National News - The Morning Sun

Democrats walk out of a Kentucky House committee hearing Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Frankfort, Ky. The walkout occurred as the GOP-led committee took up a bill dealing with expanding access to services for women facing nonviable pregnancies. (Ryan Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP)

Democrats walk out of Kentucky hearing on legislation dealing with support for nonviable pregnancies

Democratic lawmakers have walked out of a Kentucky House committee hearing as the GOP-led panel was taking up a bill to expand access to prebirth and newborn services for pregnant women carrying … more

By BRUCE SCHREINER | 3/7/24

Whitehall Police Officer Matthew Perez trains his dog Rico at a park Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in Whitehall, Ohio. Two Ohio lawmakers are looking to ease the looming financial burden faced by law enforcement agencies in the state who will have to replace marijuana-sniffing dogs after voters last year approved a plan to legalize recreational marijuana use. (AP Photo/Patrick Orsagos)

Nothing to sniff at: Bill would help pay to retire Ohio drug-detecting K9s under legal cannabis

Two Ohio lawmakers are sponsoring a bill that seeks to ease the financial burden on law enforcement agencies that will have to replace their marijuana-sniffing dogs. That's because Ohio voters … more

By PATRICK ORSAGOS and BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI | 3/7/24

FILE - A giant tarp, bottom, covers a section of rubble at the Champlain Towers South condo building, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. Federal investigators determining why the Florida condominium tower partially collapsed three years ago, killing 98 people, said Thursday, March 7, 2024, that there were many faulty support columns in the tenant garage that ran below it and the adjoining pool deck. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

Investigators say tenant garage below collapsed Florida condo tower had many faulty support columns

Federal investigators determining why a Florida condominium tower partially collapsed three years ago have determined there were many faulty support columns in the tenant garage that ran below it and … more

By TERRY SPENCER | 3/7/24

FILE - The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops holds its Fall General Assembly meeting in Baltimore, Nov. 16, 2021. The city of Baltimore has agreed to pay $275,000 toward the legal fees of a far-right Catholic media group to settle a lawsuit over the city's unsuccessful attempt to block a rally in 2021. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Baltimore to pay $275k in legal fees after trying to block far-right Catholic group's 2021 rally

The city of Baltimore has agreed to pay $275,000 toward the legal fees of a far-right Catholic media group to settle a lawsuit over the city’s unsuccessful attempt to block a rally in 2021. The … more

By PETER SMITH | 3/7/24

'They messed it up': Biden's backing for Haiti's unpopular leader digs U.S. into deeper policy hole

When Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry filled the void left by the assassination of the country’s president in 2021, he did so over the protest of wide segments of the population but with the … more

By JOSHUA GOODMAN | 3/7/24

FILE - The Olympic rings are set up at Trocadero plaza that overlooks the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Sept. 14, 2017. A major French union is warning of possible strikes in the public sector, including at hospitals, during the Paris Olympics. The general secretary of the CGT tells France Info media that the union will give notice of a possible strike in public services during the Games, which are held in July-August. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

Major French union threatens strikes during Olympics. Hospital workers could walk off the job

A major French union is warning of possible strikes in the public sector, including at hospitals, during the Paris Olympics. The general secretary of the CGT tells France Info media that the union … more

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN | 3/7/24

FILE - Jazmin Cazares, whose young sister Jacklyn was was one of 19 children killed at Robb Elementary School, attends a hearing at the state capitol, June 23, 2022, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

State of the Union guests spotlight divide on abortion and immigration but offer some rare unity

The guest list for President Joe Biden's State of the Union address speaks volumes about what Democrats and Republicans want to focus on as the 2024 election season heats up. Biden and fellow … more

By The Associated Press | 3/7/24

In this image taken from New York State Police body camera video that was obtained by WMTW-TV 8 in Portland, Maine, New York State police interview Army Reservist Robert Card, the man responsible for Maine's deadliest mass shooting, at Camp Smith in Cortlandt, New York on July 16, 2023. Army officials will testify Thursday, March 7, 2024 before a special commission investigating the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history, which was committed by a former reservist. (WMTW-TV 8/New York State police via AP)

Evidence of traumatic brain injury in shooter who killed 18 in deadliest shooting in Maine history

Robert Card, an Army reservist who shot and killed 18 people in Maine last year, had significant evidence of traumatic brain injuries. That's according to a brain tissue analysis by researchers from … more

By DAVID SHARP and PATRICK WHITTLE | 3/7/24

A Michigan man who purchased a gun with his son, the shooter, four days before the massacre at Oxford High School is headed to trial on involuntary manslaughter charges (March 4)(AP video: Mike Householder)

Opening remarks, evidence next in manslaughter trial of Michigan school shooter's dad

Jurors will soon hear opening statements and the first batch of witnesses in the trial of the second parent accused of having responsibility for a Michigan school shooting. James Crumbley's son … more

By ED WHITE | 3/7/24

In this image provided by Jake Molgaard, Kevin Bacon, a 450-pound porker wandered, Friday, March 1, 2024, from his pen before moseying down the road where he was caught hamming it up on the Molgaard family's security camera. ( Jake Molgaard via AP)

Wayward 450-pound pig named Kevin Bacon hams it up for home security camera

In Hollywood, actor Kevin Bacon is a big star. In Wisconsin’s Kenosha County, Kevin Bacon is one big pig! The 450-pound porker wandered away from his pen last week before moseying down the road … more

By COREY WILLIAMS | 3/6/24

Evidence markers are seen following a shooting in Northeast Philadelphia on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Four shootings over four days in Philadelphia left three dead and 12 injured, many of them children — violence that put renewed focus on safety within the sprawling mass transit system and gave ammunition to critics of the city's progressive chief prosecutor. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)

8 teens wounded by gunfire at Philadelphia bus stop in city's 4th transit shooting in as many days

Authorities say eight teenagers in northeast Philadelphia have been injured in another shooting involving a city bus. Wednesday's shooting is the fourth shooting on the transit system in as many … more

By RON TODT | 3/6/24

FILE - The headquarters of the Southern Baptist Convention is seen, Dec. 7, 2011, in Nashville, Tenn. A Southern Baptist Convention leader said Wednesday, March 5, 2024 the U.S. Department of Justice has ended its investigation of the denomination's handling of sexual abuse in its churches and doesn't anticipate further action. The statement by Jonathan Howe, interim president of the denomination's Executive Committee, said the department informed the convention's legal counsel that there is “no further action to be taken" in the probe, which began a year and a half ago. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

Southern Baptist agency says U.S. investigation into sexual abuse has ended with 'no further action’

A leader in the Southern Baptist Convention says the U.S. Department of Justice has ended its investigation of a top denominational agency's handling of sexual abuse and doesn’t anticipate further … more

Associated Press | 3/6/24

FILE - Plastic bottles and other garbage are seen next to a beach at Fiumicino, Italy, near Rome, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020. We breathe, eat and drink tiny particles of plastic. But are these minuscule specks in the body harmless, dangerous or somewhere in between? A small study published Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in the New England Journal of Medicine raises more questions than it answers about how these bits — microplastics and the smaller nanoplastics — might affect the heart. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

Study raises questions about plastic pollution's effect on heart health

A study raises more questions than it answers about how tiny specks of plastic might affect the heart. We breathe, eat and drink these tiny particles called microplastics and nanoplastics. But … more

By CARLA K. JOHNSON | 3/6/24

In this recent image provided by Kentucky Lottery, Mark Perdue and his wife pose at the Kentucky Lottery's headquarters in Louisville, Ky. Luck struck twice for the Kentucky couple who thought they lost a winning Powerball ticket. The Bowling Green couple found out about a week after purchasing the ticket in late October that they had won $50,000, but they couldn't find the ticket, the Kentucky Lottery said in a statement. Three months later, Perdue went to check out the condition of a car at work and saw the ticket inside. The couple claimed $36,000 after taxes the following day. (Kentucky Lottery via AP)

Luck strikes twice for Kentucky couple who lost, then found, winning lottery ticket

Luck struck twice for a Kentucky couple who thought they lost a winning Powerball ticket. The Kentucky Lottery said in a statement that the Bowling Green couple found out about a week after … more

3/6/24

Jury picked in trial of 2nd parent charged in Michigan school shooting

A jury has been seated in the trial of a man whose son killed four students at a Michigan school with a gun acquired shortly before the shooting. The selection process in the high-profile case lasted … more

By ED WHITE | 3/6/24

This undated photo provided by Laura Levitan shows herself in a self portrait. Levitan, the owner of Mod L Photography in Addison, Texas, uses Facebook and Instagram to correspond with potential clients. When the Meta outage happened on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, she was in the middle of posting and replying to inquiries. (Laura Levitan via AP)

Social media outages hurt small businesses -- so it's important to have a backup plan

The Meta outage that affected Facebook, Messenger and Instagram for a few hours on Tuesday was an inconvenience for most. But businesses that rely on the platforms for advertising, client … more

By MAE ANDERSON | 3/6/24

From left, Vienna Philharmonic violinist and chairman Daniel Froschauer, clarinetist Andrea Goetsch and harpist Anneleen Lenaerts pose for a photograph on Feb. 29, 2024 at Carnegie Hall in New York. A male bastion from its founding in 1842 until 1997, the Vienna Philharmonic has 24 female players among 145 members with three vacancies as it tours the United States this week. (AP Photo/Ron Blum)

Vienna Philharmonic, once an all-male ensemble, now has 24 female musicians

A male bastion from its founding in 1842 until 1997, the Vienna Philharmonic has 24 female players among 145 members with three vacancies as it tours the United States this week. Based since 1870 at … more

By RONALD BLUM | 3/6/24

Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry gives a public lecture at the United States International University (USIU) in Nairobi, Kenya, Friday March. 1, 2024. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry said Friday elections in his country need to be held as soon as possible in order to bring stability to the troubled Caribbean nation facing gang violence that threatens to overran government. Henry is in Kenya trying to salvage the deployment of a foreign armed force to Haiti to help combat gangs. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

Haiti's prime minister is locked out of his country and faces pressure to resign

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry is struggling to stay in power as he tries to return home, where gang attacks have shuttered his country's main international airport and freed more than 4,000 … more

By DÁNICA COTO | 3/6/24

FILE - A crew cleans and tests the fountains at the Bellagio Casino and Hotel resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 14, 2004. The Bellagio said in a social media post Tuesday, March 5, 2024 that it paused its fountains as it worked with state wildlife officials to rescue a yellow-billed loon who "found comfort on Las Vegas' own Lake Bellagio." (Matthew Minard/Las Vegas Sun via AP, file)

Las Vegas' Bellagio pauses fountain show when rare bird visits

A visit from a rare, fine-feathered tourist has interrupted one of Las Vegas’ prominent shows. The Bellagio said in a social media post Tuesday that it paused its fountains as it worked with state … more

3/6/24

Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny addresses the European Union's parliament on Wednesday Feb. 28, 2024 in Strasbourg, eastern France. The grief-stricken widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny implored the 27-nation bloc to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The legislature often interrupted her speech with applause and lauded her efforts to keep the memory of Navalny alive. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Navalny's widow calls for Russia election day gatherings on March 17 to show dismay with Putin

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's widow has called on his supporters to join a protest of this month’s presidential election that Navalny devised shortly before his still-unexplained … more

By The Associated Press | 3/6/24