National News - The Morning Sun

A hiring sign is displayed at a convenience store in Buffalo Grove, Ill., Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. On Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024 the Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

US applications for jobless benefits fall as labor market continues to show resilience

Fewer Americans filed for jobless claims last week as the labor market continues to show resilience in the face of elevated interest rates. Applications for unemployment benefits fell by 8,000 to … more

By MATT OTT | 2/15/24

Shoppers peruse stacks of hoodies on display in a Costco warehouse Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, in Timnath, Colo. The Commerce Department releases U.S. retail sales data for January on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Retail sales fall 0.8% in January from December as shoppers take a break after strong holiday season

Americans took a break from spending in January after splurging during the holiday season. Retail sales fell 0.8% from the strong pace in December when retail sales were up a revised 0.4%, according … more

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO | 2/15/24

Police clear the area following a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs NFL football Super Bowl celebration in Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. Multiple people were injured, a fire official said.(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Things to know about the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl celebration

Gunfire erupted at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration, leaving one woman dead and more than 20 people injured, including children. The shooting happened at the end of Wednesday's … more

2/15/24

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., early Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. If all goes well, a touchdown attempt on the moon by Intuitive Machines' lunar lander would occur Feb. 22, after a day in lunar orbit. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

US company's lunar lander rockets toward the moon for a touchdown attempt next week

Another private U.S. company is taking a shot at the moon, launching a month after a rival's lunar lander missed its mark. SpaceX's Falcon rocket blasted off in the wee hours of Thursday from … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 2/15/24

F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower, also known as the 'IKE', in the south Red Sea, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

On the USS Eisenhower, 4 months of combat at sea facing Houthi missiles and a new sea threat

Sailors aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower and its accompanying warships have spent four months straight at sea defending against ballistic missiles and flying attack drones fired … more

By BERNAT ARMANGUE and TARA COPP | 2/15/24

Palestinians fleeing the Israeli offensive on Khan Younis arrive at Rafah, Gaza Strip. Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

Live updates | Hospitals in Gaza are devastated after 5 months of Israel's war against Hamas

The war between Israel and Hamas, now in its fifth month, has devastated hospitals in the Gaza Strip. Less than half of hospitals are only partially functioning as scores of people are killed and … more

By The Associated Press | 2/14/24

FILE - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President Sally Kornbluth speaks during a hearing of the House Committee on Education on Capitol Hill, Dec. 5, 2023, in Washington. Kornbluth has suspended a student group that has held demonstrations against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as protest over the war continue to rattle universities around the country. In a video statement Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, Kornbluth said the group, Coalition Against Apartheid, held a demonstration Monday night without going through the permission process that all groups are required to do. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

MIT suspends student group that protested against Israel's military campaign in Gaza

The president of MIT has suspended a student group that has held demonstrations against Israel's military campaign in Gaza. In a video statement Tuesday, Sally Kornbluth said the group, Coalition … more

By MICHAEL CASEY | 2/14/24

FILE - A boy holds locusts he caught in Elburgon, Kenya, March 17, 2021. Extreme wind and rain may lead to bigger and worse desert locust outbreaks, with human-caused climate change likely to intensify the weather patterns and cause higher outbreak risks, a new study has found. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)

Erratic weather fueled by climate change will worsen locust outbreaks, study finds

A team of scientists says extreme wind and rain may contribute to bigger and worse desert locust outbreaks. A study published in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday found a strong link between … more

By CARLOS MUREITHI | 2/14/24

A sign welcomes visitors to downtown Concord, N.H., and the Statehouse on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. Lawmakers are considering a bill to amend state law to include an official pronunciation of the capital city. (AP Photo/Holly Ramer)

Lawmaker seeks official pronunciation of 'Concord,' New Hampshire's capital city

I came. I saw. I Concord. A New Hampshire lawmaker wants to amend state law to include an official pronunciation of the capital city, one of many communities called Concord across the country. While … more

By HOLLY RAMER | 2/14/24

FILE - Candles spell out the name of Tyre Nichols during a candlelight vigil for Nichols on the anniversary of his death, Jan. 7, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. A judge on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, pushed back for four months the federal court trial of four former Memphis police officers charged with civil rights violations in the beating death of Nichols. (AP Photo/Karen Pulfer Focht, file)

City of Memphis releases new documents tied to Tyre Nichols’ beating death

The city of Memphis has released additional documents tied to the January 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by five police officers, a brutal attack captured on video that sparked outrage and … more

2/14/24

Valentine's Day Hearts decorate a storefront on Exchange Street, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, in Portland, Maine. The public has helped honor the memory of Kevin Fahrman, the Valentine's Day Bandit who secretly hung hundreds of red paper hearts throughout the city every February 14th. Farman died last year. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Portland, Maine, shows love for late Valentine's Day Bandit by continuing tradition of paper hearts

The tradition of red hearts mysteriously appearing overnight across Maine’s largest city has continued despite the death last spring of its beloved Valentine’s Day Bandit. Hundreds of red hearts … more

By DAVID SHARP | 2/14/24

Activists from the Last Generation climate movement protest after attaching materials on the glass protecting Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, Tuesday Feb. 13, 2024. Two climate activists on Tuesday targeted Botticelli’s masterpiece “The Birth of Venus” hanging at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, attaching images of recent flood damage in the Tuscany region on the protective glass. (Emiliano Benedetti, FirenzeToday via AP)

Climate activists target Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus' in Florence's Uffizi Gallery

Two climate activists have targeted Botticelli’s masterpiece “The Birth of Venus” hanging at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, attaching images of recent flood damage in the Tuscany region on the … more

By The Associated Press | 2/14/24

First responders work the scene after a car crashed into an emergency room at St. David's North Austin Medical Center, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

1 person killed and 5 injured when vehicle crashes into emergency room in Austin, Texas

A driver car crashed into a Texas hospital’s emergency room, killing the driver and injuring five others, including a child with life-threatening injuries. The car smashed into the lobby of the ER … more

2/13/24

FILE - In this undated photo provided by Kenda James, Kevin Dizmang holds his granddaughter as an infant. Members of a mental health response team sent to Dizmang, a man who was having a “psychotic breakdown”, instead killed him by tackling him and leaving him handcuffed, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, by his family. (Kenda James via AP, File)

Family of man who died after being tackled by mental crisis team sues paramedic, police officer

Members of a mental health response team sent to help a man who was having a “psychotic breakdown” instead killed him by tackling him and leaving him handcuffed, according to a federal lawsuit … more

By COLLEEN SLEVIN | 2/13/24

Kinsley Boyette, assistant director of the Aquarium and Shark Lab by Team ECCO, poses in this undated photo next to Charlotte, a round stingray, in Hendersonville, N.C. The aquarium said Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, that Charlotte is pregnant, even though she's lived at the aquarium for years without a male companion of her species. (Aquarium and Shark Lab by Team ECCO via AP)

Charlotte, a stingray with no male companion, is pregnant in her mountain aquarium

A stingray that has lived for years in a North Carolina aquarium without a male companion is pregnant. The animal is named Charlotte and is expected to give birth in the next two weeks. Brenda Ramer … more

By BEN FINLEY | 2/13/24

Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at a hospital morgue in Rafah, Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Israeli military said early Monday that it had rescued the two hostages from captivity in the Gaza Strip. The operation, which was accompanied by airstrikes, killed dozens of Palestinians, according to local health officials. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Airstrike from Israeli hostage rescue wipes out entire Palestinian family in Gaza border town

Ibrahim Hasouna was staying with a friend when heard about the Israeli airstrikes near the house where his family was staying. When he rushed home, he found his entire family dead — his parents, … more

By The Associated Press | 2/13/24

This body camera image provided by the Greenville County Sheriff’s office shows a deputy from the Greenville County Sheriff’s office outside a home in Greenville, S.C., on Dec. 27, 2023 pointing a firearm at an 81-year-old man who was armed with a pistol. Sheriff Hobart Lewis said an internal investigation found the deputies didn't violate sheriff's office policies and have returned to work. A state investigation continues so prosecutors can determine whether they think the Dec. 27 shooting was justified or merits criminal charges. (Greenville County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

Video shows deputies fired dozens of shots at armed 81-year-old man in South Carolina

Body camera recordings released by a sheriff’s office in South Carolina show deputies fired dozens of shots at an 81-year-old man who they said pointed a gun at them from the backyard of his home. … more

By JEFFREY COLLINS | 2/13/24

FILE - A red-backed vole is held during a survey of plant and animal life in Juneau, Alaska, on Thursday, May 1, 2014. Alaskapox was discovered in 2015 in a woman who lived near Fairbanks, Alaska. It mainly has been found in small mammals, including red-backed voles and shrews. But pets, such as dogs and cats, may also carry the virus, health officials say. (Michael Penn/The Juneau Empire via AP, File)

What is Alaskapox? Recent death brings attention to virus seen in small animals

A recent death has brought new attention to the so-called Alaskapox virus. The bug belongs to a family of brick-shaped viruses that can infect animals and humans. Smallpox is perhaps the most famous … more

By MIKE STOBBE | 2/13/24

FILE - ShotSpotter equipment overlooks the intersection of South Stony Island Avenue and East 63rd Street in Chicago on Aug. 10, 2021. Chicago won't renew its contract for the controversial gunshot detection system and end the use of ShotSpotter technology later this year, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office announced Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, file)

Chicago to stop using controversial gunshot detection technology this year

Mayor Brandon Johnson says Chicago isn't renewing its ShotSpotter contract and will stop using the controversial gunshot detection system later this year. The system relies on an artificial … more

By SOPHIA TAREEN | 2/13/24

Army Reserve soldier killed in Jordan mourned by family and Georgia governor at funeral

Family and friends are gathering in Georgia this week as funerals begin for three Army Reserve soldiers killed in a recent drone attack in Jordan. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp joined military officers … more

By SUDHIN THANAWALA and RUSS BYNUM | 2/13/24