Extra-special celebration

The Brooker and Livingston families celebrated the 30th birthday of Lisa Brooker June 14, an extra-special occasion as it marked one year since a kidney transplant drastically changed Brooker’s life. “My donor was my brother, my hero,” Brooker said. “I told him that we were still kind of fighting and having some rivalry, with the transplant trying to reject.” Brooker celebrated with family, friends and one of her favorite bands, S.H.I.L.O. Pictured at left singing “Happy Birthday” to Brooker are her husband, Clayton Brooker, her son, Luke, and S.H.I.L.O. band members Dakota Newton, Austin Addington, Robert Miller, Brandon Palomin and Tom Wilson. Grace Miller - Daily Press

The Brooker and Livingston families celebrated the 30th birthday of Lisa Brooker June 14, an extra-special occasion as it marked one year since a kidney transplant drastically changed Brooker’s life. “My donor was my brother, my hero,” Brooker said. “I told him that we were still kind of fighting and having some rivalry, with the transplant trying to reject.” Brooker celebrated with family, friends and one of her favorite bands, S.H.I.L.O. Pictured at left singing “Happy Birthday” to Brooker are her husband, Clayton Brooker, her son, Luke, and S.H.I.L.O. band members Dakota Newton, Austin Addington, Robert Miller, Brandon Palomin and Tom Wilson.
Grace Miller – Daily Press

Medical care lags behind Afghan military growth

Afghan National Army medics bandage the hand of a wounded Afghan policeman on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, a medical clinic in Nari District, Kunar Province, Afghanistan. As Afghan forces take over fighting this year, the Afghan National Army is struggling with a shortage of doctors. (AP Photo/Kristin M. Hall)

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHINWAR, Afghanistan (AP) — The young Afghan soldier lay in great pain on a cot at an army base, his uniform pants cut up to his thigh so medics could clean the wound in his right knee where he was shot fighting insurgents.

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AP EXCLUSIVE: Taliban offer to free US soldier

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — The Afghan Taliban say they are ready to hand over a U.S. soldier held captive since 2009 in exchange for five of their senior operatives being held at the Guantanamo Bay prison.

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A Game 7 with more on the line than an NBA title

Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade, right, jokes with small forward LeBron James as he takes a shot during NBA basketball practice, Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. The Heat host the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

MIAMI (AP) — He is the best player in the game and this is the best moment in his sport.

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In northern Iraqi city, al-Qaida gathers strength

in this file photo taken on Jan. 16, 2012 Iraqi security forces inspect the scene of a car bomb attack outside the northern city of Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. Al-Qaida's Iraq arm is gaining strength in the restive northern city of Mosul, reviving its fundraising efforts through gangland-style shakedowns, feeding off anti-government anger and increasingly carrying out attacks with impunity. It is a worrying development for Iraq's third-largest city, one of its main gateways to Syria, as voters prepare to cast ballots for local leaders and al-Qaida makes a push to establish itself as a dominant force among the rebels fighting to topple the Syrian regime. (AP Photo, File)

BAGHDAD (AP) — Al-Qaida’s Iraq arm is gathering strength in the restive northern city of Mosul, ramping up its fundraising through gangland-style shakedowns and feeding off anti-government anger as it increasingly carries out attacks with impunity, according to residents and officials.

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Developer: Kan. caverns could preserve human race

A reporter walks through a door to the Vivos Shelter and Resort during a tour of the facility in Atchison, Kan., Tuesday, June 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) — After most of the world’s population is wiped off the map by a wayward meteorite or hail of nuclear missiles, the survival of the human race might just depend on a few thousand people huddled in recreational vehicles deep in the bowels of an eastern Kansas mine.

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