Florida works to avoid ‘catastrophic’ pond collapse
Crews in Florida are working to prevent the collapse of a large wastewater pond to avoid a “catastrophic flood.”
Associated Press
Prayer vigil planned for stricken rapper DMX
A prayer vigil is planned outside the suburban New York hospital where rapper DMX remains on life support following a heart attack.
April, the giraffe that became an online star, dies
HARPURSVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — April, the giraffe that became a sensation when a rural New York zoo livestreamed her 2017 pregnancy and delivery, was euthanized Friday because of advancing arthritis, the zoo said. “She is a precious member of our…
Fully vaccinated people can travel safely again, CDC says
NEW YORK (AP) — Add travel to the activities vaccinated Americans can safely enjoy again, according to new U.S. guidance issued Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S.…
Pay raises, yes; tax changes, no: Mississippi session ends
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi legislators agreed on a teacher pay raise and voted to update parole rules before adjourning their 2021 session. Lawmakers adjourned Thursday after setting a state budget for the year that starts…
Mississippi legislators adjourn their 3-month session
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi legislators have ended their 2021 session. They adjourned Thursday - days after approving a state budget and passing dozens of bills. The budget is for the year that begins…
Advocates: Put early voting proposal on Mississippi ballo
By LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A Democratic state lawmaker is leading a group of activists who want to amend the Mississippi Constitution to create a broad system of early, in-person voting. Rep. Hester Jackson…
‘Cool but weird.’ Macy’s store transformed into school
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Students who once shopped at a downtown mall in Burlington, Vermont, are now attending high school in the former Macy’s department store, with gleaming white tile floors and escalators whisking them to and from classes. The…
Mississippi: No extension of postpartum Medicaid coverage
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS and LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - An effort to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage has failed in Mississippi. The state has high rates of infant mortality and maternal mortality. The program usually has two…
Mississippi proposal would expand the possibility of parole
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi legislators have passed the final version of a bill that could make more inmates eligible for the possibility of parole. The state has one of the highest incarceration rates in the…
NFL owners approve 17-game regular season, 3 preseason games
By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer The NFL is increasing the regular season to 17 games and reducing the preseason to three games. Team owners on Tuesday approved the 17th game, marking the first time in 43 years the…
New ‘Lord of the Rings’ edition to include Tolkien artwork
NEW YORK (AP) — An upcoming edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy will include paintings, drawings and other illustrations by the British author for the first time since it was published in the mid-1950s. Houghton Mifflin…
Part of Wright brothers’ 1st airplane on NASA’s Mars chopper
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A piece of the Wright brothers’ first airplane is on Mars. NASA’s experimental Martian helicopter holds a small swatch of fabric from the 1903 Wright Flyer, the space agency revealed Tuesday. The helicopter, named Ingenuity,…
Saints’ Lattimore suspected of possessing stolen handgun
CLEVELAND (AP) - Police in Cleveland say New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore has been arrested there on suspicion of possessing a weapon. A Cleveland police spokesperson says Lattimore was arrested Thursday night in Cleveland after authorities stopped a car…
‘Virginia Woolf,’ ‘Goldbergs’ star George Segal dies at 87
Segal’s wife Sonia Segal said in a statement that he died Tuesday in Santa Rosa, California, of complications from bypass surgery. He was 87.
First case of South African variant identified in Harrison County resident
By LEAH WILLINGHAM JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The South African coronavirus variant has been discovered in a Mississippi resident for the first time. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said a resident of Harrison County on the Mississippi Coast contracted the strain, which is…
NASA completes engine test firing of moon rocket on 2nd try
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA completed an engine test firing of its moon rocket Thursday, after the first attempt in January ended prematurely. This time, the four main engines of the rocket’s core stage remained ignited for the full…
Mississippi teacher pay raise plan headed to governor
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi legislators have agreed on a teacher pay raise plan, and it will head to Gov. Tate Reeves. The Republican governor said earlier this year that he would sign any teacher pay raise bill that lands…
Mississippi tax cut proposal dies without a Senate vote
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A bill to make big changes to Mississippi's tax structure is dying in the state Senate. The bill passed the House last month. But Senate Finance Committee Chairman Josh Harkins…
'Gonna be sore:' Louisiana troopers boasted of beating Black man
By JIM MUSTIAN, Associated Press Louisiana State Police troopers joked in a group text about beating a Black man after a high-speed chase last year, saying the "whoopin" would give the man "nightmares for a long time," according to new…
Prince William defends UK royal family against racism claims
He said the royals are “very much not a racist family.”
What’s inside the $1.9T COVID-19 bill passed by Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House approved a sweeping pandemic relief package over Republican opposition on Wednesday, sending it to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The milestone political victory would provide $1,400 checks for most Americans and direct billions of…
Congress OKs $1.9T virus relief bill
By ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress has sent President Joe Biden the landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. The House approved the bill Wednesday over solid Republican opposition in a vote that gives the new president and…
Ex-Army captain who killed family seeks release due to virus
A former Army captain serving three life sentences for the 1970 murders of his pregnant wife and two young children has asked a federal judge to free him due to his age and failing health.
