CNN – National

By Ashley R. Williams, CNN (CNN) — A California man who says he rarely plays scratch-off lottery games turned his luck from a previous win into a million-dollar payday. Vang Cha told California Lottery officials he usually prefers playing games with bigger jackpots – like the Powerball and Mega Millions prizes that have recently soared

By Ashley R. Williams, CNN (CNN) — Landscapers in southeastern Pennsylvania made a startling discovery on the job after coming across a pet alligator that got loose, authorities said. The alligator, identified as Fluffy by the owner who later came to retrieve it, was found in a creek in Berks County, an Exeter Township Police

By Andy Rose, CNN (CNN) — All gas stations in Oregon can now allow customers to pump their own gas under a new law signed Friday, lifting a ban on self-service in the state dating back to 1951. The new law, House Bill 2426, signed Friday by Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek went into effect immediately,

By Ashley R. Williams, CNN (CNN) — A University of Kansas paleontologist exploring an area known for its fossils recently uncovered a never-before-discovered ancient sea worm – and showed off her “nerdy” side while naming it. When Rhiannon LaVine found the 500-million-year-old fossil, the research associate with the university’s Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum

By Andy Rose, CNN (CNN) — An Arizona woman is accused of attempting to kill her husband by poisoning his coffee every day for months. Melody Felicano Johnson of Tucson was indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree attempted murder, attempting to commit aggravated assault and poisoning food or drink. Court documents obtained

By Raja Razek, Rebekah Riess and Ashley R. Williams, CNN (CNN) — A 6-year-old boy in Florida was left severely injured at a theme park after apparently falling from a ride that was nearly two dozen feet above where he was found, authorities said. The incident happened Thursday afternoon at Fun Spot America’s Galaxy Spin

By Rosa Flores and Sara Weisfeldt, CNN (CNN) — US border officials are increasing personnel and transportation resources at Ajo, Arizona, one of the most isolated and dangerous areas on the Southwest border, to deal with a recent increase in migrants and an ongoing heat wave. “Border Patrol has prioritized the quick transporting of noncitizens

By Maria Sole Campinoti, CNN (CNN) — The former president of the country’s fifth-largest police union was sentenced to two years in prison for a stealing more than $600,000 by filing phony expense reports, officials say. Edward Mullins pleaded guilty in January to one count of wire fraud and was sentenced on Thursday, according to

By Ray Sanchez, CNN (CNN) — Mari Gilbert did not live to witness the arrest of an architect from Long Island suspected of killing four young women whose remains were discovered in Gilgo Beach more than a decade ago. But the search for her daughter Shannan Gilbert, who went missing in May 2010, ultimately led

By Celina Tebor, CNN (CNN) — The 17-year-old suspected of fatally stabbing O’Shae Sibley has been charged with murder as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon, New York officials said Saturday. Sibley, a 28-year-old professional dancer, was stabbed to death at a Brooklyn gas station after dancing to a Beyoncé song last

By Zoe Sottile, CNN (CNN) — A Florida sheriff’s office is urging beachgoers to give manatees some privacy – and to not call the police on their distinctive mating displays. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office posted a video of a group of the sea creatures gathered near the shore last Saturday. “If you see this,

By Cheri Mossburg, CNN (CNN) — A bear believed to be responsible for breaking into more than 20 homes in California’s South Lake Tahoe area has been captured and will be relocated to Colorado, wildlife officials announced. The 500-pound female black bear, one of multiple bears identified by the public as “Hank the Tank,” was

By Mallika Kallingal and Rebekah Riess, CNN (CNN) — A Missouri man has been sentenced to nearly 16 years in prison for starting a fire that destroyed a mosque in 2020, according to a release from the US Department of Justice. Nicholas John Proffitt had pleaded guilty to using fire to damage religious property and

By Jay Croft and Raja Razek, CNN (CNN) — A gunfight at a Florida hotel between police and a holed-up suspect ended in the man’s death Saturday morning, just hours after he allegedly shot two officers in an earlier encounter that left them in critical condition, authorities say. The suspect had an “extensive violent and

By Mallika Kallingal and Macie Goldfar, CNN (CNN) — Eleven people were injured after a school bus with at least 30 on board rolled over near a major highway in Banks, Idaho, on Friday afternoon, according to an Idaho State Police Facebook post. The bus was part of a YMCA summer camp program carrying children between

By Scottie Andrew, CNN (CNN) — “Does this ratty T-shirt diminish my rizz?” “I’m going to rizz up a cutie at the party tonight.”  “I’d love to have a modicum of the rizz that Gandalf the Grey has.” “Rizz” is a relatively young word — it’s been circulating online since 2021 — but one that’s

By Christopher Hickey, CNN Hot summer days in the United States have only been getting hotter. In the 25 largest US cities, days with highs breaking the 100-degree Fahrenheit barrier have become more common over the past 75 years, according to airport weather station data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This year is

By Aya Elamroussi, CNN (CNN) — A record Mega Millions jackpot may be in play after no ticket matched all winning numbers in Friday night’s drawing, the lottery said. The estimated $1.55 billion grand prize – about $757.2 million if the lump sum cash option is chosen – could potentially be the largest jackpot in

By Ashley R. Williams, CNN (CNN) — US Customs and Border Protection officers in Kentucky say they intercepted millions of dollars worth of counterfeit designer watches last month. Several shipments of the fake goods – which included Rolex, Omega and Cartier labels – were discovered at the Louisville shipping hub in July, according to a

By Andy Rose, CNN (CNN) — A Texas judge issued an order late Friday temporarily barring the state from enforcing its ban on abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy in cases where a patient’s life or health could be endangered by an “emergent medical condition.” District Judge Jessica Mangrum ruled the law is ambiguous