Associated Press The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said Friday. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said federally
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has imposed sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of Georgia’s ruling political party. The State and Treasury departments said Friday that Ivanishvili has steered the country away from a pro-Western stance and towards Russia. The designation of Ivanishvili is the latest in a series of sanctions the U.S. has
Continue ReadingWHARTON, N.J. (AP) — Road crews were repairing a short stretch of Interstate 80 in northern New Jersey on Friday where a sinkhole forced the eastbound lanes to shut down, but it was still unknown when they will reopen. The highway’s guardrail still hung suspended in the air across the gaping 40-foot-wide (12-meter) hole, which
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — More than 2 years after Tennessee abruptly halted the execution of inmate Oscar Smith, the state has announced a new lethal injection method. Tennessee said on Friday it will use a single injection of pentobarbital to carry out executions, which have been on pause since May 2022. The 11th
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — After a nearly weeklong search, Athena found her way home to her Florida family in time for Christmas Eve and even rang the doorbell. Athena, a 4-year-old German Shepherd and Husky mix, escaped her home in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on Dec. 15, prompting a search among
Continue Reading529 college savings plans are powerful tools to help pay for the mounting costs of an education. You can use 529 funds to cover only qualified education expenses without incurring a tax penalty, but it can be hard to pinpoint how much money you actually need. What do you do if you still have money left over after
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Newly released body camera footage shows that a man fatally beaten in a New York prison this month was repeatedly pummeled by correctional officers while in handcuffs. Robert Brooks was pronounced dead Dec. 10. The 43-year-old was assaulted the day before at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare the tensions between
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WAKEFIELD, N.H. (AP) — A Massachusetts couple and their two daughters were identified by authorities Friday as the victims of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning after they were found dead at their lake house in New Hampshire on Christmas Day. Matthew Goldstein, 52, was a teacher at the Edith C. Baker School in Brookline
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — An outdoor holiday market in New York City’s Bryant Park briefly caught fire, sending flames and plumes of smoke above the popular midtown Manhattan tourist draw. No one was injured in the blaze. But fire officials said at least four shops were destroyed in the fire, which broke out around 9
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday. Biden administration officials said this
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia judges concerned about security lapses at city courthouses have ordered the sheriff to address what they call a rising number of assaults, threats and staffing shortages among court officers. The judges, in a court order published this week, say the “systemic failures” with security pose an “imminent threat” to
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Maryland is suing the company that produces the waterproof material Gore-Tex often used for raincoats and other outdoor gear, alleging its leaders kept using “forever chemicals” long after learning about serious health risks associated with them. The complaint, which was filed last week in federal court, focuses on a cluster of 13 facilities
Continue ReadingSAO PAULO (AP) — One more body has been found after a bridge linking two northern states on Brazil collapsed, lifting the death toll to nine. Brazil’s navy said Friday that the body of a woman was found 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from the bridge. Another eight people remain unaccounted for. Several cars and trucks
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has ruled that the Georgia state Senate can subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as part of a inquiry into whether she has engaged in misconduct during her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump but is giving Willis the chance to contest whether lawmakers’ demands are overly broad.
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says an American schoolteacher arrested in Russia on drug charges more than three years ago has been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained. Marc Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, is serving a 14-year prison sentence after being arrested in August 2021 at a Russian airport and
Continue ReadingLONDON (AP) — Travelers to and from the U.K. are facing disruption and delays with foggy weather affecting some of the country’s airports. Nats, the U.K.‘s main air traffic controller, said restrictions were in place at several airports as a result of widespread fog. The agency said an expert from the Met Office, the U.K.’s
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Montenegro has approved the extradition of a South Korean mogul known as “the cryptocurrency king” to the United States. The Balkan country’s Justice Ministry on Friday issued a deposition allowing the handover of Do Kwon, the Terraform Labs founder who was arrested in Montenegro last year. It was not
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — As the calendar changes to 2025, you might be thinking about how to approach your relationship with money in the new year. Whether you’re saving to move out of your parents’ house or pay off student loan debt, financial resolutions can help you stay motivated. If you’re planning to
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says the military alliance will step up patrols in the Baltic Sea area as Finnish investigators work to establish whether a ship linked to Russia sabotaged undersea cables there this week. Finnish authorities seized control of the ship, the Eagle S, on Thursday. They’re trying to
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