Here’s a look at some of the day’s top stories from WTOP:
Don Pardo, iconic TV announcer, dies at 96
Announcer Don Pardo, whose booming baritone was known to fans of “Saturday Night Live,” `’The Price is Right” and other programs, has died. He was 96. Pardo’s daughter, Dona Pardo, says her father died Monday afternoon at his home in Tucson, Arizona. She says he moved to Tucson after retiring from “SNL” in 2006.
For decades, Pardo’s majestic voice graced game shows and television programs. During shows such as the original version of “Jeopardy!,” his answers to the question, “Tell `em what they’ve won, Don Pardo,” became a memorable part of the program. And though rarely seen, he was an integral part of “Saturday Night Live” for more than three decades in his role of introducing the cast to kick off each show.
Authorities say at least two people were shot during Monday night clashes in Ferguson, Missouri.
Authorities are blaming the violence on “criminals” who are in crowds of peaceful protesters, and they’re asking people who are protesting the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen by a white police officer to protest during the day.
2 arrested in taped beating at Philadelphia park
Philadelphia police have arrested two suspects and are searching for a third in the videotaped beating of a city park ranger trying to enforce a no-skateboarding rule.
The beating happened Friday at Love Park, home to a Robert Indiana LOVE sculpture and a one-time skateboarding mecca featured in a video game. Police say the video shows a skateboarder punching the ranger in the face after refusing a request to leave. An onlooker’s video also appears to show a suspect spitting at and kicking the ranger while he was on the ground. Police say a second suspect taunted him and a third videotaped the incident.
Blast in China coal mine traps 29 miners
Chinese state media say rescuers are trying to reach 29 miners trapped in a coal mine after a gas explosion. China Central Television said the blast happened early Tuesday at a private mine in Huainan city in Anhui province in the country’s east. Ten other miners managed to escape, one of whom was injured.
It said the government had ordered the mine shut down twice in June, but it had continued operating. China has some of the world’s deadliest mines, but they are getting safer with stricter work safety enforcement.
A $6 lunch brought to you in D.C.
It sounds too good to be true, but it’s for real — a hot homemade lunch, brought to your building in D.C. in 20 minutes, for under $10. On WTOP’s Living page, Rachel Nania takes a ride with the guys behind the startup MunchQuick and finds out how it works.
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve gone around the block, across the country or halfway around the world — if you’ve got Google Maps on your smartphone, it remembers where you’ve been, and so does Google. On WTOP’s Tech page, Ken Colburn, of the Data Doctors, explains how you can disconnect the tracking – and why, under some circumstances, you might not want to.
From the page to the screen to the trash heap
Some of the best movies ever made have come from books — but so have some of the worst. On WTOP’s Entertainment page, check out our picks for the worst-ever movie versions of novels and graphic novels. What’s the worst of them all? Think about it — you can probably guess.
Why can’t we quit Johnny Football?
He hasn’t even played a real game yet, and on Monday night against the Redskins he flipped as many birds as touchdown passes. But the NFL preseason has been all about Cleveland Browns rookie Johnny Manziel, Noah Frank writes. On WTOP’s Sports page, find out what Frank thinks about Manziel’s appeal, and the impression the quarterback made when Frank saw him in a high school game five years ago.
Steve Ballmer debuts as LA Clippers owner
Sweating, clapping and shouting until he was nearly hoarse, Steve Ballmer introduced himself to Los Angeles Clippers fans at a rally on Monday celebrating his new ownership of the NBA team.
The former Microsoft CEO made his way through the crowd inside Staples Center to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” exchanging high-fives and chest-bumping as he took the stage in front of 4,500 fans.
Ballmer paid a record $2 billion for the team in a sale that was confirmed by a judge last week. The name of disgraced former owner Donald Sterling, who controlled the team for 33 years before being banned for life by the NBA for racist remarks, was never uttered during the rally. Ballmer said “Everything is about looking forward.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.
