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MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Leslie formed Wednesday in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and could strengthen into a hurricane by the weekend, forecasters said.

ASHEVILLE, N.C.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee state authorities said Wednesday they were investigating the company that owns a plastics factory where 11 workers were swept away by cataclysmic flooding unleashed by Hurricane Helene.

MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Kirk strengthened Wednesday into a Category 3 storm in the Atlantic Ocean and was expected to grow rapidly into a major hurricane, forecasters said.

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) — A slow-moving typhoon approaching Taiwan led to school and office closures for a third consecutive day Thursday, with authorities asking people to stay indoors.

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Helene dumped trillions of gallons of water hundreds of miles inland, devastating communities nestled in mountains far from the threat of storm surge or sea level rise.

HONOLULU (AP) — The wildfire that killed at least 102 people on Maui last year erupted from an earlier brushfire, sparked by downed power lines , that firefighters believed they had extinguished, officials confirmed Wednesday as they presented their

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) — An approaching typhoon bringing strong winds and torrential rainfall to Taiwan killed two people and injured more than 100 people over the past few days while forcing thousands to evacuate from low-lying or mountainous areas.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Let the chunk-off begin.

FRIDAY HARBOR — A census of endangered southern resident killer whales off the coast of British Columbia and Washington state shows the pods have lost three animals, bringing the population to 73, excluding a new calf born after the survey.