National News - The Morning Sun

Dusty Farr talks with his transgender daughter at a park near Smithville, Mo., Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. Farr is suing the Platt County School District after his daughter was suspended for using the girl's bathroom at the Missouri high school she attended. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

As his trans daughter struggles, a father pushes past his prejudice. ‘It was like a wake-up’

Dusty Farr used to be someone else. Before his transgender daughter was suspended after using the girls’ bathroom at her Missouri high school. Before the bullying and the suicide attempts. Before … more

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH | 4/11/24

Russian officials scrambled to help people displaced by floods as water levels rose in the Ural River, authorities said Wednesday.

Water levels rise and homes flood in Russia after a dam bursts near the Kazakhstan border

Russian officials are scrambling to help homeowners displaced by floods, as water levels have risen in the Ural River. Floods in the Orenburg region near Russia’s border with Kazakhstan sparked the … more

By The Associated Press | 4/10/24

The exterior of the Montecito Apartments complex is pictured in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. A woman who authorities say fatally stabbed her partner inside their home in the complex Monday, then threw her two children from a moving SUV onto the freeway, killing her infant daughter, appeared to be agitated by the impending eclipse. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Mom who threw 2 kids onto LA freeway, killing her infant, appeared agitated by impending eclipse

A woman who authorities say fatally stabbed her partner at their Los Angeles apartment Monday then threw her two children from a moving SUV onto the freeway, killing her infant daughter, appeared to … more

By STEFANIE DAZIO and CHRISTOPHER WEBER | 4/10/24

In this photo provided by the Utah Division of Water Rights, crews use heavy machinery to place boulders downstream of the cracked Panguitch Lake Dam to reinforce the wall, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Panguitch, Utah. (Matt Call/Utah Division of Water Rights via AP)

Water pouring out of rural Utah dam through 60-foot crack, putting nearby town at risk

Utah state officials are hurriedly trying to shore up a rural Utah dam after a 60-foot crack opened and sent water pouring into a creek and endangering the 1,700 residents of a downstream town. State … more

By BRITTANY PETERSON and HANNAH SCHOENBAUM | 4/10/24

Plainclothes Chicago police officers fired nearly 100 gun shots over 41 seconds during a traffic stop that left one man dead and one officer injured, according to graphic video footage a police oversight agency released Tuesday.

Deadly Chicago traffic stop where police fired 96 shots raises serious questions about use of force

A deadly traffic stop where plainclothes Chicago police officers fired nearly 100 shots in under a minute has raised serious questions about the use of force and role of tactical officers in police … more

By SOPHIA TAREEN | 4/10/24

FILE - The Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester, N.H., stands among trees, Jan. 28, 2020. Karen Lemoine, a woman who worked at New Hampshire’s youth detention center three decades ago, testified Wednesday, April 10, 2024, that supervisors and staff were dismissive at best and menacing at worst when she reported suspected abuse. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Ex-worker at New Hampshire youth detention center describes escalating retaliation for complaints

A woman who worked at New Hampshire’s youth detention center three decades ago says supervisors and staff were dismissive at best and menacing at worst when she reported suspected abuse. Karen … more

By HOLLY RAMER | 4/10/24

In this aerial photo provided by Tony Corso Images, a 30-foot-long gray whale with its tail entangled in a massive gill net is seen off the coast of Pacifica, Calif., Tuesday, April 9, 2024. A team with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries is working on a rescue effort Wednesday with the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. (Tony Corso Images via AP)

Rescuers search off Northern California coast for young gray whale entangled in gill net

Rescuers on Wednesday were searching for a 30-foot-long gray whale with its tail entangled in a massive gill net last spotted off Northern California’s coast. The whale was spotted Tuesday near San … more

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ | 4/10/24

FILE - Signs stand outside Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va., Jan. 25, 2023. A former assistant principal at a Virginia elementary school has been indicted on eight felony counts of child neglect in the case of a 6-year-old boy who shot and wounded his first-grade teacher in Newport News, Virginia, last year, according to indictments unsealed Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Newport News Circuit Court. (AP Photo/Denise Lavoie, File)

Assistant principal ignored warnings that 6-year-old boy had gun before he shot teacher, report says

A grand jury report says a former assistant principal at a Virginia elementary school ignored warnings that a 6-year-old had a gun in the hours before he shot his teacher. The 31-page report was … more

By BEN FINLEY and DENISE LAVOIE | 4/10/24

People gather in the aftermath of a shooting at an Eid al-Fitr event in Philadelphia, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

At least three shot when gunfire erupts at Philadelphia Eid event, police say

Police say at least three people were shot and injured Wednesday at an Eid al-Fitr event in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel says the shooting occurred around 2:30 p.m., … more

By CLAUDIA LAUER and MICHAEL BALSAMO | 4/10/24

Trump's lawyers try for a third day to get NY appeals court to delay hush-money trial

Donald Trump’s lawyers are attempting for a third consecutive day to get a New York appeals court to delay his hush money criminal trial, which is slated to begin next Monday. The former … more

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and JAKE OFFENHARTZ | 4/10/24

The rate of incarcerated women in the US has grown rapidly since 1980. Experts say programs aimed at keeping them out of prison haven’t kept pace. The Associated Press followed an Ohio woman's journey after almost 10 years of incarceration. (AP Video: Patrick Orsagos)

Starting over: Women emerging from prison face formidable challenges to resuming their lives

More than 190,000 women are currently being held in some kind of confinement in the United States — a number that’s been growing rapidly since at least 1980. But experts say programs aimed at … more

By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON | 4/10/24

The Manor House at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vt., is seen on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. The college's Board of Trustees announced Tuesday, April 9, that the school is closing at the end of the semester after years of declining enrollment and financial struggles. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)

Vermont's Goddard College to close after years of declining enrollment and financial struggles

Vermont's Goddard College is closing at the end of the semester after years of declining enrollment and financial struggles. The board of trustees announced the closing Tuesday and says the school … more

4/10/24

Cranes stand by as the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the container ship Dali, Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Investigators focus on electrical system of ship in Baltimore bridge collapse

Federal safety investigators are focusing on the electrical power system of the massive container ship that veered off course and crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge last month. … more

By LEA SKENE | 4/10/24

FILE - Participants in the annual anti-abortion rally surround the state house in Augusta, Maine, Jan. 14, 2012. An effort to amend the Maine Constitution to enshrine the right to an abortion is coming up short. The measure fell shy of a two-thirds majority in the Maine House Tuesday, April 9, 2024 failing to clear the hurdle for sending the amendment to voters for ratification. (AP Photo/Joel Page, File)

Right to abortion unlikely to be enshrined in Maine Constitution after vote falls short

An effort to amend the Maine Constitution to enshrine the right to an abortion is coming up short. The measure fell shy of a two-thirds majority in the Maine House on Tuesday night, failing to clear … more

By DAVID SHARP | 4/10/24

FILE - Romania's Simona Halep walks away with her trophy after defeating United States' Serena Williams, left, in the women's singles final match on day twelve of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 13, 2019. Halep tells The Associated Press she was nervous while flying to her first tennis tournament in 1 1/2 years. She thought her career might be finished when she was given a four-year penalty by the International Tennis Integrity Agency after testing positive for the banned drug Roxadustat at the 2022 U.S. Open, where she lost in the first round. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland, File)

Simona Halep tells the AP she was nervous about returning to tennis after her doping ban appeal

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep tells The Associated Press she was nervous while flying to her first tennis tournament in 1 1/2 years. She had just successfully reduced a doping ban on … more

By HOWARD FENDRICH | 4/10/24

FILE - Larry Woodcock speaks to media members at the Rexburg Standard Journal Newspaper in Rexburg, Idaho on Jan. 7, 2020, while holding a reward flyer for Joshua Vallow and Tylee Ryan. A self-published doomsday fiction author is on trial in Idaho in the deaths of his wife and his new girlfriend's two children. Chad Daybell has pleaded not guilty to murder, conspiracy and grand theft charges in the deaths of his late wife Tammy Daybell, as well as the children, Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Tylee Ryan. (John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP, File)

Who's who in the triple-murder trial of Chad Daybell

A self-published doomsday fiction author is on trial in Idaho in the deaths of his wife and his new girlfriend’s two children. It’s a complex triple-murder trial that investigators say involves … more

By REBECCA BOONE | 4/10/24

FILE - Chad Daybell sits during a court hearing, Aug. 4, 2020, in St. Anthony, Idaho. The trial of Daybell, who is charged with the deaths of his wife and his girlfriend's two youngest children, is set to begin in Idaho, serving as a second act in a bizarre case that has drawn worldwide attention and already resulted in a life sentence for the kids' mother. (John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP, Pool, File)

Triple-murder trial of Chad Daybell begins with claims about zombies and doomsday plot

Opening statements are expected in the trial of an Idaho man charged with killing his wife and new girlfriend’s two youngest children, in an unusual case involving claims about zombies. Chad … more

4/10/24

Devon Vestal, front, and his wife, Jess, react as they listen during a news conference to announce plans to sue the Littleton, Colo., school district for abuse suffered by their autistic child while riding the bus to class Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

A mother releases video of her autistic son being hit by an aide on a school bus to raise awareness

The mother of an autistic boy shown being hit and punched by a school bus aide released a copy of bus surveillance video. Jessica Vestal says she suspects the kind of abuse that went undetected … more

By COLLEEN SLEVIN | 4/9/24

FILE - Francis Ford Coppola arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Nearly half a century after Francis Ford Coppola won the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or, he will return to the French Riviera festival on May 17, 2024, to premiere his self-financed epic “Megalopolis”. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Francis Ford Coppola's 'Megalopolis' to premiere at Cannes

Nearly half a century after Francis Ford Coppola won the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or for “Apocalypse Now,” he will return to the French Riviera festival to premiere his self-financed … more

By JAKE COYLE | 4/9/24

This photo provided by the KC Pet Project shows a goat believed to be named Chug after being rescued from a bridge on Tuesday, April 9 2024 in Kansas City, Mo. The escaped mountain goat that somehow got stuck under the bridge has survived a rocky rescue effort and now may be reunited with the owners who suspect he was stolen from their farm two months ago.(Tori Fugate/KC Pet Project via AP)

Mountain goat stuck under Kansas City bridge survives rocky rescue

An escaped mountain goat that somehow got stuck under a Kansas City bridge has survived a rocky rescue effort and now may be reunited with the owners who suspect he was stolen from their farm two … more

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH | 4/9/24