WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term mortgage rates declined this week, with the benchmark 30-year loan slipping back below 3%. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reports that the average rate for a 30-year mortgage eased to 2.99% from 3.01% last week. The rate for a 15-year loan, a popular option for homeowners refinancing their mortgages, fell to
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Officials say staffing shortages have gotten so bad at one of Kansas’ largest prisons that inmates are spending more time confined to their cells. Kansas Department of Corrections spokesperson Carol Pitts said in an email that staffing is a problem across the prison system but that the “greatest challenge” is at
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By Hannah Rabinowitz Nine months after the US Capitol riot, a Pennsylvania woman has been formally charged with stealing and then selling or disposing of a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. An indictment unsealed on Thursday against Riley Williams accuses the 22-year-old of stealing a laptop from Pelosi’s office and then ultimately getting
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MIAMI (AP) — A Florida man has pleaded guilty to phoning threats to kill a lawyer who represented the former Minneapolis police officer convicted in the death of George Floyd. The U.S. Justice Department said in a news release Thursday that 42-year-old William John Hartnett made the threatening call April 6 from Miami. Hartnett faces
Continue Reading OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — The Republican Party chair for the most populous county in Kansas has resigned following disclosure of an accusation that he forcibly kissed another local GOP leader at an anti-abortion group’s fundraiser this summer. The Kansas City Star reported that Fabian Shepard’s decision to step down as the GOP’s Johnson County chair
Continue Reading By DON BABWIN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — The 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 will mean more talk about Mrs. O’Leary and her cow. But historians as well as Catherine O’Leary’s descendants want you to know that the woman who has long been blamed for starting the blaze actually had nothing
Continue Reading IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 says it will allow its schools to decide the amount of benefits to give athletes each academic year. The decision follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling related to caps on compensation. It also follows a similar decision last month by the Southeastern Conference. The Supreme Court ruling meant
Continue Reading IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 says it will allow its schools to decide the amount of benefits to give athletes each academic year. The decision follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling related to caps on compensation. It also follows a similar decision last month by the Southeastern Conference. The Supreme Court ruling meant
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By Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN Business Google’s Pixel smartphones are taking a big step toward becoming a true Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy competitor. At a virtual press conference on Tuesday, the company showed off the new 6.4-inch Pixel 6 and 6.7-inch Pixel 6 Pro, which run on Android 12, Google’s most significant software update
Continue Reading By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the International Monetary Fund says a report alleging she had a role in data-rigging at the World Bank when she was a top official there was not an accurate representation of events. The statement came a day after IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva
Continue Reading By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the International Monetary Fund says a report alleging she had a role in data-rigging at the World Bank when she was a top official there was not an accurate representation of events. The statement came a day after IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva
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By Manu Raju, CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Rep. Ro Khanna had a suggestion for President Joe Biden on a private conference call earlier this week: Have Sens. Joe Manchin and Bernie Sanders sit in the same room and try to cut a deal on the Democratic Party’s massive social safety net expansion. Because once they
Continue Reading COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A man who fatally shot one person and wounded 14 others before killing himself at a Tennessee grocery store last month used three guns purchased legally over the past year-and-a-half. Collierville Police announced Thursday that 29-year-old UK Thang used two pistols and a rifle in the shooting. He was carrying extra
Continue Reading By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Officials from Mexico and the United States are developing a new framework for their governments’ security relationship that is more “holistic” in addressing crime and will tackle a broader range of issues than the previous initiative. Cabinet secretaries from both countries were scheduled to meet in
Continue Reading By ACACIA CORONADO and LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — U.S. Army officials have unveiled a new resource and training center at Fort Hood that aims to create a more supportive culture following reports of murder, suicide and sexual assault at the embattled Texas military installation. Army officials said Thursday that
Continue Reading MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Nicaraguan opposition groups are saying next month’s presidential election is “void and illegitimate” because of President Daniel Ortega’s arrests of critics and potential challengers. A statement issued Thursday by the country’s main opposition alliances calls on the Organization of American States to suspend the Nicaraguan government from the body. Ortega opened
Continue Reading NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville’s metro government has asked a judge to temporarily shut down a hot tub on wheels, saying the party vehicle is operating without a public swimming pool permit. The Tennessean reports the lawsuit was filed last week. It says Music City Party Tub was informed of the violation in an Aug.
Continue Reading By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Longtime Rutgers women’s basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer skipped the Big Ten’s traditional media day festivities because of COVID-19 concerns. Associate head coach Tim Eatman took Stringer’s place. It’s the third time he’s filled for the Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer. Stringer hasn’t conducted practice with
Continue Reading SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Two more Springfield women have been charged with participating in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January. The Springfield News-Leader reports that the federal case again Cara Hentschel and Mahailya Pryer was unsealed this week. They are charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building; disorderly and disruptive
Continue Reading WENTZVILLE, Mo. (AP) — Police say a South Carolina man was killed by an eastern Missouri officer after allegedly trying to pull a gun on the officer. The shooting happened at 2:10 a.m. Thursday on a gas station parking lot in Wentzville. St. Charles County police identified the man killed as 22-year-old Johan Quintero of
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