National News - The Morning Sun

This image provided by the Georgia Department of Corrections shows inmate Willie James Pye. A judge on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, signed the order for the execution of Pye, who was convicted of murder and other crimes in the November 1993 killing of Alicia Lynn Yarbrough. The execution is set for March 20 at 7 p.m., after the judge set an execution window between noon that day and noon on March 27. (Georgia Department of Corrections via AP)

Georgia readies to resume executions after a 4-year pause brought by COVID and a legal agreement

An execution scheduled for next week would be the first in Georgia in more than four years. The state is trying to move past an agreement made amid the coronavirus pandemic that effectively halted … more

By KATE BRUMBACK | 3/11/24

FILE - A man wraps his shirt over his face as he tries to extinguish a fire, near the seaside resort of Lindos, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24, 2023. Europe is facing growing climate risks and is unprepared for them, the European Environment Agency said in its first-ever risk assessment for the bloc Monday, March 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

The first-ever European climate risk assessment finds a continent unprepared for growing extremes

Europe is facing growing climate risks and is unprepared. That's according to the European Environment Agency’s first-ever risk assessment about the impact of climate change on the continent. It … more

By CARLOS MUREITHI and DANA BELTAJI | 3/11/24

This photo provided by City of Venice Florida shows a whale on Sunday, March 10, 2024, off Venice, Fla. Authorities were working to assist a beached sperm whale that is stranded on a sandbar off Florida's Gulf Coast on Sunday morning. (City of Venice Florida via AP)

Beached sperm whale dies after beaching along Florida's Gulf Coast

Florida wildlife officials say a sperm whale that became famous after beaching itself on a sandbar has died. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement that the whale … more

3/11/24

Gabrielle Longhi poses for a portrait, Friday, March 8, 2024, in Los Angeles. In a recent lawsuit, Longhi alleges she was sexually abused at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, Maryland. The sexual abuse of children by Catholic nuns often has been overlooked in the Catholic clergy abuse crisis, but survivors of nun abuse hope to raise awareness of the issue. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Victims of Catholic nuns rely on each other after being overlooked in the clergy sex abuse crisis

The sexual abuse of children by Catholic sisters and nuns has been overshadowed by far more common reports of male clergy abuse. Women in religious orders have been not only abuse victims but also … more

By TIFFANY STANLEY | 3/11/24

Honolulu police investigate the killings of multiple people at a home in Honolulu's Manoa neighborhood, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (Craig T. Kojima/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP)

5 people found dead at a Honolulu home in an apparent murder-suicide, police say

Honolulu police say they are investigating what appears to be the murder-suicide of a family, including three children, at a Manoa home. Lt. Deena Thoemmes said during a news conference Sunday … more

3/11/24

Three people were killed and several others injured early Sunday when a shooting broke out at a private party in Arkansas, police said.

3 dead, several injured in early morning shooting in Jonesboro, Arkansas

Police in Jonesboro, Arkansas say three people were killed and several others injured when a shooting broke out at a private party. Officers found multiple gunshot victims when they arrived at the … more

3/11/24

Pranay Karkale, a first-year graduate student at Johns Hopkins University from Nashik, India, stands at the university's campus in Baltimore on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. Karkale is working toward his Master of Science in engineering management. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)

At US universities, record numbers of Indian students seek brighter prospects — and overseas jobs

As India’s booming youth population outpaces the growth of its education system, historic numbers of students are turning abroad for higher education. India estimates 1.5 million students are … more

By COLLIN BINKLEY and KRUTIKA PATHI | 3/11/24

A Charleston police officer closes off a portion of Market Street during heavy rains and flooding on Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Charleston, S.C. (Glenn Smith/The Post And Courier via AP)

Record rainfall douses Charleston, South Carolina, as responders help some out of flood waters

A record-setting rain storm has flooded parts of Charleston, South Carolina, requiring emergency responders to help some people get out of high waters. The National Weather Service in Charleston … more

3/10/24

In this frame grab taken from video provided by KRGV, authorities stage near where a helicopter flying over the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas crashed, killing two National Guard soldiers and a Border Patrol agent, March 8, 2024. Authorities released the names of the two National Guard soldiers from New York and a Border Patrol agent who were killed. Authorities said Sunday, March 10, 2024 that the two soldiers with the New York Army National Guard who were killed in the crash were Chief Warrant Officer 2 Casey Frankoski, who was 28, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Grassia, who was 30. Border Patrol Agent Chris Luna, who was 49, was also killed.. (KRGV via AP, file)

2 National Guard soldiers, 1 Border Patrol agent killed in Texas helicopter crash are identified

A National Guard soldier from New York who was seriously injured in the crash of a helicopter flying over the U.S.-Mexico border remained hospitalized while authorities released the names of the two … more

3/10/24

A member of staff uses a telescope to search the sky for the new moon that signals the start of the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan, at the Astronomical Observatory of the Muhammadiyah University of North Sumatra in Medan, Indonesia, Sunday, March 10, 2024. People in the world's most populous Muslim country will start observing Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar on March 12. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

Muslims welcome the holy month of Ramadan with a mix of joy and deep concern

Muslims around the world are welcoming the arrival of Ramadan, a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting, intense prayer, charity and feasts. But as they savor the traditions of their own diverse communities … more

By The Associated Press | 3/10/24

FILE - Tuckerman Ravine is seen at left, about one mile below the summit of 6,288-foot Mount Washington, in New Hampshire, Monday, May 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Rescue effort launched to assist 3 people at New Hampshire's Tuckerman Ravine ski area

Two people were rescued and emergency crews were attempting to rescue a third Saturday from an area popular with hikers and backcountry skiers on the Northeast’s highest mountain, a news report … more

3/10/24

States have hodgepodge of cumbersome rules for enforcing sunshine laws

A nationwide review of procedures by The Associated Press and CNHI News has revealed a patchwork of complicated systems for resolving open government disputes that often put the burden of enforcing … more

By JOSH KELETY | 3/10/24

FILE - Jimmy Cherizier, a former elite police officer known as Barbecue who now runs a gang federation, walks hand in hand with children as he visits La Saline district of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 24, 2023. Internationally, Cherizier is known as Haiti's most powerful and feared gang leader, sanctioned by the United Nations for "serious human rights abuses," and the man behind a fuel blockade that brought the Caribbean nation to its knees in late 2022. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph, File)

Why is Haiti so chaotic? Leaders used street gangs to gain power. Then the gangs got stronger

It’s easy to blame the latest spasm of violence in Haiti on longstanding poverty, the legacy of colonialism, and European and U.S. interference with the West’s first free Black republic. However, … more

By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN | 3/10/24

Police tape surrounds the Skowhegan Indian statue in Skowhegan, Maine on Tuesday March 5, 2024. The 62-foot-tall sculpture is currently missing an arm and part of its face, and it's believed to be due to the effects of the weather and a windstorm that left part of its face, an arm and a spear missing. (Rich Abrahamson /The Central Maine Morning Sentinel via AP)

Weather beatdown leaves towering Maine landmark surrounded by crime scene tape

Crime scene tape surrounds the Skowhegan Indian, a local landmark in Maine, after an assault by Mother Nature. The towering wooden sculpture is missing part of its face and arm, as well as a spear. … more

3/9/24

This image from video provided by KMSP-TV shows the scene of a fatal crash, Friday, March 8, 2024 in Dewhurst, Wis. Multiple people were killed in a western Wisconsin traffic crash involving a semitruck and a van, state’s governor says. (KMSP-TV via AP)

9 killed in western Wisconsin traffic crash involving a semitruck and a van

A crash at a western Wisconsin highway intersection involving a semitrailer and a van has killed nine people. Clark County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy James Hirsch said in a Facebook post that … more

3/8/24

A U.S. Customs and Border Protections agent disappears into the dust as investigators drive to the site of a U.S. Border Patrol and CBP and Marine Operations helicopter resulting in three deaths north of the Rio Grande on Friday, March 8, 2024, south of La Grulla, Texas. (Joel Martinez/The Monitor via AP)

Helicopter carrying National Guardsmen and Border Patrol agent crashes in Texas, killing 3

The military says a helicopter flying over the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas has crashed, killing two National Guard soldiers and a Border Patrol agent. Another soldier on board has been injured. The … more

3/8/24

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wears a Laken Riley shirt as she arrives before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Thursday March 7, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

How Black women coined the 'say her name' rallying cry before Biden's State of the Union address

Hard-line Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia wore a T-shirt to Thursday night’s State of the Union address that carried a seemingly simple message: Say Her Name. She … more

By GRAHAM LEE BREWER | 3/8/24

Jewish students gather at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. An Indiana bill to address antisemitism on college campuses lost support from some members of the Jewish community after an amendment altered language surrounding criticism of Israel. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana lawmakers pass bill defining antisemitism, with compromises

Indiana lawmakers have passed a bill that defines antisemitism in education code. The bill — meant to address antisemitism on college campuses — has been the topic of persistent debate between … more

By ISABELLA VOLMERT | 3/8/24

FILE - This Jan. 15, 2020, image taken from dashboard camera video released by the Connecticut State Police, shows Trooper Brian North, left, after he discharged his weapon beside a vehicle stopped in West Haven, Conn. North testified in his defense Friday, March 8, 2024, that he believed he had to open fire because the man was armed with a knife and made threatening movements toward other officers.(Connecticut State Police via AP, File)

'Oh my God feeling.' Trooper speaks about shooting knife-wielding man, worrying about other officers

A Connecticut state trooper who shot a 19-year-old man to death in a stolen car in 2020 has testified that he believed he had to open fire because the man was armed with a knife and made threatening … more

By DAVE COLLINS | 3/8/24

Miles Harford appears in court to hear the charges against him on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Denver. Harford, a former funeral home owner accused of keeping a woman's corpse in the back of a hearse for two years and hoarding the cremated remains of 35 people, has been charged with forgery, theft and abuse of a corpse. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert, Pool)

More cremated remains withheld from families found at funeral home owner's house, prosecutors say

Prosecutors said more cremated remains were found at the home of a Colorado funeral home owner, where a rotting corpse and 35 other cremated remains were discovered last month. Owner Miles Harford … more

By JESSE BEDAYN | 3/8/24