News Wrap: Severe storms across central U.S. kill at least 14 people, delay Indy 500

John Yang:

Good evening, I'm John Yang. Powerful storms have killed at least 14 people including two children and left a trail of destruction across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The storms crossed Texas highways tossing trucks and demolishing roadside structures in small towns. A local sheriff assess the damage in his community.

Ray Sappington, Sheriff, Cooke County:

We can rebuild property and you know, as horrible as this looks. Probably in two, three months, it won't look like this. It'll be better but the loss of life is just tragic. It's always tragic and that's what hurts most.

John Yang:

At least seven of the dead were in Cooke County, Texas near the Oklahoma border. In Arkansas massive trees were uprooted across the region hundreds of thousands of people remain without power. Severe storms delay the start of today's Indianapolis 500 race officials evacuated about 125,000 people who had gathered for the annual Memorial Day weekend event.

The National Weather Service says there's a high risk of severe thunderstorms tonight from the Ozarks into the Ohio Valley region. In the Middle East, tonight an exchange of fire between Israel and Hamas. Palestinian medics say 22 people were killed and an Israeli airstrike in Rafah that hit tents full of displaced people that followed a barrage of rockets that Hamas militants launched from Gaza at Central Israel.

In Tel Aviv air raid siren sounded for the first time in months, frightened residents rushed to underground shelters. The Israeli military said it shot down a number of the rockets. There were no reports of casualties.

In Papua New Guinea, the UN estimates that the bodies of more than 670 people are buried beneath the massive landslide that devastated the island nation on Friday. Crews have recovered only five bodies and the part of a six. They've been flooded by shifting ground. More than 1200 people are homeless.

And the man who co-wrote the soundtrack for generations of childhood memories is dead. Richard Sherman and his late brother Robert composed the music for films like Jungle Book and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." They won two Academy Awards for Mary Poppins, Best Score and Best Song for "Chim Chim Cher-ee."

In all, the Sherman Brothers wrote more than 200 songs and won three Grammys. In 2008 President George W. Bush awarded them The National Medal of the Arts.

The commendation said their music helped bring joy to millions. Richard Sherman was 95 years old.

Still to come on PBS News Weekend why food assistance benefits aren't keeping up with inflation. And a Grammy Award winning teacher on the importance of music for all.