National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Memphis Light Gas & Water makes repairs to a broken water main in north Memphis, Tenn., Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. Memphis' water company lifted a boil-water advisory for more than 600,000 people on Tuesday, Jan. 23, five days after the precaution was put in place due to freezing temperatures that caused pipes to break throughout the southern city. (AP Photo/Karen Pulfer Focht, File)

Memphis utility lifts boil water advisory after 5 days

Memphis’ water company has lifted a boil-water advisory for more than 600,000 people, five days after the precaution was put in place due to freezing temperatures that caused pipes to break … more

By ADRIAN SAINZ | 1/23/24

FILE - A person holds drug paraphernalia near the Washington Center building on SW Washington Street, April 4, 2023, in downtown Portland, Ore. On Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, Democratic lawmakers in Oregon unveiled a sweeping new bill that would undo a key part of the state's first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law. The bill would recriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs as a low-level misdemeanor. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP, File)

With Oregon facing rampant public drug use, lawmakers backpedal on pioneering decriminalization law

Democratic lawmakers in Oregon have unveiled a sweeping new bill that would undo a key part of the state's first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law. The bill would recriminalize the possession … more

By CLAIRE RUSH | 1/23/24

Bernice King daughter of civil-right leader Martin Luther King Jr., wipes a tear as she speaks about her brother Dexter Scott King during a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, in Atlanta. Dexter died Monday, Jan. 22, 2024 at his California home after battling prostate cancer. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Martin Luther King's daughter recalls late brother as strong guardian of their father's legacy

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter says her late brother was a fierce and visionary steward of their father’s legacy. The Rev. Bernice King choked back tears at times on Tuesday as she … more

By SUDHIN THANAWALA | 1/23/24

Marlene Sanchez-Barriento salavages items behind her home damaged by flooding, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, in. Sanchez-Barriento's home was damaged when flood waters rushed though her home on Monday, Jan. 23. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

San Diegans cry, hug, outside damaged homes after stunning flash floods in normally balmy city

Flash floods that raged through parts of San Diego were spawned by a torrential storm that produced the city’s fourth-wettest day on record, in stark contrast to its image as a balmy seaside … more

By DENIS POROY | 1/23/24

FILE - A memorial for Eric Duprey is seen in the Bronx borough of New York, Aug. 25, 2023. A New York City police sergeant who hurled a plastic cooler at a man fleeing officers on a motorcycle, causing a crash that killed the rider, was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and assault. Erik Duran pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 in the Bronx and made bail, which was set at $150,000. A number of officers showed up in court in his support. (AP Photo/Jake Offenhartz, file)

New York City police sergeant who hurled plastic cooler at fleeing motorcyclist charged in his death

A New York City police sergeant who hurled a plastic cooler at a man fleeing officers on a motorcycle — causing a crash that killed the rider — has been charged with manslaughter, criminally … more

1/23/24

Michelle Troconis appears in court on day seven of her criminal trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Stamford, Conn., Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. Troconis is on trial for charges related to the disappearance and death of New Canaan resident Jennifer Dulos. (Tyler Sizemore/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP)

'Gone Mom' prosecutors show shirt, bra, zip ties they say link defendant to woman's disappearance

Prosecutors attempting to link a Connecticut woman to the disappearance of her boyfriend’s estranged wife say items from Hartford trash receptacles show the connection between defendant Michelle … more

By PAT EATON-ROBB | 1/23/24

FILE - Picketers demonstrate outside Paramount Pictures studio on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, in Los Angeles. Unions commanded big headlines last year, but that didn’t translate into higher membership numbers, according to government data released Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

US unions flexed their muscles last year, but membership rates failed to grow

Unions commanded big headlines last year, but that didn’t translate into higher membership numbers, according to government data released Tuesday. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said 10% of … more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN | 1/23/24

Microsoft and others are making new tools to help small businesses capitalize on A.I.

The influx of generative artificial intelligence software is transforming small businesses. Small business owners are using A.I. tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard and others to check … more

By MAE ANDERSON | 1/23/24

This image taken from video provided by WTVG shows Pastor of Dad's Place Chris Avell, right, sitting inside Bryan Municipal Court on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, in Bryan, Ohio. The Christian church filed a federal lawsuit Monday, Jan. 22, after being charged with violating the zoning laws in the northwestern Ohio city by opening up the church around-the-clock for homeless residents and others to find shelter. (WTVG via AP)

A pastor and a small Ohio city tussle over the legality of his 24/7 homeless ministry

A Christian church in Ohio is suing after its pastor was charged with violating city ordinances when he opened up the sanctuary around the clock for homeless people and others to find shelter. Police … more

By PATRICK ORSAGOS and MARK SCOLFORO | 1/23/24

FILE - Photographer Evgeniy Maloletka, from left, "Frontline" producer/editor Michelle Mizner, director Mstyslav Chernov, and field producer Vasilisa Stepanenko pose for a portrait to promote the film "20 Days in Mariupol" at the Latinx House during the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023, in Park City, Utah. The film is a joint project between The Associated Press and PBS "Frontline." (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP, File)

Oscar nomination for '20 Days in Mariupol' is a first for the 178-year-old Associated Press

“20 Days in Mariupol,” Mstyslav Chernov’s harrowing chronicle of the besieged Ukrainian city and the international journalists who remained there after Russia invaded, has been nominated for … more

By JAKE COYLE | 1/23/24

FILE. - This photo provided by Missouri Department of Corrections shows Brian Dorsey. Sixty corrections officers and other staffers at the Missouri Department of Corrections are urging Gov. Mike Parson to spare the life of Brian Dorsey, a death row inmate scheduled to be executed in April for killing two people in 2006. A letter to Parson from the group says Dorsey has been a well-behaved inmate who deserves clemency. (Missouri Department of Corrections via AP, file)

60 Missouri corrections officers, staffers urging governor to halt execution of 'model inmate'

Dozens of Missouri Department of Corrections staff members are urging Gov. Mike Parson to grant clemency to a man scheduled to die in April for killing his cousin and her husband, with a former … more

1/23/24

Palestinians who flee from Khan Younis from Israeli ground and air offensive on the Gaza Strip arrive in Rafah, southern Gaza, Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Live updates | 21 Israeli soldiers are killed in Gaza as criticism of war's handling rises at home

The Israeli army says 21 soldiers were killed in the Gaza Strip in the deadliest attack on its troops since the war began three months ago. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead … more

By The Associated Press | 1/23/24

FILE _ "I Voted" stickers are ready to be distributed to each person who filled out a ballot, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Brandon, Miss. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, over whether Mississippi can continue to permanently strip voting rights from people convicted of certain felonies. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Can Mississippi permanently strip felons of voting rights? 19 federal judges will hear the case

More than a dozen federal appellate judges are scheduled to hear arguments on whether Mississippi can continue to permanently strip voting rights from people convicted of certain felonies. The … more

By KEVIN McGILL | 1/23/24

A "Lewiston Strong" sign, which is archived with other memorial items from the Lewiston shooting sites, is displayed at the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor, Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Business owners thought they would never reopen after Maine's deadliest shooting. Then support grew

Immediately after Maine’s deadliest mass shooting, the owners of the bowling alley and the bar in Lewiston where the gunman killed a total of 18 people were certain their doors were closed for … more

By NICK PERRY | 1/23/24

FILE - District Attorney for Fulton County, Fani Willis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press on Dec. 12, 2023, in Atlanta. Accusations that Willis had an inappropriate relationship with a special prosecutor she hired to seek convictions of Donald Trump and others for interfering in Georgia's 2020 election have led to renewed calls to remove Willis from the case.(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Could Georgia's Fani Willis be removed from prosecuting Donald Trump?

Accusations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had an affair with a special prosecutor she hired to seek convictions of Donald Trump and others for interfering in Georgia’s 2020 … more

By JEFF AMY and KATE BRUMBACK | 1/23/24

FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2022, photo, Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, appear in court in Rochester Hills, Mich. The mother of the Michigan school shooter is headed to trial on involuntary manslaughter charges. Prosecutors are trying to pin criminal responsibility on Ethan Crumbley's parents in the deaths of four students at Oxford High School in 2021. Jennifer and James Crumbley are not accused of knowing their son planned to kill fellow students. But prosecutors say they were grossly negligent by making a gun accessible to Ethan Crumbley and ignoring his mental health needs. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, file)

Michigan school shooter's mother to stand trial for manslaughter in 4 student deaths

The mother of a Michigan school shooter is headed to trial on involuntary manslaughter charges. Prosecutors are trying to pin criminal responsibility on Ethan Crumbley's parents in the deaths of four … more

By ED WHITE | 1/23/24

A woman walks by cars damaged by floods during a rainstorm in San Diego on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Flash floods inundate homes and overturn cars in San Diego as heavy rains sweep through much of US

Flash floods inundated homes and overturned cars in Southern California as torrential rain swept through a large swath of the U.S. Over a three-hour period on Monday, a whopping 3 inches of rain fell … more

By DENIS POROY and CHRISTOPHER WEBER | 1/22/24

FILE - This Oct. 9, 2014, file photo shows the gurney in the the execution chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Okla. An execution scheduled Thursday, Jan. 24, 2024 in Alabama would be the first in the nation in which an inmate is put to death using nitrogen gas. It follows a long history of problems with lethal injection since Texas first used the method in 1982. Numerous other states that use lethal injection have encountered various problems. These include difficulty finding usable veins, needles becoming disengaged or problems obtaining or using the lethal chemicals. Alabama, Oklahoma and Mississippi all have authorized the untested use of nitrogen gas to execute prisoners, although none has actually used it. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

Why are states like Alabama, which is planning to use nitrogen gas, exploring new execution methods?

An Alabama execution this week would be the first in the nation to use nitrogen gas. It follows a long history of problems with lethal injection since Texas first used the method in 1982. Numerous … more

By SEAN MURPHY | 1/22/24

Snowmobile riders stop on a trail in Danville, Vt., Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. In Vermont, temperatures in the single digits to low teens didn’t stop ice anglers and snowmobilers from their sport, and young ski jumpers braved the cold as they competed in northern New Hampshire. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)

Memphis residents are on day 4 of a boil water notice while ice hits Arkansas and Missouri

The 600,000 residents of Memphis, Tennessee, are on their fourth day of living under a boil water notice. On Monday, repair crews were working to fix broken pipes that caused low water pressure … more

By ADRIAN SAINZ | 1/22/24

A Palestinian woman cries as she sits next to her girl wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip while receiving treatment at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, Southern Gaza Strip, Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman)

Live updates | Gaza loses phone and internet, and Israeli families push for hostage release deal

Relatives of more than 100 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza stepped up their protests by disrupting a parliament committee meeting, yelling “You won’t sit here while they are dying there!” … more

By The Associated Press | 1/22/24