National News - The Morning Sun

Emergency responders work on the scene of a carbon monoxide leak at a day care center in Allentown, Pa. on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. (Zach DeWever/WFMZ-TV via AP)

Carbon monoxide leak at day care center injures kids, staff

A carbon monoxide leak at a Pennsylvania day care center has sent sent nearly 30 children and four adults to the hospital. Officials say none of the injuries are considered serious. Emergency … more

10/11/22

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz sits at the defense table for closing arguments in the penalty phase of Cruz's trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Prosecutor makes final case for school shooter's execution

The lead prosecutor of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz has made his final case to persuade jurors to sentence him to death. Mike Satz told them Tuesday during his closing argument that the 2018 … more

By TERRY SPENCER | 10/11/22

`How lucky': Fishermen rescued fighting off sharks in Gulf

The U.S. Coast Guard says fishermen whose boat sank in the Gulf of Mexico suffered deep cuts on their hands and a shredded life jacket after they were forced to fight back against circling sharks … more

10/11/22

A firefighter helps his colleague to escape from a crater as they extinguish smoke from a burned car after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. Russia unleashed a lethal barrage of strikes against multiple Ukrainian cities Monday, smashing civilian targets including downtown Kyiv where at least six people were killed amid burnt-out cars and shattered buildings. The onslaught brought back into focus the grim reality of war after months of easing tensions in the capital. (AP Photo/Roman Hrytsyna)

Live Updates: Russia-Ukraine War

Ukraine’s State Emergencies Service says that 19 people were killed and 105 others were wounded in Monday’s Russian missile strikes across Ukraine. It said Tuesday that critical infrastructure … more

By The Associated Press | 10/11/22

FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses the crowd before publicly signing HB7, "individual freedom," also dubbed the "Stop Woke" bill during a news conference at Mater Academy Charter Middle/High School in Hialeah Gardens, Fla., on Friday, April 22, 2022. As Republicans and Democrats fight for control of Congress this fall, a growing collection of conservative political action groups is targeting its efforts closer to home: at local school boards. DeSantis endorsed a slate of school board candidates, putting his weight behind conservatives who share his opposition to lessons on sexuality and what he deems critical race theory. (Daniel A. Varela/Miami Herald via AP, File)

Conservative PACs inject millions into local school races

In the run-up to the midterm elections, a growing number of conservative groups are turning their attention to often-ignored school board races. Their aim is to put conservatives in control of more … more

By COLLIN BINKLEY and JULIE CARR SMYTH | 10/11/22

FILE - A Uvalde police officer watches as family and friends of those killed and injured in the school shootings at Robb Elementary take part in a protest march and rally, Sunday, July 10, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. Four months after the Robb Elementary School shooting, the Uvalde school district on Friday, Oct. 7 pulled its entire embattled campus police force off the job following a wave of new outrage over the hiring of a former Texas state trooper who was part of the hesitant law enforcement response as a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers.(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Uvalde school chief plans to retire after community outrage

Uvalde’s school district superintendent has announced he plans to resign by the end of the academic year. The school board voted Monday night to begin a search for his successor immediately. In a … more

10/10/22

FILE - A burned out police vehicle is towed outside the police station in Southeast Raleigh, N.C., on May 7, 2022. North Carolina police officers who shot and killed a man who threw Molotov cocktails and set cars on fire near a police station in May won’t face charges, prosecutors announced Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP, File)

No charges for police who killed Molotov-throwing man

A North Carolina prosecutor says police officers won't face charges for fatally shooting a man who threw Molotov cocktails and set cars on fire near a police station in May. News outlets report that … more

10/10/22

Travis Gienger from Anoka, Minn., stands behind his winning pumpkin at the 49th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, Calif., Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. AP Photo/Haven Daley)

2,560-pound pumpkin wins California contest; sets record

A horticulture teacher from Minnesota has set a new U.S. record for the heaviest pumpkin after raising a giant gourd weighing 2,560 pounds. Travis Gienger, of Anoka, Minnesota won an annual … more

10/10/22

FILE - This image released by the Merced County Sheriff's Office shows Jesus Salgado. Salgado was charged on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022, in the kidnapping and killings of an 8-month-old baby, her parents and uncle. (Merced County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

California man charged in family's kidnapping, slaying

Prosecutors have charged a California man in the kidnapping and killings of an 8-month-old baby, her parents and uncle. The Merced County District Attorney's Office on Monday filed four counts of … more

10/10/22

FILE - Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez at podium, and Mayor Eric Garcetti, standing to her right, are seen during a news conference at Los Angeles City Hall in Los Angeles on April 1, 2022. The president of the Los Angeles City Council resigned from the post Monday, Oct. 10, 2022, after she was heard making racist comments and other coarse remarks in a leaked recording of a conversation with other Latino leaders. Council President Nury Martinez issued an apology and expressed shame. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Los Angeles Council president resigns after racist remarks

The president of the Los Angeles City Council has resigned from the post after she was heard making racist comments and other coarse remarks in a leaked recording of a conversation with other Latino … more

10/10/22

FILE - This image captured by the United Arab Emirates' "Amal" ("Hope") probe shows the planet Mars on Feb. 10, 2021. Ancient Mars may have had an environment capable of harboring an underground world teeming with microscopic organisms. That's according to French scientists who published their findings Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. (Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center/UAE Space Agency, via AP, File)

Underground microbes may have swarmed ancient Mars

Ancient Mars may have had an environment capable of harboring an underground world teeming with microscopic organisms. That's according to French scientists who published their findings Monday. … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 10/10/22

Rev. Chris Morgan leads his congregation at Christ United Methodist Church in Bethel Park Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. The church has a diverse congregation with most leaning toward the center. In regional gatherings across the country this year, United Methodists approved requests of about 300 congregations to quit the denomination primarily over debates over sexuality and theology. (AP Photo/Philip G. Pavely)

United Methodists are breaking up in a slow-motion schism

The United Methodist Church, long a mainstay of the American religious scene, is beginning to fracture. Hundreds of churches have already disaffiliated from the denomination this year, with hundreds … more

By PETER SMITH | 10/10/22

A man hauls debris away from a pizza restaurant that was badly damaged by Hurricane Ian at Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)

Search for victims done, Florida coast aims for Ian recovery

Southwest Florida is looking ahead toward the long slog of recovering from its first direct hit from a major hurricane in a century. The major search for victims of Hurricane Ian ended over the … more

By JAY REEVES | 10/10/22

FILE - Police investigate a shooting outside of East High School in in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday, March 7, 2022. From the start, the case stemming from a drive-by shooting death of a 15-year-old boy near a Des Moines high school has been among the most complex prosecutions ever in Iowa’s capital city, involving 10 teenagers, six guns and at least 42 fired bullets. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Des Moines Register via AP, File)

10 teens, 6 guns, 42 bullets complicate Iowa murder trials

From the start, the case stemming from a drive-by shooting death of a 15-year-old boy near a Des Moines high school has been among the most complex prosecutions ever in Iowa’s capital city, … more

By DAVID PITT | 10/10/22

An injured man receives medical treatment at the scene of Russian shelling, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. Multiple explosions rocked Kyiv early Monday following months of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported explosions in the city's Shevchenko district, a large area in the center of Kyiv that includes the historic old town as well as several government offices. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Live Updates: Russia-Ukraine War

At least eight people were killed and 24 were injured in one of the strikes in Kyiv, according to an advisor to the Ukrainian ministry of internal affairs. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said there are … more

By The Associated Press | 10/10/22

Bobby Calvan poses in front of a painting of the view from his childhood home in Waimanalo, Hawaii, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, in New York. His journey out of the closet has taken decades. Now 57, he is still sharing his truth about his sexuality. The journey hasn’t ended; indeed, it’s just beginning as he now lives his life as the man he believes he was meant to be. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

A personal reckoning, and the truth comes out of the closet

As a journalist, his job is to report about the truth. But personally, for many years, he had been purposely hiding it to protect himself. His journey out of the closet has taken decades. Now 57, he … more

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN | 10/10/22

Joe Kuczko puts up a tarp next to his mobile home, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, in Pine Island, Fla., in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

'Nothing's left': Hurricane Ian leaves emotional toll behind

Survivors of Hurricane Ian face a long emotional road to recover from one of the most damaging storms to hit the U.S. mainland. For those who lost everything to disaster, the anguish can be crushing … more

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN and BRIAN MELLEY | 10/10/22

Police evacuate people from buildings near the Hampton Inn in Dearborn, Mich., Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. Police negotiated Thursday afternoon with a suspected gunman inside the suburban Detroit hotel after reports of gunfire led to evacuations and lockdowns in a popular dining and shopping area. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Man charged with murder in Detroit-area hotel shooting

A man accused of killing a suburban Detroit hotel employee and barricading himself in a room for hours has been charged with murder. Reichsrd Williams-Lewis was denied bond during a court appearance … more

10/9/22

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows, from left, John David Washington, Christian Bale and Margot Robbie in a scene from "Amsterdam." (Merie Weismiller Wallace/20th Century Studios via AP)

'Amsterdam' and 'Lyle Lyle' struggle, letting 'Smile' repeat

David O. Russell’s star-studded 1930s mystery “Amsterdam” flopped and the children’s book adaptation “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” debuted softly, allowing the horror thriller “Smile” to … more

By JAKE COYLE | 10/9/22

FILE - A Kennywood Park security guard stands at the main entrance to the amusement park in West Mifflin, Pa., early Sunday, Sept 25, 2022. A 15-year-old has been arrested in last month's shooting at a western Pennsylvania amusement park that wounded three people, including two teenagers. Allegheny County and West Mifflin police said last week that the teenager is being charged as an adult with aggravated assault, reckless endangering and firearms crimes in the Sept. 24 gunfire at Kennywood Park on the opening night of the park's Phantom Fall Fest. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Teen, 15, arrested in shooting at amusement park that hurt 3

A 15-year-old has been arrested in last month’s shooting at a western Pennsylvania amusement park that wounded three people, including two teenagers. Allegheny County and West Mifflin police said … more

10/9/22