LOS ANGELES — A U.S. Navy fighter jet crashed Wednesday in Death Valley National Park, injuring seven people who were at a scenic overlook where aviation enthusiasts routinely watch military pilots speeding low through a chasm dubbed Star Wars Canyon. The crash sent dark smoke billowing in the air, said Aaron Cassell, who was working at his family’s Panamint Springs Resort about 10 miles away and was the first to report the crash to park dispatch. “I just saw a black mushroom cloud go up,” Cassell told The Associated Press. “Typically you don’t see a mushroom cloud in the desert.” A search was underway for the pilot of the single-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet that was on a routine training mission, said Lt. Cmdr. Lydia Bock, spokeswoman for Naval Air Station Lemoore in California’s Central Valley. “The status of the pilot is unknown at this time,” Bock said about four hours after the crash. A military helicopter searched for the pilot. Ambulances were sent to the crash site near Father Crowley Overlook, said park spokesman Patrick Taylor. He said initial reports were that seven park visitors had minor injuries. KABC-TV spoke to tourists who said they were treated for minor burns and cuts from flying fragments after the plane crashed and exploded. The injured tourists told the news station they were taking photos of the sweeping landscape when the jet screamed into view and suddenly slammed into the canyon wall.

5 injured in home explosion

WASHINGTON, Pa. — An explosion believed to have been caused by a gas leak reduced a western Pennsylvania home to a pile of rubble and injured five people. The blast just before 4 p.m. Wednesday near a high school in North Franklin Township was widely felt around the area, the (Washington) Observer-Reporter reported. Washington County Director of Public Safety Jeff Yates told the paper that three township firefighters, the homeowner and a neighbor were injured. Officials said none of the injuries appeared life-threatening. Firefighters had been in the area investigating a gas smell in the neighborhood before the blast, township supervisor Bob Sabot said. Christi Frauenholz, of Canton, Ohio, whose husband was working at the nearby Washington & Jefferson College, told the paper that she and others “were about knocked off our feet.” Rushing to the scene where a plume of smoke was rising, and fearing a plane had crashed, she found a woman who had escaped sitting on a neighbor’s steps, “bleeding from the ears and head” but able to walk to an ambulance, she said. “She was in her house and smelled gas,” Frauenholz said. “She went outside, and as soon as she opened the garage door, (the house) exploded.” Frauenholz reported seeing doors and windows knocked from neighboring homes and insulation in treetops 35 feet above the ground. Eleanor Rea was doing housework up the lane and reported suddenly being on the floor by the blast. She and her husband, also 84, were unhurt, but the blast shattered windows, knocked a door to a deck out of its frame, yanked down a chandelier and caved in parts of the roof, she told the paper. Gas service was cut to about 60 customers “out of an abundance of caution,” but there was no reason to believe there was danger to other customers, Columbia Gas said.

Unopened video game available

RENO, Nev. — An unopened copy of a 1987 cult-classic video game that a Nevada man found in the attic of his childhood home is expected to sell for up to $10,000 at an online auction. The boxed game cartridge of Nintendo’s “Kid Icarus” was still in the bag with the receipt for $38.45 from J.C. Penney’s catalog department three decades earlier. Scott Amos of Reno told the Reno Gazette Journal he initially thought it might be worth a couple hundred dollars. But Valarie McLeckie, video game consignment director at Heritage Auctions, says it’s one of the hardest Nintendo titles to find in sealed condition. She says there are fewer than 10 in the hands of vintage game collectors. “To find a sealed copy ‘in the wild,’ so to speak, not to mention one in such a nice condition and one with such transparent provenance, is both an unusual and rather historic occurrence,” she said. “We feel that the provenance will add a significant premium for serious collectors.” Wata Games, a video game grading service, gave Amos’ copy a rating of 8.0 on a 10-point scale. Amos said no one in the family has a recollection of purchasing the game, but the Dec. 8, 1988, purchase date hints it may have been intended as a Christmas present. “I can remember the game. My neighbor down the street had it. I remember it being hard, and I was never that good of a gamer guy,” he said. “All the family has been trying to come up with a hypothesis … (My mom) thinks she put it there and never got it back out, and then it ended up in the attic.” The game, based loosely on Greek mythology, follows a cupid-like protagonist named Pit attempting to rescue Palutena, the goddess of light, who is imprisoned by the evil Medusa.

Fed cuts key interest rate

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday for the first time in a decade to try to counter the impact of President Donald Trump’s trade wars, stubbornly low inflation and global weakness. It left open the possibility of future rate cuts, but perhaps not as many as Wall Street had been hoping for. During a news conference, Chairman Jerome Powell struggled to find just the right words to articulate the Fed’s strategy and what might prompt future rate cuts at a time when the risk of a recession in the United States seems relatively low. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled to finish down 333 points, or 1.2%. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.01% from 2.06% late Tuesday, a sharp drop. The central bank reduced its benchmark rate — which affects many loans for households and businesses — by a quarter-point to a range of 2% to 2.25%. It’s the first rate cut since December 2008 during the depths of the Great Recession, when the Fed slashed its rate to a record low near zero and kept it there until 2015. The economy is far healthier now despite risks to what’s become the longest expansion on record. But Powell stressed that the Fed is worried about the consequences of Trump’s trade war and sluggish economies overseas.

Three dead in glacier lake

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A German couple were among three people found dead this week in the icy waters of a glacier-fed lake in Alaska. A 62-year-old recreational guide and the couple had been canoeing before their bodies were discovered Tuesday near the toe of Valdez Glacier, officials in the port town of Valdez said Wednesday. Their names weren’t immediately released. The glacier is dropping chunks of ice into the water. City spokeswoman Sheri Pierce said the cause of the deaths is under investigation but that it’s possible falling ice or ice moving in the water knocked them out of the inflatable canoe. Pierce emphasized that it’s not clear what happened because there were no witnesses. “The glacier is shedding ice. It’s a very dangerous situation to be back towards the toe of a glacier when you have those types of unstable, large pieces of ice in the water,” she said. One of the victims was found on an ice floe and two were floating in Valdez Glacier Lake. All three were wearing life jackets, but they didn’t have on wetsuits to protect them from the frigid water. “That water is glacier water, and it is so, so very cold,” Pierce said.

Seek recall of Alaska governor

JUNEAU, Alaska — A group that includes a coal company chairman and a framer of Alaska’s constitution is launching an effort aimed at recalling Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, weeks after his far-reaching budget vetoes prompted public outrage. In late June, Dunleavy announced vetoes of more than $400 million, affecting health and social service and other programs and prompting the university system to begin making plans for a transition to a single institution. Lawmakers, unable to muster sufficient votes to override the vetoes amid a dispute over the special session’s proper meeting location, this week passed legislation restoring many of the cuts, including $110 million of the $130 million Dunleavy vetoed for the university. He still can cut any spending with which he doesn’t agree. “People from all regions of Alaska have had enough,” Joseph Usibelli and Peggy Shumaker, his wife, said in an opinion piece published by Alaska newspapers. The so-called Recall Dunleavy group lists Usibelli; Arliss Sturgulewski, a former Republican lawmaker; and Vic Fischer, the last-living surviving delegate to the Alaska Constitutional Convention, as co-chairs. Scott Kendall, who was a chief of staff to Dunleavy’s predecessor, independent Bill Walker, said he provided legal counsel and other advice to the group. Kendall said supporters must clear a high bar but said it’s not impossible.

Plea deal in Las Vegas drug case

LAS VEGAS — A California technology billionaire and crime victim rights advocate and a friend are taking a plea deal sparing them prison time in a Las Vegas Strip hotel room drug case. Henry T. Nicholas III and co-defendant Ashley Christine Fargo will enter an “Alford plea” to two felony drug possession charges, and will make a $1 million donation to an unspecified Las Vegas-area drug treatment and rehabilitation program, defense attorney David Chesnoff said. Alford pleas acknowledge there is evidence to secure convictions, but do not admit guilt. Prosecutor Brad Turner said he will drop five more serious drug trafficking charges, which stemmed from the amount of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and several psychedelic substances that police reported finding in hard-sided travel cases in their room in August 2018. Nicholas had been locked out of the room at the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, police have said, and Wynn Resorts security officers who broke through the latched door found Fargo “unresponsive” with a semi-deflated balloon in her mouth and a nitrous oxide gas canister in the room. A police officer said he believed Fargo used the balloon to inhale nitrous oxide, commonly referred to as laughing gas, and Nicholas told police he brought the canister aboard his private jet to Las Vegas for “recreational use,” according to an arrest report. Possession of nitrous oxide is not illegal.

Finding didn’t stop ex-deacon

NEW ORLEANS — A former Roman Catholic deacon barred from the ministry in New Orleans because of sexual abuse allegations maintained access to schoolchildren and held leadership roles as recently as last year in the Knights of Columbus, despite promising three decades ago to avoid young boys “for the good of the Church,” according to records obtained by The Associated Press. George Brignac, 84, was defrocked as a deacon in 1988 after a 7-year-old boy accused him of fondling him at a Christmas party. That allegation came on top of previous claims that he had abused other boys, including one that led to his acquittal in 1978 on three counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile. The Archdiocese of New Orleans settled several lawsuits against Brignac, including one for more than $500,000. Still, he remained involved in the church as a lay minister who read the gospel during Mass until last year, when news reports about his past prompted officials to remove him.

The costs of making a hit

LOS ANGELES — It’s expensive to promote a Katy Perry hit, a music executive told a jury that will decide how much the pop superstar and other collaborators on her 2013 song “Dark Horse” will pay the creators of a Christian rap song. Just how expensive? More than $13,000 for a wardrobe stylist. Over $3,000 for a hairdo. Nearly $2,000 for flashing cocktail ice cubes. Steve Drellishak, a vice president at Universal Music Group, testified Wednesday that expenses like these are essential to the brand of Perry, which requires that she always has the most fashionable styles available. “She always has to be in the most fashionable clothes, the most fashionable makeup,” said Drellishak, who is the first witness to testify after a nine-person jury found that Perry and her “Dark Horse” collaborator improperly copied elements of the 2009 song “Joyful Noise.” “She changes her look a lot,” Drellishak said. “That’s core to what the Katy Perry brand is.” Attorneys for the creators of “Joyful Noise,” say Capitol Records received more than $31 million for the “Dark Horse” single and the album and concert DVD on which it appeared. Attorneys for both sides told the jury Tuesday that Perry herself earned $3 million, minus $600,000 in expenses. That’s before factoring in expenses, which an attorney for Capitol Records told jurors Tuesday trimmed the label’s profits to roughly $650,000. Capitol Records is owned by Universal Music Group.

Woodstock 50 festival canceled

NEW YORK — Woodstock 50 is officially canceled. Organizers announced Wednesday that the troubled festival that hit a series of setbacks in the last four months won’t take place next month. The three-day festival was originally scheduled for Aug. 16-18, but holdups included permit denials and the loss of a financial partner and a production company. Last week Jay-Z, Dead & Company and John Fogerty announced that they wouldn’t perform at the event after organizers said it was moving to Maryland from New York. “We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the festival we imagined with the great lineup we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating,” festival co-founder Michael Lang said in a statement Wednesday. “We released all the talent so any involvement on their part would be voluntary. Due to conflicting radius issues in the DC area many acts were unable to participate and others passed for their own reasons.” Woodstock will still celebrate its anniversary: Ringo Starr, Santana and Fogerty will perform at Woodstock’s original site in Bethel, New York, in a smaller anniversary event at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts not connected to Woodstock 50.

Drone may carry vote tallies

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Officials in an Arizona county hope to use a drone to make it easier to get vote tallies from tribal land deep within the Grand Canyon during next year’s election. Voting machines on the Havasupai reservation have sent tallies electronically in recent years. But new equipment is forcing Coconino County to make a change. County recorder Patty Hansen said she’s working with the sheriff’s office and the tribe to see if a drone could carry a memory stick with vote tallies out of the canyon to a trailhead. The stick then would be driven to Flagstaff more than two hours away where county-wide results are tabulated. If that doesn’t work out, a county worker would have to hike the ballots out of the canyon after polls closed — similar to what’s been done in the past. The reservation famous for its blue-green waterfalls is accessible only through an 8-mile dirt trail or by helicopter. “It’s kind of dark there, and there could be animals or you could fall or something, injure yourself.”

Remains found on Missouri farm

SHAWANO, Wis. — Authorities who had been searching a Missouri farm for two missing Wisconsin brothers announced Wednesday that human remains have been found there, more than a week after the pair disappeared during a trip for their livestock business. Clinton County Sheriff Larry Fish said the remains were found Tuesday on a farm in Braymer that was operated by Garland Nelson, who is accused of tampering with a vehicle that authorities say was rented by Nicholas Diemel, 35, and his 24-year-old brother, Justin Diemel. The brothers haven’t been seen since they missed a flight back to Wisconsin after visiting northwest Missouri on a trip for the business they operate in Bonduel, Wisconsin. Authorities said shortly after the brothers disappeared that the case was a “long-term death investigation” but they have not said why they believe the brothers are dead.

Baby orangutan born at zoo

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Little Rock Zoo says a Northwest Bornean orangutan has given birth to her first baby. Zoo spokesman Lamor Williams says Wednesday that mother Berani delivered the baby on July 28. The baby, which is not yet named, is the fifth born to Bandar, the father. Williams says the baby is part of the Orangutan Species Survival Plan, which manages orangutans in Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited zoos. The World Wildlife Fund lists Bornean orangutans as critically endangered, one step below extinct in the wild.

Utah rethinks medical pot plan

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah officials preparing to launch the state’s medical marijuana program next year face mounting pressure from county attorneys to scrap plans for a state-run dispensary system and lingering scrutiny from companies rejected for grower’s licenses. The state announced Wednesday it has dismissed appeals from six companies that were denied licenses to grow medical marijuana for Utah’s program, shutting down allegations that the selection process was hasty and biased. The companies still have one more avenue for appealing to the state, and at least one — North Star Holdings LLC — vowed to keep protesting a process it considers unfair. “We’re going to take it to court. We’re not going to stop until we do what’s right for Utah cannabis patients,” said Welby Evangelista, the company’s president. News of the dismissals came as county attorneys expressed concern that a planned state-run dispensary system would put public employees at risk of being prosecuted under federal drug laws. That has led state officials to acknowledge they need to consider new ways to distribute medical marijuana.

Democrats fight over health care

DETROIT — Democrats intensified an acrimonious battle over health care on Wednesday that showcased deep divisions within the party and focused on the dispute between former Vice President Joe Biden and California Sen. Kamala Harris. Their divisions were reinforced by their ideological allies from the progressive and moderate wings of the party, with New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker trying to play the role of peacemaker. Biden charged that Harris’ plan would cost $3 trillion even after two terms in office and would force middle-class taxes to go up, not down. He said that would put Democrats at a disadvantage against President Donald Trump. “You can’t beat President Trump with double talk on this plan,” he said. Harris slapped back that Biden was inaccurate.

Prescription meds from Canada

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Wednesday it will create a way for Americans to legally and safely import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada for the first time, reversing years of refusals by health authorities amid a public outcry over high prices for life-sustaining medications. The move is a step toward fulfilling a 2016 campaign promise by President Donald Trump. It weakens an import ban that has stood as a symbol of the political clout of the pharmaceutical industry. But it’s unclear how soon consumers will see benefits, as the plan has to go through time-consuming regulatory approval and later could face court challenges from drugmakers. And there’s no telling how Canada will react to becoming the drugstore for its much bigger neighbor, with potential consequences for policymakers and consumers there. The U.S. drug industry is facing a crescendo of consumer complaints over prices, as well as legislation from both parties in Congress to rein in costs, not to mention proposals from the Democratic presidential contenders. Ahead of the 2020 election, Trump is feeling pressure to deliver on years of harsh rhetoric about pharmaceutical industry prices. Making the announcement, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the administration recognizes that prescription drug manufacturing and distribution is now international.

Couple shaken but defiant

MOSCOW — The young woman screamed as her boyfriend lay atop her, absorbing the blows of a helmeted riot policeman. It’s one of the indelible images of the violent police response to an unauthorized protest in Moscow. Inga Kudracheva’s terror and anguish are clear in the video and photos that spread across Russian social media and foreign news coverage of the July 27 crackdown in which an arrest-monitoring group said nearly 1,400 people were detained. Yet Kudracheva and Boris Kantorovich say the ordeal has only strengthened them. “People are not afraid of police anymore. Even though police were beating us violently and tried to intimidate us, it was worth it,” the 27-year-old told The Associated Press on Tuesday, sitting on a sofa with Kudracheva and occasionally squeezing her hand reassuringly.