JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 867

Clarksville, Tennessee. Austin Peay State University fields multiple teams in ASUN competition this week as women's tennis opens the conference quarterfinals Thursday at 11:00am CT in Fort Myers, golf travels Friday–Sunday to the Dothan Country Club for the ASUN Championship, baseball hosts Bellarmine Friday at Joe Maynard Field, and softball plays North Alabama Saturday and Sunday in Florence.

This week the Governors enter matchups with varied recent results: women's tennis arrived after a 4-0 loss to Louisville but retains a No. 4 seed; golf's Jordin Cowing comes off a collegiate victory heading into Dothan; baseball is 17-20 (7-8 ASUN) and seeking divisional recovery after being swept by North Alabama; softball (26-18, 8-7 ASUN) ranks 20th nationally in home runs and will play a Saturday doubleheader followed by a Sunday finale.

East Rutherford, New Jersey: Governor Mikie Sherrill on Wednesday demanded that FIFA contribute toward transportation costs after reports this week said NJ Transit is considering charging up to $100 for round-trip train fares between New York Penn Station and MetLife Stadium for eight World Cup matches beginning June 11. Sherrill said the administration inherited an agreement with no FIFA funding and cited an estimated $48 million bill to shuttle roughly 40,000 fans per game.

This week NJ Transit’s board approved giving CEO Kris Kolluri temporary authority to set final ticket pricing to cover costs, and federal and state officials including Senator Chuck Schumer have urged FIFA to help. Transit agencies in other host cities, including the MBTA in Boston, confirmed elevated event fares, and officials say they will either seek FIFA contributions, approve temporary fare increases, or reallocate budgets ahead of the tournament.

Buffalo, N.Y. Wyatt Johnston scored the decisive shootout goal as the Dallas Stars beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 Wednesday in the regular-season finale, giving Dallas a 50-20-12 record and a third consecutive 50-win season. Jake Oettinger stopped two shootout attempts; Colten Ellis allowed three in the shootout for Buffalo. Dallas reached 50 wins for the seventh time in franchise history.

Tampa, Fla. Tye Kartye scored two goals and added an assist as the New York Rangers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 Wednesday in the regular-season finale, snapping New York's three-game losing streak. Tampa Bay rested Brayden Point, Jake Guentzel, Anthony Cirelli, J.J. Moser and Ryan McDonagh; Brandon Halverson made his second career start as the Lightning prepared to begin their first-round playoff series.

Las Vegas: Christopher Nolan unveiled extended footage of The Odyssey at CinemaCon on April 16, 2026, showcasing scenes including the Trojan Horse and nighttime infiltration; he addressed adapting Homer's epic for modern audiences, joked about following Steven Spielberg, and received a standing ovation at the Colosseum from exhibitors.

The presentation, attended by exhibitors Wednesday evening, confirmed Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson in key roles; Nolan said the film is the first motion picture shot entirely on IMAX film due to new cameras, and the studio set a theatrical release date of July 17, 2026.

SAN FRANCISCO — Shares of Allbirds surged more than 600% in early trading on Wednesday after the company announced it will rebrand as NewBird AI and pivot from footwear retail to focus on AI compute infrastructure. The move marks a dramatic corporate shift away from the brand’s environmental roots and its identity as a direct-to-consumer maker of casual footwear.

Executives said the company will seek to acquire high-performance, low-latency compute hardware and provide access under long-term lease arrangements to meet intensifying global demand for resources used to train and operate artificial intelligence systems, a market they said is increasingly constrained by limited supply. Founded in 2015, Allbirds built a following with signature wool sneakers marketed as environmentally friendly alternatives, a reputation this pivot represents a sharp break from.

Washington — The Senate on Wednesday rejected a resolution intended to limit President Donald Trump’s authority to conduct military operations against Iran, marking the fourth failed attempt by lawmakers to assert war-powers oversight. Senators voted largely along party lines, with one Republican joining Democrats and one Democrat opposing the measure.

The vote comes after a two-week ceasefire agreed last week and follow-up talks in Islamabad that did not secure a longer ceasefire; Democrats pledged to introduce similar measures weekly, while White House officials maintained executive prerogatives. Key figures cited include Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sens. Rand Paul and John Fetterman, and leaders signaled continued floor activity this week.

Columbia, South Carolina. Governor Henry McMaster signed a law Wednesday that replaces the state's three-tier individual income tax system with two brackets beginning in tax year 2026. Under the new schedule taxpayers will pay 1.99% on income up to $30,000 and 5.21% on income above that amount, down from a previous top rate of 6.0%. McMaster said the changes are intended to reduce residents' tax burden and create a path toward eventual elimination of the personal income tax.

Columbia, South Carolina. The law removes federal standard and itemized deductions from the state taxable-income calculation and replaces them with a new South Carolina Income Adjusted Deduction, or SCIAD, which state officials say is designed to give greater benefit to lower- and middle-income taxpayers and phases out at higher income levels. Officials estimate about 42.8% of taxpayers will see lower tax bills. The statute also sets automatic future tax cuts beginning in 2027 if state income tax revenues grow by at least 5% in a year; those cuts would continue until the top rate reaches 1.99% and could move the state toward eventual elimination of the personal income tax. House Speaker Murrell Smith said the changes make South Carolina more competitive and better positioned for job growth, and other lawmakers described the measure as major tax relief. The changes apply to income earned beginning in 2026.

Washington — House Democrats are expected to file five articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to Axios. The resolution, obtained by Axios and introduced by Arizona Representative Yassamin Ansari with eight co-sponsors, centers on allegations that include abusing the powers of his office and the reckless handling of sensitive information. The draft focuses on Hegseth’s role in the ongoing war with Iran and a separate Signalgate episode in early 2025. Article 1 of the resolution states that Hegseth committed an "unauthorized war against Iran and reckless endangerment of United States service members." Lawmakers say the charges relate to operational decisions tied to the Iran conflict as well as communications conduct.

The Signalgate allegations assert that Hegseth sent messages about airstrikes on Houthi rebel groups in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. The Iran war began after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran over missile concerns and Iran’s retaliation has caused U.S. casualties and led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz; the United States has been working to reopen the waterway. The filings are expected to be submitted Wednesday, and the action follows the recent ousting of Pam Bondi as attorney general and Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary.

Casper, Wyoming — The National Weather Service in Riverton issued forecasts and a winter storm advisory for Thursday evening as a weather system moves into central Wyoming, predicting rain late Thursday that will transition to snow overnight and strong winds beginning Wednesday into Thursday; NWS cited potential gusts up to 47–55 mph and temperatures falling into the mid-20s by overnight.

Casper-area forecasts indicate 2 to 6 inches of accumulation in parts of Natrona County and travel disruptions Friday, while conditions are expected to clear over the weekend; elsewhere, Space Coast forecasts call for mostly sunny, warm conditions through Saturday with slight shower chances into Monday, and WMAR reported a cooling front bringing showers and lower temperatures to the mid-Atlantic Sunday into early next week.

Atlanta — A series of attacks across DeKalb County and the Atlanta area on Monday left two women dead and a man critically injured when authorities allege 26-year-old Olaolukitan Adon Abel shot and stabbed multiple victims, including Department of Homeland Security employee Lauren Bullis, before being arrested in Troup County after a vehicle stop.

This week law enforcement officials said license-plate recognition technology helped track Abel’s vehicle and led to his arrest; federal officials confirmed Bullis worked in the DHS Office of Inspector General, and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin issued public statements cataloging the suspect’s alleged prior convictions while investigators continue to probe motive and sequence of attacks.