Daily Journal (Franklin, IN)

An Israeli strike killed at least four people in northern Gaza, including two children. And a media outlet controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels claims Saudi-backed forces have launched airstrikes on several areas. Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Earth cooked to its hottest month on record in August, blowing far past a key climate threshold, due to the dangerous double whammy of human-caused climate change and a supersized El Nino, according to the European climate service Copernicus. August’s sizzle also helped push the globe and the United States to swelter through the hottest Northern Hemisphere summer scientists have measured.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman spoke to the Republican midterm convention via video Wednesday, an extraordinary escalation of the growing rupture between the Pennsylvanian and his party. Fetterman’s decision is certain to stoke fears, already simmering among Democrats, that he will switch parties. Democrats need to pick up four GOP-held Senate seats in November to regain the majority.

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — The Big Ten is expanding its plan to offer enhanced replay review insight during its football broadcasts. That expanded replay review coverage takes effect this week and will include live audio between the game referee and replay official during reviews, alongside video of the game footage they’re viewing. There also will be a view inside the Big Ten replay center. The Big Ten had announced last week it would offer these enhanced replay reviews during Friday night telecasts.

One of the organizers who said she was sexually abused by Latino labor leader César Chavez decades ago has sued nonprofits tied to him. The complaint filed last week in Southern California is the first legal action since the explosive allegations surrounding Chavez were first reported by the New York Times in March. The newspaper also first reported the complaint in Kern County Superior Court on Wednesday.

McARTHUR, Ohio (AP) — A man whose 16 grandchildren were discovered living in squalid conditions at a rural southern Ohio home was found mentally incompetent to stand trial Wednesday. A judge in Vinton County accepted the findings of an evaluation report for Gary Siders Sr. Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer did not object to the findings. The 73-year-old Siders appeared in court in a wheelchair.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a decree and a provisional measure Wednesday aimed at lowering fuel prices, weeks ahead of the presidential election and as the U.S.-Iran war drives up the cost of filling the tank. The cost of fuel is a particularly sensitive issue for voters, who will decide in October whether to grant Lula a fourth, nonconsecutive term, or elect Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, a son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Workers pave West Adams Street along U.S. 31 Wednesday as part of Phase 3 of the U.S. 31 Corridor Improvement Project. Hallie Gallinat | Daily Journal It could be next year before the third phase of the U.S. 31 Corridor Project is complete. The current phase of the project to rework the entire U.S. 31 corridor in Franklin had an estimated completion date of Aug. 1, however the project is now months behind schedule.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — While the NHL may soon expand to Houston or Austin, Texas, the road to adding a 33rd team still has some obstacles to clear. With the league in the middle of a process of exploring possible expansion with billionaire Dan Friedkin and his family, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Wednesday the Board of Governors still needs to be fully sold on the idea. “I don’t want to get ahead of the board,” Daly said at the annual North American preseason player media tour.

NEW YORK (AP) — The two measles-related deaths in Pennsylvania last month involved infants, and the virus itself caused one of the deaths, a Pennsylvania coroner confirmed Wednesday. Lancaster County’s coroner, Dr. Stephen Diamantoni, said he told the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of his conclusions. CDC officials, however, have not said whether they will count either death as measles-associated, and the agency’s website still carries a disclaimer about them. Ivan Miller died on Aug.