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(BOULDER, Colorado) — Diminishing winds on Sunday were helping firefighters battle a wildfire that came close to homes near Boulder, Colorado, and forced the evacuation of about 19,000 people, authorities said.

The blaze, dubbed the NCAR Fire because its proximity to the National Center for Atmospheric Research, ignited Saturday and has burned roughly 200 acres southwest of Boulder, fire officials said.

The fire was initially fueled by thick brush and fanned by strong winds, prompting officials on Saturday to evacuate around 8,000 homes and around 19,000 people. The fire came within 1,000 yards of houses near the west end of Boulder, said Mike Smith, a wildland fire specialist for Boulder Fire Rescue and the incident commander on the NCAR Fire.

On Sunday morning, fire officials said the winds had died down overnight, and firefighters worked to get 21% of the blaze contained. Most of the evacuations were lifted overnight.

Officials said 1,629 people remained evacuated from nearly 700 homes.

Smith said at a news conference Sunday that there was 0% containment on some areas of the fire and air tankers were expected to drop fire retardant on those problem areas.

He also said no homes or structures have been damaged by the fire and no injuries have been reported.

“So, we’re very happy to report that yesterday we had a great day as far as our initial attack when we had over 200 firefighters from over 30 agencies,” Smith said. “That, combined with all of the fuels mitigation treatments that we’ve done in this area, is one of the reasons that we had such great success.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The fire ignited around 2 p.m. Saturday near the National Center for Atmospheric Research on the southwestern edge of Boulder and forced evacuations in south Boulder and the Eldorado Springs area.

The blaze occurred near the area where a fire ignited on Dec. 30 and burned more than 6,000 acres and destroyed more than 1,000 structures, including 500 homes.

“I think this is just a sign of the way things are going to go,” Smith said. “We continue to work on our planning processes. We continue to work on team building and work with our partners to make sure that we’re as dialed as we can be. We’re feeling good, but we’re a little nervous about the upcoming season.”

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(NEW YORK) — Last fall, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to the state’s school board association saying public schools shouldn’t have “obscene” books and called on certain books about gender and sexual orientation, among others, to be removed.

During last year’s gubernatorial race in Virginia, Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin campaigned on removing certain books from schools, including Toni Morrison’s book “Beloved,” which deals with slavery and has graphic sexual encounters.

Texas is the latest state to introduce legislation concerning how controversial subjects including race and even the Holocaust are taught in schools. There have been over 122 such bills introduced across the country since last year.

Books focusing on LGBTQ and racial issues that critics say are inappropriate for students are being banned across the country. Now, some librarians are joining together to protest those bans.

“We felt that a different image needed to be portrayed of librarians…And so we really wanted a positive message to go out about our work and to shed light on what was going on in Texas,” Carolyn Foote, a Texas librarian and co-founder of FReadom Fighters, told ABC News.

FReadom Fighters was formed by Foote and three other Texas librarians who advocate for students’ freedom to read books. They came together in November 2021 in response to Republican Texas Rep. Matt Krause’s request that schools inform him if they carry books that focus on LGBTQ and racial issues.

FReadom Fighters started as a social media movement with the hashtag “#FReadom” in protest of Krause’s request, and then blossomed into activism.

“For them, this is personal. It isn’t just about adults arguing about what books should be on the shelves of the library. It’s about stories about their lives, being removed from the shelves, and stories that speak to them,” Foote said.

While Foote and some librarians are fighting for these books to stay on shelves, others disagree and are fighting to keep them off.

“I felt that I had a duty as a parent, because this type of material is so over the top in terms of inappropriateness … I felt I had a duty as a parent, to warn other parents and to bring it to the attention of the school board, because quite honestly, you know, I didn’t know at that moment who’s making these decisions as to what books are put into our school library,” Stacy Langton, a Virginia mother and co-founder of Mama Grizzly, a conservative grassroots organization that she says aims to protect “our children’s learning environments.”

In other states, including North Carolina, Maine and Missouri, Republicans have begun campaigns targeting books that deal with segregation and racism.

However, according to an American Library Association poll, 71% of Americans are opposed to banning books.

“What we found overall is in this polling is that vast majorities of all voters from all political persuasions, and parents, especially don’t support book bans. What we’re hearing from is a very vocal minority,” Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, tells ABC News.

Foote says that despite their efforts for the books, they are not fighting for students to read them or to agree with everything in them, just that students have the opportunity to read them if they choose.

“It’s just really important that we understand that just because we read something or watch a TV show or read a newspaper article, it doesn’t mean we personally or our students are going to go out and enact anything they read about. Books just have ideas in them, and ideas cause us to think, and we can use our own minds to make critical decisions. And as educators … we train students to ask critical questions like, ‘Where did this data come from? And who wrote this? What is their point of view?'” Foote said.

“And I think that if parents considered that point of view, then they would understand that we’re all in this together as partners,” she added.

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(FERNLEY, Nev.) — A suspect in the alleged kidnapping of a Nevada teenager who was last seen in a Walmart parking lot has been arrested, authorities said Friday.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office said it has also impounded a pickup truck that was “possibly involved” in 18-year-old Naomi Irion’s disappearance, which has since spawned a nationwide search.

The suspect was identified by the sheriff’s office as Troy Driver, 41, of Fallon, Nevada. He is being held on kidnapping charges.

Meanwhile, the search for the missing teenager remains active, authorities said.

The update comes nearly two weeks after Irion disappeared.

She was last seen inside her car in the parking lot of a Walmart in Fernley, Nevada, outside Reno, according to the sheriff’s office. Surveillance video captured a man getting into the driver’s seat of her car and leaving in an unknown direction with Irion in the passenger seat.

The sheriff’s office initially characterized her disappearance as “suspicious in nature.” After locating her car on March 15 in an industrial park about a mile from the Walmart, the sheriff’s office said investigators found evidence suggesting her disappearance was “criminal in nature.”

Investigators had previously identified a Chevrolet pickup truck whose driver they believed may have a “direct connection” to her current whereabouts, said the sheriff’s office, which released an image of the vehicle while urging the public to help locate it.

The sheriff’s office has also released multiple photos and a video of the man authorities say entered Irion’s car. He has a distinct gait that investigators hoped would help in identifying him.

Detectives have not publicly released surveillance video showing the exact moment the suspect gets into Irion’s car, citing the nature of the ongoing investigation. According to her brother, Casey Valley, who said he has seen the video, Irion was sitting in the driver’s seat, but the suspect “did say or do something to Naomi to make her move over.”

Irion was waiting for a shuttle bus on March 12 around 5 a.m. to take her to her job at Panasonic Energy of North America in the Reno area. Valley, who lives with Irion, reported her missing the following day when she never came home from work.

Irion’s family has made multiple public pleas for her safe return.

“We need everyone’s help across the nation because the incident happened so close to [Interstate] 80,” her mother, Diana Irion, said during a press event earlier this week. “She could be anywhere, anywhere in the nation.”

“Please save my daughter and bring her home,” she said.

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(NEW YORK) — A 26-year-old woman arrested this week in the fatal shoving attack of an 87-year-old woman earlier this month on a New York City street has made bail, her attorney said Friday.

Lauren Pazienza, of Port Jefferson, New York, was charged Tuesday with manslaughter in connection to the March 10 incident, police said.

Pazienza turned herself in to the 10th Precinct in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, ABC station WABC reported. She was seen being escorted out of the 10th Precinct with her hair covering her face and did not respond to any questions from reporters about the charge.

Pazienza was arraigned Tuesday in New York Criminal Court on manslaughter and assault charges. A judge set her bail at $500,000 cash or $1 million bond.

Her parents have since posted bail and her attorney, Arthur Aidala, expects her to be released from Rikers Island at some point Friday, he told reporters.

Pazienza’s return court appearance, initially scheduled for Friday, was adjourned until April 25 pending the arraignment on her expected indictment.

“We look forward to getting the evidence and the discovery material from the attorney’s office so my client will now be able to come to our office and discuss the case with her partners and I to determine what the next steps are,” Aidala said.

The attorney called the victim’s death a “tragedy.”

“We’re just going to get to the bottom of what really happened that day after we have all the evidence that’s in possession of the prosecutors because we don’t have any evidence,” Aidala said.

The victim was walking in Chelsea on the night of March 10 when the assailant approached her from behind and pushed her, “causing her to fall and hit her head,” the New York City Police Department said following the incident. She was transported to an area hospital in critical condition. She had suffered a traumatic head injury, her family said.

The victim, who officials identified as Barbara Maier Gustern, died from her injuries on March 15, police said.

The NYPD released surveillance video of the suspect walking along a sidewalk as it called on the public for help in solving what police said appeared to be an unprovoked attack.

“We’re asking the public’s help in solving this disgusting, disgraceful offense committed against a vulnerable, elderly female who was doing nothing but walking down the streets of New York City,” NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said during a briefing last week.

A motive in the attack remains unclear.

Gustern was a well-known and beloved member of the city’s cabaret scene and a vocal coach. Condolences from the theater community have poured in in the wake of her sudden passing.

“We are waiting for the legal process to run its course and look forward to a resolution of the matter,” her grandson, AJ Gustern, said in a statement to ABC News. “While we appreciate the outpouring of affection for my grandmother, the family is still grieving. We ask for respect for our privacy during this difficult time.”

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK ) — Lev Parnas, a former associate of Rudy Giuliani who was previously convicted on campaign finance charges, pleaded guilty Friday to a wire fraud conspiracy charge that resulted from his work at a startup insurance company he co-founded.

Federal prosecutors accused 50-year-old Parnas of duping investors in Fraud Guarantee, a company he established in Florida with a co-defendant, David Correia, who previously pleaded guilty.

Parnas appeared by video in front of U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken in Manhattan and said “between approximately 2012 and 2019 I agreed with another person to give false information” to potential investors.

“I’m extremely sorry for my actions, your honor,” Parnas said.

Parnas and Correia tried to lure potential investors to Fraud Guarantee by hiring Giuliani as a pitchman, according to federal prosecutors. Giuliani has said he was paid $500,000.

Parnas briefly became a figure in the first congressional impeachment inquiry against former President Donald Trump in connection with his role in assisting Giuliani in his effort in Ukraine to find disparaging information about President Joe Biden and his family, as well to call for the ouster of then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.

At least seven victims invested a total of more than $2 million in Fraud Guarantee because Parnas and Correia misled them about the financial arrangements. The majority of investor funds were withdrawn as cash and were spent on personal expenditures such as Parnas’ rent, prosecutors said.

“Various representations he made to investors were material to obtaining funds,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Roos said.

Parnas was previously convicted of six other counts. On the wire fraud conspiracy, he faces at least five years in prison when he’s sentenced June 29.

“Certainly the government will seek restitution and forfeiture,” Roos said.

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(SALT LAKE CITY) — An anti-transgender sports bill that would ban transgender participation in sports was vetoed by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox Tuesday. However, if the state legislature chooses to override his veto in a Friday vote from at least two-thirds of members, the bill could still be passed into law.

Cox wrote a letter to state Senate President Sen. J. Stuart Adams and state House Speaker Rep. Brad R. Wilson listing the “fundamental flaws” he considered when vetoing the bill.

He wrote that he chose to veto it “because the bill was substantially changed in the final hours of the legislative session with no public input and in a way that will likely bankrupt the Utah High School Athletic Association and result in millions of dollars in legal fees for local school districts.”

Adams responded by vowing to override the veto.

“Doing nothing is taking a step backward for women. Finding a solution to this complicated issue is necessary to maintain fair competition now and in the future,” Adams said in a March 22 online statement.

HB11 initially allowed trans participation in girls’ sports and proposed that a commission decide if there is a threat to safety or fairness against cisgender girls in competitions.

However, on the last day of the legislative session, a substitute of the bill was introduced to implement an all-out ban on transgender women’s participation in sports, and the commission would only come into play if a court prohibited the ban.

“It is important to note that a complete ban was never discussed, never contemplated, never debated and never received any public input prior to the Legislature passing the bill on the 45th and final night of the session,” Cox wrote.

Cox warned that school districts will also be liable for any lawsuits to come from this ban.

He states that only four trans students are playing sports in the state, with only one athlete in girls’ sports, and they are not unfairly dominating. He said the high rates of mental health challenges transgender youth face due to discrimination also influenced his decision.

“Four kids who are just trying to find some friends and feel like they are a part of something. Four kids trying to get through each day,” Cox said.

He added, “Rarely has so much fear and anger been directed at so few. I don’t understand what they are going through or why they feel the way they do. But I want them to live.”

Cox warned legislators that he also plans on calling a special session to change the section of the bill in order to avoid bankrupting the athletic association and local schools if they override his veto.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has also vetoed a transgender sports bill this week and is also facing attempts from the legislature to override his decision.

At least 11 other states have implemented bans against transgender athletes.

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(WASHINGTON) — The iconic cherry blossoms that circle the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., reached peak bloom Monday, according to the National Mall.

Peak bloom occurs when 70% of the Yoshino cherry blossoms are open and typically lasts several days, according to the National Park Service.

The cherry trees “signal Washington’s beginning of spring with an explosion of life and color that surrounds the Tidal Basin in a sea of pale pink and white blossoms,” the service said on its website.

Each year, crowds flock to the blossoms, which share a landscape with the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

The flowers really defy description, National Mall spokesperson Mike Litterst told ABC News.

“If you live in Washington, D.C., it’s a beautiful sign that spring is here and that we made it through a long winter,” he said. “Really, over the last 110 years, cherry blossoms (have) become the city’s grandest kind of tradition.”

The final stage in the flowers’ bloom came a day before the beginning of the predicted timeframe, which was between March 22 and 25, according to the Park Service website.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival, which began March 2, goes through April 17.

The festival’s website says it “welcomes more than 1.5 million people to enjoy diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit.”

Its president, Diana Mayhew, said just like the cherry blossoms, the annual festival represents hope, renewal and spring.

“I think people just look forward to this time of year, and of course the beautiful cherry blossom trees,” she said. “They’re just unique. And (they) themselves bring so many people to reflect and enjoy (the) beauty of nature.”

The planting of cherry trees in Washington D.C. began in 1912 as a gift of friendship from the people of Japan to the people of the United States, according to the National Cherry Blossom Festival website.

To help care for the trees, Litterst advises visitors not to climb them, pick their blossoms or break their branches.

“Many of the trees are 60, 70, 80 years old, if not older, and are more fragile than they appear,” he said. “And we ask people to stay on the sidewalks and the walkways as much as they can to keep from walking on and damaging the roots.”

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(OAK LAWN, Ill.) — A woman in her 70s was recovering from injuries Thursday after being forcibly held at gunpoint while suspects ransacked her home.

The home invasion took place Tuesday evening in Oak Lawn, Illinois, when a female suspect pretending to be selling candy approached the residence, police said. The older woman declined to make a purchase and closed the door.

Upon answering a second doorbell, the victim encountered the female suspect, believed to be a teenager, standing next to a man who was armed with a handgun, authorities said. He forced his way into the residence, ultimately knocking the older woman to the ground.

Home Invasion 4600 block of 105th Pl occurred the evening of March 22nd. If you can help identify the individuals pictured please contact the OLPD Detective Division at 708-907-4051 pic.twitter.com/pEkwp6K9Hx

— Oak Lawn Police Dept (@OakLawnPD) March 23, 2022

According to police, two men looted the home while the female suspect held the victim at gunpoint. The trio then fled to a getaway vehicle, a white Kia Optima, which was driven by a fourth suspect.

The woman was home alone during the incident. She sustained minor injuries in the robbery, according to police.

Authorities described one suspect as a short man, believed to be in his 30s, with short black hair and a heavyset build. The other man, believed to be in his 40s, is tall with a heavyset build and a round face. The female is tall and has a thin build. A description of the driver was not provided.

“The main priority of the police department is the safety of the community,” police said in a statement. “We will continue to actively pursue those involved in this case and all other acts of violence and crime. We plan on utilizing every resource at our disposal that will assist in the arrest of those involved.”

No arrests have been made at this time. Anyone who can identify the suspects involved in the incident are urged to contact the detective division at the Oak Lawn Police Department.

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(ITHACA, N.Y.) — After a significant viral outbreak before winter break in December, COVID-19 infection levels at Cornell University had markedly declined, as the omicron surge receded, and students returned to campus for the spring semester.

However, as new case totals begin to tick up in the state of New York, the campus is once again reporting a viral resurgence. This week, Cornell elevated its COVID-19 alert system to “yellow,” indicating that transmission is rising, and prevalence of the virus is above predicted levels.

Between March 17 and March 23, Cornell recorded 515 positive COVID-19 infections among students, staff and faculty, according to data from the university.

“COVID-19 cases on the Ithaca campus are increasing beyond our predictions, indicating a substantial prevalence of the virus on campus,” Provost Michael Kotlikoff said in a statement on Wednesday. “This rising transmission is likely due to a number of factors, including relaxing mask requirements, the emergence of the BA.2 variant, and increased social activities.”

Data shows 97% of the student population is vaccinated, while 92% of those eligible are boosted.

At this time, all unvaccinated or unboosted students, faculty, and staff are required to participate in surveillance testing. Cornell provides symptomatic test kits to community members who are experiencing mild to moderate symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.

“The majority of positive cases being reported on campus are from symptomatic testing, which tells us that there are even more asymptomatic cases within our community,” Kotlikoff wrote.

The increase comes less than two weeks after the school dropped its mask mandate for most locations, though community members are still required to wear masks when in certain settings, such as classrooms and laboratories, at health care and testing facilities, and on public transportation.

Given the resurgence, the university strongly encourages community members to get tested before and after spring break, which is not for another week.

With increasing viral transmission occurring overseas, federal officials have been warning that the U.S. is likely to see an uptick in COVID-19 cases in the weeks to come, as the presence of the omicron subvariant, BA.2, spreads across the country.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday her agency is “carefully” watching New England and New York City for increases of the BA.2 variant after they found slight increases in the presence of COVID-19 in wastewater surveillance.

“Currently, we’re seeing a modest uptick of sites reporting an increase of virus levels in wastewater in some communities. In fact, over the past two weeks we have seen increasing wastewater signals in New York City and parts of New England, where we are now seeing increases in cases and some increased hospitalizations,” Walensky said during a White House COVID-19 briefing.

Walensky said officials have been focused largely on hospitalization metrics, to guide potential future guidance on masking and restriction measures.

“If cases do go up, we have the framework to implement additional layers of prevention strategies at the local level to swiftly protect individuals and communities,” Walensky said.

Many experts have been warning that the virus may be already spreading rapidly across the country.

Dozens of states have moved to shutter public testing sites, with more at-home COVID-19 tests now available in pharmacies, and through the federal testing program. Most Americans are not reporting their results to officials, and thus, experts said infection totals are likely significantly undercounted.

Nationwide, BA.2, now accounts for more than a third of new COVID-19 cases. Many top health officials, including Walensky and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, have said that they anticipate that over the next few weeks, BA.2 will become the predominant variant in the U.S.

Although breakthrough COVID-19 infections surged during the omicron wave, data from the CDC shows vaccines still dramatically reduced the risk of requiring hospitalization or dying of the virus.

In January, unvaccinated adults were 9 times more likely to die of COVID-19, compared to vaccinated individuals, and six times more likely to require hospitalization.

Additionally, unvaccinated adults were about 21 times more likely to die of COVID-19 in January, and 12 times more likely to require hospitalization, compared to fully vaccinated and boosted adults.

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(WASHINGTON) — Americans who don’t have health insurance will now start to see some of the free COVID-19 testing options disappear, even if they are showing symptoms.

Quest Diagnostics, one of the largest testing companies in the country, told ABC News that patients who are not on Medicare, Medicaid or a private health plan will now be charged $125 dollars ($119 + a $6 physician fee) when using one of its PCR tests either by ordering a kit online or visiting one of the 1,500 Quest or major retail locations that offer the tests, such as Walmart or Giant Eagle.

More than 30 million Americans had no insurance during the first half of 2021, according to CDC estimates.

This week, federal funding to cover the cost of COVID-19 testing and treatment for uninsured Americans officially dried up; any further infusion of cash hinges on Congress passing the White House’s request for billions more in COVID relief, which is still stuck at an impasse.

Quest has begun notifying its clients and partners they can no longer expect to be reimbursed for uninsured claims, barring additional funding from Congress.

For some of the major retail pharmacies, things are still in flux.

Walgreens told ABC News no firm decisions have yet been made. The company said it is waiting on further guidance from the White House and federal agencies and is remaining “hopeful for a path forward that ensures uninterrupted access to COVID-19 services.” CVS told ABC News it is “fully confident” a solution will be found between Congress and the administration.

But unless Congress agrees to more COVID-19 funding, it is likely companies will have to either absorb the cost of uninsured customers — or begin charging them.

Meanwhile, groups such as the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, which represents major retail drug stores and supermarkets such as CVS, Costco Wholesale, Hy-Vee and Albertsons, have been sounding alarm bells on the issue and pushing the Biden administration and Congress to sort things out.

“Any premature lapse in funding that splinters care access threatens to disintegrate the robust, equity-driven COVID-19 pandemic response that has so far saved more than a million lives,” NACDS wrote in recent letters to the White House as well as Senate and House leadership.

With funding for the uninsured expired, the support structure to provide equitable access to COVID-19 testing and treatment is “in imminent jeopardy,” the group wrote, warning the funding cut “could create extreme confusion at the pharmacy counter” and “result in the tragedy of increasing disparities in access to critically needed care and patients forgoing care.”

Fostering equitable access to COVID-19 care for vulnerable groups is contingent on making sure sick people get the treatment they need in time, because antiviral therapies such as monoclonals or Paxlovid must be taken within a short infection timeframe. So, getting treated is contingent upon getting tested in that limited window, to receive what is already a shrinking supply of free treatments. Getting tested in time is also contingent on being able to afford the service, which is not a given, especially for lower income families.

“The loss of access, as a result of expiring COVID-19 care programs, could undermine the nation’s broader, comprehensive response efforts, and NACDS agrees that inaction at this pivotal time could set the nation back, leave the nation less prepared, and may cost the nation more lives,” the letter read.

The American Clinical Laboratory Association — the national trade association representing some of the leading clinical labs responsible for COVID-19 diagnostics (including Quest and LabCorp) — is similarly raising concerns.

“Without question, the exhaustion of these funds will threaten access to testing for the most vulnerable Americans at a critical time in our nation’s response effort,” Tom Sparkman, ACLA’s senior vice president of government affairs and policy, wrote to House and Senate leadership this week.

Sparkman told ABC News in an interview Wednesday the funding cuts for the uninsured is two steps backward in the pandemic progress.

“We are still in a public health emergency. We’re not out of the woods yet — we don’t want to start taking apart pieces of the response. We need to remain strong and vigilant, and the uninsured funding is a critical component of that,” Sparkman said. “It’s extremely concerning.”

“We can’t start rolling up the carpet,” he said. “Not learning the lessons from past surges — of keeping a higher level of surge capacity for testing, keeping those lines warm and available — I think that would be a mistake.”

ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett and Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.

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