People: Queen Elizabeth’s reign is UK’s longest
Queen Elizabeth II has reached a major milestone by becoming the longest-reigning monarch in Britain’s history.
She passes Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother, who was on the throne for 63 years and 7 months.
Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday that millions of Britons would celebrate the queen’s “historic moment.”
“Over the last 63 years, Her Majesty has been a rock of stability in a world of constant change, and her selfless sense of service and duty has earned admiration not only in Britain, but right across the globe,” Cameron said.
“It is only right that today we should celebrate her extraordinary record, as well as the grace and dignity with which she serves our country.”
Elizabeth came to the throne in 1952 upon the death of her father, King George VI.
Her official coronation came the following year and was one of the first major public events to be televised in Britain.
‘The Who hits 50!’ tour hits snag
The Who has postponed the launch of its latest tour.
Blaming “an unspecified virus” contracted by frontman Roger Daltrey, the veteran British rock band said Tuesday it won’t play concerts scheduled next week in Southern California and Las Vegas.
“The Who Hits 50!” as the tour is billed, was to begin a North American leg on Sept. 14 in San Diego, then make stops at Los Angeles’ Staples Center, Anaheim’s Honda Center and the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Those shows will be rescheduled, the band said in a statement, with details to be announced “in the coming weeks.”
The Who was also to appear Sept. 18 at the annual iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas; that date has been canceled.
Brockovich: EPA misleading on spill
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich is accusing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of not telling the truth about the amount of wastewater that fouled rivers in three states after spilling from a Colorado mine.
She leveled the accusation against the agency during a visit to the Navajo Nation on Tuesday. She met with tribal leadership and farmers affected by last month’s spill and spoke to a crowd of high school students in Shiprock, New Mexico.
During her speech, Brockovich questioned the EPA’s estimate that 3 million gallons spilled from the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado.
The agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The EPA initially estimated the spill at 1 million gallons. That was revised to 3 million gallons after the agency reviewed river flow data following the spill.
The birthday bunch
Rock musician John McFee (The Doobie Brothers) is 65. Actor Hugh Grant is 55. Actor Adam Sandler is 49. Model Rachel Hunter is 46. Pop-jazz singer Michael Buble is 40. Actress Michelle Williams is 35. Country singer-songwriter Hunter Hayes is 24.