AP

By Noah Cohan Washington University The Conversation via AP Every four years, millions of Americans join billions of their fellow humans across the globe to celebrate the astonishing athletic feats at the Summer Olympics. Warm-weather sports such as swimming and track that usually don’t capture much attention in U.S. media suddenly vault to the forefront.

By Associated Press NEW ORLEANS | A federal appeals court in New Orleans is taking another look at its own order requiring a Texas county to keep eight books on public library shelves that deal with subjects including sex, gender identity and racism. Llano County officials had removed 17 books from its shelves amid complaints

By Associated Press TOPEKA, Kan. — A former reporter for a weekly Kansas newspaper has agreed to accept $235,000 to settle part of her federal lawsuit over a police raid on the paper that made a small community the focus of a national debate over press freedoms. The settlement removed the former police chief in

By Associated Press LOS ANGELES — A long-running heat wave that has already shattered previous records across the U.S. will persist, baking parts of the West with dangerous temperatures that will soar into the 100s and holding the East in its hot and humid grip throughout the week, forecasters said Sunday. An excessive heat warning

By Metro Creative The games garner the bulk of fans’ attention when football season kicks off each year at the end of summer. While the exciting action on the gridiron is a cause for celebration among millions of football fans, the food enjoyed during game day provides much to look forward to as well. Certain

By Associated Press The scammers are winning. Sophisticated overseas criminals are stealing tens of billions of dollars from Americans every year, a crime wave projected to get worse as the U.S. population ages and technology like AI makes it easier than ever to perpetrate fraud and get away with it. Internet and telephone scams have

By Ashley Luthans The Fourth of July may be over, but firework sales in St. Joseph have not halted. Area fireworks vendors are working to sell as much product as they can with a short window remaining. According to Section 16-32 of the St. Joseph Code of Ordinances, firework vendors may only sell between June

By My Courier-Tribune After a wonderful vacation, it’s never fun to come home to dead plants, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Michele Warmund. Before the trip, homeowners should arrange for a reliable neighbor or plant sitter to water indoor and outdoor plants, she said. To help reduce the workload, homeowners should group plants together

By My Courier-Tribune According to Alex Holmes, Missouri Department of Conservation nature center assistant manager, shares there is a creature in Missouri that also longs for drenching rain. Not for the spectacle of thunderheads and lightning, but for the nurturing rain of a powerful storm. This is the eastern spade-foot frog. This pudgy little frog

By My Courier-Tribune The sounds of summer are a little different than what is heard during the spring months. Though there are still bird songs here and there, some of the most distinguishable sounds are those of grasshoppers, katydids and cicadas. Cicadas, though small in stature, are mighty in sound, according to the state Department

By Metro Creative Summer is a time of year when people can enjoy their pick of fresh fruit at farm stands, supermarkets and other retailers. Many fruit trees, plants and bushes are ready for harvest in the spring and summer, meaning there’s no limit to the number of delicious recipes one can whip up with

By Cameron Montemayor Lingering unknowns surrounding a Lake Contrary dredging project and its long-term financial feasibility are sparking concerns among current and former county officials. In recent months, the Buchanan County Commission has taken steps toward a potential dredging project at Lake Contrary, including analyzing soil samples, reviewing lakebed ownership and considering necessary equipment among

By Wealth of Geeks via AP The average American car continues to get older. According to new data from S&P Global Mobility, the average vehicle in use age increased by two months from last year to 12.6 years in 2024. Multiple reasons drive the increase. A prime one being new cars are prohibitively expensive for

By Wealth of Geeks via AP A recent survey reveals some startling information regarding the affordability of homes in the United States. According to St. Louis-based real estate company Clever Real Estate, a median home is unaffordable for the average American household in 44 of the 50 largest United States metro areas and 46 of

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Wall Street’s record-breaking rally kept going Wednesday after weak reports on the U.S. economy kept the door open for possible cuts to interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 0.5% to set an all-time high for a second straight day and for the 33rd time this year. The Dow Jones

By Associated Press ST. LOUIS — A Missouri judge on Tuesday set an Aug. 21 date for a hearing to determine if Marcellus Williams is innocent of the murder that landed him on death row — a hearing that comes just a little over a month before Williams is scheduled to die. Williams, 55, was

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve officials at their most recent meeting welcomed signs that inflation is slowing and highlighted data suggesting that the job market and the broader economy could be cooling. Both trends, if they continued, will likely lead the Fed to cut its benchmark interest rate in the coming months from

By Associated Press LONDON — Coco Gauff likes No. 1 Court at Wimbledon. It’s where she beat Venus Williams back in 2019 when Gauff made her Wimbledon debut at age 15. On Wednesday, Gauff beat qualifier Anca Todoni 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the third round at the All England Club. “This is the court

By Associated Press ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A Maryland board led by Gov. Wes Moore approved a $50.3 million emergency contract on Wednesday to pay a Swedish construction company that removed debris from the March collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. While the work to remove debris from the federal channel in the Patapsco River

By Associated Press BEIRUT — The deputy leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said Tuesday the only sure path to a cease-fire on the Lebanon-Israel border is a full cease-fire in Gaza. “If there is a cease-fire in Gaza, we will stop without any discussion,” Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Kassem, said in an

By Associated Press NEW YORK — The defense for Sen. Bob Menendez rested Wednesday without the New Jersey Democrat testifying at his New York bribery trial. Lawyers for Menendez called several witnesses over two days in an effort to counter seven weeks of testimony and hundreds of exhibits and communications introduced by Manhattan federal prosecutors.

By Associated Press WATERLOO, Iowa — Police in Waterloo, Iowa, were responding to a report of a bicyclist with a gun in an incident that ended with two officers wounded and the suspect dead, state investigators said Monday. Officers were dispatched shortly before 8:30 a.m. Sunday on a report of an armed man wearing all-green

By Associated Press CRETE, Neb. — A white Nebraska man described as reclusive and confrontational shot and wounded seven neighbors who are Guatemalan immigrants, and investigators said they are not ruling out racist motives. About 15 people were at the victims’ home, mostly in the yard, when Billy Booth, 74, opened fire from his house