HUNTER BIDEN (at right) at President Joe Biden’s inauguration (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

A special counsel has been appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden.

United Press International is reporting that U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware will be heading up the investigation.

He is an appointee of former president Donald Trump and has been investigating Hunter Biden  since 2019.

The president’s son faces misdemeanor charges of not paying his federal income taxes for 2017 and 2018 and has been charged with possessing a firearm while addicted to a controlled substance.

Utah monuments will be restored

President Joe Biden’s plans to restore two national monuments reduced by former president Donald Trump were upheld by a federal judge on Friday.

According to the Associated Press, Biden had the power to restore Bears Ears And Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.

U.S. District Judge David Nuffer ruled against a challenge by the State of Utah, deciding the Biden was within his authority to create national monuments “as he sees fit.”

Death toll in Lahaina reaches 67

AERIAL view of Lahaina, Maui during the blaze (NWS Photo).

The number of people killed in the fires that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui has been increased to 67.

The New York Times is reporting that many residents of what was once a community of 13,000 people are not yet accounted for, and that the count of fire victims is still likely to rise.

Parts of the town have been reopened to residents to search the remains of their homes and businesses and perhaps look for a pet.

The fires, fanned by the winds of Hurricane Dora, have already killed more people than when a tsunami struck the island in 1960, causing fatalities.

Weather: Warming trend on the way

Don’t give up on summer yet! Our West Orange County area is about to see things warm up every day for a while. While the skies will be partly cloudy through Tuesday, Saturday’s daytime high of 81 will rise to 82 on Sunday 85 on Monday at 88 on Tuesday. Overnight lows will increase from 65 to 68.