August 16, 2025

Prepping for the school year, muggy weather and a retail sales bump

22 minutes

Each week Hot off the Wire looks at a variety of stories in business, science, health and more. This week's headlines include:

How to get kids back on a sleep schedule for the school year.

Feel sticky this summer That's because it's been record muggy East of the Rockies.

For these incarcerated students, online school has been a disaster.

AOL is finally shutting down its dial-up internet service.

A record number of Americans see moderate drinking as harmful, a new Gallup poll shows.

Washington sues to block Trump's federal takeover of its police department as crackdown intensifies.

Heavy rains expected in Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands as Hurricane Erin nears.

Michigan football fined 10s of millions of dollars, Moore suspended 3 games in sign-stealing scandal.

Retail sales rise a solid 0.5% in July from June as shoppers appear to shrug off tariff pressures.

A Michigan autoworker's wallet is found under a hood in Minnesota — 151,000 miles later.

Death of NYPD officer spotlights rise of Bangladeshi immigrants within ranks.

Former K-9 Maple is busy as a bee; dog sniffs out threats to Michigan State University colonies.

'Gas station heroin' is technically illegal and widely available. Here are the facts.

Solar panels that fit on your balcony or deck are gaining traction in the US.

As octopuses dwindle in Spanish waters, suppliers look to imports and farming despite concerns.

New river barriers prevented severe flood damage from a glacial outburst in Alaska, officials say.

Rising seas could put Easter Island's moai at risk by 2080, study warns.

Scientists standing by to rescue rare manatee sighted in cold New England waters.

The Seine in Paris is open for swimming. Tourists and residents embrace it as temperatures soar.

China's economy lags in July under pressure from tariffs and a weak property market.

Greece, Spain and Portugal race to contain wildfires as EU steps up cross-border help.

Flash floods triggered by heavy rains kill at least 49 people in northwestern Pakistan.

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

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