in replenishing the state's water reservoirs and provides 30% of the state's water supply. A diminished snowpack raises the prospect of more water shortages that could impact agriculture and hydroelectric power production — and water shortages that could exacerbate wildfires. "We should be prepared for this type of snow drought to occur much more frequently because of rising temperatures," said study lead author Valerie Trouet of the University of Arizona.
Mississippi police piece together mystery of two killings, 300 miles apart
Police were seeking a "person of interest" Monday evening after professor Ethan Schmidt was shot and killed in his office at Delta State University. The campus in Cleveland, Miss., was put on lockdown shortly before 11 a.m. CT, and students were evacuated from the school, building by building. Cleveland Police Chief Charles "Buster" Bingham said later Monday that authorities had identified school employee Shannon Lamb as a "person of interest" — and information linked Lamb to a slaying in Gautier, Miss., about 300 miles away. A spokesman for Gautier police confirmed that a woman was found dead in her home and that Lamb was the suspect in her death. "We're working right now under the assumption that both events are related," Hoggatt said. "We hope that they are not. But at this point in time, information indicates that they probably are linked in some way, shape or form."
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Professer Ethan Schmidt has been identified as the victim of a deadly shooting at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. The suspect, Shannon Lamb has yet to be caught. VPC
#Mustread: The death penalty in America may be living on borrowed time
The ultimate punishment is more elusive than at any time since its reinstatement in 1976, and the reasons are many. Capital cases come with heavy emotional and financial tolls. More defendants are sentenced to life without parole. And execution methods face more court challenges. Prosecutors, judges and juries also are being influenced by capital punishment's myriad afflictions: racial and ethnic discrimination, geographic disparities, decades spent on death row and glaring mistakes that have exonerated 155 prisoners in the past 42 years. A special USA TODAY in-depth analysis looks at the trends that may be squeezing the life out of the death penalty.
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A statistical look at the death penalty in America throughout the years. USA TODAY
No 'meh'-be, baby. We seem to really want the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.
Sure, we snarked on last week's Apple Event, and many of us were feeling "meh" about the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. So? What do we know? Nothing. Apple said Monday customer reaction to the smartphones — which were made available for preorder on Sept. 12 — indicate sales are on pace to beat last year's 10 million-unit, first-weekend record when they go on sale Sept. 25. Customers are buying into the whole "bigger is better" thing, too: Apple says the online demand for iPhone 6S Plus — perfect for the tech-savvy grandpa in your life — has been "exceptionally strong" and even exceeded their forecasts. If you've been undecided and now you just gotta have one, be patient. The Apple Store website reports some models of the 6S and 6S Plus have a shipment wait time as long as four weeks.
Military moms' viral photo is a salute to breastfeeding moms everywhere
It may be the only photo of its kind on social media: an image of 10 active-duty military moms breastfeeding in uniform. At the time of this writing, the photo has more than 8,500 shares on Facebook — and it's likely to be shared even more widely. Photographer Tara Ruby posted it to Facebook last week, saying: "To my knowledge, a group photo to show support of active-duty military mommies nursing their littles has never been done. It is so nice to see support for this here at Fort Bliss." Ruby, who served in the Air Force from 1997 to 2001, says when she was active duty "support for breastfeeding moms wasn't even an option to consider." Here's to progress. "Breastfeeding their babies doesn't make them less of a soldier, I believe it makes them a better one," Ruby said. "Juggling the tasks and expectations of a soldier, plus providing for their own in the best way they possibly can, makes these ladies even stronger for it."
Timeline Photos - Tara Ruby Photography | Facebook
If you only read one thing tonight:Preliminary results suggest Mediterranean diet reduces breast cancer risk
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Today in Election 2016: Donald Trump still leads in New Hampshire with 28% of likely Republican voters, but a new poll has a new second-place candidate: Ben Carson with 17%. Meanwhile, billionaire Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, says a White House run could be "fun." "If I ran as a Dem, I know I could beat Hillary Clinton," he said. "And if it was me vs. Trump, I would crush him. No doubt about it." Elsewhere on the innerwebs, Carly Fiorina has released an ad that plays off Trump's recent attack, extolling her face and the faces of all women voters. Watch it.
Extra Bites:
ICYMI: Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell was crowned Miss America 2016. (She even had to talk about Deflategate for the Q&A.) Swipe through our gallery of the pageant's biggest moments.
Hosts Chris Harrison, center, and Brooke Burke-Charvet, left, join Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev during the 2016 Miss America pageant, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans) ORG XMIT: NJME114<span style="color: Red;">*</span> Mel Evans, AP
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Kim Davis, the nation's most famous county clerk, was back at work Monday at the Rowan County courthouse in Kentucky. She said that although she still refuses to authorize marriage licenses, she will not interfere with a deputy clerk who began providing them more than a week ago.
Have you seen it? #BearSelfies are a thing. A dangerous thing.
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A well-traveled recreation and hiking area outside of Denver is closed because people were spotted with selfie sticks trying to capture the perfect photo... with wild bears. Water department officials are now warning visitors to keep their distance. VPC
That's one way to avoid a reporter's question.
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This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.
Contributing: John Bacon, Doyle Rice, Elizabeth Weise, Richard Wolf, Kevin Johnson, Brett Molina, Kim Hjelmgaard, Jane Onyanga-Omara, Erin Jensen, David Jackson, Jessica Estepa, USA TODAY; Jessica Durando, USA TODAY Network; Therese Apel, The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger; Mike Wynn, The (Louisville) Courier-Journal
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