By The Manhattan Mercury, Kan. (TNS) Dec. 27—Milford Lake in Geary County has tallied 1.25 million visitors in 2024, officials announced Thursday. They said that number solidifies Milford Lake’s position as one of the state’s premier tourist attractions, drawing visitors from across the region and beyond. “We are thrilled to witness the incredible impact Milford
Continue ReadingBy The Manhattan Mercury, Kan. (TNS) Dec. 27—In 2019, Manhattan Municipal Court sought to improve how technology aids the court and the public. Five years later, a technology company is honoring the court for its effort to be more modern, efficient and accessible. Tyler Technologies gave the court its Tyler Excellence Award for its use
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By LAURA UNGAR – AP Science Writer A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the nation’s first severe case of the illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week. Scientists believe the mutations may allow the virus to better bind to receptors in
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By AP HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said it has seized more than 20,000 counterfeit Pennsylvania vehicle inspection stickers that were shipped from Israel to an address in Philadelphia. Customs officers found the stickers in two different shipments that arrived on two different days, Nov. 26 and Dec. 9,
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By STEPHANY MATAT – Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — After a nearly weeklong search, Athena found her way home to her Florida family in time for Christmas Eve and even rang the doorbell. Athena, a 4-year-old German Shepherd and Husky mix, escaped her home in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on Dec. 15,
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By CEDAR ATTANASIO – Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of burning a sleeping woman to death inside a New York City subway train has been indicted on murder and arson charges, prosecutors announced Friday, as authorities continue working to identify the victim. Sebastian Zapeta is accused by prosecutors of lighting the
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By JOHN SEEWER and MARK KENNEDY The former Morrison Hotel, made famous by The Doors and their 1970 album of the same name, was significantly damaged by a fire that erupted in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. The four-story building, which has been vacant more than a decade, burned for nearly two hours before more
Continue ReadingBy AP NEW YORK (AP) — Sportscaster Greg Gumbel has died from cancer at age 78, according to a family statement released by CBS.
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By The Associated Press Russian air defense systems may have brought down an Azerbaijani airliner this week, a U.S. official said Friday after an Azerbaijani minister also suggested the plane was hit by a weapon, citing expert analysis and survivor accounts. Friday’s assessments by Rashan Nabiyev and White House national security spokesman John Kirby echoed
Continue ReadingBy AP WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md.; Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y. NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Rebroadcasts of previously aired interviews. CNN’s “State of the Union” — Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J.; Gov. Chris Sununu, R-N.H. CBS’ “Face the Nation” — David Rubenstein, co-chairman of The Carlyle Group; Dr. Leana
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By MELISSA GOLDIN NEW YORK (AP) — The last of the crystal triangles that make up this year’s Times Square New Year’s Eve ball were installed on Friday morning, marking the first time in 10 years that all 2,688 were replaced at once. Rapper Pitbull and inventor Joy Mangano were among those on hand to
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By DAMIAN J. TROISE – AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell broadly on Friday as Wall Street closed out a holiday-shortened week on a down note. The losses were made worse by sharp declines for the Big Tech stocks known as the “Magnificent 7”, which can heavily influence the direction of the
Continue ReadingBy AP WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes office.
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By MICHAEL CASEY – Associated Press The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said Friday. The U.S. Department of Housing and
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By WAFAA SHURAFA, FATMA KHALED and LEE KEATH – Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather, the territory’s health ministry said. The army denied claims it had entered or
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By FATIMA HUSSEIN – Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said her agency will need to start taking “extraordinary measures,” or special accounting maneuvers intended to prevent the nation from hitting the debt ceiling, as early as January 14, in a letter sent to congressional leaders Friday afternoon. “Treasury expects to hit
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By Cameron Montemayor City officials are enlisting the help of an outside consultant to study Downtown’s parking capacity and evaluate projected needs for future demand. With a decade-plus of steady economic growth and ongoing development in the Downtown area, city leaders are aiming to get a complete understanding and blueprint of its parking infrastructure by
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By Kirsten Stokes Over the last 40 years, the AFL-CIO of St. Joseph has provided the community with discounted clothing through their Fab-U-Less Finds thrift store. Now, with over a dozen thrift stores in St. Joseph, the market saturation has led to sales in the Fab-U-Less store significantly decreasing leaving no choice but to cease
Continue ReadingBy JARED BARTON – Columbus Telegram, Neb. (TNS) Christmas concerts are an age-old tradition, but for the singers in Columbus Area Vertical Voices, a Christmas performance means more than just singing. It’s one of their two fundraising events of the year and this year they raised $4,800 that was split between two area organizations making
Continue ReadingBy JARED BARTON – Columbus Telegram, Neb. (TNS) Fry reviewer Jared Barton is taking the week off. It turns out there is such a thing as too many fries. But fear not, Jared will be back next week with another installment of Fries on the Side for your enjoyment and edification. And remember, send any
Continue ReadingBy Christopher Braunschweig – Newton Daily News, Iowa (TNS) Dec. 27—Out of the 17 locations that could be used to house the City of Newton’s animal control facility, only about seven were considered “good” sites by the police chief. Of those seven potential areas, council members only really showed interest in two and instructed staff
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By MICHELLE L. PRICE – Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift
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By The Associated Press Dec. 20 – 26, 2024 This photo gallery, curated by photo editor Anita Baca, highlights some of the most compelling images worldwide made or published by The Associated Press in the past week.
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By LORNE COOK – Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Friday that the military alliance will step up patrols in the Baltic Sea region as Finnish investigators work to establish whether a ship linked to Russia sabotaged undersea cables there this week. Finnish authorities seized control of the ship, the Eagle
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By MICHAEL R. SISAK – Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Years before Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce was born, his father spent time in prison for an armed robbery conviction that prosecutors now say was tainted by questionable police tactics and a witness identification that was later recanted. On Friday, a suburban
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By The Associated Press Former Syrian rebels who now serve as part of the new Syrian government’s armed forces posed for photo portraits with their weapons Friday. The soldiers, who took part in the overthrow of former president Bashar Assad’s government, were gathered together to wait for a military parade to begin in the central
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By AP ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state government agencies will have to conduct reviews and publish reports that detail how they’re using artificial intelligence software, under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul, a Democrat, signed the bill last week after it was passed by state lawmakers earlier this year. The
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By AUDREY McAVOY – Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Warren Upton, the oldest living survivor of the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the last remaining survivor of the USS Utah, has died. He was 105. Upton died Wednesday at a hospital in Los Gatos, California, after suffering a bout of pneumonia, said Kathleen
Continue ReadingBy The Associated Press Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: Dec. 23 The Washington Post on President Biden’s commutation of death sentences President Joe Biden’s Monday announcement that he would commute the death sentences of 37 federal inmates should not be seen as an act of mercy for people convicted of
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By HYUNG-JIN KIM – Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s opposition-controlled National Assembly voted Friday to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo despite vehement protests by governing party lawmakers, further deepening the country’s political crisis set off by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment. Han’s impeachment means
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