It's an old conflict, with some dangerous new twists.

Fierce fighting has flared this week between Armenia and Azerbaijan, neighboring ex-Soviet republics in the southern Caucasus region, a key energy corridor that sits at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Russia and the Middle East.

The focus of the conflict is Nagorno-Karabakh, a tiny ...Read more

FRESNO, Calif. - How the Creek fire ignited at the start of Labor Day weekend remains under investigation nearly a month after the blaze began, becoming the largest single wildfire in California history.

Alex Olow, spokesman for Sierra National Forest, said the investigation is ongoing "and no comment can be made at this time."

"When completed...Read more

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced charges Wednesday morning against a suspect in the shooting attack on two deputies at the Compton Metro station.

Attempted murder charges were filed against Deonte Lee Murray, 36, who was taken into custody after a lengthy standoff in Lynwood on Sept. 15, Lacey said. At ...Read more

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration will offer Democrats "a very reasonable response" to their COVID-19 aid plan in an effort to strike an eleventh-hour compromise deal, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday.

The White House offer will be "very similar" to a $1.5 trillion proposal floated by the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, ...Read more

The federal government did a quick pivot on the threat of the coronavirus spreading through the air, changing a key piece of guidance over the weekend.

On Sept. 18, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that tiny airborne particles, not just the bigger water droplets from a sneeze or cough, could infect others. It cited growing ...Read more

SEATTLE - The Seattle City Council on Tuesday unanimously backed a new pay formula for Uber and Lyft drivers meant to ensure they make the same $16.39 per hour minimum wage as other workers in the city.

The new rules require ride-hailing companies to pay drivers rates high enough to account for a wide range of expenses and for the time drivers ...Read more

WASHINGTON - With just a month before a Nov. 1 Trump administration deadline for states to be ready to potentially distribute any upcoming COVID-19 vaccines, states are just starting to get their share of $200 million in preparation funds as Congress deliberates over whether to provide more.

Public health officials cite the relatively small ...Read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - If you haven't heard of the "Green Banana blue hole" you might imagine a tropical cocktail you can order in Key West, or a dessert you ordered after a night on Bourbon Street.

Forget that. This Green Banana is actually a mysterious sink hole. More specifically, it's a huge, underwater cavern off the coast of Florida that...Read more

ATLANTA - In March, as Georgia roiled with skepticism about the true danger of COVID-19, a stark example of the disease's stealthy power appeared. A 42-year-old mammogram technician at Piedmont Newnan Hospital was found dead in her home, with her young child nearby. The county coroner reported that the otherwise healthy woman had tested positive...Read more

Ticks are among nature's most hardy survivors. They've been around for at least 100 million years and used to feast on dinosaur blood. Their bodies contain anti-freeze to help them survive cold weather and their two front legs have carbon dioxide and infrared sensors to help detect when a warm-blooded mammal is approaching. Tiny hairs on their ...Read more

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - When Joe Prude called Rochester, New York, police to report his brother missing, he was struggling to understand why Daniel Prude had been released from the hospital hours earlier. Joe Prude described his brother's suicidal behavior.

"He jumped 21 stairs down to my basement, headfirst," Joe said in a video recorded by the ...Read more

SEATTLE - In early March, state inspectors entered a sprawling nursing home in the rural southeast corner of King County where concerns over thin staffing were mounting just as COVID-19 began to spread across the state.

One resident inside the Enumclaw Health and Rehabilitation Center said she hadn't been bathed for nearly three weeks after she...Read more

WASHINGTON - House Democrats are holding out hope for a bipartisan coronavirus aid deal but are preparing for a quick vote as soon as Wednesday on the $2.2 trillion aid package they unveiled Monday if an expected White House counteroffer falls short.

The stakes are high for both sides wanting to deliver more aid ahead of the Nov. 3 election, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES - Acting on legislation that grew out of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law this week a bill that makes it a crime for peace officers and other first responders to take unauthorized photos of dead people at the scene of a crime or accident.

The invasion of privacy measure was prompted by a...Read more

Six dolphins were found dead in an Alabama marsh last week in what experts call an "historic mass stranding."

A paddle boarder discovered the Atlantic spotted dolphins Friday in a Dauphin Island marsh, according to a Tuesday news release from the Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network. They seemed to have "stranded alive" several days before. ...Read more

Singer Helen Reddy, whose best-known song "I Am Woman" served as a feminist anthem during the 1970s, has died at the age of 78.

Reddy had reportedly been fighting dementia.

She died Tuesday, according to a social media post by her children.

"It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Helen Reddy ... in Los ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California is suing the federal government over its definition of a firearm in attempt to make it easier to track and confiscate so-called "ghost guns" that are often bought online and built at home without a background check.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra said at a news conference it's critical the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Tuesday that seeks to protect mountain lions and other wildlife from being poisoned by a popular form of pesticide.

The move raises questions about how the state will manage its growing urban rat population, which some experts say is surging due to the spread of homeless camps ...Read more

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump offered Judge Amy Coney Barrett the nomination to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 21, three days after Ginsburg's death, according to a questionnaire prepared for Senate confirmation hearings.

Trump said publicly he was still selecting his nominee from a pool of "five women" up until the ...Read more