Dangerously Low, Renaissance Heist, & Mystery Vacations

News without the noise

Adam Rogers
August 17, 2026

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Lake Powell reached a record-low elevation Saturday, falling past the previous mark set in 2023 as drought continues across the Colorado River Basin. The reservoir supplies water and hydroelectric power across the West and is now about 30 feet above the level where power generation could be disrupted.
Federal forecasts indicate Powell could approach that threshold, known as the minimum power pool, early next spring. Further declines toward "dead pool" would eventually prevent water from flowing downstream through the dam, threatening supplies for millions of people and farms hundreds of miles away in California and Arizona.
The pressure extends across the Colorado River system. Lake Mead also fell to its lowest level on record this month and continues to decline. A new federal plan calls for significantly reducing water released from Mead, potentially forcing additional conservation in cities and reducing irrigation supplies for farmers.

Hurricane Lala battered Hawaii's Big Island on Saturday with 75 mph winds and torrential rain, leaving at least one person dead in a storm-related car crash. Some areas received more than 13 inches of rain, while forecasters warned totals could reach 25 inches in higher elevations.
Flash flooding swept away at least two homes, with officials investigating reports that several occupied houses may have been knocked from their foundations. Search-and-rescue operations were underway, while more than 125,000 utility customers across Hawaii lost power, most of them on the Big Island.
Lala's center ultimately passed just south of the Big Island, avoiding what could have been the island's first direct hurricane strike since 1871. However, damaging winds and heavy rain spread west across Maui County, and the rest of the island chain as the Lala was downgraded to a tropical storm.

Thieves stole four Renaissance works attributed to Antonello da Messina from a museum in Sicily on Saturday night, including three surviving panels of his 1473 San Gregorio Polyptych. An art expert valued the stolen works at €70 million to €80 million ($81 million to $92 million).
The thieves bypassed security and alarm systems at Messina's MuMe museum and removed all five surviving panels of the polyptych from their frame, abandoning two behind a wall as they fled. They also removed a double-sided panel depicting the Virgin Mary and the dead Christ from an armored display case.
The theft occurred as crowds gathered elsewhere in Messina for Ferragosto celebrations, one of Italy's biggest summer holidays. Officials suspect the heist was “almost certainly commissioned,” raising the possibility that a buyer was already lined up for the highly recognizable works.

President Trump ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, citing their cost, his relationship with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, and Seoul’s refusal to assist against Iran. (More)

A 13-year-old Michigan girl survived four gunshot wounds and called 911 for help during a shooting spree that killed five people before the suspected attacker was found dead. (More)

Democrats approved a new 2028 presidential primary calendar beginning with South Carolina on Jan. 22, followed by Nevada, with four other states voting before Super Tuesday. (More)

A woman escaped a high-rise fire in Berlin by climbing along the building’s exterior and dropping two stories into a firefighter’s rescue basket. She suffered only minor injuries. (More)

Spanish F-18 fighter jets deployed with NATO shot down an unidentified drone that entered Romanian airspace Sunday, the latest in a series of recent drone incursions near Ukraine. (More)

Jason Arday, once Cambridge University’s youngest Black professor, died unexpectedly Friday at 41, one week after resigning amid plagiarism allegations. London police said the death is not believed suspicious. (More)

US stock markets closed lower on Friday (S&P -0.17%, Nasdaq -0.28%, Dow -0.20%) as the S&P finished out a third consecutive week higher. (More)

Nvidia disclosed today that it owns 122.8 million SpaceX shares worth about $17.2 billion, making the rocket company Nvidia’s second-largest disclosed investment behind Intel. (More)

Anthropic’s quarterly revenue reportedly surged more than 14-fold year over year to $11.5 billion, as the Claude maker prepares for a potential IPO as soon as this fall. (More)

Scottie Scheffler opened the FedEx Cup Playoffs with an eight-shot victory at the St. Jude Championship, ending a nearly seven-month winless stretch with his second title this season. (More)

Australia’s Lani Pallister handed Katie Ledecky her first international loss in the 800-meter freestyle, winning the Pan Pacific title in 8:06.10 and breaking Ledecky’s championship record. (More)

Disney will revitalize Disneyland’s Tomorrowland with new attractions and spaces, while also refreshing longtime park favorites including Epcot’s Figment and Animal Kingdom’s Expedition Everest yeti. (More)

Scientists identified three brain regions that work together as decisions evolve, helping people juggle competing plans and adjust their behavior as circumstances change. (More)

Women who used estrogen therapy after menopause showed fewer neurological signs of Alzheimer’s disease after death than nonusers. (More)

Chinese scientists updated their detailed geological map of the moon, revising the boundaries of ancient lunar periods and finding that some rare-element-rich material is more widespread than previously estimated. (More)

Ranking countries with the most Michelin-starred restaurants.

Construction workers find $10M gold stash during renovations.

Groupon deal sends travelers on mystery vacations.

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