National News
Supreme Court orders Louisiana to use congressional map with additional Black district in 2024 vote
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered Louisiana to hold congressional elections in 2024 using a House map with a second mostly Black district, despite a lower-court ruling that called the map an illegal racial gerrymander. The order allows the use of a map that has majority Black populations in two o...
2h ago
Sun shoots out biggest solar flare in almost 2 decades, but Earth should be out of the way this time
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - The sun produced its biggest flare in nearly two decades Tuesday, just days after severe solar storms pummeled Earth and created dazzling northern lights in unaccustomed places. "Not done yet!" the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced in an update. It's the big...
May 15, 2024
Sidewalk video 'Portal' linking New York, Dublin by livestream temporarily paused after lewd antics
NEW YORK (AP) - The video screen "Portal" that lets people in New York and Dublin peer into life on opposite sides of the Atlantic in real time has been a source of whimsical delight for sidewalk crowds in the two cities, but also a magnet for boorish behavior that's prompted officials to hit pause for now. T...
May 15, 2024
Red, yellow, green ... and white? Smarter vehicles could mean big changes for the traffic light
As cars and trucks get smarter and more connected, the humble lights that have controlled the flow of traffic for more than a century could also be on the cusp of a major transformation. Researchers are exploring ways to use features in modern cars, such as GPS, to make traffic safer and more efficient. Eventually, the...
May 13, 2024
At least 1 dead in Florida as storms continue to pummel the South. DeSantis declares emergency
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Powerful storms packing hurricane-force winds killed at least one woman Friday in Florida as a week of deadly severe weather continued in the South, where uprooted trees crashed onto homes and knocked out electricity to thousands in several states. City officials in Tallahassee said wind gusts ...
May 13, 2024
Strong solar storm could disrupt communications and produce northern lights in US
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - An unusually strong solar storm headed toward Earth could produce northern lights in the U.S. this weekend and potentially disrupt power and communications. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare geomagnetic storm watch - the first in nearly 20 years. That was expe...
May 10, 2024
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