LEANDER, Texas (AP) — A Texas school bus carrying more than 40 students on Wednesday rolled over after veering off a rural road on the first day of class, injuring multiple students, authorities said.

At least one person has life-threatening injuries, while two others have “potentially life-threatening injuries,” Assistant Chief Kevin Parker, with Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, said during a news conference.

The bus was traveling on a rural stretch of two-lane road when it veered off the right side “for an unknown reason” and rolled over, said Department of Public Safety Sgt. Billy Ray.

Police respond after a Leander Independent School District bus carrying students rollover crashed in Leander, Texas, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

He later said in a Wednesday night statement that it was raining when the crash happened and “it is unclear if weather had a factor.” The crash is being investigated.

Video footage of the scene showed the yellow school bus lying on its side next the road with its roof damaged and several windows broken.

School and emergency officials said the bus had 42 children, and the driver along with 15 students were transported to hospitals. Officials did not say if the person with life-threatening injuries was a student or the driver.

The bus for Leander Independent School District was carrying primarily elementary school students, Superintendent Bruce Gearing said. The crash happened shortly after school let out, and no students had been dropped off yet.

The bus is a 2024 model and is equipped with state-mandated seat belts that the children are required to wear, Gearing said.

“We want each of those students and their families to know that our prayers are with them, our thoughts are with them and we will do everything that we can in our power to support them,” he said.

By KIM TONG-HYUNG, Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Supreme Court rejected a $21,600 damage claim Thursday by an American composer who accused a South Korean kids content company of plagiarizing his version of “Baby Shark,” ending a six-year legal battle over the globally popular tune known for its catchy “doo doo doo doo doo doo” hook.

The top court upheld lower court rulings dating back to 2021 and 2023 that found no sufficient grounds to conclude the company, Pinkfong, infringed on Jonathan Wright’s copyright.

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Wright, also known as Johnny Only, released his version in 2011, four years before Pinkfong’s, but both were based on a traditional melody popular for years at children’s summer camps in the United States.

The courts ruled Wright’s version did not differ enough from the original melody to qualify as an original creative work eligible for copyright protection, and that Pinkfong’s song had clear differences from Wright’s.

The Supreme Court said its ruling reaffirms the established legal principle on existing folk tunes as derivative work.

“The Supreme Court accepts the lower court’s finding that the plaintiff’s song did not involve substantial modifications to the folk tune related to the case to the extent that it could be regarded, by common social standards, as a separate work,” it said in a statement.

Pinkfong said in a statement to The Associated Press that the ruling confirmed its version of “Baby Shark” was based on a “traditional singalong chant” that was in the public domain. The company said it gave the tune a fresh twist by adding “an upbeat rhythm and catchy melody, turning it into the pop culture icon it is today.”

Chong Kyong-sok, Wright’s South Korean attorney, said he hadn’t received the full version of the court’s ruling yet, but called the outcome “a little disappointing.”

“Anyway, the matter is now settled,” he said. “It’s our work that came out first, so we can handle the licensing on our side and I guess we then each go our separate ways.”

Pinkfong’s Baby Shark became a global phenomenon after it was released on YouTube in 2015, with the original “Baby Shark Dance” video now exceeding 16 billion views and peaking at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Baby Shark remains a crucial product for Pinkfong, which earned $32.6 million in revenue in the first half of 2025, according to its regulatory filing. The company has turned the five-member shark family — Baby Shark, Mama Shark, Papa Shark, Grandma Shark, and Grandpa Shark — into TV and Netflix shows, movies, smartphone apps and globally touring musicals.

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB, Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Human Rights Watch alleged Thursday that an Israeli airstrike on a notorious Iranian prison was “an apparent war crime”, while also accusing Tehran of harming and disappearing prisoners after the attack.

Israel struck Evin Prison in Tehran, one of Iran’s most notorious detention facilities for political activists and dissidents, on June 23, during its 12-day war with the Islamic Republic.

The strikes during visiting hours hit Evin Prison’s main southern entrance, another northern entrance and other areas of the complex, destroying buildings that had medical facilities and prison wards.

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The Iranian authorities initially said at least 71 people were killed during the airstrike, among them civilians including inmates, visiting relatives, and prison staff. Iranian media later raised that number to 80. It was unclear why Israel targeted the prison.

Human Rights Watch said the attack was “unlawfully indiscriminate” and that there was no evidence of an advance warning or a military target before striking the prison complex, which it estimates holds over 1,500 prisoners.

“To make matters worse, Israeli forces put at grave risk prisoners who were already victims of Iranian authorities’ brutal repression,” said Michael Page, the rights group’s deputy Middle East director.

Human Rights Watch says prisoners were subject to “ill-treatment and violence” both as they were being taken out of the prison following the attack and as they were returned.

Calls to Iranian authorities were not immediately returned on Thursday, a public holiday in the country. The Israeli military also did not respond to an immediate request for comment on the Human Rights Watch reports.

After the attack, Iranian authorities evacuated and transferred the prisoners to two other facilities in Tehran province and said on August 8 that they were gradually returned. Iranian state media said the prisoners were transferred peacefully and without any conflict.

But relatives and Human Rights Watch said some political prisoners were beaten with batons and “electric shock weapons” for resisting wearing handcuffs and protesting prison guards separating death-row inmates.

The group said some of the prisoners have disappeared, including Swedish-Iranian doctor, Ahmadreza Djalali, who is at risk of execution. The rights group says Iran had refused to give them any information about his whereabouts.

“Iranian authorities should not use Israel’s strikes on Evin prison as another opportunity to subject prisoners, including those who should never have been in prison in the first place, to ill-treatment,” said Page.

The war in June, which killed about 1,100 people in Iran and 28 in Israel, started after Israeli jets struck key nuclear and military facilities. Iran then launched a barrage of missiles over Israel.

Associated Press reporter Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.

It’s hard to believe it’s August already!

I’ve been catching up with friends and having business meetings over meals during the past few weeks.

Next week, it’s family vacation time. We rented a huge lake cabin in the middle of Wisconsin and there will be swimming, fishing, card playing and, as always, lots of cooking.

I’m making my corn tortillas for the gluten-free members of my family, which is always so much fun. Who doesn’t love a taco?

Holman’s Table

Brussels sprouts at Holman’s Table in St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

My neighbor and I were trying to get out of cooking for our families (oops, I mean we needed to catch up!) on a recent Monday, but so many things were closed!

We ended up ordering giant salads while we sat on the patio at Holman’s Table. A storm hit while we were sitting there, but the rooftop kept us mostly dry, so we waited it out with a few other guests.

Because we are trying to get all the fiber at our advanced age, we started with some excellent crispy Brussels sprouts, topped with blue cheese, candied walnuts and pickled Fresno peppers.

By the time our salads arrived, we were nearly full, because we couldn’t stop eating the sprouts, but our salads were so good that we ate most of them.

I had the farro, which honestly could have used a little more of the nutty, wheaty grain, but the greens were good, too. It was full of fun ingredients, including pickled golden beets, more of those tasty candied walnuts and some aged cheddar.

My neighbor’s Tuscan salad had loads of vegetables in it — fennel, cucumber, radish, snap peas, sweet peppers and green olives. The bite I had was so good that I think I’ll be back to order one of my own.

The patio is fun, too, because you get to watch small planes taking off and landing. It’s like having dinner with a show!

Holman’s Table: 644 Bayfield St., St. Paul; 612-261-1620; holmanstable.com

Cloverleaf Bar and Grill

A mushroom and swiss burger at Cloverleaf Bar and Grill in Newport. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

A friend who lives in Woodbury is aware of my love of a good dive bar, so she suggested we meet at the Cloverleaf, just off of U.S. 10 and I-494.

She was spot-on with the suggestion. The out-of-the-way, squat brick building is appropriately dark inside, but clean and fairly spacious. Your dinner is cooked on a griddle behind the bar, and my friend was raving about the mushroom and Swiss burger, so we both ordered one.

It was crisp outside and juicy inside, the mushrooms freshly griddled and the bun nice and squishy. Best of all, if you’re OK with chips as a side (I upgraded to some nice, crispy onion rings), this burger will run you less than $10. The beer is nice and cold, too.

I already have plans to go again with some other dive-bar-loving friends. Maybe this time, we’ll hit the pull tabs.

Cloverleaf Bar and Grill: 2146 Hastings Ave., Newport; 651-768-9921; cloverleafbarandgrill.com

DeGidio’s

Tortelloni bolognese at DeGidio’s on St. Paul’s West Seventh Street. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

We had a travel meeting last week — thanks so much to all who showed up — and afterward, we usually get dinner. It was a Monday again, so options were limited, but going to DeGidio’s never feels like settling.

Everything is excellent at this nearly 100-year-old St. Paul institution, including its lights-out burger, but the pastas are usually where it’s at for me.

The lovingly crafted red sauce is so good that I haven’t ventured much beyond it, but I was feeling adventurous, so I decided to try the tortelloni bolognese, and … wow. The tortelloni are house-made, with the tender pasta giving way to a creamy, cheesy inside, and the bolognese is silky, meaty, tomatoey perfection.

My dining partners ordered the mafaldine with bolognese (same sauce, different noodle) and the rigatoni, bathed in a spicy arrabiata sauce and topped with juicy, porky meatballs. Both were superb.

The portions are huge, too, so I got lunch out of it for the next day.

DeGidio’s: 425 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-360-1905; degidios.com

Due Focacceria

The carne sandwich and a cup of tomato soup at Due Focacceria in St. Paul’s Mac-Groveland neighborhood. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

I always forget about this postage-stamp of a place, in a former Mac-Groveland coffee shop, but I was looking for a place for a meeting that had outdoor seating on a beautiful day, and it popped up in my search.

The focaccia here is front and center, with good reason. The flavorful, spongy bread is made fresh daily, and is sliced horizontally and stuffed with all manner of goodness for its sandwiches.

I had the carne, which is piled with mortadella, fennel-crusted salami, hot coppa and artichoke paté, then slathered with a salty pecorino crema and sprinkled with pistachios. It’s a hell of a sandwich. I paired it with some fresh tomato soup for a perfect summer lunch.

I won’t be forgetting about Due again, and neither will my family, who loved the focaccia and thin, crispy chocolate-chip-pistachio cookies I brought home to pair with our dinner salads that night.

Due Focacceria: 475 S. Fairview Ave., St. Paul; 651-493-8858; duefocacceria.com

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