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Department of Justice/ZUMA Press Wire/TNS

Jury deadlocked in Palisades fire trial

Current News / News & Features /

LOS ANGELES — The jury is deadlocked in the Palisade fire trial, in which 30-year-old ex-rideshare driver Jonathan Rinderknecht is accused of setting what eventually became the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles city history.

More details on the jury’s note to the judge, and her response, are expected momentarily. The U.S. Attorney’...Read more

Renée Jones Schneider/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

Supreme Court ruling on immigrant protections could affect thousands in Minnesota

Current News / News & Features /

The U.S. Supreme Court backed the Trump administration’s efforts to end temporary protected status, or TPS, for Haitian and Syrian immigrants on Thursday over objections that the countries remain unstable and too dangerous for immigrants to return to.

The ramifications could impact thousands of immigrants living in Minnesota under TPS.

...Read more

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Illinois to see greater protections from 'junk fees,' ticket-buying bots, Gov. JB Pritzker says

Current News / News & Features /

Illinoisans will soon see fewer unexpected “junk fees” and greater protections from robots snatching up concert tickets, lawmakers and Gov. JB Pritzker said at a signing for a handful of consumer protection bills Thursday.

“Corporations have become more and more creative in finding ways to charge consumers more while telling them less ...Read more

Jim Vondruska/Getty Images North America/TNS

Gov. Gavin Newsom releases first-in-the-nation tool to track AI-related job losses

Current News / News & Features /

As the artificial intelligence industry continues to grow, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced a first-in-the-nation tracker to monitor AI-related job losses, with the initial released data showing no statewide surge in unemployment in at-risk fields.

The tool stems from a May executive order by Newsom to prepare California for “economic ...Read more

Department of Justice/ZUMA Press Wire/TNS

Jury appears deadlocked in Palisades fire arson trial, signaling possible mistrial

Current News / News & Features /

LOS ANGELES — A federal jury hearing the arson case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 30-year-old former Uber driver, accused of setting what would become the deadliest wildfire in Los Angeles history, said on Thursday they were “at a standstill” and “unsure how to proceed” after more than 13 hours of deliberations.

The jury sent a ...Read more

Liz Rymarev/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Measles detected in two more counties in Pennsylvania as health department recommends early vaccination

Current News / News & Features /

Pennsylvania health officials have now detected measles cases in York and Northumberland Counties as cases in Lancaster County, the center of an ongoing outbreak, continued to rise.

And the state health department is now recommending early measles vaccinations for infants beginning at six months in affected areas in an effort to protect them ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Massachusetts reports first West Nile virus mosquito case of year

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BOSTON — Time to pull out the bug spray.

Bay State health officials have announced that West Nile virus was detected in mosquitoes for the first time this year.

The presence of WNV was confirmed by the Massachusetts State Public Health Laboratory in a mosquito sample collected in Clarksburg — out in Berkshire County.

The Department of ...Read more

Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/TNS

Family suspects antisemitism in mysterious murder of 75-year-old rabbi in Queens park

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NEW YORK — A religious 75-year-old grandfather mysteriously gunned down by a Queens lake last month may have been the victim of an antisemitic hate crime, the victim’s shattered family said Thursday as detectives continue to hunt for clues and a clear motive in the killing.

Albert Itzkowtiz was enjoying a warm Spring day by Kissena Lake in ...Read more

DEI now banned in NC public schools. Will it have a 'chilling' effect on teachers?

Current News / News & Features /

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina public schools are raising concerns about how they’ll be affected by a new state law that bans diversity, equity and inclusion programming in K-12 public schools.

Senate Bill 227 became law after state House Republicans overrode Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s veto on Wednesday, The News & Observer previously ...Read more

Hector Gabino/Miami Herald/TNS

Florida moves to restrict undocumented students from public universities

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Florida’s public universities moved a step closer Thursday to barring undocumented students from enrolling, after the Florida Board of Governors unanimously advanced an admissions change that could take effect in the 2027-28 academic year.

The proposal targets universities that, in the two most recent academic years, didn’t admit all ...Read more

Chandan Khanna/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Alligator Alcatraz closes as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declares victory, critics slam cost

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Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday confirmed the Alligator Alcatraz immigrant detention center is closing, but insisted the collection of reinforced tents in the middle of the Everglades proved effective in bolstering President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts in Florida.

“Alligator Alcatraz fulfilled the role that it was designed to ...Read more

Baltimore term limits stay in place after repeal bill stalls

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BALTIMORE — Baltimore lawmakers will not ask voters this year to reconsider the city’s voter-approved term limits, after legislation seeking to repeal the measure stalled and missed a state deadline to qualify for the November ballot.

A proposal by District 3 Councilman Ryan Dorsey to overturn Baltimore’s term limits law has failed to ...Read more

Federico Parra/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Florida Venezuelans frantic over family missing, feared dead after quakes

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MIAMI — Nilka Simosa Verde, a Venezuelan-American living in Miami Beach, has been hoping and praying to hear from her family since two earthquakes jolted Venezuela’s Caribbean coast Wednesday evening.

In La Guaira, a coastal state neighboring Caracas where her family lives — and one of the hardest-hit areas of the 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes ...Read more

Jennifer Briggs/Zuma Press/TNS

Debris cleared, reconstruction begins after Blue Origin launch pad explosion

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It’s been just shy of a month since a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded on the pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, but the company announced all the debris has been cleared and reconstruction has begun.

“Quite a sight to see the progress this team has made since May 28,” CEO Dave Limp wrote on X with video of the ...Read more

Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images North America/TNS

Venezuela earthquakes: Staggering destruction signals urgent warning for California

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The devastation from two massive earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday offers a stark warning for California and other seismically vulnerable areas of the toll catastrophic shaking can bring to urban areas.

It will take days to assess the full scope of the damage; at least 188 were dead and nearly 1,500 were injured, with both numbers ...Read more

Pedro Portal/El Nuevo Herald/TNS

'It's heartbreaking': More children leave US as parent deportations continue

Current News / News & Features /

MIAMI — Cristina, 7, walked steadily into Miami International Airport holding the hand of her 3-year-old sister and a giant teddy bear.

“God is good,” read the white, cubed beads attached to her pink and blue shoes.

On Wednesday morning, eight children from three families boarded a flight to reunite with their family members in Guatemala...Read more

Emily Curiel/The Kansas City Star/TNS

Kansas City Election Board corrects website to show Missouri's new map for early voting

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After confusing voters with outdated information as early voting opened for the upcoming Aug. 4 primary election, the Kansas City Election Board has now updated its website to show voters their correct districts according to Missouri’s recent redistricting.

Districts changed for voters across the state after lawmakers ...Read more

Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America/TNS

Gun owners may carry a weapon into stores, Supreme Court rules

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WASHINGTON — Licensed gun owners have a right to carry a concealed firearm into stores and other private places unless the owner objects, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

The 6-3 decision extends gun rights and strikes down laws in Hawaii, California, New York, New Jersey and Maryland.

Those measures would prohibit carrying guns onto ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

New NC law tightens campus DEI bans, placing new limits on 'divisive concepts'

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RALEIGH, N.C. — A new North Carolina law, enshrined Wednesday, cements existing bans on diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the state’s public universities and community colleges.

It also bars the promotion of “divisive concepts” at the state’s public universities and community colleges. Though N.C. Gov. Josh Stein, a ...Read more

Chandan Khanna/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says Alligator Alcatraz 'fulfilled' its role as he closes it after 1 year

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MIAMI — After a year filled with lawsuits, torture allegations and criticism over the use of taxpayer money, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday the closure of the Everglades detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz.

“Alligator Alcatraz fulfilled the role it was designed to serve,” DeSantis said at a press conference at ...Read more