California wildfires, Tour de France, 'Animal House' turns 40: 5 things to know this weekend

Editors USA TODAY

Published 8:57 p.m. UTC Jul 28, 2018

Deadly blaze pushes through California, forces town evacuations

Hot, dry weather is forecast through the weekend which could fuel the deadly wildfire in Northern California that has destroyed at least 500 structures and grown to more than 75 square miles. The fire, believed to have started earlier this week in the Gold Rush-era hamlet of French Gulch from a vehicle problem, claimed the lives of two people this week and has put firefighting agencies on "evacuation and life-saving mode." Elsewhere in California, firefighters continue to battle a wildfire in the San Jacinto Mountains that has burned 12,300 acres, while crews have been asked to stay another week, totaling 21 days — the most firefighters can work a fire before being sent home — to fight the Yosemite-area fire.

She's back! Simone Biles returns to action

After nearly two years out of the competition, esteemed American gymnast Simone Biles is back. Competing in the U.S. Classic in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, it will be Biles first competition since winning four gold medals in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Biles said in a tweet that she plans to compete in all four disciplines while at the one-day event, which serves as the final qualifier for the 2018 national championships next month in Boston. The field will also include reigning world champion Morgan Hurd and reigning national champion Regan Smith.

Re-examining 'Animal House' four decades later

Widely regarded as an all-time classic, National Lampoon's raunchy frat house comedy "Animal House" celebrates its 40th anniversary on Saturday. But four decades later, the movie — which was immortalized in the Library of Congress, joining an elite group of film greats like "Casablanca" and "Titanic" — feels more like a toxic showcase of racism, homophobia and jokes about sexual assault. While parts of the film are still genuinely funny and enjoyable in 2018, the crueler moments beg the question: In the era of #MeToo, is it still OK to enjoy "Animal House"?

Pressure intensifies as Tour de France eyes final stretch

The 105th Tour de France will conclude this weekend with only one more challenging stage standing in the way of Geraint Thomas winning his first Tour title. Thomas, who helped Britain to the gold medal in team pursuit at the 2012 London Olympics, takes an advantage of 2 minutes, 5 seconds over Dutch rival Tom Dumoulin into Saturday's 19-mile individual time trial in the Basque Country. A big worry for Thomas this week focused on the unruly fans who have consistently affected this Tour — one fan reached over the barriers nearly took Thomas down. The Tour will finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Sunday.

Feeling hungry this weekend? You'll have options

Sunday offers a little something for everyone. Whether you like them spicy hot or sticky sweet, July 29 is the day for all things chicken wings. That’s right, it’s National Chicken Wing Day and that means many of your favorite places for chicken wings will be offering deals to lure you in. But wait, are you feeling a little more Italian instead? You’re in luck because it’s also National Lasagna Day and there are more deals.

Contributing: Associated Press

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