AP

By Associated Press REX, Ga. — The third-grade students at Roberta T. Smith Elementary School had only a few days until summer vacation, and an hour until lunch, but there was no struggle to focus as they filed into the classroom. They were ready for one of their favorite parts of the day. The children

By Metro Creative Tea time is a part of daily life in England and countries affiliated with the United Kingdom. But that does not mean residents of North America do not host afternoon guests from time to time. On such visits, it’s customary to offer coffee or tea and a light snack. Prospective hosts who

By Associated Press TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas is no longer enforcing a 3-year-old law making it a felony to impersonate election officials as it faces a legal challenge from critics who argue that the law has hindered efforts to register new voters. Attorneys for the state and groups suing over the law agreed on stopping

By NewsPress Now Missouri State Treasurer Vivek Malek visited St. Joseph on Thursday during a campaign stop at local Republican headquarters. Malek is facing opposition from five opponents on Aug. 6 for the Republican Primary Election. He said his message centers on giving back to the citizens of Missouri through a strong lost funds program,

By My Courier-Tribune DEAR DR. ROACH, I had left knee-replacement surgery 10 years ago, and two days after surgery, I developed CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome). My shin, below my incision down in my left foot and toes, was burning and stinging for two years. It then receded to my toes for the past eight

By Wealth of Geeks via AP Money talks, but gratitude goes further. A new study, commissioned by Motivosity and conducted by OnePoll, finds 55% of people prefer having personalized forms of gratitude given to them in the workplace. While 52% prefer raises and 28% would rather have a promotion, 2000 workers polled say hearing a

By Associated Press ST. LOUIS — A deep-pocketed pro-Israel super PAC that helped defeat one member of the congressional group known as the Squad is now pushing to oust another — Missouri Democrat Cori Bush. Bush, of St. Louis, has been a vocal critic of how Israel responded when attacked by Hamas in October, calling

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Just a day after rallying on hopes that the Federal Reserve is about to cut interest rates, U.S. stocks tumbled Thursday after weak data raised worries the Fed may have missed its window to do so before undercutting the economy’s growth. The S&P 500 sank 1.4% after a report

By Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Exonerees and advocates on Thursday called out Missouri’s Republican attorney general for pushing for a man’s impending execution despite efforts by the local prosecutor to overturn the man’s murder conviction. Marcellus Williams is scheduled to die Sept. 24, roughly a month after a planned Aug. 21 hearing before

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — A bill to expand the child tax credit and restore some tax breaks for businesses failed to advance in the Senate on Thursday as Republicans largely opposed the measure, arguing they would be in position to get a better deal next year. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., dared Republicans to

By Cameron Montemayor As optimism builds for a potential lowering of interest rates in September, the lingering effects of elevated inflation and building costs continue to present challenges for long-term construction project planning. While challenges are less extreme than what many witnessed in 2021, 2022 and early 2023, when inflation surged between 8% and 9%,

By Associated Press BEIRUT — The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah confirmed Wednesday that Israel killed a top commander after a rare strike in Beirut. The Iran-backed group said earlier that Fouad Shukur was in the building during the attack on Tuesday, and they were searching for him in the rubble to determine his fate. Hezbollah’s

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Two months after his felony conviction, Donald Trump still isn’t allowed to say everything he wants about his historic hush money criminal case. After a New York appeals court upheld his gag order on Thursday, he won’t be for a while. The state’s mid-level appellate court denied the Republican

By Associated Press As Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to announce her running mate, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that several of the top contenders for the role are largely unknown to Americans. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly stands out as one with more name recognition and higher favorability,

By Associated Press JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said Thursday that it has confirmed that the head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an airstrike in Gaza in July. The announcement came a day after an apparent Israeli strike in the Iranian capital killed Hamas’ top political leader. The rapid events this

By Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. — Donald Trump is used to defending himself. But this week, the Republican presidential nominee has been put in the rare position of having to defend someone else — his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. When Vance was first introduced at the Republican National Convention last month, many GOP

By Associated Press The NCAA and college sports leaders believe they have found a way through a massive antitrust settlement to finally separate “true NIL” for athletes from booster-funded payments they say are actually pay-for-play or recruiting inducements masquerading as endorsement deals. If the settlement is approved by a federal judge, mandatory disclosure rules, an

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history on Thursday, with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan, along with dissidents including Vladimir Kara-Murza, in a multinational deal that set two dozen people free. The trade unfolded despite relations between Washington and

By Associated Press Former Michigan State University head football coach Mel Tucker is suing the university and school leaders, alleging that they wrongfully fired him last year and violated his constitutional rights after he was accused of sexual harassment. The federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in Michigan accuses school officials of undertaking an “improper, sham investigation”