SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Ridesharing company Lyft said Wednesday that it's beefing up its background checks after a driver arrested for rape was found to be in the United States illegally. The company's "enhanced detection processes" will apply to new applicants and existing drivers, Lyft spokeswoman Kate Margolis said. She declined to discuss the changes in detail.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A fast-moving fire fueled by gusting winds in the Pacific Northwest killed one person, forced dozens of households to evacuate and prompted Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to declare a state of emergency Wednesday. The flames near the city of The Dalles started Tuesday and expanded Wednesday to more than 56 square miles (145 kilometers) as the fire spread into vast fields of wheat while desperate farmers tried to salvage their crops in the midst of the harvest season.
DENVER (AP) - Visitors appear to be steering clear of some U.S. national parks or cutting visits short because of pollution levels that are comparable to what's found in major cities, according to a study released Wednesday.
DALLAS (AP) - Authorities didn't search for a Texas man who cut off his ankle monitor in violation of parole terms until a week later when he was linked to a violent rampage that included three shooting deaths over four days, according to state and county officials.
CHICAGO (AP) - When a white Chicago police officer fatally shot black teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014, it took more than a year for video of the shooting to be released under court order. When a black man armed with a gun was fatally shot by a white officer on Saturday, it took a day. The stark contrast shows a city that once engaged in a months-long legal battle to keep the McDonald video under wraps, now is moving more quickly following reforms forced on the police department.
BIG SUR, Calif. (AP) - A scenic stretch of Highway 1 in a popular tourist area along the California coast reopened to traffic Wednesday, more than a year after it was blocked by a massive landslide, officials said. The newly built, two-lane stretch of road in Big Sur opened two days ahead of schedule, the California Department of Transportation said.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - The mother of an 8-year-old Indiana girl who was abducted, raped and killed in 1988 wants prosecutors to seek the death penalty against the man accused of the crimes. Allen County prosecutors on Tuesday declined to discuss whether they'll seek the death penalty against John D. Miller in the killing of April Tinsley. But the girl's mother, Janet Tinsley, told the Journal Gazette that she wants to be present if the Grabill man is put to death.
The country that Maine Gov. Paul LePage has been visiting in hopes of strengthening ties is the subject of a jab from President Donald Trump over NATO. Trump questioned on Fox News Channel whether the military alliance's mutual defense pact might conceivably let tiny Montenegro start World War III. He also says the country is home to "very aggressive people." The governor's four-day stay had been wrapping up Wednesday in Montenegro, where he met with business and political leaders.
