ATLANTA, Ga. – The highly contagious Delta variant now makes up one in four coronavirus cases in the U.S. It’s the dominant strain in five states including California. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are almost 90 percent effective against the variant, but just 33 percent when only one dose has been received.

SURFSIDE, Fla. – Tropical Storm Elsa is heading toward the Florida Keys after bringing heavy rain, wind and flooding to Cuba. It’s forecast to make landfall in the state north of Tampa by tomorrow. Elsa prompted the decision to use explosives to bring down the section of a condo building still standing after a partial collapse a week and a half ago. Teams resumed their search of the rubble shortly after the demolition and discovered more bodies. Crews were able to reach areas that were inaccessible before the building was brought down, including a section with master bedrooms. Officials say the demolition was necessary to ensure the building wouldn’t fall down as Elsa nears.

HUMBOLDT, Kan. – Humboldt, Kansas used to be classified as a food desert because of a lack of a grocery store, but a recent opening changed that. The new grocery store, named “Our Market,” took over the location of the old “Moon’s Hometown Market,” which closed more than a year ago. Our Market is a family owned store that’s trying to provide fresh, local products. The owners say they saw more than 300 customers on their opening day. Our market opened July 1st, but they’ll host their grand opening event this Saturday.

JOPLIN, MO. – Our country may have been dealing with a fireworks shortage this year, but some Joplin-area sellers had record-breaking sales. Sellers include the Watered Gardens fireworks tent which raises money for their Forge program, a program that helps people down on their luck get back on their feet with employment, shelter, and more. Watered Gardens says they saw a 60 percent increase in sales over last year.

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