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Also: Democratic National Convention kicks off; power is still out for many after Hurricane Isaac; Lufthansa cancels hundreds of flights because of strikes.

A series of twisters roared through North Texas on Wednesday night. In Granbury, about 35 miles from Fort Worth, neighborhoods were devastated. The search continues for victims.

Receipts left behind in Timbuktu show how the terrorist network tracks its expenses, The Associated Press reports. From minor amounts spent on food to much more spent on meetings, al-Qaida records expenses much like a multinational corporation would, the wire service says.

Critic Alan Cheuse likes his books thoughtfully plotted — and 2011 has made him a happy reader. A tiger haunts, a teen flees, ballplayers dream and vampires reign in beautifully conceived stories from new and distinguished authors.

The fire was moving fast, so firefighters haven't been able to control it. Authorities closed down a 9-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway.

Over the past decade, the government has been paying farmers to keep their land covered with native grasses instead of crops. But as grain prices have risen, the conservation reserve has shrunk by more than 25 percent. This decline in native grasslands means more soil erosion and less habitat for wildlife.

Crews collected 4.6 million pounds of oily material from the Gulf Coast shoreline this year. Coastal residents are asking how long they'll be living with the effects of BP's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Emmy Martin from The Chronicle of Higher Education about what the Epstein files have revealed about his links to higher education.

Also: Obama, Romney campaigns continue to spar over tax returns; U.K. and Sweden criticize Ecuador for giving asylum to Assange.

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill that bars professional teams there from treating their cheerleaders as independent contractors. The bill came after lawsuits alleged the cheerleaders were underpaid.