The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. on Thursday met in New York with the CEO of Sesame Place’s parent company to discuss racism allegations that erupted after recent viral videos of costumed characters at the park appearing to dismiss and ignore Black children.

“Rev. Jackson has made himself available to all parties to be a part of any ongoing ...Read more

DETROIT — A juror in the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping trial told co-workers about hoping to be selected for jury duty, already deciding the case and intending to ensure a particular verdict, according to a sealed federal court filing.

Joshua Blanchard, the defense lawyer for accused kidnapping ringleader Barry Croft of Delaware, leveled ...Read more

BALTIMORE — A federal judge has ruled that Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services must offer health care coverage to the spouses of gay employees as long as the employees’ jobs are nonreligious in nature.

U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake ruled last week that the worldwide charity violated federal law in 2017 when it withdrew ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Great Lakes region is enjoying another year of lower water levels and wider beaches.

July water levels on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are down more than 2 feet from 2020, a year of near historic highs when waves devoured cherished stretches of sandy coastline. With the exception of Lake Ontario, the other Great Lakes are ...Read more

Most people move during the spring and summer months, but many would-be movers stayed put this May and June amid higher interest rates and rising rents, according to change-of-address data from the U.S. Postal Service.

Every state saw fewer people moving in compared with the same time last year, but the declines were most pronounced in New York...Read more

Going to therapy for the first time can be intimidating.

It can be hard to seek help — and awkward to imagine opening up to a complete stranger. The process of finding an available therapist alone can be discouraging, especially as the demand for mental health services has been outpacing supply.

But therapy can be extremely helpful for many ...Read more

At the bowling alley, Julia Prendergast carefully worked the joystick on her friend’s wheelchair, positioning her perpendicular to the lane.

She brushed a wisp of hair off Tyme Fiedorczyk’s face and adjusted her glasses. Tyme has cerebral palsy, which impairs her muscle coordination; to talk, she must type into an electronic device; to move...Read more

BALTIMORE -- Raynold Smith beefed with another man for months and when they crossed paths in March 2021, both were armed.

The reason Smith didn’t pull the trigger? In a split-second moment, when life and death hung in the balance, he glimpsed a child’s car seat and suddenly realized everything his enemy stood to lose. Almost immediately, ...Read more

WASHINGTON — At 4:30 in the morning on May 2, Debra and Marc Tice woke up in their Texas home to a phone call from the White House. President Joe Biden wanted to meet them in Washington that afternoon.

It was an opportunity they were not going to miss. Their son, Austin Tice, a journalist and former U.S. Marine, had been abducted in Syria ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump said he supported the release of documents related to the FBI’s search of his Mar-a-Lago home earlier this week, including a copy of the search warrant and a receipt of items that agents took from the property.

Trump made the announcement late Thursday on his social media site, Truth Social, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Actor Anne Heche is not expected to survive after a fiery car crash in Mar Vista last week left her in a coma, according to a statement on behalf of her family and friends Thursday night.

She is being kept on life support at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital while medical staffers determine whether any of her ...Read more

Anne Heche is “not expected to survive” after suffering massive injuries in a car crash last week, a published report said.

The actress suffered a severe brain injury, a rep for her told People.

Heche remains in a coma, the rep said, and is unlikely to come out of it.

“It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she’s being ...Read more

An estimated 21,000 fish died at the U.C. Davis Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture in what the university described as a “catastrophic failure.”

The loss appears to be a result of chlorine exposure, to which fish are uniquely sensitive, according to a Thursday news release from U.C. Davis.

U.C. Davis has initiated an independent ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice is moving to unseal the search warrant and itemized receipt of what was taken from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence earlier this week, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday in his first public comments since the FBI search was conducted.

It is extraordinarily unusual for ...Read more

As the USS Abraham Lincoln sailed into San Diego Thursday, Aug. 11, with two destroyers in tow and some 6,000 sailors and Marines aboard, it marked the completion of a U.S. military first:

Navy Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt has now completed her first mission as the first woman to command a U.S. aircraft carrier.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier...Read more