Fire ants, Elvis Presley Lake, flash flood rescue: News from around our 50 states From USA TODAY Network and wire reports
Alabama
Montgomery: Alabama is turning to social media to encourage more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Department of Public Health announced a TikTok contest to encourage young people to get vaccinated before the start of the school year. The contest is for people ages 13 to 29. To participate, contestants should submit a TikTok video showing themselves getting vaccinated or include a creative message explaining, “This is why I got vaccinated.” All videos must tag @alcovidvaccine, #getvaccinatedAL and #ADPH. Winners will be determined based on creativity, originality and popularity measured by the numbers of likes and shares. The videos should be submitted by Aug. 6. Advertising professionals and department staff will select four winners who will each receive a $250 Visa gift card. Winners will be announced Aug. 13 on the @
Wildfire threat shaking things up in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area startribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from startribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Marshall Helmberger
ECHO TRAIL Clearing of trees and brush along this iconic roadway within the Superior National Forest is on a temporary hold while St. Louis County officials take stock of work done to date. Some border country residents have raised alarm over the impact to the scenic qualities of the road, which is a primary access route to a large swath of the western end of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
“We have no issue with brush clearing,” said Paul Schurke, of Ely, who along with a handful of others, met with Forest Service officials and St. Louis County Commissioner Paul McDonald last week to discuss their concerns. But, he said, the removal of hundreds of large pine and the prospect of additional pine removal, is concerning.
ELY- When firefighters battled a wildfire that began May 17 near Bezhik Lake that burned 782 acres of forest, they were joined the next day by a partner that helped them communicate and coordinate …