Can you hear them buzzing?
No, a cicada didn't write this newsletter (sorry), but I’m here to tell you that cicada season is in full swing. A string of tornadoes ripped through Iowa. And a second human has been infected with bird flu.
👋Hey, Wednesday! It’s your pal Laura Davis here, with all the news you need to know.
But first: A little less foreclosure conversation. ✋ A judge has halted the foreclosure auction of Elvis Presley’s iconic Graceland estate.
The cicadas are here
Buzzzz. Buzz. Buzzzbuzzzzzbuzzzzzz!!!! Hear that sound? If you're in one of 17 states across the Midwest and Southeast, it could be the trillions of periodical cicadas making their way up after years spent underground. Most of the cicadas are either above ground or are still making their way up, but either way, this year's emergence is in full swing.
What’s happening? This year's cicada broods are emerging in two regions: the 13-year Brood XIX located mainly in the Southeast, and the 17-year Brood XIII in the Midwest. The two broods have not emerged at the same time since 1803, making 2024 a rare, double-brood year. 📍 See where they're popping up.
👀 So, how long will the cicadas be buzzing around?
Deadly tornadoes slam Iowa
Cleanup was well underway Wednesday even as authorities were still counting the dead and wounded in southwestern Iowa, hours after a series of tornadoes and powerful storms smashed through several Midwestern states, killing multiple residents and injuring at least a dozen others.
A deadly storm strikes: Greenfield, Iowa, was devastated by one of more than a dozen suspected tornadoes that ravaged the state Tuesday. The early report from the National Weather Service's Des Moines office said the damage was consistent with at least an EF3 tornado, meaning it had wind gusts of 136-165 mph. Residents said they knew of at least four people who were killed in the storm, but officials weren't ready to provide a total. Multiple rounds of severe weather will target the Plains, Midwest and mid-South through Memorial Day weekend. ⛈️ See more damage from the storms.
📸 See photos: Deadly tornado leaves parts of Iowa unrecognizable.
Real quick
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Lauryn Hill tops Apple Music's 100 Best Albums list.
Vials of blood sent to RNC headquarters, causing evacuation.
Aircrew or drug smuggler? Flight attendant faces federal charges.
It wasn't just the endless shrimp. See what Red Lobster's bankruptcy filing revealed.
Former model sues Sean 'Diddy' Combs, claims he drugged, sexually assaulted her in 2003.
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Second person in US infected this year with bird flu, CDC says
From bird to cow – now humans. The U.S. has documented the second case of bird flu in 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday.
Health officials identified the avian influenza case in a Michigan dairy farmworker. This is the second time a case has developed in a person working with dairy cows. The virus appears to have developed under similar circumstances as it did earlier this year for a farmworker at a dairy in Texas.
What to know: Yes, the two cases happened in a relatively short period, but CDC officials said it doesn't change their minds that the risk to human health remains low. 🩺 What we know now.
See how the bird flu outbreak is affecting dairy cows.
Uvalde families sue over response to massacre
Families of the victims of the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Wednesday announced a $2 million settlement with the city, as well as a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Public Safety and 92 named troopers who were involved in the mishandled law enforcement response to one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. The suit contends the officers received active shooter training but failed to follow national standards and best practices. Nineteen children and two teachers were killed when a gunman entered Robb Elementary on May 24, 2022. A deeply flawed law enforcement response resulted in a 77-minute delay before officers took down the gunman. 👉 Everything we know.
A break from the news
🥣 Yum, Greek yogurt. What makes it different?
🧳 You'll be glad you packed these road trip items.
✈️ Is a minimum airplane seat size on the horizon?
Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hi: laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cicadas emerging, Iowa tornadoes, avian flu, Uvalde: Wednesday's news
