National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Marijuana plants are seen at a growing facility in Washington County, N.Y., May 12, 2023. The Health and Human Services Department has recommended removing marijuana from a category of drugs deemed to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” The agency advised moving pot from that “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III.” The decision is up to the Drug Enforcement Administration. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)

US regulators might change how they classify marijuana. Here's what that would mean

When it emerged this week that U.S. health regulators are suggesting that the federal government loosen restrictions on marijuana, the news lit up the world of weed. Specifically, the Health and … more

By JENNIFER PELTZ | 8/31/23

This image provided by the FBI shows Leo Frederick Burt. More than 50 years after a bombing on the University of Wisconsin campus that killed a researcher, the FBI on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023 released age-processed photographs of Burt, a suspect who has evaded law enforcement for more than half a century. (FBI via AP)

FBI updates photo of University of Wisconsin bomber wanted for 53 years

More than 50 years after a Vietnam War-era bombing on the University of Wisconsin campus that killed a researcher, the FBI has released age-processed photographs of a suspect who has evaded law … more

By SCOTT BAUER | 8/31/23

This photo provided by News Channel Nebraska, a Watusi bull named Howdy Doody sits in the passenger seat of a car owned by Lee Meyer on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023 in Norfolk, Neb. The car that Meyer has been driving in parades across the area for years has half the windshield and roof removed to make room for his bull to ride along. (News Channel Nebraska via AP)

Police stop Nebraska man for bucking the law with a bull riding shotgun in his car

A car driving with a bull in it was pulled over in northeast Nebraska’s biggest city, but don’t worry, he didn’t steer. Norfolk Police Capt. Chad Reiman says it didn't take long for officers to … more

By JOSH FUNK | 8/31/23

FILE — Yale University President Peter Salovey speaks during a news conference in New Haven, CT, April 27, 2016. Salovey, who has led the Ivy League school for the past decade, announced Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, that he will step down from his post next year and plans to return to Yale's faculty. (AP Photo/Pat Eaton-Robb, File)

Yale President Peter Salovey to step down next year with plans to return to full-time faculty

Yale University President Peter Salovey says he will step down next year and plans to return to the school's faculty. Salovey announced Thursday that he plans to leave the post he has held for the … more

8/31/23

CAPTION CORRECTION: CORRECTS DATE: FILE - Tables are left on their side in the area of a mass shooting incident at a block party in the Southern District of Baltimore, Sunday, July 2, 2023. Police announced Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, that a teenager has been arrested in the shooting that left two people dead and 28 others injured earlier this summer. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

2 more teens arrested in Baltimore block party mass shooting

Baltimore police have arrested two more teenagers in a mass shooting that left two people dead and 28 others injured during an annual block party earlier this summer. Police arrested 18-year-old … more

By LEA SKENE | 8/31/23

Scientists say study found a direct link between greenhouse gas emissions and polar bear survival

Scientists say in a new study that they've established a direct link between greenhouse gas emissions and polar bear cub survival. They believe it overcomes a legal roadblock in the Endangered … more

By TAMMY WEBBER | 8/31/23

FILE - Drag artist Vidalia Anne Gentry speaks during a news conference held by the Human Rights Campaign to draw attention to anti-drag bills in the Tennessee Legislature, Feb. 14, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee's first-in-the-nation law that placed strict limits on drag shows is once again facing a legal challenge after a local district attorney warned Pride organizers that he intends to enforce the new statute even though a federal judge ruled the ban was unconstitutional. The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee filed the lawsuit late Wednesday, Aug. 30. (John Amis/AP Images for Human Rights Campaign via AP, File)

ACLU sues Tennessee district attorney who promises to enforce the state's new anti-drag show ban

Tennessee’s first-in-the-nation law placing strict limits on drag shows is facing another legal challenge. The ACLU is suing a local district attorney who is warning Blount County Pride organizers … more

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI | 8/31/23

FILE - Demonstrators gather on the steps to the Texas Capitol to speak against transgender-related legislation bills being considered in the Texas Senate and House, May 20, 2021, in Austin, Texas. The Texas Supreme Court will allow the new state law banning gender-affirming care for minors to take effect on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, setting up Texas to be the most populous state with such restrictions on transgender children. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Texas high court allows law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors to take effect

The Texas Supreme Court will allow the new state law banning gender-affirming care for minors to take effect on Friday, setting up Texas to be the most populous state with such restrictions on … more

By JIM VERTUNO | 8/31/23

Water from the Hillsborough River rises onto Plant parkk at University of Tampa, Fla., in downtown as Hurricane Idalia approaches the Big Bend region on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Ivy Ceballo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Tampa Bay area gets serious flooding but again dodges a direct hit from a major hurricane

Last year it was Hurricane Ian that drew a bead on Tampa Bay before abruptly shifting east to strike southwest Florida more than 130 miles away. This time it was Hurricane Idalia, which caused some … more

By CURT ANDERSON | 8/31/23

This image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows Denzel Washington, left, and director Antoine Fuqua on the set of "The Equalizer 3." (Stefano Montesi/Sony Pictures Entertainment via AP)

In ‘Equalizer 3,’ Denzel Washington’s assassin goes to Italy

Filmmaker Antoine Fuqua has been dreaming about taking the Equalizer abroad for years. The action franchise (very loosely based on a 1980s television series) starring Denzel Washington as the … more

By LINDSEY BAHR | 8/31/23

File - A hiring sign seeking bus drivers is posted in Palatine, Ill., Wednesday, April 19, 2023. On Thursday, the Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

US applications for jobless claims inch back down as companies hold on to their employees

U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week as businesses continue to retain employees in an economy that has largely withstood rapidly rising interest rates for more than a … more

By MATT OTT | 8/31/23

Five people have been shot in Peoria, Illinois and two of them were in critical condition, police said. The wounded, as well as a sixth person who suffered a laceration, were taken to a hospital. (Aug. 31)

5 people shot in Illinois neighborhood and 2 are in critical condition

Police say five people have been shot in a Peoria, Illinois, neighborhood and two of them were in critical condition. Peoria police say the wounded, as well as a sixth person who suffered a … more

8/31/23

Residents gather at a prayer vigil for the victims of a mass shooting a day earlier, in Jacksonville, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

After Jacksonville shootings, historically Black colleges address security concerns, remain vigilant

The white supremacist shooter who killed three Black residents over the weekend at a dollar store in Jacksonville, Florida, stopped beforehand at the state’s first historically Black college. A … more

By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY | 8/31/23

FILE - Alex Murdaugh speaks with his legal team before he is sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the murder of his wife and son by Judge Clifton Newman at the Colleton County Courthouse on Friday, March 3, 2023 in in Walterboro, S.C. Murdaugh's lawyers have filed court papers that he plans to plead guilty in federal court to charges he stole money from clients. (Joshua Boucher/The State via AP, File, Pool)

Alex Murdaugh loses prison phone privileges after lawyer records phone call for documentary

South Carolina prison officials say convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh has lost his phone privileges and his prison tablet computer after his lawyer recorded him reading his journal entries on a call … more

By JEFFREY COLLINS | 8/30/23

March For Our Lives co-founder David Hogg speaks at a gun safety rally following a fatal shooting earlier in the week on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)

University of North Carolina students rally for gun safety after fatal shooting of faculty member

A school shooting that frightened students and left one faculty member dead at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has galvanized gun safety advocates. They rallied the grieving community … more

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM | 8/30/23

A peacock sits on a chimney as a nearly full moon rises behind it, in Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. August 30 will see the month's second supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

AP PHOTOS: Rare blue supermoon dazzles stargazers around the globe

A rare blue supermoon — the closest full moon of the year — dazzled stargazers Wednesday night. Saturn joined the celestial spectacle, visible alongside the moon, at least where skies were … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 8/30/23

This photo provided by Red Antler Processing shows the alligator sport hunting team made up of, from left, Tanner White, tag-holder Donald Woods, Will Thomas and Joey Clark as they hoist, with the help of a forklift, the longest alligator officially harvested in Mississippi, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, at Red Antler Processing in Yazoo City, Miss. The male alligator weighed 802.5 pounds and measured 14 feet, 3 inches long, and its length broke the state record as the longest alligator ever caught, according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. (Shane Smith/Red Antler Processing via AP)

Longest alligator in Mississippi history captured by hunters

A group of hunters have captured the longest alligator ever to be recorded in Mississippi. The state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks says four state residents harvested a male alligator … more

8/30/23

CAPTION CORRECTION: CORRECTS DATE: FILE - A chair remains upright in the area of a mass shooting incident in the Southern District of Baltimore, Sunday, July 2, 2023. Police announced Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, that a teenager has been arrested in the shooting that left two people dead and 28 others injured earlier this summer. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Baltimore police showed indifference leading up to July mass shooting, report says

A new report examining Baltimore's response to a mass shooting at a neighborhood block party last month says that police ignored multiple warning signs and failed to take proactive measures in the … more

By LEA SKENE | 8/30/23

Hurricane Idalia strengthened to a dangerous Category 4 storm Wednesday morning as it steams toward Florida’s Big Bend region and threatens to unleash life-threatening storm surges and rainfall. (Aug. 30)(AP Video Production: Rod Jussim)

Live updates | Hurricane Idalia makes landfall in Florida as Category 3 storm

Hurricane Idalia has made landfall on Florida’s west coast as a dangerous Category 3 storm and threatens to unleash life-threatening storm surges and rainfall. Idalia came ashore early Wednesday in … more

8/30/23

FILE - President of Spain's soccer federation, Luis Rubiales, right, hugs Spain's Aitana Bonmati on the podium following Spain's win in the final of Women's World Cup soccer against England at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. At left is Spain's Princess Infanta Sofia. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

Rubiales crisis hangs over European soccer ahead of gala award ceremony in Monaco

The governing body of European soccer heads to its annual awards gala on Thursday in Monaco amid turmoil created by its vice president from Spain. Luis Rubiales won’t be at the high-end ceremony in … more

By GRAHAM DUNBAR | 8/30/23