The former voice of the “Sesame Street” character Elmo is being sued by a man who claims the entertainer lured him into drug-fueled sex when he was 16.

Sheldon Stephens, who’s now 24, says he met Kevin Clash at a networking event. He says he was brought by limousine from Pennsylvania to a New York apartment. There, Clash allegedly smoked crystal meth while giving the teenager another recreational drug.

Stephens first made the allegations last year, but recanted after failed efforts to reach a settlement. He renewed the accusations in a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Pennsylvania.

Clash’s attorney Michael Berger says his client denies any wrongdoing. He says Stephens already admitted he had an adult consensual relationship with Clash.

Three other men also are suing Clash, alleging underage sex.

The U.S. government won’t appeal a court decision blocking it from requiring tobacco companies to put large graphic health warnings on cigarette packages.

In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Attorney General Eric Holder says the Food and Drug Administration will go back to the drawing board and propose new labels.

The government had until Monday to ask for a U.S. Supreme Court review.

A judge ruled last year that the requirement violated First Amendment free speech protections. An appeals court upheld that ruling.

Some of the largest tobacco companies sued to block the mandate to include warnings depicting the dangers of smoking and encouraging smokers to quit. They argued the warnings amounted to anti-smoking advocacy. The government argued the photos of dead and diseased smokers were factual.

The asphyxiation death of a dog dropped from the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has outraged animal rights activists who have long criticized the 1,000-mile race as cruel.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is urging Alaska prosecutors to file cruelty charges for those responsible for the death of 5-year-old Dorado, who died after being buried by drifting snow at a checkpoint.

The dog was found dead Friday morning in Unalakleet, 260 miles from the finish line in Nome.

Race spokeswoman Erin McLarnon referred questions to race officials, who did not immediately return request for comment.

The dog belonged to the team of rookie musher Paige Drobny. Her husband, Cody Strathe, said

A Marine commander says an accident that killed seven Marines and injured seven other service members in Nevada happened when a mortar round exploded inside its firing tube during mountain training exercises.

Brigadier General Jim Lukeman spoke to reporters Tuesday afternoon from Camp Lejeune, N.C. The Marines are part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.

Lukeman says seven service members were injured, including three with serious injuries.

Marine Corps officials say the accident happened about 10 p.m. Monday at the Hawthorne Army Depot in rural Nevada about 130 miles southeast of Reno.

The identities of those killed won’t be released until 24 hours after their families are notified.

The civilian defense contractor accused of giving his Chinese girlfriend military secrets on war plans, nuclear weapons and missile defense started working at the U.S. Pacific Command about three years ago.

Benjamin Bishop’s LinkedIn profile says he worked on cybersecurity starting last May.

It says the 59-year-old was a strategic planner working on deterrence for two years before that. This includes the time when federal authorities allege he began a romantic relationship with a 27-year-old woman from China living in the U.S. on a student visa.

Bishop is a Special Forces lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.

His Army biography lists several honors including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

Bishop is being charged with willfully communicating national defense information to a person not entitled to receive it

A Lincoln prison inmate’s wife has been accused of trying to smuggle pot to him.

20-year-old Lakeisha Davis, of Omaha, is charged with delivering or attempting to deliver contraband.

An arrest warrant affidavit says prison guards interrupted a January visit by Davis to Michael Benson and took Benson into a room for a strip search. The affidavit says Benson threw a bag of marijuana onto the floor. The guards suspected Davis had passed the bag to Benson.

Davis was allowed to leave, but an arrest warrant was issued earlier this month.

Benson is in prison on drug and theft convictions out of Douglas County.

Natura Pet Products is recalling an assortment of its dog, cat and ferret foods because they may be contaminated with salmonella bacteria.

The Fremont, Neb.-based company said Tuesday that no illnesses have been linked to its products, but the tests by Michigan officials confirmed salmonella in its products.

Salmonella can affect both pets and their owners, especially if people don’t thoroughly wash their hands after handling pet food.

The recall covers a variety of products sold in the United States, Canada, Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Costa Rica under the California Natural, Evo, Healthwise and Innova brands that were made at the same facility.

A complete list of the recalled foods is available online at https://www.naturapet.com/recall . Customers can call (800) 224-6123 for more information.

A Gresham resident has been given probation in connection with the beating of a 49-year-old man at a homeless camp in Lincoln.

Jesse Davis had pleaded no contest to a charge of terroristic threats. The victim suffered several broken ribs, a broken bone in his back and a small brain bleed in the June 8 beating.

On Monday Davis was sentenced to 18 months of probation and 180 days in jail at the end of probation. The jail time can be waived on the recommendation of Davis’ probation officer.

Two other people also were charged in the beating. Gilbert Sully got 360 days in jail and Sarah Jones is awaiting sentencing. They also pleaded no contest to charges of terroristic threats.

Authorities say a University of Central Florida student who pulled a dorm fire alarm in the middle of the night had a more sinister plan than sending students scurrying out into the night.

Campus police said Monday that 30-year-old James Oliver Seevakumaran was armed with two guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a backpack filled with explosives and a plan to attack other students as they fled the seven-story dorm where he lived.

His plans were thrown off by campus police officers’ quick response to the fire alarm and a 911 call from Seevakumaran’s roommate who had holed himself in a bathroom after Seevakumaran pointed a gun at him.

Police officers found Seevakumaran dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his dorm room. No other students were hurt.