Issue ads have become an increasingly popular way for interest groups to evade campaign spending restrictions, and they are almost impossible to control because of freedom of speech concerns. The United States Golf Association announced today that it will not declare any golf clubs that have already been approved for tournament use illegal. The USGA intends to establish more specific standards for golf equipment, but all approved clubs already meet those standards. A meeting will be held in the fall to explore the issue further. Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes in the town of Hamburg, where the National Guard helped residents build a sandbag barrier along a cresting river.
Officials there hope the worst is over.
But the forecast calls for more rain, and the ground is already saturated with water. No one has died so far, but battling the fires has stretched the state's fire-fighting resources and led to restrictions on such activities as outdoor fires and lawn watering in the affected areas. She's 92, volunteered in World Wars 1 and 2, and ever since. A profile of Lillian Weiler, a busy, dedicated, charming woman who has been volunteering for the American Red Cross since 1913. NPR's Melissa Block visited her and filed this report.