Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The catastrophic flooding and destruction caused by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina likely caused at least a record $53 billion in damages and recovery needs, Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration said Wednesday. The state budget office generated the preliminary figure for direct or indirect damages and potential investments to
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MIAMI (AP) — A Venezuelan media tycoon has been charged in federal court in Florida for what authorities say was his role in laundering money in a conspiracy to siphon more than $1 billion from Venezuela’s state oil company. A federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment Wednesday charging Raul Gorrin in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Federal authorities say a former St. Louis prosecutor admitted to misusing thousands of dollars in public funds to pay herself back, after getting fined for mistakes she made while prosecuting a Republican governor. The U.S. attorney’s office said Wednesday that ex-prosecutor Kim Gardner had her employees reimburse her out of her office’s contingent
Continue ReadingLegal Affairs Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Fifty years ago, Philadelphia prison officials ended a medical testing program that had allowed a University of Pennsylvania researcher to conduct human testing on incarcerated people, many of them Black. Now, survivors of the program and their descendants want reparations. Families are set to seek reparations from the school
Continue ReadingPHILADELPHIA (AP) — The family of a former Philadelphia jail inmate is suing the institution, saying officials there caused the death of a diabetic inmate by failing to provide insulin and other medical care. That’s according to a federal lawsuit filed by Louis Jung Jr.’s family on Wednesday. Jung was a pretrial detainee at the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Walmart has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by California officials that alleged the retail giant illegally dumped hazardous waste. Batteries, aerosol cans of insect killer, toxic cleaning supplies, and other hazardous waste are alleged to have been dumped in municipal landfills throughout the state.
Continue ReadingCHAMBLEE, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia officer shot and killed a man who authorities say raised a handgun during his arrest near Atlanta. The Lawrenceville Police Department says Terrell Laron Hoggro was killed Tuesday evening in Chamblee. Officers were trying to arrest the 59-year-old Hoggro on charges of kidnapping and aggravated assault associated with two
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Authorities say a homemade firebomb has exploded inside a public high school in Chile and ignited a blaze that injured at least 35 people. Police say a group of students at the school in central Santiago were making Molotov cocktails in a bathroom to be thrown at a street
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer Major League Baseball’s postseason goes into its dream World Series matchup with its most-watched League Championship Series in seven years. According to Nielsen, the two series averaged 5.35 million viewers on Fox, FS1 and TBS, its highest numbers since 2017. Fox and FS1 averaged 5.62 million for the NLCS, which the Dodgers
Continue ReadingPASADENA, Calif. (AP) — A federal appeals panel has vacated a 14-year sentence for suspended lawyer Michael Avenatti. Avenatti rose to fame representing porn star Stormy Daniels against former President Donald Trump and was later convicted of bilking his California clients. A three-judge panel for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday ruled
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency didn’t ensure that states submitted accurate estimates of the number of lead pipes they had. The problem could send nearly $1 billion to places that don’t need it, according to a report by the EPA’s Office of Inspector General. It isn’t too late to ensure
Continue ReadingAssociated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands will join the next Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland. But it will be without the flamboyant Joost Klein. He was booted from the 2024 competition after a backstage altercation and has declined to represent the Dutch again. Broadcaster AVROTROS says it is satisfied with new rules
Continue ReadingBERLIN, Conn. (AP) — A firefighter helping to battle a brush fire in Connecticut was killed after a utility vehicle operating on a steep, rocky incline rolled over onto the man, according to a preliminary police report. Authorities say Tuesday the three other firefighters injured in Monday’s accident suffered minor bumps and bruises and were
Continue ReadingAP Health Writer A food poisoning outbreak tied to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders was caused by a common type of E. coli bacteria that can cause serious illness and death. Particularly vulnerable are young children, older people or those with weakened immune systems. About 50 people have fallen ill in the McDonald’s outbreak, and one has
Continue ReadingAssociated Press CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A famous grizzly bear beloved for decades by countless tourists, biologists and professional wildlife photographers in Grand Teton National Park is dead after being struck by a vehicle in western Wyoming. Grizzly No. 399 died Tuesday night on a highway in Snake River Canyon south of Jackson, park officials
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa practiced Wednesday for the first time since suffering a concussion in Week 2, and the Dolphins are aiming for him to start Sunday against Arizona. Tagovailoa still needs to progress through the final stages of the NFL’s concussion protocol for that to happen, but he
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York City doesn’t require a license to run a hotel, but that’s likely changing soon. City lawmakers passed legislation Wednesday that would require hotels to obtain a license. The mayor just needs to sign the bill. His office says he supports it. Hotels already have to comply with
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — More than 1,600 Virginians have had their voter registrations canceled since August under a state program that the Justice Department and advocacy groups contend is illegal. The scope of the removals was revealed for the first time this week after a federal magistrate ordered the state to disclose the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TORONTO (AP) — Some lawmakers in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s own Liberal Party have asked the leader not to run for a fourth term Wednesday, handing him one of the biggest tests of his political career. A smiling Trudeau said Liberals are “strong and united” after meeting with Liberal members of Parliament for
Continue ReadingAssociated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — American and South Korean officials say there’s evidence that thousands of North Korean troops are now in Russia near Ukraine’s border. At a press conference Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the North Korean soldiers are preparing to join the fight against Ukrainian troops in the coming
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