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By Eleanor Putnam-Farr Jones Rice University The Conversation via AP Colorado banned plastic bags from large retail stores at the beginning of 2024. A new state ordinance also prohibits restaurants and retail food establishments from using Styrofoam takeout containers. In Boulder, food shoppers have been paying 10 cents for every bag they need at checkout

By Associated Press OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Anthony Oropeza still remembers the day Travis Kelce walked into his studio at the InterUrban ArtHouse in suburban Kansas City, where some of his acrylic and mixed media works were hanging from the walls. Kelce was helping to deliver a grant for the community arts hub, and the

By Associated Press MUSKOGEE, Okla. — The hallways of Bacone College are cold and dark. In the main hall, there are no lectures to be heard, only the steady hum of the space heater keeping the administrative offices warm. Students aren’t attending classes here this semester, but work still needs to be done. In the

By Metro Creative People who have cancer often suffer from weakened immune systems, which can make it hard for their bodies to fight off disease. That means it is essential for newly diagnosed cancer patients or those going through treatment to avoid others who are ill, such as those with influenza or even the common

By Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Taylor Swift used her 13th Grammy win on Sunday to announced her new album, “Tortured Poets Department,” will arrive April 19. The news arrived after U2 frontman Bono announced the award for best pop vocal album, which went to Taylor Swift for “Midnights.” “I know that the way that

By Associated Press SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador | Salvadorans packed the capital’s central square Sunday evening to celebrate the expected reelection of Nayib Bukele as president even before any official results were announced. With soaring approval ratings and virtually no competition, Nayib Bukele was almost certainly headed for a second 5-year term as president. After

By Associated Press LAS VEGAS, Nevada | Facing a cash crunch and harsh criticism from a faction of far-right conservatives, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel on Friday called for the party to unite behind the goal of defeating President Joe Biden. McDaniel spoke at the RNC’s winter meeting in Las Vegas behind closed doors

By Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A patient shot and wounded a security officer Friday morning at a Kansas City hospital after disarming him, authorities say. The patient had just been discharged from University Health Truman Medical Center, Police Sgt. Phil DiMartino said in a news release. While the guard was escorting the patient,

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Victoria Monét walked the Grammys red carpet Sunday in a bronze Versace goddess body-hugger, her adorable 2-year-old and fellow nominee, Hazel, in a matching color as music’s big night unfolded on the wildest and wackiest red carpet of awards season. Dua Lipa went for low-cut silver while Taylor Swift

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley poked fun at herself over a campaign misstep, but her primary target during a “Saturday Night Live” appearance was Donald Trump, joining in a skit that mocked a stand-in for the former president over his refusal to debate her and questioned his mental fitness. “Had

By Missouri Independent via My Courier-Tribune As climate change and groundwater pumping leave arid western states hurting for water, Missouri lawmakers are considering legislation to keep the state’s water from being shipped outside its borders. “You may hear about states like California and Kansas in the news having water shortages,” said state Sen. Jason Bean,

By Missouri Independent via My Courier-Tribune The Missouri Veterans Commission will likely receive about $19 million from marijuana sales revenue before the current fiscal year is over on July 1, Amy Moore, director of the Division of Cannabis Regulation, told a House committee this week. Next year it will be $22 million, she said, if

By Associated Press SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers made the kind of decision that could set a franchise back for years when they traded three first-round picks to draft Trey Lance third overall in 2021. The big investment in a potential franchise quarterback turned into a dud with Lance making just four

By Associated Press PARIS — Parisians voted Sunday to muscle SUVs off the French capital’s streets by making them much more expensive to park, the latest leg in a drive by Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo to make the host city for this year’s Olympic Games greener and friendlier for pedestrians and cyclists. More than 54%

By Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis called his new home the Death Star in 2020 — and the name stuck. Allegiant Stadium, with its black facade, in fact resembles the ominous space station from the “Star Wars” movie franchise that was capable of destroying planets. The futuristic stadium takes

By Associated Press Social media CEOs got grilled by Senate lawmakers this week in an emotional and often heated hearing about the dangers their platforms pose to children — sexual predators, videos encouraging suicide and glorifying eating disorders, bullying and addictive features, just to name a few. Republican and Democratic senators came together in a

By Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It has taken two full years to accurately evaluate one of the most important deals that the Kansas City Chiefs have ever made, when they traded game-breaking wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins for a package of draft picks. The Chiefs knew that if they gave

By Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israel’s military on Saturday issued its most detailed warning yet to Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon that it would be “ready to attack immediately” if provoked, as it recounted its actions along the northern border during four months of war in Gaza and made a rare acknowledgement of dozens

By Associated Press LAS VEGAS — President Joe Biden pitched for votes Sunday in Nevada, where the first-in-the-West primaries are underway with early and absentee voting. But the Democrat and his team are also using the visit to shore up support for the general election in November. The president last visited Nevada in December, when

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — While sentencing a North Carolina man to prison for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot, a Republican-appointed judge issued a stark warning: Efforts to portray the mob of Donald Trump’s supporters as heroes and play down the violence that unfolded on Jan. 6, 2021, pose a serious threat to

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Chair Jerome Powell said in an interview broadcast Sunday night that the Federal Reserve remains on track to cut interest rates three times this year, a move that’s expected to begin as early as May. Powell, in an interview recorded Thursday for the CBS news program “60 Minutes,” also said

By Associated Press LAWRENCE, Kan. — Hunter Dickinson had 20 points to lead four Jayhawks in double figures as No. 8 Kansas beat No. 4 Houston 78-65 in front of a frenzied crowd on Saturday. “That was our best crowd of the season,” Kansas coach Bill Self said, “and we’ve had some good ones.” Kansas

By Associated Press SANTIAGO, Chile — Firefighters wrestled Sunday with massive forest fires that broke out in central Chile two days earlier, as officials extended curfews in cities most heavily affected by the blazes and said at least 99 people were killed. The fires burned with the highest intensity around the city of Viña del

By Associated Press LOS ANGELES — The second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers drenched Northern California on Sunday, flooding roads, knocking out power to tens of thousands and leading forecasters to warn of possible hurricane-force winds and mudslides as it slowly heads south over the coming days. The storm knocked down trees and power lines in