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Firefighters are trained to handle all sorts of unusual situations, and this one qualified as very unusual. Lindsey, a Walmart worker, called the Morristown (Tennessee) Fire Department to ask for help – a kitten was trapped in a soft drink machine.Upon arrival, the rescue team could hear the kitten meowing. So, they made sure the machine was unplugged, then took the back cover off. But no cat was visible. They tried another approach and could see fur, and were able to coax the kitty to them.&nbsp;As for the curious kitten, it has a new non-carbonated home… with Lindsey.There have been many suggestions on social media for the kitty’s name, including one we like: “Mountain Mew.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=412853157553212&amp;set=a.228250402680156">City of Morristown/Facebook</a><figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/35477.jpg" alt="Lindsey and rescued kitten"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: City of Morristown, Tenn.] Lindsey and rescued kitten</figcaption></figure>

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There have been many suggestions on social media for the kitty’s name, including one we like: “Mountain Mew”              

Kind-Hearted Walmart Employee Hears Kitten In Soft Drink Machine, Calls For Help

SLOVYANSK, Ukraine (AP) — A group of young off-duty Ukrainian soldiers gathered at a military distribution center to enjoy a rare respite from the fighting that has again engulfed their fractured home in eastern Ukraine.As they shared jokes and a pizza, artillery explosions could be heard a few kilometers away — a reminder of the looming battle that threatens to unfold here <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-donetsk-moscow-7f1f15b9328ca8a606cfc4ef57ae1c32">in the city of Slovyansk</a>, which was occupied by Russian proxy fighters in 2014.“Everyone knows that there will be a huge battle in Slovyansk,” said one of the soldiers, who could not be named for security reasons.Now, eight years after their city was last occupied, the war has returned. Slovyansk could become the next major target in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-donetsk-79f7261859cfa94b822cf816e05ef306">Moscow's campaign to take the Donbas region</a>, Ukraine’s predominantly Russian-speaking industrial heartland.Russia's defense minister said Russian army forces and a separatist militia on Sunday <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-donetsk-c65edd033ee98362f031327ff748e31d">captured the city of Lysychansk</a> and now controlled all of eastern Ukraine's Luhansk province. Slovyansk, located 70 kilometers (43 miles) to the west in Donetsk province, came under rocket attacks Sunday that killed an unspecified number of people, Mayor Vadym Lyakh said.Another soldier interviewed earlier by The Associated Press, a 23-year-old accountant who joined up when the invasion began, said Ukrainian forces simply do not have the weapons to fight off <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-black-sea-c4c78d32b899be46567d30099597e48e">the superior arsenal</a> of the approaching Russian army.“We know what’s coming” he said with a sad smile.These soldiers were still teenagers when pro-Russian separatists captured and held the town for three months. The brief occupation in 2014 terrorized Slovyansk, where dozens of officials and journalists were taken hostage, and several killings took place.Fierce fighting and shelling broke out when the Ukrainian army laid siege to the city to recapture it.“Actually, the war never left Slovyansk. It didn’t leave people’s heads” said Tetiana Khimion, a 43-year-old dance choreographer who converted a fishing store into a hub for local military units.“On the one hand, it is easier for us because we know what it’s like. On the other hand, it is more difficult for us since we’ve been living like this for eight years in a suspended condition.”Slovyansk is a city of splintered loyalties. With a large retired population, it is not uncommon to hear older residents express <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-nato-putin-central-asia-1bf2b0827461d3a54a1dcf3bb1565aa5">sympathy towards Russia</a> or nostalgia for their Soviet past. There is also distrust of the Ukrainian army and government.After a recent shelling of his apartment block, one resident named Sergei said he believed that the strike was launched by Ukraine.“I’m not pro-Russian, I’m not pro-Ukrainian. I am somewhere in between” he said. “Both Russians and Ukrainians kill civilians — everyone should understand that.”On Thursday, a group of elderly residents couldn’t hide their frustration after a bomb blast slashed open their roofs and shattered their windows.Ukraine "says they are protecting us, but what kind of protection is this?” asked one man, who did not provide his name.“They kneel to that Biden — may he die!” exclaimed his neighbor, Tatyana, referring to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-biden-china-madrid-fe9c7fe07122413754d087e61a95a202">U.S. President Joe Biden</a>.After 2014, Khimion said, it became easier to know “who is who” in Slovyansk. “Now you can easily see: These people are for Ukraine, and these people are for Russia."She said not enough was done after 2014 to punish people who collaborated with Russian proxies to prevent a repeat of the situation.“That is why we cannot negotiate, we need to win. Otherwise it will be a never-ending process. It will keep repeating” she said.The mayor of Slovyansk reflects the city's new trajectory. Taking his cues from Ukraine's wartime leader, President Volodymyr Zelensky, he has decorated his office with Ukrainian flags, anti-Russian symbols, portraits of national poets — even a biography of Winston Churchill.But before 2014, Lyakh was part of a political party that sought closer ties with Russia. He said while pro-Moscow sentiment in the city has faded - in part because of the horrors witnessed in 2014 - there are still “people who are waiting for the return of the Russian troops.”As the front line moves closer, attacks on the city intensify. Three-quarters of its <a href="https://apnews.com/article/videos-71c20acf7e214cf5bc46eb474bd5c752">pre-war population has fled</a>, but the mayor said too many residents are still in Slovyansk, including many children. He encouraged them to evacuate while he spends his days coordinating humanitarian aid and strengthening the city’s defenses.Lyakh said he cannot allow himself to relax, even for a few minutes.“It is emotionally difficult. You see how people are dying and being harmed. But nevertheless, I understand that this is my job and that nobody but myself and the people around me can do” it.More and more, Lyakh is among the first responders at the scene of bombardments. Associated Press journalists following the mayor recently witnessed what authorities described as a cluster bomb attack on a residential area. One person was killed and several others wounded.The mayor says that shelling now occurs at least four or five times a day, and the use of cluster munitions increased in the last week. Although he remains optimistic that Ukrainian forces can keep the enemy at bay, he is also clear-sighted about his options.“Nobody wants to be captured. When there is an imminent danger of the enemy troops entering the city, I will have to go” he said.One morning last week, Lyakh paid a visit to an apartment building that was shelled overnight. Most of the windows were blown out, doors were broken wide open and a power line severed.The same building was bombed in 2014, leaving a gaping hole on the sixth floor, and many residents suffered broken bones.Andrey, a 37-year-old factory worker who has lived in the building for 20 years, recalled the bombing and occupation. He said separatist forces “did and took what they liked.”People in his circle have different opinions about Russia.“Those who have suffered understand what this ‘Russia world’ means: It means broken houses, stolen cars and violence” he explains. “There are those who miss the Soviet Union, who think we are all one people, and they do not accept what they see with their own eyes.”In the eight years since the separatists retreated, he said, life markedly improved in Slovyansk.The statue of Vladimir Lenin that once stood in the central square has been removed. Water and power supplies were renovated. New parks, squares and medical facilities were built.“Civilization was returned to us,” Andrey said.At a military distribution hub where they go to unwind, the young soldiers talk wistfully about their lives before the invasion.“I had a great car, a good job. I was able to travel abroad three times a year,” said the former accountant, who plans to stay in Slovyansk with the others to defend the city. “How can we let someone just come and take our lives away from us?”Khimion's husband is on the front lines, and she put her teenage daughter on a train to Switzerland as soon as the invasion began.“I have been deprived of everything — a home, husband, child — what should I do now?” she asks. “We are doing everything we can to stop (the offensive), to keep it to a minimum ... But to be afraid is to abandon this place.”At the entrance to the city, a monument bearing Slovyansk’s name is riddled with bullet holes from 2014. It has been painted over several times. It now bears the national colors of Ukraine, and a local artist has painted red flowers around each perforation.Residents of Slovyansk wonder — some with hope, many in fear — if the sign will soon be painted yet again, in the red, white and blue of the Russia flag.___Valerii Rezik contributed to this story.

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Local residents receive food stuff as humanitarian aid in a central square in Slovyansk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, July 6, 2014. The eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk was occupied by pro-Russian separatists for months in 2014. Now its people are preparing to defend their community again as the fighting draws closer and invites a major battle. Slovyansk is a city of splintered loyalties, with some residents antagonistic toward Kyiv or nostalgic for their Soviet past.

“Those who have suffered understand what this ‘Russia world’ means: It means broken houses, stolen cars and violence.”

Splintered Ukrainian City Braces For New Battle With Russia

Water Mission is an American-based Christian engineering non-profit that is focused on building safe water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions, often blessing people in developing countries. But currently some of their teams are active in war-torn Ukraine to help ensure safe drinkable water.&nbsp;Earlier, as war broke out, Water Mission was active in border nations like Poland, Romania, and Moldova – where an influx of millions of Ukrainian refugees had strained local abilities to provide necessities.Gregg Dinino, public relations director for <a href="https://watermission.org/">Water Mission</a>, explains that close to a dozen of their water treatment systems are already in place in Ukraine to meet daily emergency water needs for literally thousands of people. A priority now is to install safe water systems in hospitals for cooking, cleaning, and consumption. Another shipment of water systems is on the way to Ukraine, with teams in place to get them up and running as soon as possible.Adding to the outreach, 3.5 million water purification packets are being distributed through church partners and NGOs (non-government organizations). Gregg says, “They look like a small sugar packet” that can be added to a container of water to deactivate bacteria and dissolve sediments “to provide emergency safe water, quickly.” And thousands of personal hygiene kits have been made available, lending some comfort in a time of crisis.Perhaps above and beyond seeing to the physical needs, Water Mission has purchased thousands of Bibles in the Ukrainian language for distribution.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/35283.jpg" alt="Ukrainian language Bibles"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: Water Mission] Ukrainian language Bibles</figcaption></figure>Water Mission’s Josh Burns is just back after two trips to the region. One of his responsibilities is working with local partners and authorities within Ukraine to identify where and what the needs are, and then help coordinate a logistical plan to respond. “The Ukrainian people are very, very resilient. I was shocked by how many people I met who had left their homes and they’re wanting to return right away because they don’t want to be away from their loved ones.”&nbsp;As a Christian, early on in the crisis, Josh had the opportunity to pray with some Ukrainians who fled the country and might not return soon, if ever. “I got to pray with people who just lost their homes and who are looking to start a new life in a new place. My prayer was very consistent that people would feel God’s love and His presence near them at a time that they’re strangers in a foreign land – and that people would feel really cared for by the strangers they’ve been meeting.”&nbsp;Right now, Water Mission is concentrating water assistance on the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv (or Nikolaev), which is located near the Black Sea. The city of nearly 500,000 was founded in 1789 and is a critical seaport to a nation that risks being landlocked due to Russian land seizure and aggression. Incoming water lines have been damaged by Russian shelling. The issue in Mykolaiv is that the local water there has high salt content due to the proximity to the sea, along with some chemicals. Water Mission is custom-designing treatment systems to counter those contaminants. And area hospitals are the priority.<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/35281.jpg" alt="Josh Burns - WASH Team Leader for Disaster Response, Water Mission"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: Water Mission] Josh Burns - WASH Team Leader for Disaster Response, Water Mission</figcaption></figure>It’s pretty much impossible to be working on location near a war zone without being touched by the immensity of the pain and loss. “I’d say my heart is really broken for people on both sides of the war – Russian and Ukrainian. And while I was in a church in Poland, a person from Ukraine actually stood up and reminded everybody in the church to be praying for both people – Ukrainian and Russian – and that ‘God wants everyone’s heart,’ and I think that challenged me in the way that I’ve been thinking a little bit about this conflict – and it reminded me that, yeah, God wants everybody’s heart and we need to be loving to complete strangers – and that’s what’s really on my heart, to continue to pray for the people who have been impacted by this war on both sides. And it’s really challenging to grow in my view of love and my view of God and how He is sovereign despite a tragedy like this.”Josh was told a heart-touching story by one of the churches that Water Mission had given a financial grant to. The church was welcoming hundreds of refugees from Ukraine. One Ukrainian woman had just arrived and the team was providing her with food and shelter and helping her determine what her next step should be. “And the woman began to open up and said that no one has ever shown her as much love as she’d received [at the church]. And she said, ‘You are treating me with more love than I’ve ever received – and I’m a complete stranger to you – and because of that, I want your God to be my God.’” And she gave her life to Christ.&nbsp;If you would like to know more about Water Mission, a non-profit rated 4 stars by <a href="https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/571116978">Charity Navigator</a>, <a href="https://watermission.org/">here’s their website</a>.Josh and Gregg share much more about what’s taking place in our complete interview podcast, just below.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://soundcloud.com/emf-public-affairs-audio/us-based-water-mission-helps-ukrainian-hospitals-communities-with-safe-water?utm_source=clipboard&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing"></oembed></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/35282.png" alt="Mykolaiv, Ukraine"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: Google Maps] Mykolaiv, Ukraine</figcaption></figure>

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Water Mission has also purchased thousands of Bibles in the Ukrainian language for distribution

After Russia Shells Water Supply, U.S.- Based ‘Water Mission’ Helps Ukrainian Hospitals, Communities, With Safe Water (+podcast) 

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Families went bananas for Minions this weekend at the movie theater. “ <a href="https://apnews.com/article/film-reviews-entertainment-movies-55df07acee61fe4d523924a6b71e7e06">Minions: The Rise of Gru</a> ” brought in an estimated $108.5 million in ticket sales from 4,391 screens in North America, Universal Pictures said Sunday. By the end of the Monday’s July Fourth holiday, it will likely have earned over $127.9 million.The film is on track to become biggest opening ever for a July Fourth holiday weekend, a record previously held by “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” which made $115.9 million in its first four days in 2011. Including international showings, where “Minions: The Rise of Gru" is playing in 61 markets, its worldwide gross is sitting at $202.2 million through Sunday.This is just the latest in a string of successes for Universal and Illumination, including “Sing 2," which has grossed over $406 million since opening in December, and “The Bad Guys,” which has made over $243 million. “Minions: The Rise of Gru” serves as further proof that family audiences are willing to go back to the movie theater.The spinoff of the popular “Despicable Me” series was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/summer-2022-movies-minions-despicable-me-e8040ee111ce5a24fab25b2e4667432d">delayed two years</a> because of the pandemic. The sequel to the 2015 film “Minions” was originally slated for a July 2020 release. While many other animated family films opted for streaming or hybrid releases, “Minions,” much like “Top Gun: Maverick,” stayed the course and waited for an ideal time to launch in theaters only. And as with “Top Gun” the wait, it seems, was worth it.The voice cast features Steve Carell, reprising his role as Gru, Alan Arkin, Michelle Yeoh and Julie Andrews as Gru’s mother. Critics were mixed to positive (it currently has a 72% on Rotten Tomatoes) but audiences were more enthusiastic, giving the Gru origin story an A CinemaScore.Universal and Illumination have had enormous success with the five “Despicable Me” movies and spinoffs, which date back to 2010 and have earned over $3.7 billion at the global box office.“Top Gun: Maverick” continues to deliver, adding another $25.5 million to its total, which has already surpassed $1 billion. The film is still playing in 3,843 locations even in its sixth weekend in theaters.Disney's “Lightyear," meanwhile, tumbled further in its third weekend with an estimated $6.5 million through Sunday. By Monday, that total should raise to $8.1 million bringing its cumulative earnings to $106.9 million.Bleecker Street released “ <a href="https://apnews.com/article/film-reviews-entertainment-movies-847263587380422ab5fdfc5009f5a85f">Mr. Malcolm's List</a> ” this weekend on 1,384 screens in the U.S. and Canada. The Regency-era comedy of manners stars <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-movies-jane-austen-aaee75ac487e7ed13b29075497f2b4b2">Freida Pinto and Zawe Ashton</a> as friends looking to get back at a picky bachelor. The studio estimates that the film will have $851,853 by end of Sunday and over $1 million by end of Monday.Audiences are also still catching up with A24’s “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” which added an estimated $552,000 from 607 screens, in spite of the fact that it’s also available to rent on demand. The studio’s newer title, “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” expanded to 22 screens this weekend and is expected to earn about $308,000 by the end of Monday.—-Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/ldbahr">www.twitter.com/ldbahr</a>

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This image released by Universal Pictures shows Minions characters, from left, Stuart, Bob and Kevin in a scene from "Minions: The Rise of Gru."

The film is on track to become biggest opening ever for a July Fourth holiday weekend

‘Minions’ Set Box Office On Fire With $108.5 Million Debut

BOSTON (AP) — A letter written by Alexander Hamilton in 1780 and believed stolen decades ago from the Massachusetts state archives is going back on display — though not exactly in the room where it happened.The founding father's letter will be the featured piece at the Commonwealth Museum's annual July Fourth exhibit, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin’s office says. It's the first time the public is getting a chance to see it since it was returned to the state after a lengthy court battle.It will be featured alongside Massachusetts' original copy of the Declaration of Independence.Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury who’s been getting renewed attention in recent years <a href="https://apnews.com/article/reviews-music-lin-manuel-miranda-film-reviews-entertainment-28d34d8aa0e1fba375a46b92eb313e7b">because of the hit Broadway musical</a> that bears his name, wrote the letter to the Marquis de Lafayette, the French aristocrat who served as a general in the Continental Army.Dated July 21, 1780, it details an imminent British threat to French forces in Rhode Island.“We have just received advice from New York through different channels that the enemy are making an embarkation with which they menace the French fleet and army,” Hamilton wrote. “Fifty transports are said to have gone up the Sound to take in troops and proceed directly to Rhode Island.”It’s signed “Yr. Most Obedt, A. Hamilton, Aide de Camp.”The letter was forwarded by Massachusetts Gen. William Heath to state leaders, along with a request for troops to support French allies, Galvin's office said.The letter was believed to have been stolen during World War II by a state archives worker, then sold privately.It resurfaced several years ago when an auctioneer in Virginia received it from a family that wanted to sell it. The auction house determined it had been stolen and contacted the FBI. A federal appeals court <a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-massachusetts-court-decisions-travel-museums-facc221feed804e4ddb7f89f0652320d">ruled in October</a> that it belonged to the state.The Commonwealth Museum is open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Monday.

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This image filed May 15, 2019 in federal court as part of a forfeiture complaint by the U.S. attorney's office in Boston, shows a 1780 letter from Alexander Hamilton to the Marquis de Lafayette, that was stolen from the Massachusetts Archives decades ago. The letter, which was returned to the state, will be put on public display at the Commonwealth Museum on July 4, 2022 for the first time since it was returned after a lengthy court battle.

The letter was believed to have been stolen during World War II by a state archives worker

Long-Missing Alexander Hamilton Letter Put On Public Display

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Sing to the LORD, for He has done wonderful things. Make known His praise around the world.

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