South Florida Local News

Today is Sunday, July 6, the 187th day of 2024. There are 178 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On July 6, 1957, Althea Gibson became the first Black tennis player to win a Wimbledon singles title as she defeated fellow American Darlene Hard 6-3, 6-2.

Also on this date:

In 1483, England’s King Richard III was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

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• Today in History: July 4, Declaration of Independence adopted in Philadelphia
• Joey Chestnut reclaims title in Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest, wins 17th Mustard Belt

In 1777, during the American Revolution, British forces captured Fort Ticonderoga (ty-kahn-dur-OH’-gah).

In 1885, French scientist Louis Pasteur tested an anti-rabies vaccine on 9-year-old Joseph Meister, who had been bitten by an infected dog; the boy did not develop rabies.

In 1933, the first All-Star baseball game was played at Chicago’s Comiskey Park; the American League defeated the National League 4-2 behind winning pitcher Lefty Gomez of the New York Yankees.

In 1942, Anne Frank, her parents and sister entered a “secret annex” in an Amsterdam building where they were later joined by four other people; they hid from Nazi occupiers for two years before being discovered and arrested.

In 1944, an estimated 168 people died in a fire that broke out during a performance in the main tent of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Hartford, Connecticut.

In 1945, President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order establishing the Medal of Freedom.

In 1967, Nigerian forces invade the Republic of Biafra, sparking the Nigerian Civil War.

In 1988, 167 North Sea oil workers were killed when explosions and fires destroyed a drilling platform.

In 2013, an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 from Seoul, South Korea, crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport, killing three passengers and injuring 181.

In 2016, Philando Castile, a Black elementary school cafeteria worker, was killed during a traffic stop in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, by Officer Jeronimo Yanez. (Yanez was later acquitted on a charge of second-degree manslaughter.)

In 2018, six followers of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult were hanged along with its leader, Shoko Asahara; they had been convicted of crimes including a 1995 sarin gas attack that killed 13 people and made thousands of others sick on the Tokyo subway system.

In 2020, the Trump administration formally notified the United Nations of its withdrawal from the World Health Organization; President Donald Trump had criticized the WHO’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. (The pullout was later halted by President Joseph Biden’s administration.)

Today’s Birthdays:

• The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is 90.
• Singer Gene Chandler (“Duke of Earl”) is 88.
• Country singer Jeannie Seely is 85.
• Actor Burt Ward (TV: “Batman”) is 80.
• Former President George W. Bush is 79.
• Actor-director Sylvester Stallone is 79.
• Actor Geoffrey Rush is 74.
• Retired MLB All-Star Willie Randolph is 71.
• Former first daughter Susan Ford Bales is 68.
• Actor-writer Jennifer Saunders (“Absolutely Fabulous”) is 67.
• Actor Brian Posehn is 59.
• Political reporter/moderator John Dickerson is 57.
• Rapper Inspectah Deck (Wu-Tang Clan) is 55.
• Rapper 50 Cent is 50.
• Actors Tia and Tamera Mowry (MOHR’-ee) are 47.
• Comedian-actor Kevin Hart is 46.
• Actor Eva Green is 45.
• San Diego Padres infielder Manny Machado is 33.
• NBA power forward Zion Williamson is 25.

Steve Bousquet is away. His weekly column will return next Sunday.

MONTREAL (AP) — Lionel Messi scored a pair of spectacular goals, including the tie-breaker late in the first half, as Inter Miami defeated CF Montreal 4-1 on Saturday night.

Luis Suárez directed a long ball from Tomás Avilés to Messi with a header, who had time to gather the ball, dribble into the box and finish with his left foot to the far post to make it 2-1 in the 40th minute.

It was the first MLS game in over a month for Miami while competing in the Club World Cup. PSG eliminated Miami 4-0 last week.

Prince Owusu gave Montreal (3-13-5) a quick lead two minutes into the game.

Tadeo Allende, assisted by Messi, scored in the 33rd minute to tie the game for Miami (9-3-5), which has won three straight, including a 3-2 win over Montreal at home on May 28.

Telasco Segovia scored in the 60th minute and Messi connected again two minutes later, again weaving through a pack of Montreal defenders. Messi has 12 goals in 14 MSL games this season.

Óscar Ustari made seven saves for Miami after a Messi giveway gave Owusu an easy goal.

Miami (8-3-5) has won back-to-back games — including a 3-2 victory over Montreal at home on May 28 — and is unbeaten in three straight.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

General Daily Insight for July 06, 2025

Break free from the trap of worry! Balanced Venus supports dedicated Saturn to create lasting harmony in our lives, softening serious conversations and smoothing over rough edges. Venus works similarly with dreamy Neptune at 10:47 am EDT, strengthening our intuition and encouraging us to stop stressing out about the small stuff. Finally, the intuitive Moon enters explorative Sagittarius, helping us to seek new ways of living life and fostering an inner go-with-the-flow zen. Let’s let that stress roll right off our backs.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Speaking from the heart offers wonderful healing. You may find that you’re more able to express yourself to someone who needs to hear what you’re truly thinking, even if you weren’t aware that this is what they were hoping for from you. However, although you’re encouraged to speak up at this time, it’s important for you to stay open to receiving what the other people in your life have to say — and to think before speaking out. Conversation is a two-way street.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

You’re securing your spirit. You can lean into peace, choosing to avoid drama in favor of strengthening the connections in your life and conserving your energy. It might be becoming obvious that you are no longer willing to tolerate other people’s attempts to make you feel insecure. Life is short, and you deserve this opportunity to love yourself! Choosing the option that makes you feel secure and letting go of whatever incites anxiety should make a big difference for the day ahead.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Someone else might be showing you how to go with the flow. Make an effort to watch and learn from someone who has raised relaxing to a high art. There’s no need to spiral about everything that could go wrong or insist on being in control for things to go “right” — whatever happens, life will go on! You can’t take charge of every detail, after all. Sometimes, when there is an obstacle, it’s easier to flow around than it is to go through.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Stepping up to the plate can take away uncertainty. You might be scared to take that one leap of faith, but once you take it, you may be rewarded in unbelievable ways! Even if it feels like you have to take the biggest step as the first step, remind yourself that the good thing about that is that all the steps after should be easier. Once the hardest part is out of the way, you might ask yourself what you were so worried about.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Let your inner explorer take the lead. You might have been worried about moving forward into unfamiliar spaces — it’s probably pretty comfortable right where you have been for some time! Once an opportunity to expand your horizons presents itself, you may be caught between the safety of stepping back and the potential benefits of jumping at this chance. Keep in mind that the universe is supporting you to go the distance and broaden your mind, especially if it’s something you’ve never tried.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

You’re creating trust. Perhaps you haven’t been able to figure out how to move forward with someone who is unsure of your abilities, as they could think that you’re still too inexperienced or untrained to rise to the standard that they’re setting. You have the power to show them that they’re wrong! Just because they tell you that you’re not ready doesn’t mean it’s true. Don’t hesitate to use this time to show them what you can really do. Knock their socks off!

Libra

September 23 – October 22

You can take someone with you on your adventures. Even though you’re probably perfectly capable of making this journey on your own, choosing to bring someone with you can add a ton of power to your efforts. Making this decision yourself is key. Instead of going with whoever’s available, you’re making a concentrated effort to share your journey with someone specific to deepen the bond you share by showing them what you love. Odds are, they’ll love seeing a whole new world through your eyes.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Discipline will take you far. You might have dedicated yourself to a project recently, turning your focus toward this particular goal and doing everything you can to make it happen. It can be hard to make yourself focus when you’re being bombarded with distractions, but you have access to a deeper, more powerful focus right now. This lets you tune out any such noise. This time could pass by if you don’t make an attempt to seize it, so stay alert to upcoming opportunities.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Fun may bring more rewards than work. You could find that as you try to buckle down and work, whether it’s on difficult chores or professional projects, you end up getting diverted away from your original aims. Your goal might be to check off boxes on your to-do list, but all sorts of obstacles are springing up to draw you away from your efforts. If you have to work, try turning your tasks into a game and rewarding yourself once they’re complete. Game on!

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

You’re learning to tap into your heart. When you make a habit of regularly checking in with yourself and your feelings, you’ll grow more connected to your body and heart over time. Being present and truly feeling what you’re feeling, whatever it is, should be far more beneficial than struggling to dissect the reasons that these feelings have come up. Intellectualizing your emotions can help you understand yourself, but it shouldn’t be the only way that you interact with your soul — especially not today.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

You’re saying whatever you need to say. Maybe there’s something risky on your mind that’s dangerously close to rolling right off your tongue. You are supported in speaking your truth! Whatever you’re thinking, being honest and vulnerable at this moment is more likely to net you positive results than it might be at other times. The people in your life are also more inclined to rally around you. Getting this off your chest can be a breath of fresh air, so breathe it in.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Your security grows stronger as your heart grows happier. The happier you are with the person that you’re becoming, the more secure you will feel when you’re in a crowd of people. If you’re attempting to present a version of yourself that you think others will like, you’re likely to feel much worse when you receive rejection. Contrastingly, when you embody your genuine self, you’re able to stand up and say, oh well, that’s me! Don’t drive yourself mad trying to make others happy.

MIAMI (AP) — Rookie Agustín Ramírez hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the eighth inning and the Miami Marlins beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Saturday.

Kyle Stowers homered and Ronny Henríquez (5-1) pitched two perfect innings of relief for the Marlins.

Milwaukee reliever Jared Koenig entered with the bases loaded and no outs in the eighth and fanned Connor Norby. He then got Otto López to hit into a force play at home before Ramírez hit a two-strike line drive to left that scored Javier Sanoja and Xavier Edwards.

Ramírez has 37 RBIs, which leads NL rookies.

Dane Myers and Sanoja hit singles against Brewers reliever Nick Mears (1-2) to start the eighth. Edwards then reached on a single when his bunt rolled fair inside the third-base line.

The Brewers tied it at 2-all on Isaac Collins’ run-scoring single in the fourth.

Rhys Hoskins hit an RBI triple in the second to put Milwaukee ahead before Stowers’ solo homer and Liam Hicks’ run-scoring double in the bottom half gave Miami the lead.

Hoskins left in the fifth because of left thumb discomfort. The first baseman stepped off the bag and caught shortstop Joey Ortiz’s errant throw to tag Eric Wagaman out in the fourth.

Brewers starter Chad Patrick allowed two runs in five innings. Marlins starter Cal Quantrill gave up two runs and six hits over 3 2/3 innings.

Key moment

After Hicks’ go-ahead double with one out in the second, Patrick prevented the Marlins from expanding the lead by retiring Myers on a shallow fly ball and Sanoja on a grounder.

Key stat

Stowers’ second-inning longball was his team-high 16th of the season and had an exit velocity of 112.4 mph, the hardest-hit homer of his career.

Up next

RHP Brandon Woodruff will make his season debut when he starts for the Brewers on Sunday against Marlins RHP Edward Cabrera (3-2, 3.41).

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The priority at summer league was clear from the moment the Miami Heat went out for the opening tip at Saturday’s opener at the California Classic.

With Kel’el Ware, Pelle Larsson and Keshad Johnson in the starting lineup, it was a matter of attempting to pick up where the Heat left off with their developmental pipeline.

In that regard, the 82-69 victory over the summer roster of the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center was a success.

“As expected, I thought the defense would be ahead of the offense, which it definitely was.” said assistant coach Erik Glass, who is guiding the Heat’s summer roster.

Ware, the 2024 first-round pick out of Indiana, filled the box score with 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots in 27 minutes (summer-league games are four 10-minute quarters). Larsson, the 2024 second-round pick out of Arizona, scored 11 of his 18 points in the first half. And Johnson, the forward who went undrafted a year ago out of Arizona and then earned a Heat standard contract, finished with nine points and nine rebounds.

With those three having teamed to help the Heat win last year’s championship at the Las Vegas NBA Summer League, the grooming continued Saturday at the home of the Golden State Warriors.

“I thought as the game went on,” Glass said, “our pressure wore them down a little bit. We were able to get out in the open floor, get some easier baskets. So I was happy with our performance there.”

About the only glitch in the Heat youth movement was the uneven debut of first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis, who missed his first six shots, with his lone basket not coming until he converted a 3-footer with 6:50 to play. He closed with three points on 1-of-7 shooting.

“Today was my first game and it was different,”: Jakucionis said. “The game style and everything is different. But I’m happy with the team’s performance. I think we played pretty good. We had good effort, we shared the ball well and we played as a team.

“It’s a process. I’m excited to be in that process, to be in this moment. I’m trying to take everything I can, trying to learn as much as possible from other guys, trying to listen to everybody who gives me advice and just get that experience to make me more ready.”

Among the newcomers, Erik Stevenson, the guard who spent last season with the Washington Wizards’ G League affiliate, closed with 16 points, shooting 4 of 4 on 3-pointers.

Five Degree of Heat from Saturday’s game:

1. For starters: The Heat opened with a lineup of Ware, Johnson, Larsson, Jakucionis and Kira Lewis  Jr.

Lewis, the former Pelicans, Raptors and Jazz guard is the lone player on the Heat summer roster with more than one season of NBA experience. He spent last season on the G League roster of the Wizards’ affiliate.

Brought in to guide the summer roster’s youth, Lewis closed with four points, five rebounds and a team-high five assists.

“I thought that was an important piece for that starting lineup,” Glass said. “I didn’t want to put all the pressure on Kas in his first game to be the primary point guard. So I thought it was really seamless to throw Kira in there.”

For their part, the Spurs were without No. 2 overall draft pick Dylan Harper, with the guard out of Rutgers sidelined with a groin issue.

Harper is not expected to make his Spurs debut until the Las Vegas NBA summer league

2. The first thing: It was a mixed bag of a debut for Jakucionis, the No. 20 pick out of Illinois in last week’s draft.

Jakucionis missed all four of his 3-point attempts, closing with one rebound and one assist in his 22 minutes.

He did show some deft passing, but it went unrewarded, with the Heat off with their shooting, in a game they went 26 of 71 from the field, including 6 of 29 on 3-pointers.

“I think Kas was very steady,” Glass said. “That’s the one thing I’ve noticed about him. Even through the training camp we had, there were never really any high moments, any low moments, he was just super steady, super solid. And I thought that’s what he brought us today.

“Obviously his shots didn’t fall today, but nobody’s did. So we’re not holding that against him. I thought he competed. I thought he ran the offense when we had him in those positions. I thought he made pretty good pick-and-roll decisions. So we were pretty happy for him, it being his first game.”

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• ASK IRA: Does Heat math with Nos. 15, 18, 20 and 27 add up for trades, rebuild?
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3. Larsson time: Larsson picked up in summer league where he left off last July, when he converted the winning basket in the Heat’s championship at the Las Vegas Summer League.

Larsson played in attack mode, closing 10 of 11 from the line to help offset his 4 of 12 from the field that included 0 for 3 on 3-pointers.

“He’s just the ultimate competitor,” Glass said. “We got to keep him on his feet. He hit the floor probably more times than we made field goals tonight. But we love him. He and Keshad are the emotional and spiritual leaders of this team, and they just inspire and drive everybody to want to do more.”

4. The big thing: Ware and Johnson both played with aggression.

Ware had six points and five rebounds in the first half, with Johnson with five points and six rebounds in the first half.

Ware closed 5 of 14 from the field, Johnson 3 of 7.

Of Ware, Glass said, “He had his moments that he can do better, but he was active. He was running up and down the floor. He was using his voice. Those are the things that are going to help him next season with us”

Playing off the Heat bench, undrafted Vlad Goldin, the former FAU center, got off to a slow start but came around to close with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting and three rebounds.

“I like him,” Glass said of Goldin. “He’s super physical. He runs the floor. He has a really loud voice out there, so the guys feel also really confident. He made some nice plays at the rim. He got us extra possessions. So we’re learning him just like he’s learning us.”

5. Up next: The Heat are back it Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern for their second game of the California Classic against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers’ summer roster features Bronny James, Dalton Knecht and former Heat 3-point specialist Cole Swider.

The Heat will conclude play at the California Classic on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Eastern against the Golden State Warriors’ summer roster, before moving on to Friday’s opener at the larger Las Vegas NBA Summer League.

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Rescuers scoured a devastated central Texas landscape of mangled trees, overturned cars and muck-filled debris Saturday in an increasingly bleak mission to locate survivors, including 27 girls who have not been seen since their camp was slammed with a wall of water in a historic flash flood.

The flooding in Kerr County killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, and at least eight people died in nearby counties.

Authorities still have not said how many people were missing beyond the children from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river in Kerr County where most of the dead were recovered.

The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the Guadalupe River in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect.

Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.

Gov. Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state.

“I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday — for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines,” he said in a statement.

Authorities were coming under scrutiny over whether the camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made.

The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.

“We don’t even want to begin to estimate at this time,” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said earlier.

Raging storm hit camp in middle of the night
“The camp was completely destroyed,” said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”

The raging storm, fueled by incredible amounts of moisture, woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday. When rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs, she said.

Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information.

Among those confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp just up the road.

The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise.

AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours beforehand.

“These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,” AccuWeather said in a statement. It called the Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the U.S. because of its terrain and many water crossings.

At the Mo-Ranch Camp in the community of Hunt, officials had been monitoring the weather and opted to move several hundred campers and attendees at a church youth conference to higher ground. At nearby Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, organizers also had mentioned on social media that they were watching the weather the day before wrapping up their second summer session Thursday.

Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area.

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes the ravaged area, called it a once-in-a-century flood and acknowledged that there would be second-guessing and finger-pointing as people look for someone to blame.

Helicopters and drones used in frantic search
Search crews were facing harsh conditions while “looking in every possible location,” Rice said.

Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued in the last 36 hours and there were heroic efforts at the camps to save children.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrived and pledged that the Trump administration would use all available resources. Coast Guard helicopters and planes were assisting to ensure operations can continue even in darkness.

One reunification center at an elementary school was mostly quiet after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before.

“We still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We’ve had a little success, but not much,” said Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District.

People clung to trees and fled to attics
In Ingram, Erin Burgess woke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night. Just 20 minutes later, water was pouring into her home, she said. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teen son.

“My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them,” she said.

Barry Adelman said water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and 9-year-old grandson.

“I was having to look at my grandson in the face and tell him everything was going to be OK, but inside I was scared to death,” he said.

Locals know the place as “ flash flood alley.”

“When it rains, water doesn’t soak into the soil,” said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations. “It rushes down the hill.”

‘Nobody saw this coming’
The weekend forecast had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people.

“We know we get rains. We know the river rises. But nobody saw this coming,” said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s chief elected official.

The county had considered a flood warning system on the river similar to a tornado warning siren about six or seven years ago, but Kelly said the idea never got off the ground and the cost would have been an issue.

Kelly said he was heartbroken seeing body bags at the funeral home and the devastation on the ground during a helicopter tour.

“The rescue has gone as well as can be expected. It’s getting time now for the recovery,” he said. “And that’s going to be a long, toilsome task for us.”

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Associated Press writer Julio Cortez reported from Hunt, Texas, and John Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed.

The Miami Hurricanes pulled off a recruiting coup on Saturday, flipping four-star cornerback Brody Jennings from Michigan.

Jennings, the younger brother of former Miami linebacker Bradley Jennings, had been committed to the Wolverines for nearly a year. His sister, Brittney Jennings, runs track at UM.

“Locked in,” Jennings wrote on social media. “I’m home.”

Jennings, a standout at Jacksonville Mandarin High, took official visits to Miami, Florida, Florida State and Michigan before opting for the Hurricanes over the Wolverines.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound cornerback is listed as the No. 24 cornerback and No. 277 player in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

Jennings had 29 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss last season along with three pass deflections and one interception.

The Hurricanes liked his powerful, fluid movement and football instincts, a UM source told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Jennings was the defensive back MVP at the Miami Under Armour camp in March.

Jennings is the fourth defensive back in Miami’s 2026 class, joining four-star prospects Camdin Portis, Jaelen Waters and Jontavius Wyman.

Locked in, I’m home

By Alex Brown, Stateline.org

Hunters, hikers and outdoors lovers of all stripes mounted a campaign in June against a Republican proposal to sell off millions of acres of federal public land.

The public outcry was so forceful that the measure’s sponsor pledged to scale back the proposal. Then on Saturday, before an initial U.S. Senate vote on Republicans’ tax and spending cuts package, he withdrew it altogether.

But even though the land sales proposal was defeated, experts say federal lands face a slew of other threats from President Donald Trump’s administration. Agency leaders have proposed rolling back the “Roadless Rule” that protects 58 million acres from logging and other uses. Trump’s Justice Department has issued a legal opinion that the president is allowed to abolish national monuments. Regulators have moved to slash environmental rules to ramp up logging and oil and gas production. And Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce have gutted the ranks of the agencies that manage federal lands.

“This is not over even if the sell-off proposal doesn’t make it,” said John Leshy, who served as solicitor for the U.S. Department of the Interior during the Clinton administration. “The whole thing about leasing or selling timber or throwing them open to mining claims, that’s a form of partial privatization. It’s pretty much a giveaway.”

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has repeatedly described public lands as America’s “balance sheet.” He has argued that some lands could be used to provide housing, while calling for an expansion of mining and oil and gas drilling to increase their economic output.

“President Trump’s energy dominance vision will end those wars abroad, will make life more affordable for every family in America by driving down inflation,” Burgum said before his confirmation hearing.

Public lands advocates are bracing for ongoing battles for the rest of Trump’s term in office. They expect Republicans to add last-minute public lands amendments to other bills moving through Congress, and for land management agencies to attempt to strip protections from other federal lands. Given the vocal backlash to the initial sell-off plan, advocates expect future attempts to be shaped behind closed doors and advanced with little time for opponents to mount a defense.

Meanwhile, they expect states to play a key role in shaping those battles. In Western states, where most federally owned lands are located, many leaders from both parties view public lands as special places open to all Americans and critical for clean water, wildlife and tourism. But some conservatives resent the fact that large portions of their states are managed by officials in Washington, D.C., limiting development and private enterprise.

Officials in some states, including Idaho, Utah and Wyoming, have pushed lawsuits or resolutions seeking to force the feds to hand over huge amounts of land. Public land experts say the lawmakers behind those efforts will likely press harder now that Trump is in the White House. Such state-level takeover attempts could shape the proposals that emerge from Trump’s allies in Washington.

Sell-off proposal

The firestorm over federal lands exploded when U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, introduced legislation that would force the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to sell up to 3.3 million acres of land. The measure also would direct the agencies to make more than 250 million additional acres eligible for sale.

“We’ve never seen a threat on this magnitude ever,” said Devin O’Dea, Western policy and conservation manager with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. “There’s been an overwhelming amount of opposition. We’ve seen record-breaking engagement on this issue.”

Lee, a longtime federal lands opponent, claimed the lands were needed for housing and argued the government has been a poor manager of its land.

“Washington has proven time and again it can’t manage this land,” Lee said in June when announcing the proposal. “This bill puts it in better hands.”

But a wide-ranging coalition of opponents argued that the proposal had no protections to ensure the lands would be used for affordable housing, and that many of the parcels eligible for sale had little housing potential. A furious social media campaign highlighted cherished hiking trails, fishing lakes and ski slopes that were in danger of being sold, urging people to call their lawmakers to oppose the measure.

In recent days, Montana Republican U.S. Sens. Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, as well as Idaho Republican U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, came out in opposition to the land sale proposal. That put into question whether Lee’s legislation could earn even a simple majority.

Then the Senate parliamentarian ruled the sell-off could not be included in the reconciliation bill without a 60-vote majority. That ruling came a day after Lee posted on social media that he would be making changes to the bill in response to concerns from Hunter Nation, a nonprofit whose board includes Donald Trump Jr.

Lee released a scaled-back measure last week that would exempt national forest lands but would direct the Bureau of Land Management to sell up to 1.2 million acres. It would require land for sale to be within five miles of a population center and developed to provide housing.

Public land advocates say Lee’s changes did little to assuage their concerns. They argue that federal land sales or transfers should happen through the current, long-standing process, which requires local stakeholder input and directs the proceeds from land sales to be reinvested into conservation and public access on other parcels.

“It’s the overwhelming belief of hunters and anglers that the budget reconciliation process is not the appropriate vehicle for public land sales,” said O’Dea, with the hunting and fishing group.

In late June, Lee announced that he was withdrawing the proposal, saying that Senate rules did not allow him to include protections that land would not be sold to foreign interests. But he pledged to continue the battle over federal land ownership, working with Trump to “put underutilized federal land to work for American families.”

States’ role

While the sell-off proposal aligned with some state officials’ goal of taking over federal lands, some lands experts say private developers would have been the real winner.

“If the lands are transferred to the states without money, the states lose,” said Leshy, the former Interior Department official. “It’s a hit on their budget, which means they’re gonna have to sell them off. If states got a significant amount of public lands, a lot of that would end up in private hands.”

In Utah, where leaders have made the most aggressive push to take over federal lands, lawmakers argue that they could raise lease prices for oil and gas operations, bringing in enough revenue to cover the state’s management costs.

“The policy of the state is to keep these lands open and available to the public,” Speaker Mike Schultz, a Republican, told Stateline.

O’Dea pointed to an economic analysis of what it would cost Montana to take over federal lands. The report found it would cost the state $8 billion over 20 years to take on wildfire management, deferred maintenance and mine reclamation. He noted that many Western states have sold off a majority of the “trust lands” they were granted at statehood, undermining claims that a state takeover would leave lands in the public domain.

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Other proposals

While Lee’s land sales proposal has gotten the biggest headlines, public land advocates are fighting a multifront battle against the Trump administration’s moves to roll back the protected status of certain lands, slash environmental rules, and expand logging, mining and drilling operations.

“The approach is to throw as much as you can at the wall and see what sticks,” O’Dea said. “There’s only so much you can mobilize opposition to. There’s a huge risk that some of these things could fly under the radar.”

Some conservative states and industry groups say Trump is allowing federal lands to be used to their full economic potential. Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican, said his constituents are “keenly aware of how the federal government’s ownership of 60 percent of Alaska’s lands can inhibit economic development and cause challenges for our communities.”

Leshy noted that public lands have proven to be a popular cause, but Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce could undermine public confidence that the federal government is capable of managing the land.

“if you make it terrible for long enough, maybe people say, ‘The feds shouldn’t be managing this, they do such a bad job,’” he said.

Stateline reporter Alex Brown can be reached at abrown@stateline.org.

©2025 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By CHRISTINA LARSON, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ticks can be active in any season and it’s important to check for and remove the bloodsuckers as quickly as possible — especially after you’ve been outside hiking, gardening or enjoying nature.

“Humans are outside more in summer so we hear about more tick infections,” said Sam Telford, an infectious diseases expert at Tufts University. But he urges caution year-round because “every season is tick season.”

While tick populations vary a lot regionally, some Northeastern states including Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are seeing “above average” numbers of American dog ticks this year, said Telford.

And New York state is seeing a higher number of reported deer tick bites this year than last year, said Saravanan Thangamani, who studies tick-borne diseases at SUNY Upstate Medical University.

How ticks can spread disease

Ticks, like mosquitos, need to feed on blood. But instead of a quick prick, they are slow feeders – with hooked mouth parts that attach into the skin of deer, rabbits, dogs and people.

There are many different species of ticks found globally and only some spread germs that can make people sick. A main worry is blacklegged ticks, also called deer ticks, which can spread Lyme disease. Once found mainly in New England and pockets of the Midwest, the ticks are now present over a wider range.

A tick bite doesn’t always lead to illness. “If you remove a tick within 24 hours of attachment, it’s fairly unlikely that you will get infected,” said Telford.

How to check for ticks

Ticks are usually found low to the ground, in leaf litter or grassy areas.

Check your clothing for ticks and do a full-body check including under the arms and behind ears, knees and hair.

“If you’re out all day long, try to do a quick check for ticks every few hours,” said Bobbi Pritt at the Mayo Clinic. “When you go back inside, take a shower. That will wash off any unattached ticks, and you’re also more likely to spot any other ticks.”

Use tweezers to remove the tick and grasp it as close to the skin as possible to pull from the head. If you don’t have them handy, you can also use your fingernails, the edge of a credit card or any semi-sharp object.

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How to keep ticks away

The best approach is to minimize tick exposure altogether.

Bug sprays containing ingredients such as DEET can be sprayed on exposed skin to ward off ticks and mosquitos, said Telford.

Wear long sleeves and pants, and you can also spray clothing with repellents containing permethrin, a chemical similar to a natural ingredient in chrysanthemums that makes ticks avoid the flowers.

Protect your pets from ticks

Don’t forget to pay attention to outdoor pets. Medications can prevent fleas and ticks from attaching to a dog’s skin. But it’s still a good idea to check the fur after being outside.

“Wherever pets can’t easily groom themselves, that’s where the ticks will be – on the ears, around the muzzle area, under the collar, between the toes,” said Thangamani.

Dogs and cats roaming outdoors can also bring ticks into the house.

“If pets bring ticks in, a tick can live in the house for months until it finds its next blood meal,” which could be another household member, he said.

What to do after a tick bite

After removing the tick, keep an eye on the skin around the bite. If a rash or flu-like symptoms appear within several days or weeks, see a doctor.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend tick testing because results may not be reliable.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.