US officials join

Gaza peace talks

CAIRO (AP) — Senior officials from the United States, Qatar and Israel have joined the third day of talks between Israel and Hamas in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. It’s a sign negotiators aimed to tackle the toughest issues of an American plan to end the war in Gaza.

Hamas says it’s seeking solid guarantees from U.S. President Donald Trump that Israel won’t resume its military campaign after the militant group releases its remaining hostages under the plan.

Among the more senior officials joining the negotiations are Qatar’s prime minister, Trump’s Mideast envoy and a top adviser to Israel’s prime minister. Trump says he could travel to the Middle East if talks are successful.

Charges issued

in deadly LA fire

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities have charged a 29-year-old man with igniting the January fire that destroyed Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli says Jonathan Rinderknecht was arrested in Florida on Tuesday.

He faces charges including malicious destruction by means of a fire in the New Year’s Day fire that burned down much of the Pacific Palisades a week later. Rinderknecht appeared briefly in court Wednesday. His attorney didn’t respond to requests for comments.

The Palisades Fire killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 homes and buildings in the wealthy coastal neighborhood of LA. Investigators believe the suspect may have used a lighter to start the blaze.

New Orleans jail

escapee caught

ATLANTA (AP) — The U.S. Marshals say the only escaped inmate who remained on the run after breaking out of a New Orleans jail in May has been captured. The men escaped from the Louisiana jail after squeezing through a hole behind a toilet and scaling a barbed-wire fence.

Above the hole, they scrawled a message on the cell wall that read “To Easy LoL.” Many of the fugitives had been in the jail awaiting trials or sentencing for violent crimes.

City and state officials have pointed to multiple security lapses in the jail, including ineffective cell locks and the assertion that the inmates got out when the lone guard monitoring them went to get food.

Joan Kennedy

dies at age 89

BOSTON (AP) — Joan Kennedy has died. The first wife of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy died Wednesday at the age of 89.

She endured the assassinations of two brothers-in-law and stood by her husband through the Chappaquiddick scandal as well as through his failed 1980 run for president. The couple divorced in 1982.

She worked for the mentally challenged and other causes but also struggled with mental health issues and alcoholism herself for much of her life, including several drunk driving arrests. Her son Patrick Kennedy praised her as a classically trained pianist and advocate for addiction recovery who helped break stigma and inspired others to seek help.