National News
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
LONDON (AP) - Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and went down with the ship as the captain in "Titanic," has died. Hill, 79, passed away Sunday morning, agent Lou Coulson said. Hill joined "Th...
May 06, 2024
Medgar Evers receives posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom
Medgar Wiley Evers will be posthumously receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Evers, a World War II veteran and civil rights leader was assassinated on June 12, 1963, in the driveway of his home in Jackson. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest U.S. civilian honor awarded to individuals who have made ...
May 03, 2024
Heavy rains over Texas have led to water rescues, school cancellations and orders to evacuate
HOUSTON (AP) - Officials in Houston are urging residents to prepare for worsening flooding after days of heavy rains that have led to high-water rescues and mandatory evacuation orders. "This threat is ongoing and it's going to get worse. It is not your typical river flood," Hidalgo County Judge Lina Hidalgo,...
May 03, 2024
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth stopped sending back understandable data last November. Flight controllers traced the blank communication to a bad computer chip and rearranged the spacecraft's coding to work a...
May 03, 2024
Conservative states challenge federal rule on treatment of transgender students
Several Republican state attorneys general are challenging a federal regulation that seeks to protect the rights of transgender students in the nation's schools by banning blanket policies that bar transgender students from school bathrooms aligning with their gender, among other provisions. The officials argue the new...
Apr 30, 2024
Firefighters douse a blaze at a historic Oregon hotel famously featured in 'The Shining'
GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. (AP) - Firefighters doused a late-night fire at Oregon's historic Timberline Lodge - featured in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film "The Shining" - before it caused significant damage. The fire Thursday night was confined to the roof and attic of the lodge, 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Port...
Apr 22, 2024
Mandisa, Grammy-winning singer and 'American Idol' alum, dies at 47
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Mandisa, a contemporary Christian singer who appeared on "American Idol" and won a Grammy for her 2013 album 'Overcomer', has died. She was 47. A representative for the singer told The Associated Press that the singer was found dead in her home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday. The...
Apr 19, 2024
Facing a Republican revolt, House Speaker Johnson's plan for US aid to Ukraine, allies uncertain
WASHINGTON (AP) - Defiant and determined, House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed back Tuesday against mounting Republican anger over his proposed U.S. aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, and rejected a call to step aside or risk a vote to oust him from office. "I am not resigning," Johnson said after...
Apr 17, 2024
Gun supervisor for 'Rust' movie gets 18 months in prison for fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin on set
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - A movie weapons supervisor was sentenced to 18 months in prison in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film "Rust," during a hearing Monday in which tearful family members and friends gave testimonials that included calls for justice and a pu...
Apr 16, 2024
FBI opens criminal investigation into Baltimore bridge collapse, AP source says
The FBI is conducting a criminal investigation into the deadly collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge that is focused on the circumstances leading up to it and whether all federal laws were followed, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person was not authorized to discuss details of the invest...
Apr 15, 2024