The plane that crashed Sunday at Butler Memorial Airport, killing 11 skydivers and a pilot, did not appear to be overloaded or too old to be used for such activities, a former DOT inspector general told The Star.

“As planes that are used for skydiving go, so often what you find is that they’re working with very old planes,” said Mary ...Read more

At least 29 tornadoes ripped across Illinois and northwest Indiana last week, according to preliminary reports from the National Weather Service. As residents of parts of these states were recovering and surveying the damage from a destructive derecho that swept through Wednesday night with up to 80 mph winds, they were hit again less than 24 ...Read more

The U.S. and Iran said they reached an interim agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, halting a war that killed thousands of people and setting the stage for 60 days of negotiations on the fate of the country’s nuclear program.

Officials from the two countries will meet in Switzerland on June 19 to formally sign the agreement, a decision ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A plane crash at Butler Memorial Airport on Sunday killed 12 people, including a pilot and 11 skydivers, according to Bates County authorities.

The crash happened during takeoff and was reported about 11:27 a.m., Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said in a news conference Sunday afternoon. The plane was a locally-based, ...Read more

President Xi Jinping is shifting tactics in his campaign to pressure Taiwan, ramping up diplomatic isolation of the island while dialing down provocative displays of military aggression.

Taiwan recorded a daily average of five Chinese war planes crossing the Taiwan Strait’s buffer line with China through May this year — half the number ...Read more

The risk of flooding and dangerous surf at California beaches will continue until Wednesday, weather officials said Sunday.

Waves are not expected to be as big as those that pounded the shore last week and led to the deaths of two people.

The National Weather Service said San Francisco recorded its highest-ever summer ocean water level late ...Read more

The U.S. and Iran have reached a peace deal, including the end of military operations, President Donald Trump said.

“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” Trump said in a social media post. “I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate ...Read more

The U.S. Department of Agriculture subpoenaed the California Department of Social Services on June 4 for SNAP participant data as a part of the federal agency’s latest efforts to root out fraud in government spending.

USDA is requiring California, and three other states, to turn over records with personal information related to individuals’...Read more

Longtime Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell was hospitalized Sunday morning, according to his spokesperson.

McConnell’s spokesperson, Stephanie Penn, said in a brief statement the senator was hospitalized and was receiving “excellent care.”

Penn did not disclose why or where McConnell, 84, was hospitalized. His condition was not available ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- Three Philadelphia police officers were wounded in a shooting late Saturday after an argument with a retired city firefighter escalated, and the man opened fire on them in the street, law enforcement sources and city officials said.

The gunman was killed by officers in response, officials said.

Police responded to reports of ...Read more

President Donald Trump said he is opposed to having Congress renew now-expired spy powers for U.S. intelligence agencies unless lawmakers also pass a controversial voter identification bill.

Trump’s fresh demand adds another barrier to efforts to renew powers under the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act, which grants U.S. intelligence ...Read more

CHICAGO — A light 2-mile jog Sunday morning was all that stood between Joabe Barbosa and the finish line of a journey more than 5,000 miles long. His goal: to run every street in Chicago.

“I’m the first person to run every single street, every single dead-end,” Barbosa said. “I don’t know if I’m happy that I’m done, or if I’m ...Read more