Don't click on those road toll texts. FBI issues fresh warning about the smishing scam
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI is warning Americans not to respond to scam road toll collection texts after receiving more than 2,000 complaints this month. The texts impersonating state road toll collection agencies are attempting to get phone users to reveal financial information, such as credit or debit cards or bank accounts. They’re so-called smishing scams — a form of phishing that relies on SMS texts to trick people into sending money or share sensitive information.
One Tech Tip: Wasting too much time on social media apps? Tips and tricks to curb smartphone use
LONDON (AP) — If you’ve got a smartphone, you probably spend too much time on it. It can be hard to curb excessive use of smartphones and social media, which are addictive by design but there are tips and tricks. First, delete any apps you’ve been wasting time on. You can always install them if you need to. Also, both iPhones and Android devices have onboard controls to help regulate screen time. Change your phone display to grayscale from color so that it doesn’t look so exciting. There are also many third-party apps, like Jomo, Opal, Forest, Roots and LockMeOut that are designed to cut down screen time.
SpaceX delays flight to replace NASA's stuck astronauts after launch pad problem
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A launch pad problem has forced a flight delay to replace NASA's two stuck astronauts. The new crew needs to get to the International Space Station before Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams can head home after nine months in orbit. Concerns over a critical hydraulic system arose less than four hours before the Falcon rocket’s planned evening liftoff from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. The decision to cancel finally came down with less than an hour remaining in the countdown. Officials say the launch is off until at least Friday.
Maintenance hole explosion at Texas Tech University causes fires, outages and cancels classes
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Authorities at Texas Tech University say an explosion inside a maintenance hole set off fires and power outages on the campus, leading school officials to issue evacuation orders for several buildings and cancel classes for the rest of the week. Lubbock Fire Rescue Capt. Jon Tunnell says no injuries were reported Wednesday evening. He says firefighters responding to campus for a possible gas leak found multiple maintenance hole covers with fire and smoke coming from them. It wasn’t clear what might have caused the explosion. A spokesperson for the university’s police department says power was being shut down to the entire campus in Lubbock, Texas, while repairs are underway.
Former Texas megachurch pastor indicted in Oklahoma on child sexual abuse charges
DALLAS (AP) — The Oklahoma Attorney General’s office says a former pastor of a Texas megachurch who resigned after a woman accused him of sexually abusing her in the 1980s has been indicted on child sexual abuse charges. Robert Preston Morris was charged Wednesday with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. The attorney general’s office says the alleged abuse started in 1982 when the victim was 12 years old and Morris was a traveling evangelist staying in Oklahoma with her family. The abuse allegedly continued for four years. Phone numbers associated with Morris were either disconnected or messages were not immediately returned Wednesday.
Canada's Couche-Tard's chief stresses 'friendly' interest in Japan's 7-Eleven chain
TOKYO (AP) — Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard has reiterated its determination to acquire Seven & i Holdings, although the operator of Japan’s top convenience store chain has rejected its offer. The chairman and founder of Alimentation Couche-Tard, Alain Bouchard, told reporters in Tokyo his company was pursuing a “friendly” transaction, not a hostile takeover. He reiterated his promise to retain local management, saying the merger would be good for 7-Eleven's business. The chain includes more than 20,000 stores nationwide, with more than 80,000 outlets globally that serve an estimated 63 million customers a day, according to Tokyo-based Seven & i Holdings Co.
Woman trapped in crashed car survives on creek water for 6 days until rescue
BROOK, Ind. (AP) — Authorities say a woman in Indiana who was trapped in her car with broken legs after a crash survived for nearly a week by sucking water from a sweatshirt that she dipped into a creek. The Newton County Sheriff's Office says a man operating drainage equipment saw 41-year-old Brieonna Cassell's car off a road Tuesday near the town of Brook. Cassell had been reported missing by family members six days before. The sheriff's office says the man who spotted her car told his supervisor and they found Cassell inside, conscious and able to speak. She was flown to a Chicago hospital for her injuries.
F1's Mercedes chief Wolff says he's not looking to sign Verstappen for 2026
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Mercedes team principal and chief executive Toto Wolff has denied rumors on the eve of the Australian Grand Prix weekend that he’s still seeking to sign reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen for 2026. Mercedes, which has a new driver lineup this year that sees rookie prospect Andrea Kimi Antonelli join George Russell, is hoping to emerge from its recent lean spell in F1 that has seen it score just five wins from the last three seasons, four of which came in 2024. But while Verstappen was reportedly on Mercedes’ shopping list last year as a top-gun replacement for its then-outgoing star Lewis Hamilton, Silver Arrows’ team boss Wolff says extending Russell’s contract beyond 2025 is the priority.
A volcano near Alaska's largest city could erupt in the coming weeks or months, scientists say
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A volcano near Alaska’s largest city is showing new signs of unrest, with experts saying the likelihood of an eruption at Mount Spurr in the next few weeks or months has increased. The Alaska Volcano Observatory says it measured during recent overflights elevated volcanic gas emissions. It says an eruption is likely, though not certain, in the weeks ahead. Mount Spurr is one of 53 volcanoes in Alaska that have been active within the last 250 years. It is roughly 80 miles northwest of Anchorage. It last erupted in 1992, when it deposited ashfall up to about a quarter-inch thick in Anchorage and prompted temporary airport closures.
Mountour has fastest goal in NHL overtime history at 4 seconds to lift Kraken past Canadiens, 5-4
SEATTLE (AP) — Brandon Mountour had the fastest goal in NHL overtime history, scoring his second goal of the game four seconds into overtime to give the Seattle Kraken a 5-4 comeback victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night. Chandler Stephenson won the faceoff, with the puck going to Montour. He streaked in on goalie Jakub Dobes and beat him with a shot to the upper-right corner. The goal matches the fastest to start any period in NHL history. Seattle overcame two-goal deficit to tie it in the third period. Jani Nyman, making his NHL debut, scored on a power play with 9:07 left, and Matty Beniers tipped in a hard shot by Vince Dunn on a power play with 2:12 left to tie it at 4.
