The Short List

Sat Jul 6 2024

John Riley | Audience Editor

Mexico's leading drug cartels have their sights set on a surprising target: the tourist paradise of Hawaii. Rebuilding a Florida fishing dock could hold the key to revitalizing the Gulf shrimping industry. And Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have "hard-launched" their couple status − for better or worse.

👋Hello again, Short List friends. John Riley here. I hope you're still cruising on July Fourth vibes. Let's keep the holiday boat afloat with some of the best stories of the week from the USA TODAY Network.

But first: Who is the 'Sepia Bride'? Her videos sparked a social media ruckus about the wedding industry.

How Mexican cartels target Hawaii with meth, fentanyl

🔵On Oahu's west coast – lauded by locals for having the island's best sunsets – homeless tents that dot the ocean's edge hint at a growing problem: drugs, brought in by Mexican cartels. The crime organizations are flooding Hawaii with meth, fentanyl, and other drugs as they move beyond major U.S. cities and into more remote states with fewer competitors and police resources.

•	Cartels diversifying: Gangs target food, fuel industries

In Florida, shrimp industry 'on the verge of collapse' years after Ian

🔵In September 2022, Hurricane Ian grounded dozens of gigantic shrimp trawlers and knocked vital shrimp docks out of commission at Fort Myers Beach, Florida. Nearly two years later, the dock is still in disrepair and talks on rebuilding it are contentious. Kate Cimini reports how what happens next could affect the entire Gulf shrimping industry, which is already facing depressed prices, competition from imports and increased fuel costs.

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and the dawn of the 'hard launch summer'

🟣Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are together-together. And by that we mean she's finally posting photos of him on her Instagram grid. They've entered what's commonly known as the "hard launch": The time when a couple says, "You know what? Yes, we are together, and we don't care who knows it!" Therapists say celebrities have myriad reasons for pulling that proverbial trigger, but one thing's for sure: You can't unring that bell.