NORAD expects smooth travels for Santa Claus this weekend
NORAD doesn’t expect COVID or the bomb cyclone hitting North America to impact St. Nick’s global travels. The North American Aerospace Defense Command is responsible for monitoring…
National News
Zelenskyy thanks ‘every American,’ sees ‘turning point’
By ZEKE MILLER, LISA MASCARO and E. EDUARDO CASTILLO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that “against all odds” Ukraine still stands, as he paid a defiant wartime visit to Washington to thank U.S. leaders…
Emmett Till and his mother honored with congressional medal
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House unanimously passed a bill Wednesday to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley. The bill, which passed the Senate in January, is meant to honor Till and his…
Storm adds uncertainty to strong holiday travel demand
Concerns about illness or inflation aren’t stopping Americans from hitting the roads and airports this holiday season. But a massive winter storm might. Forecasters predict an onslaught of heavy snow, ice, flooding and powerful winds from Thursday to Saturday in a broad…
US braces for dangerous blast of cold, wind and snow
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A large swath of the U.S. braced for a dangerous mix of sub-zero temperatures, howling winds and blizzard conditions expected to disrupt plans for millions of holiday travelers. The blast of frigid weather began hammering…
Zelenskyy arrives in US to meet Biden, address Congress as war rages
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington on Wednesday for a summit with President Joe Biden and an address to Congress in a bid to shore up support for his country and send a defiant message to its Russian invaders. A U.S.…
Man who threatened to kill CDC head pleads guilty to charges
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi man who threatened to kill Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky has pleaded guilty to making threats in interstate commerce, federal prosecutors announced Monday. Robert Wiser Bates, 39, of Ridgeland, threatened…
Deputy dressed as Grinch gives onions to speeding drivers
MARATHON, Fla. (AP) — Several motorists who were speeding through an elementary school zone on the Florida Keys Overseas Highway received an odorous onion as a reminder to slow down from a county sheriff’s deputy dressed as the Grinch. Col.…
White House reveals winter COVID-19 plans, more free tests
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is once more making some free COVID-19 tests available to all U.S. households as it releases its contingency plans with coronavirus cases ticking upward this winter. After a three-month hiatus, the administration is making four rapid virus tests…
Police: Customer shoots KFC employee over no corn
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A KFC employee in St. Louis has been hospitalized after a customer shot him because he was upset that the restaurant had run out of corn, police said. Investigators said the man tried to place an…
South cleans up from tornadoes as blizzards advance north
By JAKE BLEIBERG and KEVIN MCGILL Associated Press KEITHVILLE, La. (AP) - A storm system that spawned dozens of reported tornadoes from east Texas to the Florida Panhandle was all but done with the South on Thursday after killing at…
Mississippi set to execute man for killing 16-year-old girl
By MICHAEL GOLDBERG Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi man who pleaded guilty to raping and killing a 16-year-old girl is scheduled to be put to death. He would become the second inmate executed in Mississippi…
Rare Apollo mission moon rock back in Cyprus after 50 years
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Half a century after U.S. astronauts brought it back from the moon’s surface, a minute piece of extraterrestrial rock has finally reached its intended destination, the east Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus. The 1.1 gram piece…
California girl licensed to own unicorn — if she finds one
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A girl named Madeline, with a vivid imagination and remarkable awareness of how bureaucracy can dash dreams, got her wish when she asked Los Angeles animal control authorities for a license to own a unicorn —…
Brittney Griner freed from Russian prison in prisoner swap
By ERIC TUCKER and MATTHEW LEE WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner on Thursday in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, with the U.S. releasing notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, American and Russian officials said. The swap, at a time…
NASA capsule flies over Apollo landing sites, heads home
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s Orion capsule and its test dummies swooped one last time around the moon Monday, flying over a couple Apollo landing sites before heading home. Orion will aim for a Pacific splashdown Sunday off San…
Kirstie Alley, Emmy-winning ‘Cheers’ star, dies at 71
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Kirstie Alley, a two-time Emmy winner who starred in the 1980s sitcom “Cheers” and the hit film “Look Who’s Talking,” has died. She was 71. Her death was announced Monday by her children on social media…
Start date for Real ID pushed to 2025
Once again, air travelers have more time to get a Real ID compliant card. Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced a new date set for May 7,…
3 rehabilitated manatees released in Florida Keys
KEY COLONY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Three adult male manatees rescued from waters in the Florida Keys earlier this year have been returned to a Keys canal after being treated and rehabilitated at SeaWorld Orlando. Personnel from the Florida Fish…
Gold Rush treasures from 1857 shipwreck up for Reno auction
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Since the recovery of sunken treasure began decades ago from an 1857 shipwreck off the coast of South Carolina, tens of millions of dollars worth of gold has been sold. But scientists, historians and collectors say…
Senate moves to avert rail strike amid dire warnings
By KEVIN FREKING and JOSH FUNK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate has moving quickly to avert a rail strike that the Biden administration and business leaders say would greatly damage the economy. The Senate passed a bill Thursday…
Justices keep student loan cancellation blocked for now
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court says the Biden administration program to cancel student loans will remain blocked for now, but the justices have agreed to take up the case in late winter. The court’s decision to hear arguments relatively…
GivingTuesday raises $3.1B for charities in tough economy
NEW YORK (AP) — GivingTuesday raised a record $3.1 billion in 24 hours for charitable causes in the U.S. earlier this week, as the event that started as a hashtag in 2012 celebrated its 10th anniversary and its status as…
Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter, dies at 79
NEW YORK (AP) — Christine McVie, the British-born Fleetwood Mac vocalist, songwriter and keyboard player whose cool, soulful contralto helped define such classics as “You Make Loving Fun,” “Everywhere” and “Don’t Stop,” has died at age 79. Her death was…