Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — As another monster storm approaches the U.S. Gulf Coast, for many people the prospect of a blackout carries high risk. Verna Lee and her husband Ronald Bailey in New Orleans have to worry every time the lights go out, how long the batteries will last on the breathing machine
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Israel and Hezbollah each have strong incentives to heed international calls for a cease-fire that could avert all-out war — but that doesn’t mean they will. Hezbollah is reeling after a sophisticated attack on personal devices killed and wounded hundreds of its members. Israeli airstrikes have killed two top commanders in Beirut in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DETROIT (AP) — A man already in jail on sexual assault charges has been charged with murder in the disappearance of a 13-year-old Detroit girl. Na’Ziyah Harris has been missing since leaving school in January and is presumed dead. Authorities allege 41-year-old Jarvis Butts killed the girl because she was pregnant with his
Continue ReadingPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The number of companies planning to bid on a chance to develop a floating offshore wind project off the Oregon coast has been dwindling as opposition to the plan remains strong. The federal government finalized two areas for floating offshore wind farms along the Oregon coast in February. The move brought
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An appeals court has sent back part of a lawsuit brought by a protester of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, who alleged law enforcement officers used excessive force. Oklahoma resident Eric Poemoceah filed the lawsuit in 2020 against Morton County, two county sheriffs and other officers. He alleged a
Continue ReadingDAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) — A man faces a possible death sentence after being convicted of killing four people in a small northeast Nebraska town more than two years ago. A jury found 44-year-old Jason Jones guilty Thursday of 10 counts, including four counts of first-degree murder. Jones stands convicted in the August 2022 shooting
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A network of people and virtual currency exchanges associated with harboring Russian cybercrime have been hit with sanctions in a government-wide crackdown on cybercrime. The announcement could assist Russia ahead of President Joe Biden’s Thursday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The State Department is offering a $10 million reward
Continue ReadingAP Business Writers OpenAI’s history as a nonprofit research institute that also sells commercial products like ChatGPT may be coming to an end as the San Francisco company looks to more fully convert itself into a for-profit corporation accountable to shareholders. The artificial intelligence company’s board is considering a decision that would change it into
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The head of the Palestinian Authority has denounced Israel in front of world leaders. He appealed to other nations to stop what he called a “genocidal war” against a place and people that he said had been totally destroyed. He used the rostrum of the U.N. General Assembly as
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin district attorney said Thursday that her office is pursuing an investigation into the removal of an absentee ballot drop box by the mayor of Wausau. Mayor Doug Diny removed the drop box, located outside of City Hall, on Sunday and distributed a picture of himself doing it
Continue ReadingAssociated Press New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on federal charged that he allegedly took bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources. The charges unsealed Thursday marked a stunning fall for Adams, a former police captain who made a commitment to law-and-order a cornerstone of his political platform even as multiple
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A Justice Department investigation has found that police in a majority-Black Mississippi city discriminate against Black people, use excessive force and retaliate against people who criticize them. A department report released Thursday says the Lexington Police Department has a “persistent pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct.” The Justice Department launched
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — The UFC reached another settlement with one of the two class-action litigants, agreeing Thursday to pay the former fighters $375 million after a previous agreement was thrown out by a Nevada district judge. Judge Richard Boulware in July dismissed a $335 million settlement with two antitrust lawsuits, including
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The mailing of about 2,200 duplicate absentee ballots in Wisconsin’s heavily Democratic capital city of Madison has led a Republican member of Congress to falsely suggest that the clerk was lying about the presence of barcodes on the ballots themselves. An initial statement on Monday from Madison Clerk Maribeth
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s government says its investigation shows that police had orchestrated the killing of a doctor accused of blasphemy while he was held in custody last week. The interior minister in Sindh province says officers then lied about the circumstances of the man’s death, claiming he was killed in a
Continue ReadingPHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia’s mayor has revealed the terms of the deal negotiated with the city’s pro basketball team for a new $1.3 billion arena downtown. The agreement reached earlier this month calls for the Philadelphia 76ers to finance the entire project, with no city funding involved. But there is a provision that would let
Continue ReadingNYON, Switzerland (AP) — Serbia and Albania are set to co-host the men’s Under-21 European Championship in 2027 in a soccer project that aims to overcome political tensions. UEFA says only the Serbia-Albania bid met a deadline this week to file detailed plans for the 16-team tournament. Belgium and Turkey had declared interest earlier in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Court of Appeals has thrown out a manslaughter charge against a Detroit gas station clerk who locked the door before an angry customer shot three bystanders, killing one. Prosecutors say clerk Al-Hassan Aiyash’s actions contributed to the tragedy. But the appeals court said Wednesday that an involuntary manslaughter
Continue ReadingAP Medical Writer With more Americans using ever-stronger marijuana, a federal advisory panel is calling for a public health approach that’s a big departure from “Just Say No.” Thursday’s report proposes a health-focused strategy with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention taking a larger role in cannabis policy than ever before. “We’d like the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans can once again order COVID-19 tests, without being charged, straight to their homes. The U.S. government reopened the program on Thursday, allowing any household in the U.S. to order up to four at-home COVID nasal swab kits through the website, covidtests.gov. The tests will begin shipping, via the United
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