News

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Al Capone is infamous for having been a ruthless mob boss, but one of his granddaughters says Capone’s softer side will shine through when the family auctions some of his personal belongings in October. Items heading for the block include a diamond-encrusted pocket watch, family

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida postal clerk has pleaded guilty to stealing mail and passport applications as part of an identify theft scheme. Court records say 31-year-old Jasmine Wynne pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and six other charges in Tampa federal court. An indictment says Wynne conspired with others

By COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press Officials in Detroit are looking at making continued changes to city towing rules after several federal corruption probes. Mayor Mike Duggan told reporters Thursday that he’s asked the city’s police chief for a plan in two weeks to eliminate a decade-long practice of rotating towing duties to a list of

By CARA ANNA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The leader of Tigray forces in Ethiopia has expressed the commitment to a “negotiated end” to the nine-month war that has killed thousands and left nearly half a million people facing famine. And the United Nations secretary-general warns that “there is no military solution.” In a

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s top court has rejected an attempt to make it harder to impose the death penalty. The Supreme Court ruled Thursday in favor of the current system where jurors need not unanimously agree on aggravating factors used to justify the punishment. Jurors already must unanimously agree

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The night before he was indicted this week, a Long Island dentist suspected of exchanging painkillers for sexual favors was sending text messages suggesting he’d give a woman a Percocet prescription if she wanted to “hang out” and “party a bit,” federal prosecutors said Thursday.

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN and EVENS SANON Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The United States has pledged another $32 million in aid to the victims of Haiti’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake, as the country’s interim prime minister defends his government’s response. U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power said Thursday the U.S. government had learned from

AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Stephen Oates has died after a life that saw him become an award-winning Civil War historian who wrote biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Clara Barton, William Faulkner and others. The University of Massachusetts Amherst says Oates died Friday at his Amherst home at age 85. Oates received the

By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The attorney for parents suing to overturn the governor’s executive order banning strong student mask mandates says the order violates the authority of school districts to decide health issues. Attorney Craig Whisenhunt represents the parents. He argued in court Thursday that Gov. Ron DeSantis is

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s minimum age to be married is now higher after Gov. Roy Cooper signed a bill increasing it from 14 years old to 16. The increase takes effect immediately after the governor’s bill signing Thursday. It comes after the General Assembly gave unanimous support to the new threshold earlier this

By BEN FINLEY Associated Press NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A school board in Virginia has agreed to pay $1.3 million in legal costs to the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU spent six years representing a student who sued over the school board’s transgender bathroom ban. Gavin Grimm’s suit against the Gloucester County School Board

By ERIC OLSON AP College Football Writer LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — College football programs are transitioning from traditional paper tickets to digital ticketing. Many fans like the feel of holding a ticket in their hand and hanging on to them as keepsakes. Others welcome the convenience of having a barcode on their smartphone scanned at