Tag: jbnd

Ice from winter storm leaves a million customers without power across the South

A massive winter storm dumped sleet, freezing rain and snow across much of the U.S. on Sunday, bringing subzero temperatures and paralyzing air and road traffic. Tree branches and power lines snapped under the weight of ice, and about a million homes and businesses in the Southeast were left without electricity.The ice and snowfall were expected to continue into Monday in much of the country, followed by very low temperatures, which could cause “dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts” to linger for several days, the National Weather Service said. Heavy snow was forecast from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast, while “catastrophic ice accumulation” threatened from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.”It is a unique storm in the sense that it is so widespread,” weather service meteorologist Allison Santorelli said in a phone interview. “It was affecting areas all the way from New Mexico, Texas, all the way into New England, so we’re talking like a 2,000 mile spread.”President Donald Trump had approved emergency declarations for at least a dozen states by Saturday. The Federal Emergency Management Agency pre-positioned commodities, staff and search and rescue teams in numerous states, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state was bracing for the longest cold stretch and highest snow totals it has seen in years. Communities near the Canadian border have already seen record-breaking subzero temperatures, with Watertown registering minus 34 degrees Fahrenheit and Copenhagen minus 49 F, she said. “An Arctic siege has taken over our state,” Hochul said. “It is brutal, it is bone chilling and it is dangerous.” Effects of the stormIn Corinth, Mississippi, where power outages were widespread, Caterpillar told employees at its remanufacturing site to stay home Monday and Tuesday.”May God have mercy on Corinth, MS! … The sound of the trees snapping, exploding & falling through the night have been unnerving to say the least,” resident Kathy Ragan wrote on Facebook.Video below: Dashcam captures moment tree falls from weight of ice in North LouisianaOn the east side of Nashville, Jami Joe, 41, had power Sunday afternoon but she feared the juice might not last long as ice-heavy limbs from mature oak and pecan trees continued to crash around her house. “It’s only a matter of time if a limb strikes a power line,” she predicted.In Little Rock, Arkansas, officials say the weight of accumulated snow and sleet likely caused the collapse of an awning onto several houseboats. Six people were rescued and 22 were evacuated, Pulaski County officials said.Storm knocks out power and snarls flights As of Sunday morning, about 213 million people were under some sort of winter weather warning, Santorelli said. The number of customers without power stood at about 1 million, according to poweroutage.us.Tennessee was hardest hit with about 337,000 customers out by midday Sunday, and Louisiana and Mississippi all had more than 100,000 customers in the dark. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without power in Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama and West Virginia. Some 11,000 flights were canceled Sunday and more than 14,000 delayed, according to the flight tracker flightaware.com. Airports in Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, North Carolina, New York and New Jersey were hit especially hard.At Philadelphia International Airport, inside displays registered scores of canceled flights and few vehicles could be seen arriving Sunday morning. At Reagan National in Washington, virtually all flights were canceled.Bitter cold makes things worse Even once the ice and snow stop falling, the danger will continue, Santorelli warned.”Behind the storm it’s just going to get bitterly cold across basically the entirety of the eastern two-thirds of the nation, east of the Rockies,” she said. That means the ice and snow won’t melt as fast, which could hinder some efforts to restore power and other infrastructure.Video below: Listen as ice-covered trees crack in MississippiAlong the Gulf Coast, temperatures were balmy Sunday, hitting the high 60s and low 70s, but thermometers were expected to drop into the high 20s and low 30s there by Monday morning. The National Weather Service warned of damaging winds and a slight risk of severe storms and possibly even a brief tornado.In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at least five people who died were found outside as temperatures plunged Saturday before the snows arrived in earnest, though the cause of their deaths remained under investigation.The Democrat pleaded with New Yorkers to stay inside and off roads: “We want every single New Yorker to make it through this storm.”Two men died of hypothermia related to the storm in Caddo Parish in Louisiana, according to the state health department there.Across the affected areas, officials announced that school would be canceled or held remotely Monday.Recovery could take a while In Oxford, Mississippi, police on Sunday morning used social media to tell residents to stay home as the danger of being outside was too great. Local utility crews were also pulled from their jobs during the overnight hours.”Due to life-threatening conditions, Oxford Utilities has made the difficult decision to pull our crews off the road for the night,” the utility company posted on Facebook early Sunday. “Trees are actively snapping and falling around our linemen while they are in the bucket trucks.”Tippah Electric Power in Mississippi said there was “catastrophic damage” and that it could be “weeks instead of days” to restore everyone.The Tennessee Valley Authority provides power to some utilities across the region, and spokesperson Scott Brooks said the bulk power system remains stable but overnight icing had caused power interruptions in north Mississippi, north Alabama, southern middle Tennessee and the Knoxville, Tennessee, area.Icy roads made travel dangerous in north Georgia, where the Cherokee County Sheriff’s office posted on Facebook, “You know it’s bad when Waffle House is closed!!!” along with a photo of a shuttered restaurant. Whether the chain’s restaurants are open — known as the Waffle House Index — has become an informal way to gauge the severity of weather disasters across the South.

A massive winter storm dumped sleet, freezing rain and snow across much of the U.S. on Sunday, bringing subzero temperatures and paralyzing air and road traffic. Tree branches and power lines snapped under the weight of ice, and about a million homes and businesses in the Southeast were left without electricity.

The ice and snowfall were expected to continue into Monday in much of the country, followed by very low temperatures, which could cause “dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts” to linger for several days, the National Weather Service said.

Heavy snow was forecast from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast, while “catastrophic ice accumulation” threatened from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.

“It is a unique storm in the sense that it is so widespread,” weather service meteorologist Allison Santorelli said in a phone interview. “It was affecting areas all the way from New Mexico, Texas, all the way into New England, so we’re talking like a 2,000 mile spread.”

President Donald Trump had approved emergency declarations for at least a dozen states by Saturday. The Federal Emergency Management Agency pre-positioned commodities, staff and search and rescue teams in numerous states, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state was bracing for the longest cold stretch and highest snow totals it has seen in years. Communities near the Canadian border have already seen record-breaking subzero temperatures, with Watertown registering minus 34 degrees Fahrenheit and Copenhagen minus 49 F, she said.

“An Arctic siege has taken over our state,” Hochul said. “It is brutal, it is bone chilling and it is dangerous.”

Effects of the storm

In Corinth, Mississippi, where power outages were widespread, Caterpillar told employees at its remanufacturing site to stay home Monday and Tuesday.

“May God have mercy on Corinth, MS! … The sound of the trees snapping, exploding & falling through the night have been unnerving to say the least,” resident Kathy Ragan wrote on Facebook.

Video below: Dashcam captures moment tree falls from weight of ice in North Louisiana

On the east side of Nashville, Jami Joe, 41, had power Sunday afternoon but she feared the juice might not last long as ice-heavy limbs from mature oak and pecan trees continued to crash around her house. “It’s only a matter of time if a limb strikes a power line,” she predicted.

In Little Rock, Arkansas, officials say the weight of accumulated snow and sleet likely caused the collapse of an awning onto several houseboats. Six people were rescued and 22 were evacuated, Pulaski County officials said.

Storm knocks out power and snarls flights

As of Sunday morning, about 213 million people were under some sort of winter weather warning, Santorelli said. The number of customers without power stood at about 1 million, according to poweroutage.us.

Tennessee was hardest hit with about 337,000 customers out by midday Sunday, and Louisiana and Mississippi all had more than 100,000 customers in the dark. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without power in Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama and West Virginia.

Some 11,000 flights were canceled Sunday and more than 14,000 delayed, according to the flight tracker flightaware.com. Airports in Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, North Carolina, New York and New Jersey were hit especially hard.

At Philadelphia International Airport, inside displays registered scores of canceled flights and few vehicles could be seen arriving Sunday morning. At Reagan National in Washington, virtually all flights were canceled.

Bitter cold makes things worse

Even once the ice and snow stop falling, the danger will continue, Santorelli warned.

“Behind the storm it’s just going to get bitterly cold across basically the entirety of the eastern two-thirds of the nation, east of the Rockies,” she said. That means the ice and snow won’t melt as fast, which could hinder some efforts to restore power and other infrastructure.

Video below: Listen as ice-covered trees crack in Mississippi

Along the Gulf Coast, temperatures were balmy Sunday, hitting the high 60s and low 70s, but thermometers were expected to drop into the high 20s and low 30s there by Monday morning. The National Weather Service warned of damaging winds and a slight risk of severe storms and possibly even a brief tornado.

In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at least five people who died were found outside as temperatures plunged Saturday before the snows arrived in earnest, though the cause of their deaths remained under investigation.

The Democrat pleaded with New Yorkers to stay inside and off roads: “We want every single New Yorker to make it through this storm.”

Two men died of hypothermia related to the storm in Caddo Parish in Louisiana, according to the state health department there.

Across the affected areas, officials announced that school would be canceled or held remotely Monday.

Recovery could take a while

In Oxford, Mississippi, police on Sunday morning used social media to tell residents to stay home as the danger of being outside was too great. Local utility crews were also pulled from their jobs during the overnight hours.

“Due to life-threatening conditions, Oxford Utilities has made the difficult decision to pull our crews off the road for the night,” the utility company posted on Facebook early Sunday. “Trees are actively snapping and falling around our linemen while they are in the bucket trucks.”

Tippah Electric Power in Mississippi said there was “catastrophic damage” and that it could be “weeks instead of days” to restore everyone.

The Tennessee Valley Authority provides power to some utilities across the region, and spokesperson Scott Brooks said the bulk power system remains stable but overnight icing had caused power interruptions in north Mississippi, north Alabama, southern middle Tennessee and the Knoxville, Tennessee, area.

Icy roads made travel dangerous in north Georgia, where the Cherokee County Sheriff’s office posted on Facebook, “You know it’s bad when Waffle House is closed!!!” along with a photo of a shuttered restaurant. Whether the chain’s restaurants are open — known as the Waffle House Index — has become an informal way to gauge the severity of weather disasters across the South.

Source link

January 25, 2026
The TSA fee for travelers without REAL ID starts soon. What to know
A new fee for travelers without REAL ID starts soon. Here’s what to know about the changes ahead and what to do if you don’t have a REAL ID. In December, the Transportation Security Administration announced that passengers who do not present an acceptable form of ID and still want to fly will have an option to pay a $45 fee.When will the TSA start charging the $45 fee?According to the TSA, the use of TSA Confirm.ID and a $45 fee to use this identity verification will begin on Feb. 1. The fee only applies to travelers without an acceptable form of ID.Why is the TSA charging this fee, and what does it cover? According to TSA officials, the fee “ensures that non-compliant travelers, not taxpayers, cover the cost of processing travelers without acceptable IDs.” The $45 fee allows passengers without accepted ID to use TSA Confirm.ID for a 10-day travel period.What is TSA Confirm.ID and do I have to use it?TSA ConfirmID is an identity verification system that will establish passengers’ identities at security checkpoints.While using TSA ConfirmID is voluntary, TSA officials say that if you choose not to use it and don’t have an acceptable ID, you may not be allowed through security and could miss your flight.Can I pay the fee online before I travel?Yes. The TSA has a step-by-step guide to pay the $45 fee online here.If I don’t have a REAL ID or don’t pay the $45 fee ahead of time, how long will it take to get through security?According to a recent news release from the TSA, travelers without REAL IDs that use TSA ConfirmID at the airport “will be subject to additional ID verification, screening measures and potential delays.””Travelers who appear at the TSA checkpoint without a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID and have not already paid the TSA ConfirmID fee will be subject to additional delays which may result in a missed flight,” the TSA release says. “It is important that airline travelers plan ahead to ensure they have an acceptable form of ID to avoid these additional delays as the process can take up to 30 minutes.” TSA officials urge any traveler without REAL ID or acceptable identification to pay the fee online before traveling. For passengers arriving at the airport without paying the fee in advance, there will be information about how to pay at marked locations at or near the security checkpoint in most airports. What are the acceptable uses of ID?Acceptable forms of ID include:REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)U.S. passportU.S. passport cardDHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependentsPermanent resident cardBorder crossing cardAn acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)HSPD-12 PIV cardForeign government-issued passportCanadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada cardTransportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)U.S. Merchant Mariner CredentialVeteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)How do I get a REAL ID?Each state handles the REAL ID process differently. You should visit your state’s driver’s licensing agency website to find out exactly what documentation is required, but at a minimum, you’ll need to provide documentation showing your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two proofs of address of principal residence and lawful status.Some states may have additional requirements, so check with your state’s driver’s licensing agency website before visiting them in person for additional guidance and assistance.
A new fee for travelers without REAL ID starts soon. Here’s what to know about the changes ahead and what to do if you don’t have a REAL ID.

In December, the Transportation Security Administration announced that passengers who do not present an acceptable form of ID and still want to fly will have an option to pay a $45 fee.

When will the TSA start charging the $45 fee?

According to the TSA, the use of TSA Confirm.ID and a $45 fee to use this identity verification will begin on Feb. 1. The fee only applies to travelers without an acceptable form of ID.

Why is the TSA charging this fee, and what does it cover?

According to TSA officials, the fee “ensures that non-compliant travelers, not taxpayers, cover the cost of processing travelers without acceptable IDs.”

The $45 fee allows passengers without accepted ID to use TSA Confirm.ID for a 10-day travel period.

What is TSA Confirm.ID and do I have to use it?

TSA ConfirmID is an identity verification system that will establish passengers’ identities at security checkpoints.

While using TSA ConfirmID is voluntary, TSA officials say that if you choose not to use it and don’t have an acceptable ID, you may not be allowed through security and could miss your flight.

Can I pay the fee online before I travel?

Yes. The TSA has a step-by-step guide to pay the $45 fee online here.

If I don’t have a REAL ID or don’t pay the $45 fee ahead of time, how long will it take to get through security?

According to a recent news release from the TSA, travelers without REAL IDs that use TSA ConfirmID at the airport “will be subject to additional ID verification, screening measures and potential delays.”

“Travelers who appear at the TSA checkpoint without a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID and have not already paid the TSA ConfirmID fee will be subject to additional delays which may result in a missed flight,” the TSA release says. “It is important that airline travelers plan ahead to ensure they have an acceptable form of ID to avoid these additional delays as the process can take up to 30 minutes.”

TSA officials urge any traveler without REAL ID or acceptable identification to pay the fee online before traveling. For passengers arriving at the airport without paying the fee in advance, there will be information about how to pay at marked locations at or near the security checkpoint in most airports.

What are the acceptable uses of ID?

Acceptable forms of ID include:
- REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)
- State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
- U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)
- HSPD-12 PIV card
- Foreign government-issued passport
- Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
- Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
- U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
- Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
How do I get a REAL ID?

Each state handles the REAL ID process differently. You should visit your state’s driver’s licensing agency website to find out exactly what documentation is required, but at a minimum, you’ll need to provide documentation showing your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two proofs of address of principal residence and lawful status.

Some states may have additional requirements, so check with your state’s driver’s licensing agency website before visiting them in person for additional guidance and assistance.
Source link
January 16, 2026
Two people shot by Customs and Border Patrol agents in Portland, Oregon, authorities say

Two people were shot by Customs and Border Patrol agents in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday.Video above: Portland City Council president gives statement on shootingA statement from the Department of Homeland Security says the shooting occurred as Border Patrol agents were conducting “a targeted vehicle stop.”DHS said it believed both the driver and the passenger had ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, but provided no evidence on why that was believed. The statement also said the passenger of the vehicle was involved in a recent shooting in Portland.”When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over law enforcement agents. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene,” the statement says. A news release from Portland police says officers responded to the city’s Hazelwood neighborhood around 2:20 p.m. local time for a report of a shooting. Minutes later, Portland officers were notified that a man who had been shot was calling for help.”Officers responded and found a male and female with apparent gunshot wounds. Officers applied a tourniquet and summoned emergency medical personnel,” Portland police officials said. Both people were transported to the hospital and their conditions are unknown. Portland police officials also said they determined that both people were injured in the shooting involving federal agents. Video below: FBI agents on scene after Customs and Border Patrol agents shoot two people in Portland, OregonThe shooting came after 37-year-old Renee Good was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Wednesday in Minneapolis.Protests followed the killing, which also set off a clash between federal officials who insist the shooting was an act of self-defense and Minneapolis officials who dispute that narrative.”We are still in the early stages of this incident,” Portland police Chief Bob Day said in the release. “We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more.”

Two people were shot by Customs and Border Patrol agents in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday.

Video above: Portland City Council president gives statement on shooting

A statement from the Department of Homeland Security says the shooting occurred as Border Patrol agents were conducting “a targeted vehicle stop.”

DHS said it believed both the driver and the passenger had ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, but provided no evidence on why that was believed. The statement also said the passenger of the vehicle was involved in a recent shooting in Portland.

“When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over law enforcement agents. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene,” the statement says.

A news release from Portland police says officers responded to the city’s Hazelwood neighborhood around 2:20 p.m. local time for a report of a shooting.

Minutes later, Portland officers were notified that a man who had been shot was calling for help.

“Officers responded and found a male and female with apparent gunshot wounds. Officers applied a tourniquet and summoned emergency medical personnel,” Portland police officials said.

Both people were transported to the hospital and their conditions are unknown. Portland police officials also said they determined that both people were injured in the shooting involving federal agents.

Video below: FBI agents on scene after Customs and Border Patrol agents shoot two people in Portland, Oregon

The shooting came after 37-year-old Renee Good was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Wednesday in Minneapolis.

Protests followed the killing, which also set off a clash between federal officials who insist the shooting was an act of self-defense and Minneapolis officials who dispute that narrative.

“We are still in the early stages of this incident,” Portland police Chief Bob Day said in the release. “We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Source link

January 8, 2026
35 Lucky New Year’s Eve Traditions From Around the World

In New York City as the countdown to the new year is underway, Cruz Tuesday gave the iconic ball *** test drop in Times Square. The new and updated constellation Ball includes more than 5200 Waterford crystals and LED lights, but the glitz and glam isn’t all that’s being talked about. It’s also the security. The public should expect to see thousands of NYPD officers deployed throughout time. Square that includes officers from our specialized units including Emergency Service Unit, K9, the bomb squad, heavy weapons teams, and our harbor teams. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to ring in the new year in Times Square, with millions around the world watching online or on TV. The NYPD says not only will it be deploying helicopters and drones, it’ll have ample boots on the ground. We will also deploy dedicated pickpocket teams, hotel response teams, and additional uniformed patrols. In our nation’s capital, you can see how crews were testing out *** New Year’s projection display on the Washington Monument early Tuesday morning. It’s *** part of Freedom 250 celebration of America’s anniversary and will showcase some of the nation’s history to the South. Almost *** year ago, January 1. The city of New Orleans was struck by an unspeakable act that New Year’s Day ISIS-inspired terror attack where *** man drove *** pickup truck into *** crowd of revelers on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more. This year, New Orleans tightening security measures. Everything in that square of the French Quarter will be closed. I’m Cherelle Hubbard reporting.

Whether you like to be home and cozy or out partying when the clock strikes midnight, there’s no right or wrong way to ring in the New Year. What’s interesting, though, is the way some traditions have stood the test of time — dating back to ancient Babylon, some historians say —and how rituals vary from place to place. For example, many countries have a history of eating round foods on New Year’s, since their coin-like shape symbolizes prosperity, but in one place that may mean eating black-eyed peas, while in another it looks like a buffet of round citrus fruits.For those looking to explore new rituals with their families, here are some New Year’s Eve traditions from around the world. Some date back hundreds if not thousands of years, while others are relatively new. There are plenty ideas of good-luck foods to eat, or possibly smash, or hide under the pillow or bed, depending on the culture. There are a few that focus more on prognostication and looking for signs about the year to come, and there are more than one that involve pigs. (So many pigs.) Take your pick, and get ready for good things in the year to come!Watch the big dropNew Year’s Eve countdowns are synonymous with Times Square and its famous annual ball drop. This year’s ball is forging its own new tradition: It’s debuting Waterford Crystals in circular shapes, which is a change from the triangles they’ve been using since 1999. In total, there are 5,280 crystals and LED light pucks on this year’s ball, which makes it weigh in at 12,350 pounds. YAnd while the Times Square ball gets all the glory, it’s not the only symbol counting down the seconds until the new year. Atlanta, Georgia, has used a giant peach (which will now be a drone show instead of a traditional drop); Plymouth, Wisconsin, lowers a big slice of cheese; Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, drops a sparkling mushroom; and Hackettstown, New Jersey, drops a giant M&M. Now that’s a sweet way to start a new year!Plan a movie marathonWhether it was “The Twilight Zone” or “The Honeymooners,” binging TV marathons used to be the thing to do on New Year’s Day. But for those who aren’t into classic television, it might be better to program your own. Movies like “When Harry Met Sally,””Phantom Thread,” “Highball,” “The Poseidon Adventure,” and “Strange Days” all have key scenes set at New Year’s, and you can mix and match depending on the type of movie mood you’re in. Eat 12 grapesIn Spain the tradition is to eat one grape at each stroke of midnight.Those who do it are promised good luck for the next year — if the rules are followed: “Eating one grape at each of midnight’s 12 clock chimes guarantees you a lucky year—if and only if you simultaneously ruminate on their significance,” Atlas Obscura reports. “If you fail to conscientiously finish your grapes by the time the clock stops chiming, you’ll face misfortune in the new year.” Jump seven wavesSpending New Year’s Eve on the beach sounds nice in and of itself, but in Brazil it’s believed that your luck increases if you get in the surf and jump over seven waves — one for each of the divine spirits of the Umbanda religion. Revelers also get one wish for each wave, which is an added incentive to get in the water. Dream of the futureMost people may be familiar with mistletoe traditions associated with Christmas (and kissing). In Ireland, there are also rituals involving the plant on New Year’s Eve, and they are no less romantic. According to custom, those who put mistletoe (or holly, or ivy) under their pillow before you go to bed on Dec. 31 will have dreams of their future partner. It’s one reason not to stay up all night. Deck out the doorEveryone wants to invite growth and prosperity into their houses for the new year. How do the Greeks do it? They hang bundles of onions over the door, since onions have been known to sprout even when no one pays attention to them, which makes them good symbols of fertility and abundance. Wear whiteMillions of people gather along Brazil’s beaches to celebrate the new year, and most of them are color-coordinated. There, it’s a tradition to wear white, a color that symbolizes good luck and peace — and one that makes for great, matching photo opps!Make Hoppin’ JohnThe mix of black-eyed peas, pork and rice is delicious no matter when you eat it. But the dish carries extra significance if it’s eaten on Jan. 1, since many believe it’ll bring luck, peace and prosperity for the rest of the year.According to History.com, “Hoppin’ John was, and still is, often eaten with collard greens, which can resemble paper money, and ‘golden’ cornbread. The peas themselves represent coins. Some families boost the potential of their Hoppin’ John by placing a penny underneath the dishes—or adding extra pork, which is thought to bring more luck.”Get the Good Housekeeping recipe for Hoppin’ John » Leap into 2026Celebrants can run into the new year. They can dance into the new year. Or, they can do what they do in Denmark, which is stand on a chair and “leap” into the new year as the clock strikes midnight. It’s good luck if you do it—doubly so if you don’t land on your face—and bad luck if you forget.Make a resolutionHistorians believe that the idea of a New Year’s resolutions, in one form of another, dates back more than 4,000 years. They say the Babylonians, one of the first cultures to actually celebrate the changing of the year, made promises to pay debts or return borrowed objects. If they could do it, so can you. Give more giftsChristmas was forbidden in Soviet Russia, so New Year’s became the big gift-giving occasion during that time. Presents were delivered not by Santa but by Ded Moroz, or Father Frost, often aided by his granddaughter, Snegourochka. Anyone ready for another round of gift-giving?Plant a smoochFinding someone to kiss at midnight has been the inspiration for songs, rom-coms, and other New Year’s tales. But just where did the idea come from? According to the Washington Post, the tradition finds its roots in English and German folklore, but it wasn’t just about finding romance. It was believed that it’s “the first person with whom a person came in contact that dictated the year’s destiny,” so don’t plant your lips on any old so-and-so. Eat round foodsThere are so many New Year’s Eve traditions around foods, and lots of cultures say that eating round foods—reminiscent of coins or money — will lead to prosperity. In Italy, lentils serve the same function as the black-eyed peas in Hoppin’ John. And in the Philippines, it’s customary to eat 12 round fruits, one for every month, to ensure a year of abundance. The fruits usually take center stage at the table for the media noche, or the midnight meal.Dot it upIt’s not just what you eat on New Year’s Eve that can attract prosperity — what you wear may play a role, too, at least according to tradition in the Philippines. There, people wear polka dots on Dec. 31, since the pattern represents the same thing round fruits do. Throwing a few coins in the pockets doesn’t hurt, either. Buy a new lucky charmIn Germany and Austria, there are a few different lucky symbols that you can gift to friends and family to bring them good fortune. These include pigs (a sign of wealth), lucky pennies, horseshoes, toadstools, ladybugs, clovers, and chimney sweeps. Visitors can buy little tokens of these lucky charms at a holiday market — or get edible ones made out of marzipan or pastry. Yum!Turn lemons into pigsNot just limited to treats in Austria and Germany, pigs feature in many New Year Eve’s traditions, typically because they’re a symbol of prosperity. To invite that wealth into a home, some have transformed their lemons into piglets they can display on a table. It’s usually done by using the nub at the end as a snout, adding cloves for the eyes, sticking toothpicks at the bottom for feet, and cutting slits into the peel to make ears and a mouth. For extra luck, a penny is placed in the mouth as well. Scare away the spiritsHere’s a tradition that helps bring good vibes to the new year and lets you take out some of your aggression over the last one: In Ireland, it’s customary to chase away bad spirits by banging bread on the walls and doors of the house. It’s also a tradition to do a New Year’s tidying up, presumably from all of the crumbs.Color-code the underwearCertain countries, especially in Latin America, believe that the color of the underwear you wear on Dec. 31 can bring good things to you in the next 12 months. Yellow is for luck, red is for love, and white undies bring peace. Just so long as they’re also clean and free of holes! Pack lightIn fact, pack nothing at all. In Colombia, people take empty suitcases and run around the block as fast as they can, right foot first. It’s supposed to guarantee a year filled with travel. One writer for the Tampa Bay Times tried it with her Colombian husband in her Florida neighborhood. “Upon seeing two silhouettes tearing down the street at midnight with backpacks in their arms, our neighbors who were outside to watch fireworks made a beeline to their front doors. We worried they were calling the police.” The writer did, however, travel to Colombia that year. So hey, maybe it works!Do something fishyPork for wealth, round foods for prosperity, what else can make a New Year’s meal complete? Some traditions say fish. Why? Fish can only swim in one direction — forward — much like the endless march of time. Start off the year with some omega-3’s, and you might have a healthy year, too. Open the windows and doorsNo one wants the old year, and all its baggage, hanging around. A common superstition says that keeping the windows and doors open will let the old year out so the new one can arrive in its place. Just makes sure you also have some cozy blankets to snuggle in while waiting for the exchange to happen.Smash the peppermint pigIn upstate New York, they sell special peppermint pigs all throughout the holiday season. Everyone gets to take a turn hitting it with a special candy-size hammer and eating a piece for good fortune in the coming year. The peppermint is very strong, so it’s recommended to only take a small piece. At least everyone will start the year with fresh breath! Try to predict what’ll come nextIn Germany, you can buy a Bleigießen (Bleigiessen) kit which will supposedly give you hints for what’s to come in the year ahead. The tradition is to melt lead (now tin or wax, since lead is poisonous) on a spoon over a candle and then pour the metal into cold water. The resulting shape will reveal your fortune. Round balls represent good luck rolling your way, for example, while swords predict risk-taking.Smash a pomegranateIn Turkey, pomegranates are symbols of abundance. Eating them is great, sure—but those who really want a good 2026 will smash the fruit on their doorstep instead. The more pieces there are and the farther they spread, the more prosperous the year will be. For a little extra luck, a sprinkle of salt in front of the door is said to bring peace. Sing “Auld Lang Syne””Auld Lang Syne” is often credited to Scottish poet Robert Burns, who sent it to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788. But the writer himself admits that he didn’t write the lyrics; he was just the first to transcribe an old folk song. If you really want to impress the other members of your party, learn the other verses (there are 10 in total).Hide a surpriseIn Greece, New Year’s dessert isn’t just a treat, it’s a game of chance. Guests eat vasilopita, or a cake or sweet bread that has a coin baked into it. Whoever finds the coin will have good luck for the next year! In Scandinavian countries, they do something similar with rice pudding, served either at New Year’s or Christmas. One portion will have a peeled almond in it, and whoever finds it in their bowl is assured of luck in the new year and might even win a prize. Throw water out the windowLook out below! In Puerto Rico, they believe that dumping a bucket of water out the window drives away evil spirits. If that seems a little too unfair to the people who might be passing by, Puerto Ricans also sprinkle sugar outside their houses to invite the good luck in, which is a little sweeter (pun intended).Eat long foodsIn Japan, it’s traditional to eat “toshikoshi soba,” a dish with buckwheat noodles that’s served hot or cold. The long noodles symbolize longevity, and the hearty buckwheat plant represents resilience. Listen for bellsIn Japan, for ōmisoka, buddhist temple bells ring out 108 times as in the lead-up to midnight. Each chime is supposed to root out a worldly passion, such as anger, suspicion, or lust. The last toll comes at midnight, to start the next year out on a vice-free foot.Grab a potatoIn Colombia, it’s possible to let potatoes predict the financial outlook of the next 12 months. The custom is to put three potatoes under each family member’s bed: one peeled, one half-peeled, and one unpeeled. Each person has to grab one without looking, and that will determine if the year is a good one for money (the unpeeled potato), a bad one (the peeled one), or half-and-half (the half-peeled potato). At the very least, participants will have enough to make mashed potatoes. Burn the old yearIn Ecuador, the bad parts of the old year — or año viejo — are turned into effigies and burned. People make sawdust-filled dummies out of politicians, pop-culture figures, and other characters, and then burn them at midnight as a sort of cleansing ritual. For extra good-luck points, participants try to jump over the flames 12 times, once for every month.Take a dipSince the early 1900s, it’s been a tradition to start off Jan. 1 by submerging in freezing cold water, a ritual known as a Polar Bear Plunge. Often, participants with a high tolerance for the cold use the chilly swim as an opportunity to raise money for local nonprofits, so all of that teeth-chattering goes for a good cause. Sing for candyKids didn’t get enough candy on Halloween? In Norway, they have a tradition called Nyttarsbukk, where the little ones can go door-to-door and sing New Year’s Eve songs in exchange for sweets. It’s like caroling and trick-or-treating rolled into one.Spice up the champagneIn Russia, Champagne gets an extra ingredient on New Year’s: Revelers write a wish down on a piece of paper, burn it and add the ashes to the drink. It all has to be done before the first and last stroke of midnight, too. Bottoms up! Invite the first guest of the new yearThe first person through the door on the New Year’s Day may set the tone for the coming months. In Scotland, the Isle of Man, and some other parts of Northern England, the “first footer,” as it was called, was extremely important. Tradition in those parts of the world states to select a man who is tall and dark (as a protection against Vikings), who would come with simple gifts of coal, salt, shortbread, and whisky, representing the basic needs of heat, food, and drink.

Whether you like to be home and cozy or out partying when the clock strikes midnight, there’s no right or wrong way to ring in the New Year. What’s interesting, though, is the way some traditions have stood the test of time — dating back to ancient Babylon, some historians say —and how rituals vary from place to place. For example, many countries have a history of eating round foods on New Year’s, since their coin-like shape symbolizes prosperity, but in one place that may mean eating black-eyed peas, while in another it looks like a buffet of round citrus fruits.

For those looking to explore new rituals with their families, here are some New Year’s Eve traditions from around the world. Some date back hundreds if not thousands of years, while others are relatively new. There are plenty ideas of good-luck foods to eat, or possibly smash, or hide under the pillow or bed, depending on the culture. There are a few that focus more on prognostication and looking for signs about the year to come, and there are more than one that involve pigs. (So many pigs.) Take your pick, and get ready for good things in the year to come!

Watch the big drop

New Year’s Eve countdowns are synonymous with Times Square and its famous annual ball drop. This year’s ball is forging its own new tradition: It’s debuting Waterford Crystals in circular shapes, which is a change from the triangles they’ve been using since 1999. In total, there are 5,280 crystals and LED light pucks on this year’s ball, which makes it weigh in at 12,350 pounds. Y

And while the Times Square ball gets all the glory, it’s not the only symbol counting down the seconds until the new year. Atlanta, Georgia, has used a giant peach (which will now be a drone show instead of a traditional drop); Plymouth, Wisconsin, lowers a big slice of cheese; Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, drops a sparkling mushroom; and Hackettstown, New Jersey, drops a giant M&M. Now that’s a sweet way to start a new year!

Plan a movie marathon

Whether it was “The Twilight Zone” or “The Honeymooners,” binging TV marathons used to be the thing to do on New Year’s Day. But for those who aren’t into classic television, it might be better to program your own. Movies like “When Harry Met Sally,””Phantom Thread,” “Highball,” “The Poseidon Adventure,” and “Strange Days” all have key scenes set at New Year’s, and you can mix and match depending on the type of movie mood you’re in.

Eat 12 grapes

In Spain the tradition is to eat one grape at each stroke of midnight.

Those who do it are promised good luck for the next year — if the rules are followed: “Eating one grape at each of midnight’s 12 clock chimes guarantees you a lucky year—if and only if you simultaneously ruminate on their significance,” Atlas Obscura reports. “If you fail to conscientiously finish your grapes by the time the clock stops chiming, you’ll face misfortune in the new year.”

Jump seven waves

Spending New Year’s Eve on the beach sounds nice in and of itself, but in Brazil it’s believed that your luck increases if you get in the surf and jump over seven waves — one for each of the divine spirits of the Umbanda religion. Revelers also get one wish for each wave, which is an added incentive to get in the water.

Dream of the future

Most people may be familiar with mistletoe traditions associated with Christmas (and kissing). In Ireland, there are also rituals involving the plant on New Year’s Eve, and they are no less romantic. According to custom, those who put mistletoe (or holly, or ivy) under their pillow before you go to bed on Dec. 31 will have dreams of their future partner. It’s one reason not to stay up all night.

Deck out the door

Everyone wants to invite growth and prosperity into their houses for the new year. How do the Greeks do it? They hang bundles of onions over the door, since onions have been known to sprout even when no one pays attention to them, which makes them good symbols of fertility and abundance.

Wear white

Millions of people gather along Brazil’s beaches to celebrate the new year, and most of them are color-coordinated. There, it’s a tradition to wear white, a color that symbolizes good luck and peace — and one that makes for great, matching photo opps!

Make Hoppin’ John

The mix of black-eyed peas, pork and rice is delicious no matter when you eat it. But the dish carries extra significance if it’s eaten on Jan. 1, since many believe it’ll bring luck, peace and prosperity for the rest of the year.

According to History.com, “Hoppin’ John was, and still is, often eaten with collard greens, which can resemble paper money, and ‘golden’ cornbread. The peas themselves represent coins. Some families boost the potential of their Hoppin’ John by placing a penny underneath the dishes—or adding extra pork, which is thought to bring more luck.”

Get the Good Housekeeping recipe for Hoppin’ John »

Leap into 2026

Celebrants can run into the new year. They can dance into the new year. Or, they can do what they do in Denmark, which is stand on a chair and “leap” into the new year as the clock strikes midnight. It’s good luck if you do it—doubly so if you don’t land on your face—and bad luck if you forget.

Make a resolution

Historians believe that the idea of a New Year’s resolutions, in one form of another, dates back more than 4,000 years. They say the Babylonians, one of the first cultures to actually celebrate the changing of the year, made promises to pay debts or return borrowed objects. If they could do it, so can you.

Give more gifts

Christmas was forbidden in Soviet Russia, so New Year’s became the big gift-giving occasion during that time. Presents were delivered not by Santa but by Ded Moroz, or Father Frost, often aided by his granddaughter, Snegourochka. Anyone ready for another round of gift-giving?

Plant a smooch

Finding someone to kiss at midnight has been the inspiration for songs, rom-coms, and other New Year’s tales. But just where did the idea come from? According to the Washington Post, the tradition finds its roots in English and German folklore, but it wasn’t just about finding romance. It was believed that it’s “the first person with whom a person came in contact that dictated the year’s destiny,” so don’t plant your lips on any old so-and-so.

Eat round foods

There are so many New Year’s Eve traditions around foods, and lots of cultures say that eating round foods—reminiscent of coins or money — will lead to prosperity. In Italy, lentils serve the same function as the black-eyed peas in Hoppin’ John. And in the Philippines, it’s customary to eat 12 round fruits, one for every month, to ensure a year of abundance. The fruits usually take center stage at the table for the media noche, or the midnight meal.

Dot it up

It’s not just what you eat on New Year’s Eve that can attract prosperity — what you wear may play a role, too, at least according to tradition in the Philippines. There, people wear polka dots on Dec. 31, since the pattern represents the same thing round fruits do. Throwing a few coins in the pockets doesn’t hurt, either.

Buy a new lucky charm

In Germany and Austria, there are a few different lucky symbols that you can gift to friends and family to bring them good fortune. These include pigs (a sign of wealth), lucky pennies, horseshoes, toadstools, ladybugs, clovers, and chimney sweeps. Visitors can buy little tokens of these lucky charms at a holiday market — or get edible ones made out of marzipan or pastry. Yum!

Turn lemons into pigs

Not just limited to treats in Austria and Germany, pigs feature in many New Year Eve’s traditions, typically because they’re a symbol of prosperity. To invite that wealth into a home, some have transformed their lemons into piglets they can display on a table. It’s usually done by using the nub at the end as a snout, adding cloves for the eyes, sticking toothpicks at the bottom for feet, and cutting slits into the peel to make ears and a mouth. For extra luck, a penny is placed in the mouth as well.

Scare away the spirits

Here’s a tradition that helps bring good vibes to the new year and lets you take out some of your aggression over the last one: In Ireland, it’s customary to chase away bad spirits by banging bread on the walls and doors of the house. It’s also a tradition to do a New Year’s tidying up, presumably from all of the crumbs.

Color-code the underwear

Certain countries, especially in Latin America, believe that the color of the underwear you wear on Dec. 31 can bring good things to you in the next 12 months. Yellow is for luck, red is for love, and white undies bring peace. Just so long as they’re also clean and free of holes!

Pack light

In fact, pack nothing at all. In Colombia, people take empty suitcases and run around the block as fast as they can, right foot first. It’s supposed to guarantee a year filled with travel. One writer for the Tampa Bay Times tried it with her Colombian husband in her Florida neighborhood.

“Upon seeing two silhouettes tearing down the street at midnight with backpacks in their arms, our neighbors who were outside to watch fireworks made a beeline to their front doors. We worried they were calling the police.” The writer did, however, travel to Colombia that year. So hey, maybe it works!

Do something fishy

Pork for wealth, round foods for prosperity, what else can make a New Year’s meal complete? Some traditions say fish. Why? Fish can only swim in one direction — forward — much like the endless march of time. Start off the year with some omega-3’s, and you might have a healthy year, too.

Open the windows and doors

No one wants the old year, and all its baggage, hanging around. A common superstition says that keeping the windows and doors open will let the old year out so the new one can arrive in its place. Just makes sure you also have some cozy blankets to snuggle in while waiting for the exchange to happen.

Smash the peppermint pig

In upstate New York, they sell special peppermint pigs all throughout the holiday season. Everyone gets to take a turn hitting it with a special candy-size hammer and eating a piece for good fortune in the coming year. The peppermint is very strong, so it’s recommended to only take a small piece. At least everyone will start the year with fresh breath!

Try to predict what’ll come next

In Germany, you can buy a Bleigießen (Bleigiessen) kit which will supposedly give you hints for what’s to come in the year ahead. The tradition is to melt lead (now tin or wax, since lead is poisonous) on a spoon over a candle and then pour the metal into cold water. The resulting shape will reveal your fortune. Round balls represent good luck rolling your way, for example, while swords predict risk-taking.

Smash a pomegranate

In Turkey, pomegranates are symbols of abundance. Eating them is great, sure—but those who really want a good 2026 will smash the fruit on their doorstep instead. The more pieces there are and the farther they spread, the more prosperous the year will be. For a little extra luck, a sprinkle of salt in front of the door is said to bring peace.

Sing “Auld Lang Syne”

“Auld Lang Syne” is often credited to Scottish poet Robert Burns, who sent it to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788. But the writer himself admits that he didn’t write the lyrics; he was just the first to transcribe an old folk song. If you really want to impress the other members of your party, learn the other verses (there are 10 in total).

Hide a surprise

In Greece, New Year’s dessert isn’t just a treat, it’s a game of chance. Guests eat vasilopita, or a cake or sweet bread that has a coin baked into it. Whoever finds the coin will have good luck for the next year! In Scandinavian countries, they do something similar with rice pudding, served either at New Year’s or Christmas. One portion will have a peeled almond in it, and whoever finds it in their bowl is assured of luck in the new year and might even win a prize.

Throw water out the window

Look out below! In Puerto Rico, they believe that dumping a bucket of water out the window drives away evil spirits. If that seems a little too unfair to the people who might be passing by, Puerto Ricans also sprinkle sugar outside their houses to invite the good luck in, which is a little sweeter (pun intended).

Eat long foods

In Japan, it’s traditional to eat “toshikoshi soba,” a dish with buckwheat noodles that’s served hot or cold. The long noodles symbolize longevity, and the hearty buckwheat plant represents resilience.

Listen for bells

In Japan, for ōmisoka, buddhist temple bells ring out 108 times as in the lead-up to midnight. Each chime is supposed to root out a worldly passion, such as anger, suspicion, or lust. The last toll comes at midnight, to start the next year out on a vice-free foot.

Grab a potato

In Colombia, it’s possible to let potatoes predict the financial outlook of the next 12 months. The custom is to put three potatoes under each family member’s bed: one peeled, one half-peeled, and one unpeeled. Each person has to grab one without looking, and that will determine if the year is a good one for money (the unpeeled potato), a bad one (the peeled one), or half-and-half (the half-peeled potato). At the very least, participants will have enough to make mashed potatoes.

Burn the old year

In Ecuador, the bad parts of the old year — or año viejo — are turned into effigies and burned. People make sawdust-filled dummies out of politicians, pop-culture figures, and other characters, and then burn them at midnight as a sort of cleansing ritual. For extra good-luck points, participants try to jump over the flames 12 times, once for every month.

Take a dip

Since the early 1900s, it’s been a tradition to start off Jan. 1 by submerging in freezing cold water, a ritual known as a Polar Bear Plunge. Often, participants with a high tolerance for the cold use the chilly swim as an opportunity to raise money for local nonprofits, so all of that teeth-chattering goes for a good cause.

Sing for candy

Kids didn’t get enough candy on Halloween? In Norway, they have a tradition called Nyttarsbukk, where the little ones can go door-to-door and sing New Year’s Eve songs in exchange for sweets. It’s like caroling and trick-or-treating rolled into one.

Spice up the champagne

In Russia, Champagne gets an extra ingredient on New Year’s: Revelers write a wish down on a piece of paper, burn it and add the ashes to the drink. It all has to be done before the first and last stroke of midnight, too. Bottoms up!

Invite the first guest of the new year

The first person through the door on the New Year’s Day may set the tone for the coming months. In Scotland, the Isle of Man, and some other parts of Northern England, the “first footer,” as it was called, was extremely important. Tradition in those parts of the world states to select a man who is tall and dark (as a protection against Vikings), who would come with simple gifts of coal, salt, shortbread, and whisky, representing the basic needs of heat, food, and drink.

Source link

December 31, 2025
Trump administration says it’s freezing child care funds to Minnesota after series of fraud probes

President Donald Trump’s administration announced on Tuesday that it’s freezing child care funds to Minnesota amid ongoing investigations into fraud allegations. Related video above: Group of Minnesota House and Senate Republicans calling on Gov. Tim Walz to resign over fraud investigationsActing director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Jim O’Neill announced on the social platform X that the step is in response to “blatant fraud that appears to be rampant in Minnesota and across the country.”“We have turned off the money spigot and we are finding the fraud,” he said.O’Neill said all payments through the Administration for Children and Families, an agency within the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, will require “justification and a receipt or photo evidence” before money is sent. They have also launched a fraud-reporting hotline and email address, he said.The announcement comes after years of investigation that began with the $300 million scheme at the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, for which 57 defendants in Minnesota have been convicted. Prosecutors said the organization was at the center of the country’s largest COVID-19-related fraud scam, when defendants exploited a state-run, federally funded program intended to provide food for children.A federal prosecutor alleged earlier in December that half or more of the roughly $18 billion in federal funds that supported 14 programs in Minnesota since 2018 may have been stolen. Most of the defendants are Somali Americans, they said.O’Neill also called out a conservative influencer who had posted a video Friday claiming he found that day care centers operated by Somali residents in Minneapolis had committed up to $100 million in fraud. O’Neill said he has demanded Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz submit an audit of these centers that includes attendance records, licenses, complaints, investigations and inspections.Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, has said fraud will not be tolerated and his administration “will continue to work with federal partners to ensure fraud is stopped and fraudsters are caught.”Walz has said an audit due by late January should give a better picture of the extent of the fraud. He said his administration is taking aggressive action to prevent additional fraud. He has long defended how his administration responded.Minnesota’s most prominent Somali American, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, has urged people not to blame an entire community for the actions of a relative few.

WASHINGTON —

President Donald Trump’s administration announced on Tuesday that it’s freezing child care funds to Minnesota amid ongoing investigations into fraud allegations.

Related video above: Group of Minnesota House and Senate Republicans calling on Gov. Tim Walz to resign over fraud investigations

Acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Jim O’Neill announced on the social platform X that the step is in response to “blatant fraud that appears to be rampant in Minnesota and across the country.”

“We have turned off the money spigot and we are finding the fraud,” he said.

O’Neill said all payments through the Administration for Children and Families, an agency within the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, will require “justification and a receipt or photo evidence” before money is sent. They have also launched a fraud-reporting hotline and email address, he said.

The announcement comes after years of investigation that began with the $300 million scheme at the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, for which 57 defendants in Minnesota have been convicted. Prosecutors said the organization was at the center of the country’s largest COVID-19-related fraud scam, when defendants exploited a state-run, federally funded program intended to provide food for children.

A federal prosecutor alleged earlier in December that half or more of the roughly $18 billion in federal funds that supported 14 programs in Minnesota since 2018 may have been stolen. Most of the defendants are Somali Americans, they said.

O’Neill also called out a conservative influencer who had posted a video Friday claiming he found that day care centers operated by Somali residents in Minneapolis had committed up to $100 million in fraud. O’Neill said he has demanded Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz submit an audit of these centers that includes attendance records, licenses, complaints, investigations and inspections.

Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, has said fraud will not be tolerated and his administration “will continue to work with federal partners to ensure fraud is stopped and fraudsters are caught.”

Walz has said an audit due by late January should give a better picture of the extent of the fraud. He said his administration is taking aggressive action to prevent additional fraud. He has long defended how his administration responded.

Minnesota’s most prominent Somali American, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, has urged people not to blame an entire community for the actions of a relative few.

Source link

December 30, 2025
Explosion at a Pennsylvania nursing home kills at least 2, governor says

A thunderous explosion at a nursing home just outside Philadelphia killed at least two people, collapsed part of the building, sent flames shooting out and left people trapped inside, authorities said.Video above: Neighbor describes sound of nursing home explosionPennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a news conference several hours after the explosion that at least two had been killed.The explosion happened at Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bristol Township, just as a utility crew had been on site looking for a gas leak, although the cause of the explosion was unclear several hours later, as was the extent of the casualties.A plume of black smoke rose from the nursing home, as emergency responders, fire trucks and ambulances from across the region rushed there, joined by earthmoving equipment.Police Lt. Sean Cosgrove said he didn’t know if anyone was missing, and that residents had been evacuated by emergency responders, bystanders and staff.“A lot of the details at this point are still unknown,” he told reporters at the scene.Bucks County emergency management officials said they received the report of an explosion at approximately 2:17 p.m. and said a portion of the building was reported to have collapsed. Ruth Miller, a Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency spokesperson, said her agency had been informed that people were trapped inside.Willie Tye, who lives about a block away, said he was sitting at home watching a basketball game on TV when he heard a “loud kaboom.”“I thought an airplane or something came and fell on my house,” Tye said.He got up to go look and saw “fire everywhere” and people escaping the building. The explosion looked like it happened in the kitchen area of the nursing home, he said. Tye said some of the people who live or work there didn’t make it out.“Just got to keep praying for them,” Tye said.The cause of the explosion was unclear.The local gas utility, PECO, said its crews had responded to reports of a gas odor at the nursing home shortly after 2 p.m.“While crews were on site, an explosion occurred at the facility. PECO crews shut off natural gas and electric service to the facility to ensure the safety of first responders and local residents,” the utility said in a statement.Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, press secretary at the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, said investigators from the safety division were headed to the scene.Hagen-Frederiksen said first responders and emergency management officials were describing it as a gas explosion, but that won’t be confirmed until his agency can examine the scene up close.Musuline Watson, who said she was a certified nursing assistant the facility, told WPVI-TV that over the weekend, she and others there smelled gas, but “there was no heat in the room, so we didn’t take it to be anything.”The nursing home is about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia. Its owner, Saber Healthcare Group, said it was working with local emergency authorities. The facility had been known until recently as Silver Lake Healthcare Center.Jim Morgan, president of the Bristol Township School Board, said district buses would take people from the nursing home to a reunification center at Truman High School. He said officials were working on setting up beds and providing water and other needs to residents.“This is just something that is sad for everybody and the families and the workers that are there,” Davis said.According to Medicare.gov, the 174-bed facility underwent a standard fire safety inspection in September 2024, during which no citations were issued. But Medicare’s overall rating of the facility is listed as “much below average,” with poor ratings for health inspections in particular.

BRISTOL, Pa. (Video above: WPVI via CNN Newsource) —

A thunderous explosion at a nursing home just outside Philadelphia killed at least two people, collapsed part of the building, sent flames shooting out and left people trapped inside, authorities said.

Video above: Neighbor describes sound of nursing home explosion

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a news conference several hours after the explosion that at least two had been killed.

The explosion happened at Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bristol Township, just as a utility crew had been on site looking for a gas leak, although the cause of the explosion was unclear several hours later, as was the extent of the casualties.

A plume of black smoke rose from the nursing home, as emergency responders, fire trucks and ambulances from across the region rushed there, joined by earthmoving equipment.

Police Lt. Sean Cosgrove said he didn’t know if anyone was missing, and that residents had been evacuated by emergency responders, bystanders and staff.

“A lot of the details at this point are still unknown,” he told reporters at the scene.

Bucks County emergency management officials said they received the report of an explosion at approximately 2:17 p.m. and said a portion of the building was reported to have collapsed. Ruth Miller, a Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency spokesperson, said her agency had been informed that people were trapped inside.

Willie Tye, who lives about a block away, said he was sitting at home watching a basketball game on TV when he heard a “loud kaboom.”

“I thought an airplane or something came and fell on my house,” Tye said.

He got up to go look and saw “fire everywhere” and people escaping the building. The explosion looked like it happened in the kitchen area of the nursing home, he said. Tye said some of the people who live or work there didn’t make it out.

“Just got to keep praying for them,” Tye said.

The cause of the explosion was unclear.

The local gas utility, PECO, said its crews had responded to reports of a gas odor at the nursing home shortly after 2 p.m.

“While crews were on site, an explosion occurred at the facility. PECO crews shut off natural gas and electric service to the facility to ensure the safety of first responders and local residents,” the utility said in a statement.

Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, press secretary at the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, said investigators from the safety division were headed to the scene.

Hagen-Frederiksen said first responders and emergency management officials were describing it as a gas explosion, but that won’t be confirmed until his agency can examine the scene up close.

Musuline Watson, who said she was a certified nursing assistant the facility, told WPVI-TV that over the weekend, she and others there smelled gas, but “there was no heat in the room, so we didn’t take it to be anything.”

The nursing home is about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia. Its owner, Saber Healthcare Group, said it was working with local emergency authorities. The facility had been known until recently as Silver Lake Healthcare Center.

Jim Morgan, president of the Bristol Township School Board, said district buses would take people from the nursing home to a reunification center at Truman High School. He said officials were working on setting up beds and providing water and other needs to residents.

“This is just something that is sad for everybody and the families and the workers that are there,” Davis said.

According to Medicare.gov, the 174-bed facility underwent a standard fire safety inspection in September 2024, during which no citations were issued. But Medicare’s overall rating of the facility is listed as “much below average,” with poor ratings for health inspections in particular.

Source link

December 23, 2025
How to spot real savings on Travel Tuesday

Chain stores have Black Friday. Online marketplaces have Cyber Monday. For local businesses, it’s Small Business Saturday.In the last 20 years, more segments of the retail industry have vied for their own piece of the holiday shopping season. The travel trade has firmly joined the trend with another post-Thanksgiving sales push: Travel Tuesday.On the same day as the nonprofit world’s Giving Tuesday, airlines, hotels, cruise ship companies, travel booking platforms and tour operators get in on the annual spirit to spend by promoting one-day deals. Consumer advocates say there are legitimate savings to be had but also chances to be misled by marketing that conveys a false sense of urgency.”People see ‘40% off’ and assume it’s a once-in-a-lifetime steal, without recognizing that the underlying price may have been inflated or that the same itinerary was cheaper last month.” Sally French, a travel expert at personal finance site NerdWallet, said.She and other seasoned travelers advised consumers who want to see if they can save money by booking trips on Travel Tuesday to do research in advance and to pay especially close attention to the fine print attached to offers.People hoping to score last-minute deals for Christmas or New Year’s should double-check for blackout dates or other restrictions, recommended Lindsay Schwimer, a consumer expert for the online travel site Hopper.It’s also wise to to keep an eye out for nonrefundable fares, resort fees, double occupancy requirements or upgrade conditions that may be hidden within advertised discounts, according to French.Shoppers should be wary of travel packages with extra transportation options or add-on offers, French said. Instead of lowering fares or room rates, some companies use statement credits, extra points, included amenities and bundled extras as a way to tempt potential customers, she said.“Many travel brands want to keep sticker prices high to maintain an aura of luxury, but they still need to fill planes, ships and hotel rooms,” French said. “Add-on perks are their workaround.”Consumers who are prepared rather than impulsive and on the lookout for the up-sell are in a much better position to identify authentic bargains, consumer experts stressed. Knowing what a specific trip would typically cost and comparison shopping can help expose offers based on inflated underlying costs and whether the same itinerary might have been cheaper at other times, they said.“Compare prices, check your calendar and make sure the trip you’re booking is something you genuinely want, not something you bought because a countdown timer pressured you,” French said. “What gets glossed over is that the best deal might be not booking anything at all if it doesn’t align with your plans.”Travel Tuesday came about based on existing industry trends. In 2017, Hopper analyzed historical pricing data and found that in each of the nine previous years, the biggest day for post-Thanksgiving travel discounts was the day after Cyber Monday.The site named the day Travel Tuesday. The number of offers within that time-targeted window and the number of travelers looking for them has since expanded.“Nearly three times as many trips were planned on Travel Tuesday last year compared to Black Friday,” Hopper’s Schwimer said. “We continue to see growth in the day, year over year, as more travel brands and categories offer deals.”The event’s origin story is in line with the National Retail Federation coining Cyber Monday in 2005 as a response to the emerging e-commerce era. American Express came up with Small Business Saturday in 2010 to direct buyers and their dollars to smaller retailers, credit card fees and all.A report by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company last year noted that November and December tend to be slow months for travel bookings, making Travel Tuesday a “marketing moment” that could help boost revenue.Hotel, cruise and and airline bookings by U.S. travelers increased significantly on Travel Tuesday 2023 compared with the two weeks before and after the day, the report’s authors wrote, citing data provided by the travel marketing platform Sojern.While Travel Tuesday so far has been mostly confined to the United States and Canada, “European travel companies can anticipate the possibility that Travel Tuesday will become a growing phenomenon in their region, given that other shopping days such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday have spread beyond North America,” the report stated.Vivek Pandya, lead insights analyst for Adobe Analytics, which tracks online spending, said consumers have more tools than ever this holiday season to help them determine if deals hold up to scrutiny.“Social journeys, influencers providing promo codes and values, and generative AI platforms taking all that in – the prices, the social conversation, the reviews – and giving guidance to the consumer, that’s a very different, dynamic kind of journey consumers are taking than they have in previous seasons,” Pandya said.Both he and French emphasized that prices rise and fall based on multiple factors, and that the winter holidays are not the only major promotional period of the year.“We now have dozens of consumer spending ‘holidays,’” French said. “Amazon alone keeps adding new versions of Prime Day. So if you don’t buy on Travel Tuesday, you haven’t missed your moment.”

Chain stores have Black Friday. Online marketplaces have Cyber Monday. For local businesses, it’s Small Business Saturday.

In the last 20 years, more segments of the retail industry have vied for their own piece of the holiday shopping season. The travel trade has firmly joined the trend with another post-Thanksgiving sales push: Travel Tuesday.

On the same day as the nonprofit world’s Giving Tuesday, airlines, hotels, cruise ship companies, travel booking platforms and tour operators get in on the annual spirit to spend by promoting one-day deals. Consumer advocates say there are legitimate savings to be had but also chances to be misled by marketing that conveys a false sense of urgency.

“People see ‘40% off’ and assume it’s a once-in-a-lifetime steal, without recognizing that the underlying price may have been inflated or that the same itinerary was cheaper last month.” Sally French, a travel expert at personal finance site NerdWallet, said.

She and other seasoned travelers advised consumers who want to see if they can save money by booking trips on Travel Tuesday to do research in advance and to pay especially close attention to the fine print attached to offers.

People hoping to score last-minute deals for Christmas or New Year’s should double-check for blackout dates or other restrictions, recommended Lindsay Schwimer, a consumer expert for the online travel site Hopper.

It’s also wise to to keep an eye out for nonrefundable fares, resort fees, double occupancy requirements or upgrade conditions that may be hidden within advertised discounts, according to French.

Shoppers should be wary of travel packages with extra transportation options or add-on offers, French said. Instead of lowering fares or room rates, some companies use statement credits, extra points, included amenities and bundled extras as a way to tempt potential customers, she said.

“Many travel brands want to keep sticker prices high to maintain an aura of luxury, but they still need to fill planes, ships and hotel rooms,” French said. “Add-on perks are their workaround.”

Consumers who are prepared rather than impulsive and on the lookout for the up-sell are in a much better position to identify authentic bargains, consumer experts stressed. Knowing what a specific trip would typically cost and comparison shopping can help expose offers based on inflated underlying costs and whether the same itinerary might have been cheaper at other times, they said.

“Compare prices, check your calendar and make sure the trip you’re booking is something you genuinely want, not something you bought because a countdown timer pressured you,” French said. “What gets glossed over is that the best deal might be not booking anything at all if it doesn’t align with your plans.”

Travel Tuesday came about based on existing industry trends. In 2017, Hopper analyzed historical pricing data and found that in each of the nine previous years, the biggest day for post-Thanksgiving travel discounts was the day after Cyber Monday.

The site named the day Travel Tuesday. The number of offers within that time-targeted window and the number of travelers looking for them has since expanded.

“Nearly three times as many trips were planned on Travel Tuesday last year compared to Black Friday,” Hopper’s Schwimer said. “We continue to see growth in the day, year over year, as more travel brands and categories offer deals.”

The event’s origin story is in line with the National Retail Federation coining Cyber Monday in 2005 as a response to the emerging e-commerce era. American Express came up with Small Business Saturday in 2010 to direct buyers and their dollars to smaller retailers, credit card fees and all.

A report by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company last year noted that November and December tend to be slow months for travel bookings, making Travel Tuesday a “marketing moment” that could help boost revenue.

Hotel, cruise and and airline bookings by U.S. travelers increased significantly on Travel Tuesday 2023 compared with the two weeks before and after the day, the report’s authors wrote, citing data provided by the travel marketing platform Sojern.

While Travel Tuesday so far has been mostly confined to the United States and Canada, “European travel companies can anticipate the possibility that Travel Tuesday will become a growing phenomenon in their region, given that other shopping days such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday have spread beyond North America,” the report stated.

Vivek Pandya, lead insights analyst for Adobe Analytics, which tracks online spending, said consumers have more tools than ever this holiday season to help them determine if deals hold up to scrutiny.

“Social journeys, influencers providing promo codes and values, and generative AI platforms taking all that in – the prices, the social conversation, the reviews – and giving guidance to the consumer, that’s a very different, dynamic kind of journey consumers are taking than they have in previous seasons,” Pandya said.

Both he and French emphasized that prices rise and fall based on multiple factors, and that the winter holidays are not the only major promotional period of the year.

“We now have dozens of consumer spending ‘holidays,’” French said. “Amazon alone keeps adding new versions of Prime Day. So if you don’t buy on Travel Tuesday, you haven’t missed your moment.”

Source link

November 29, 2025
Judge orders Trump administration to end National Guard deployment in DC

A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to end its monthslong deployment of National Guard troops to help police the nation’s capital.Video above: Can President Trump legally deploy the National Guard to other states?U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb concluded that President Donald Trump’s military takeover in Washington, D.C., violates the Constitution and illegally intrudes on local officials’ authority to direct law enforcement in the district. She put her order on hold for 21 days to allow for an appeal, however.District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued to challenge the Guard deployments. He asked the judge to enjoin the White House from deploying Guard troops without the mayor’s consent.In August, President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington. Within a month, more than 2,300 National Guard troops from eight states and the district were patrolling the city under the command of the Secretary of the Army. Trump also deployed hundreds of federal agents to assist in patrols.It’s unclear how long the deployments will last, but attorneys from Schwalb’s office said Guard troops are likely to remain in the city through at least next summer.“Our constitutional democracy will never be the same if these occupations are permitted to stand,” they wrote.Government lawyers said Congress empowered the president to control the D.C. National Guard’s operation. They argued that Schwalb’s lawsuit is a frivolous “political stunt” threatening to undermine a successful campaign to reduce violent crime in the district.“There is no sensible reason for an injunction unwinding this arrangement now, particularly since the District’s claims have no merit,” Justice Department attorneys wrote.Trump’s Guard deployments have led to other court challenges. On Monday, a federal appeals court suspended an order blocking Trump from taking command of 200 Oregon National Guard troops. In September, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration illegally sent Guard troops to the Los Angeles area after days of protests over immigration raids.In Washington, the Trump administration deputized Guard troops to serve as special U.S. Marshal Service deputies. Schwalb’s office said out-of-state troops are impermissibly operating as a federal military police force in D.C., inflaming tensions with residents and diverting local police resources.“Every day that this lawless incursion continues, the District suffers harm to its sovereign authority to conduct local law enforcement as it chooses,” his office’s attorneys wrote.

A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to end its monthslong deployment of National Guard troops to help police the nation’s capital.

Video above: Can President Trump legally deploy the National Guard to other states?

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb concluded that President Donald Trump’s military takeover in Washington, D.C., violates the Constitution and illegally intrudes on local officials’ authority to direct law enforcement in the district. She put her order on hold for 21 days to allow for an appeal, however.

District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued to challenge the Guard deployments. He asked the judge to enjoin the White House from deploying Guard troops without the mayor’s consent.

In August, President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington. Within a month, more than 2,300 National Guard troops from eight states and the district were patrolling the city under the command of the Secretary of the Army. Trump also deployed hundreds of federal agents to assist in patrols.

It’s unclear how long the deployments will last, but attorneys from Schwalb’s office said Guard troops are likely to remain in the city through at least next summer.

“Our constitutional democracy will never be the same if these occupations are permitted to stand,” they wrote.

Government lawyers said Congress empowered the president to control the D.C. National Guard’s operation. They argued that Schwalb’s lawsuit is a frivolous “political stunt” threatening to undermine a successful campaign to reduce violent crime in the district.

“There is no sensible reason for an injunction unwinding this arrangement now, particularly since the District’s claims have no merit,” Justice Department attorneys wrote.

Trump’s Guard deployments have led to other court challenges. On Monday, a federal appeals court suspended an order blocking Trump from taking command of 200 Oregon National Guard troops. In September, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration illegally sent Guard troops to the Los Angeles area after days of protests over immigration raids.

In Washington, the Trump administration deputized Guard troops to serve as special U.S. Marshal Service deputies. Schwalb’s office said out-of-state troops are impermissibly operating as a federal military police force in D.C., inflaming tensions with residents and diverting local police resources.

“Every day that this lawless incursion continues, the District suffers harm to its sovereign authority to conduct local law enforcement as it chooses,” his office’s attorneys wrote.

Source link

November 20, 2025
Winning ticket for $980 million jackpot sold in Georgia, Mega Millions says

A Mega Millions player in Georgia won the $980 million jackpot on Friday, overcoming abysmal odds to win the huge prize.The single winning ticket was purchased at a Publix supermarket in Newnan, which is roughly 40 miles from Atlanta, a news release from the lottery says. “We are thrilled to congratulate the largest winner in our state’s history,” Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin said in the news release.Georgia state law allows lottery winners to remain anonymous if they win a prize of $250,000 or more and provides a written statement asking for confidentiality. The win also earned the store a $50,000 retailer bonus from the Georgia Lottery. The numbers selected were 1, 8, 11, 12 and 57 with the gold Mega Ball 7.The winner overcame Mega Millions’ astronomical odds of 1 in 290.5 million by matching all six numbers. The next drawing will be on Tuesday.A winner can choose an annuity or the cash option — a one-time, lump-sum payment of $452.2 million before taxes. If there are multiple jackpot winners, the prize is shared. There were four Mega Millions jackpot wins earlier this year, but Friday’s drawing was the 40th since the last win on June 27, a game record, officials said.In September, two Powerball players in Missouri and Texas won a nearly $1.8 billion jackpot, one of the largest in the U.S. The current Mega Millions jackpot isn’t among the top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots but would be the eighth-largest for Mega Millions since the game began in 2002. Mega Millions offers lesser prizes in addition to the jackpot. The odds of winning any of these is 1 in 23. There were more than 800,000 winners of non-jackpot prizes from the Nov. 11 drawing. Tickets are $5 each and are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Half the proceeds from each Mega Millions ticket remains in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold. Local lottery agencies run the game in each jurisdiction and how profits are spent is dictated by law. Sometimes gambling can become addictive. The National Council on Problem Gambling defines problem gambling as “gambling behavior that is damaging to a person or their family, often disrupting their daily life and career.” It is sometimes called gambling addiction or gambling disorder, a recognized mental health diagnosis. The group says anyone who gambles can be at risk. Its National Problem Gambling Helpline, 1-800-522-4700, connects anyone seeking assistance with a gambling problem to local resources.

A Mega Millions player in Georgia won the $980 million jackpot on Friday, overcoming abysmal odds to win the huge prize.

The single winning ticket was purchased at a Publix supermarket in Newnan, which is roughly 40 miles from Atlanta, a news release from the lottery says.

“We are thrilled to congratulate the largest winner in our state’s history,” Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin said in the news release.

Georgia state law allows lottery winners to remain anonymous if they win a prize of $250,000 or more and provides a written statement asking for confidentiality.

The win also earned the store a $50,000 retailer bonus from the Georgia Lottery.

The numbers selected were 1, 8, 11, 12 and 57 with the gold Mega Ball 7.

The winner overcame Mega Millions’ astronomical odds of 1 in 290.5 million by matching all six numbers. The next drawing will be on Tuesday.

A winner can choose an annuity or the cash option — a one-time, lump-sum payment of $452.2 million before taxes. If there are multiple jackpot winners, the prize is shared.

There were four Mega Millions jackpot wins earlier this year, but Friday’s drawing was the 40th since the last win on June 27, a game record, officials said.

In September, two Powerball players in Missouri and Texas won a nearly $1.8 billion jackpot, one of the largest in the U.S. The current Mega Millions jackpot isn’t among the top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots but would be the eighth-largest for Mega Millions since the game began in 2002.

Mega Millions offers lesser prizes in addition to the jackpot. The odds of winning any of these is 1 in 23.

There were more than 800,000 winners of non-jackpot prizes from the Nov. 11 drawing.

Tickets are $5 each and are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Half the proceeds from each Mega Millions ticket remains in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold. Local lottery agencies run the game in each jurisdiction and how profits are spent is dictated by law.

Sometimes gambling can become addictive.

The National Council on Problem Gambling defines problem gambling as “gambling behavior that is damaging to a person or their family, often disrupting their daily life and career.”

It is sometimes called gambling addiction or gambling disorder, a recognized mental health diagnosis. The group says anyone who gambles can be at risk.

Its National Problem Gambling Helpline, 1-800-522-4700, connects anyone seeking assistance with a gambling problem to local resources.

Source link

November 15, 2025
Carter’s closing 150 children’s clothing stores, cutting 300 jobs

Carter’s is closing 150 children’s clothing stores and cutting 300 jobs over the next three years.The plans were announced in the company’s fiscal third-quarter report. On an October call, company officials said about 100 of the stores would close by 2026 and new openings of U.S. locations would be paused.A list of the stores that will close was not included in the report.On the third-quarter report and during the company’s call, tariffs were listed as one of the reasons for lower margins and higher costs.According to the company’s website, Carter’s, which also owns the OshKosh B’gosh brand, has more than 1,000 stores in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The company’s brands are also sold in department stores and other national retailers including Walmart, Target and Amazon.Carter’s is headquartered in Atlanta.

Carter’s is closing 150 children’s clothing stores and cutting 300 jobs over the next three years.

The plans were announced in the company’s fiscal third-quarter report. On an October call, company officials said about 100 of the stores would close by 2026 and new openings of U.S. locations would be paused.

A list of the stores that will close was not included in the report.

On the third-quarter report and during the company’s call, tariffs were listed as one of the reasons for lower margins and higher costs.

According to the company’s website, Carter’s, which also owns the OshKosh B’gosh brand, has more than 1,000 stores in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The company’s brands are also sold in department stores and other national retailers including Walmart, Target and Amazon.

Carter’s is headquartered in Atlanta.

Source link

November 13, 2025
Illinois deputy found guilty of murder in the shooting of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911

An Illinois jury on Wednesday convicted a former sheriff’s deputy of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911 asking for help.The jurors, though, did not convict Sean Grayson on the first-degree murder charge that prosecutors sought and that carries a prison sentence of 45 years to life. The 31-year-old Grayson instead could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, or probation. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 29.Grayson and another deputy arrived at Massey’s home in Springfield, Illinois, early on the morning of July 6, 2024, after she reported a prowler. Grayson shot the 36-year-old woman after confronting her about how she was handling a pot of hot water she had removed from her stove. Grayson and his attorneys argued that he feared Massey would scald him with the hot water.Massey’s killing raised new questions about U.S. law enforcement shootings of Black people in their homes, and prompted a change in Illinois law requiring fuller transparency on the background of candidates for law enforcement jobs.Grayson originally was charged with first-degree murder, but after the seven-day trial, the jury was given the option of considering second-degree murder, which applies when a defendant faces a “serious provocation” or believes their action is justified even if that belief is unreasonable.He could be sentenced from four to 20 years, a sentence that could be halved if he behaves behind bars. He could also be sentenced to probation and avoid prison time entirely.Body camera video recorded by the other Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy on the scene that morning, Dawson Farley, was a key part of the prosecution’s case. It showed Massey, who struggled with mental health issues, telling the officers, “Don’t hurt me,” and repeating, “Please God.”When the deputies entered the house, Grayson saw the pot on the stove and ordered Massey to move it. Massey jumped up to retrieve the pot and she and Grayson joked about how he said he was backing off from the “hot, steaming water.” Massey then replied, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”Both Grayson and Farley drew their pistols and yelled at Massey to put the pot down. Grayson told investigators he thought her “rebuke” meant she intended to kill him and, in the following commotion, fired three shots, striking Massey just below the eye.Farley, who at the time of the shooting was a probationary employee subject to firing for any reason, testified that Massey didn’t say or do anything that caused him to view her as a threat. But under cross-examination, he acknowledged that he initially reported to investigators that he feared for his safety because of the hot water. Farley did not fire his weapon and was not charged.Grayson testified in his own defense and was the first witness his attorneys called. He told jurors he noticed the bottom of the pot was red and he believed Massey planned to throw the water at him. He said Massey’s words felt like a threat and that he drew his gun because officers are trained to use force to get compliance.“She done. You can go get it, but that’s a head shot,” Grayson told Farley after the shooting. “There’s nothing you can do, man.”Grayson relented moments later and went to get his kit while Farley found dish towels to apply pressure to the head wound. When Grayson returned, Farley told him his help wasn’t necessary, so he threw his kit on the floor and said, “I’m not even gonna waste my med stuff then.”Prosecutors said that response indicated Grayson’s disregard for public safety, an argument that persuaded Judge Ryan Cadagin to keep Grayson in jail awaiting trial. An Illinois appellate court subsequently ruled that Grayson should be released under the Pre-Trial Fairness Act. An appeal to the state Supreme Court has yet to be decided.Massey’s death also forced the early retirement of the sheriff who hired Grayson and generated a U.S. Justice Department inquiry. The federal probe was resolved with Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department’s agreement to fortify training, particularly de-escalation practices; develop a program in which mental health professionals can respond to emergency calls; and to generate data on use-of-force incidents.Massey’s family, with the assistance of civil rights attorney Ben Crump, settled a lawsuit against the county for $10 million and state lawmakers changed Illinois law to require fuller transparency on the background of candidates for law enforcement jobs.

An Illinois jury on Wednesday convicted a former sheriff’s deputy of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911 asking for help.

The jurors, though, did not convict Sean Grayson on the first-degree murder charge that prosecutors sought and that carries a prison sentence of 45 years to life. The 31-year-old Grayson instead could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, or probation. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 29.

Grayson and another deputy arrived at Massey’s home in Springfield, Illinois, early on the morning of July 6, 2024, after she reported a prowler. Grayson shot the 36-year-old woman after confronting her about how she was handling a pot of hot water she had removed from her stove. Grayson and his attorneys argued that he feared Massey would scald him with the hot water.

Massey’s killing raised new questions about U.S. law enforcement shootings of Black people in their homes, and prompted a change in Illinois law requiring fuller transparency on the background of candidates for law enforcement jobs.

Grayson originally was charged with first-degree murder, but after the seven-day trial, the jury was given the option of considering second-degree murder, which applies when a defendant faces a “serious provocation” or believes their action is justified even if that belief is unreasonable.

He could be sentenced from four to 20 years, a sentence that could be halved if he behaves behind bars. He could also be sentenced to probation and avoid prison time entirely.

Body camera video recorded by the other Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy on the scene that morning, Dawson Farley, was a key part of the prosecution’s case. It showed Massey, who struggled with mental health issues, telling the officers, “Don’t hurt me,” and repeating, “Please God.”

When the deputies entered the house, Grayson saw the pot on the stove and ordered Massey to move it. Massey jumped up to retrieve the pot and she and Grayson joked about how he said he was backing off from the “hot, steaming water.” Massey then replied, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

Both Grayson and Farley drew their pistols and yelled at Massey to put the pot down. Grayson told investigators he thought her “rebuke” meant she intended to kill him and, in the following commotion, fired three shots, striking Massey just below the eye.

Farley, who at the time of the shooting was a probationary employee subject to firing for any reason, testified that Massey didn’t say or do anything that caused him to view her as a threat. But under cross-examination, he acknowledged that he initially reported to investigators that he feared for his safety because of the hot water. Farley did not fire his weapon and was not charged.

Grayson testified in his own defense and was the first witness his attorneys called. He told jurors he noticed the bottom of the pot was red and he believed Massey planned to throw the water at him. He said Massey’s words felt like a threat and that he drew his gun because officers are trained to use force to get compliance.

“She done. You can go get it, but that’s a head shot,” Grayson told Farley after the shooting. “There’s nothing you can do, man.”

Grayson relented moments later and went to get his kit while Farley found dish towels to apply pressure to the head wound. When Grayson returned, Farley told him his help wasn’t necessary, so he threw his kit on the floor and said, “I’m not even gonna waste my med stuff then.”

Prosecutors said that response indicated Grayson’s disregard for public safety, an argument that persuaded Judge Ryan Cadagin to keep Grayson in jail awaiting trial. An Illinois appellate court subsequently ruled that Grayson should be released under the Pre-Trial Fairness Act. An appeal to the state Supreme Court has yet to be decided.

Massey’s death also forced the early retirement of the sheriff who hired Grayson and generated a U.S. Justice Department inquiry. The federal probe was resolved with Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department’s agreement to fortify training, particularly de-escalation practices; develop a program in which mental health professionals can respond to emergency calls; and to generate data on use-of-force incidents.

Massey’s family, with the assistance of civil rights attorney Ben Crump, settled a lawsuit against the county for $10 million and state lawmakers changed Illinois law to require fuller transparency on the background of candidates for law enforcement jobs.

Source link

October 29, 2025
Democratic-led states sue Trump administration to keep SNAP food assistance funds flowing

A coalition of 25 Democratic-run states sued the Trump administration Tuesday to prevent billions of dollars of cuts to federal food assistance that are set to kick in this weekend.Democratic attorneys general and governors from 25 states and Washington, D.C., claimed in the lawsuit that the Trump administration was threatening “illegal” cuts to SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program for 42 million Americans, “cannot simply suspend all benefits indefinitely, while refusing to spend funds from available appropriations for SNAP benefits for eligible households,” the lawsuit claims.The Trump administration has argued it does not have the power to use that pot of existing money — known as its contingency fund — to cover the SNAP program beyond Saturday, because of the federal government shutdown.”The contingency fund is not available to support FY 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists,” officials in the Department of Agriculture wrote in a memo last week.The risk of tens of millions of Americans losing food aid has triggered intense anxiety across Washington, as the government shutdown nears the one-month mark.Top lawmakers from both parties acknowledge it would be the most significant impact of the shutdown to date, with House Speaker Mike Johnson privately warning his GOP members on a call Tuesday that the pain was about to spike for everyday Americans.Senate Democrats have now voted 13 times to block a GOP funding bill because it does not include their separate demands on extending health care subsidies. But GOP leaders have refused to negotiate on the subsidies until the government reopens, leaving both parties in a bitter stalemate with no clear way out.Democrats have been unflinching in their stance, despite the looming Saturday deadline for the food aid. They argue that President Donald Trump has sought to “weaponize” the food assistance program, intentionally choosing not to fund the aid to pressure Democrats to yield.Fight over food aidShortly after the lawsuit was filed Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told CNN that there isn’t enough contingency funding to cover SNAP benefits for November, which she said would cost about $9.2 billion.”As of today, that $9.2 billion, we don’t even have close to that in contingency funding,” Rollins said. “We’ve got to get this government open.”She added that “all it takes is a yes on a continuing resolution to keep the government going, and to send that (SNAP) money out to the states.”A so-called clean continuing resolution would extend government funding at current levels. But congressional Democrats have opposed that because Republicans haven’t agreed to negotiate on the expiring health care subsidies.The White House referred CNN to the Office of Management and Budget for comment on the lawsuit. An OMB spokesperson said in a statement that “Democrats chose to shut down the government knowing full well that SNAP would soon run out of funds. It doesn’t have to be this way, and it’s sad they are using the families who rely on it as pawns.”Democratic attorney general: ‘This is wrong’The Democratic-run states filed the lawsuit in Massachusetts federal court. Court records indicate the case was randomly assigned to District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee who was confirmed in a bipartisan and unanimous Senate vote in 2014.Congress approved $6 billion for a “SNAP-specific contingency fund” in the spending bill that averted a shutdown in March, the lawsuit notes. The lawsuit also points out that, as recently as September, the USDA website identified these funds as part of its plan to keep the food stamp payments flowing in case of a government shutdown.North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, a Democrat, accused the Trump administration of using SNAP benefits “to play shutdown politics” at a news conference Tuesday announcing his support for the lawsuit.”The truth is the department has the money,” Jackson said, adding, “They are looking to ratchet up the pain in an already painful moment. This is wrong, and it’s against the law.”

A coalition of 25 Democratic-run states sued the Trump administration Tuesday to prevent billions of dollars of cuts to federal food assistance that are set to kick in this weekend.

Democratic attorneys general and governors from 25 states and Washington, D.C., claimed in the lawsuit that the Trump administration was threatening “illegal” cuts to SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program for 42 million Americans, “cannot simply suspend all benefits indefinitely, while refusing to spend funds from available appropriations for SNAP benefits for eligible households,” the lawsuit claims.

The Trump administration has argued it does not have the power to use that pot of existing money — known as its contingency fund — to cover the SNAP program beyond Saturday, because of the federal government shutdown.

“The contingency fund is not available to support FY 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists,” officials in the Department of Agriculture wrote in a memo last week.

The risk of tens of millions of Americans losing food aid has triggered intense anxiety across Washington, as the government shutdown nears the one-month mark.

Top lawmakers from both parties acknowledge it would be the most significant impact of the shutdown to date, with House Speaker Mike Johnson privately warning his GOP members on a call Tuesday that the pain was about to spike for everyday Americans.

Senate Democrats have now voted 13 times to block a GOP funding bill because it does not include their separate demands on extending health care subsidies. But GOP leaders have refused to negotiate on the subsidies until the government reopens, leaving both parties in a bitter stalemate with no clear way out.

Democrats have been unflinching in their stance, despite the looming Saturday deadline for the food aid. They argue that President Donald Trump has sought to “weaponize” the food assistance program, intentionally choosing not to fund the aid to pressure Democrats to yield.

Fight over food aid

Shortly after the lawsuit was filed Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told CNN that there isn’t enough contingency funding to cover SNAP benefits for November, which she said would cost about $9.2 billion.

“As of today, that $9.2 billion, we don’t even have close to that in contingency funding,” Rollins said. “We’ve got to get this government open.”

She added that “all it takes is a yes on a continuing resolution to keep the government going, and to send that (SNAP) money out to the states.”

A so-called clean continuing resolution would extend government funding at current levels. But congressional Democrats have opposed that because Republicans haven’t agreed to negotiate on the expiring health care subsidies.

The White House referred CNN to the Office of Management and Budget for comment on the lawsuit. An OMB spokesperson said in a statement that “Democrats chose to shut down the government knowing full well that SNAP would soon run out of funds. It doesn’t have to be this way, and it’s sad they are using the families who rely on it as pawns.”

Democratic attorney general: ‘This is wrong’

The Democratic-run states filed the lawsuit in Massachusetts federal court. Court records indicate the case was randomly assigned to District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee who was confirmed in a bipartisan and unanimous Senate vote in 2014.

Congress approved $6 billion for a “SNAP-specific contingency fund” in the spending bill that averted a shutdown in March, the lawsuit notes. The lawsuit also points out that, as recently as September, the USDA website identified these funds as part of its plan to keep the food stamp payments flowing in case of a government shutdown.

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, a Democrat, accused the Trump administration of using SNAP benefits “to play shutdown politics” at a news conference Tuesday announcing his support for the lawsuit.

“The truth is the department has the money,” Jackson said, adding, “They are looking to ratchet up the pain in an already painful moment. This is wrong, and it’s against the law.”

Source link

October 28, 2025
Man who planned to ‘shoot up’ Atlanta airport arrested in terminal following tip from family, police say

Police arrested a man at Atlanta’s bustling airport on Monday after getting a tip from his family that he was planning to shoot up the place, and found an assault rifle and ammunition in his truck outside, the city’s police chief said.Billy Joe Cagle, of Cartersville, Georgia, had described his plan to shoot up the world’s busiest airport on a social media livestream, Chief Darin Schierbaum said during a news conference.“The Cartersville Police Department was alerted by the family of Mr. Cagle that he was streaming on social media that he was headed to the Atlanta airport, in their words, to ‘shoot it up,’ and the family stated that he was in possession of an assault rifle,” Schierbaum said, describing Cagle as a convicted felonCagle, 49, arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in a Chevrolet pickup truck that was parked right outside the doors to the airport terminal. When police went to that vehicle, they found an AR-15 with 27 rounds of ammunition, Schierbaum said.“We’re here today briefing you on a success and not a tragedy because a family saw something and said something,” the chief said.Cartersville police Capt. Greg Sparacio, whose department received the initial tip from family members, said Cagle “had the intention to inflict harm to as many people as he could.”During the news conference, police showed surveillance video that shows Cagle arriving at the airport and body camera video of his arrest.A Chevrolet flatbed pickup truck is seen arriving curbside at the airport terminal around 9:30 a.m. and then a man police identified as Cagle is seen entering the airport a few minutes later. He walks over to the TSA security checkpoint and had “high interest in that area,” Schierbaum said.Body camera footage shows Atlanta police officers, who had a photo of Cagle provided by his family on their phones, approach him and start asking him questions before taking him into custody. As they take him to the ground and put handcuffs on him, Cagle can be heard yelling.Cagle has been charged with making terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a felon, Schierbaum said.Since Cagle is a convicted felon, Atlanta police will work with federal authorities to determine how he obtained the gun “which he was not able to legally possess,” Schierbaum said.Mayor Andre Dickens said “we’re thankful to God” that a tragedy was averted.“We’re thankful to God and to good information, and good intel, and good people for this crisis being averted,” the mayor said.

ATLANTA —

Police arrested a man at Atlanta’s bustling airport on Monday after getting a tip from his family that he was planning to shoot up the place, and found an assault rifle and ammunition in his truck outside, the city’s police chief said.

Billy Joe Cagle, of Cartersville, Georgia, had described his plan to shoot up the world’s busiest airport on a social media livestream, Chief Darin Schierbaum said during a news conference.

“The Cartersville Police Department was alerted by the family of Mr. Cagle that he was streaming on social media that he was headed to the Atlanta airport, in their words, to ‘shoot it up,’ and the family stated that he was in possession of an assault rifle,” Schierbaum said, describing Cagle as a convicted felon

Cagle, 49, arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in a Chevrolet pickup truck that was parked right outside the doors to the airport terminal. When police went to that vehicle, they found an AR-15 with 27 rounds of ammunition, Schierbaum said.

“We’re here today briefing you on a success and not a tragedy because a family saw something and said something,” the chief said.

Cartersville police Capt. Greg Sparacio, whose department received the initial tip from family members, said Cagle “had the intention to inflict harm to as many people as he could.”

During the news conference, police showed surveillance video that shows Cagle arriving at the airport and body camera video of his arrest.

A Chevrolet flatbed pickup truck is seen arriving curbside at the airport terminal around 9:30 a.m. and then a man police identified as Cagle is seen entering the airport a few minutes later. He walks over to the TSA security checkpoint and had “high interest in that area,” Schierbaum said.

Body camera footage shows Atlanta police officers, who had a photo of Cagle provided by his family on their phones, approach him and start asking him questions before taking him into custody. As they take him to the ground and put handcuffs on him, Cagle can be heard yelling.

Cagle has been charged with making terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a felon, Schierbaum said.

Since Cagle is a convicted felon, Atlanta police will work with federal authorities to determine how he obtained the gun “which he was not able to legally possess,” Schierbaum said.

Mayor Andre Dickens said “we’re thankful to God” that a tragedy was averted.

“We’re thankful to God and to good information, and good intel, and good people for this crisis being averted,” the mayor said.

Source link

October 20, 2025
Can I still get a passport or driver’s license during the government shutdown?

U.S. congressional lawmakers have failed to agree on a spending package for the new fiscal year, which triggered a federal government shutdown on Wednesday.Many Americans are wondering how the shutdown will impact travel, and, specifically, how it will affect passport applications and driver’s license services. Here’s what we know.Are passports still being processed?Yes. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency responsible for overseeing the naturalization process, is primarily funded by application fees, meaning a lapse in funding at the federal government has minimal impacts on most passport and visa processing.What if I have a passport appointment with the United States Postal Service?The U.S. Postal Service is unaffected by a government shutdown. It’s an independent entity funded through the sale of its products and services, not by tax dollars. You can still make appointments for new passport applications, passport renewals and photo services on the USPS website.Can I still get a driver’s license or REAL ID?You can still get a driver’s license or REAL ID during a government shutdown.That’s because motor vehicle departments are primarily funded and operated through state budgets.This means you can also make an appointment or visit one of your state’s driver’s license centers to receive a REAL ID with proper paperwork. The shutdown will not stop Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees from enforcing the REAL ID Act in U.S. airports and other federal facilities.TSA officers are typically deemed essential and must remain on the job, though they are not paid. What about visas?Agency spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said in a statement, however, that the shutdown does temporarily shutter the agency’s E-Verify program, a free online system that employers can use to confirm their new employees are authorized to work in the U.S.The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this report.

U.S. congressional lawmakers have failed to agree on a spending package for the new fiscal year, which triggered a federal government shutdown on Wednesday.

Many Americans are wondering how the shutdown will impact travel, and, specifically, how it will affect passport applications and driver’s license services.

Here’s what we know.

Are passports still being processed?

Yes. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency responsible for overseeing the naturalization process, is primarily funded by application fees, meaning a lapse in funding at the federal government has minimal impacts on most passport and visa processing.

What if I have a passport appointment with the United States Postal Service?

The U.S. Postal Service is unaffected by a government shutdown. It’s an independent entity funded through the sale of its products and services, not by tax dollars. You can still make appointments for new passport applications, passport renewals and photo services on the USPS website.

Can I still get a driver’s license or REAL ID?

You can still get a driver’s license or REAL ID during a government shutdown.

That’s because motor vehicle departments are primarily funded and operated through state budgets.

This means you can also make an appointment or visit one of your state’s driver’s license centers to receive a REAL ID with proper paperwork.

The shutdown will not stop Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees from enforcing the REAL ID Act in U.S. airports and other federal facilities.

TSA officers are typically deemed essential and must remain on the job, though they are not paid.

What about visas?

Agency spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said in a statement, however, that the shutdown does temporarily shutter the agency’s E-Verify program, a free online system that employers can use to confirm their new employees are authorized to work in the U.S.

The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this report.

Source link

October 1, 2025
Army says 4 soldiers died in a helicopter crash in Washington state this week

Four special operations soldiers aboard a U.S. Army MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that crashed near Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state are “believed to be dead,” the U.S. Army Special Operations Command said Friday.Related video above: An inside look at Black Hawk pilot trainingThe helicopter was on a routine training mission west of the base when it crashed at about 9 p.m. Wednesday, Army officials said. The soldiers were part of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Airborne, officials said.Army officials said recovery efforts are underway, and the cause of the crash remains under investigation. They said they would release the soldiers’ names “when appropriate,” out of respect for the families.“Our hearts are with the families, friends, and teammates of these Night Stalkers,” said Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, USASOC Commander. “They were elite warriors who embodied the highest values of the Army and the Army Special Operations, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten.”The regiment’s mission is to organize, equip and employ Army special operations aviation forces around the world, according to the Army’s website.“Known as Night Stalkers, these soldiers are recognized for their proficiency in nighttime operations,” the website said. “They are highly trained and ready to accomplish the very toughest missions in all environments, anywhere in the world, day or night, with unparalleled precision.”The crash sparked a small wildfire that had grown to 1.25 acres by Friday morning, the Washington Department of Natural Resources said. The agency said there was “pretty minimal fire activity” so they had one engine on the scene.The base is about 10 miles south of Tacoma under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Joint Base Headquarters.The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, based in Olympia, posted online late Wednesday that deputies were dispatched to reports of a possible helicopter crash in the Summit Lake area, west of Olympia.“We have been advised that the military lost contact with a helicopter in the area,” the department said. It said it was working with the base and that no further details were available.Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said on Facebook that deputies located the crash site “but have been unable to continue rescue efforts as the scene is on fire.”The most recent aviation mishap at the joint base occurred in March 2024. Two soldiers were hospitalized when their Apache helicopter crashed at the base during a routine training exercise.

Four special operations soldiers aboard a U.S. Army MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that crashed near Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state are “believed to be dead,” the U.S. Army Special Operations Command said Friday.

Related video above: An inside look at Black Hawk pilot training

The helicopter was on a routine training mission west of the base when it crashed at about 9 p.m. Wednesday, Army officials said. The soldiers were part of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Airborne, officials said.

Army officials said recovery efforts are underway, and the cause of the crash remains under investigation. They said they would release the soldiers’ names “when appropriate,” out of respect for the families.

“Our hearts are with the families, friends, and teammates of these Night Stalkers,” said Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, USASOC Commander. “They were elite warriors who embodied the highest values of the Army and the Army Special Operations, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

The regiment’s mission is to organize, equip and employ Army special operations aviation forces around the world, according to the Army’s website.

“Known as Night Stalkers, these soldiers are recognized for their proficiency in nighttime operations,” the website said. “They are highly trained and ready to accomplish the very toughest missions in all environments, anywhere in the world, day or night, with unparalleled precision.”

The crash sparked a small wildfire that had grown to 1.25 acres by Friday morning, the Washington Department of Natural Resources said. The agency said there was “pretty minimal fire activity” so they had one engine on the scene.

The base is about 10 miles south of Tacoma under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Joint Base Headquarters.

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, based in Olympia, posted online late Wednesday that deputies were dispatched to reports of a possible helicopter crash in the Summit Lake area, west of Olympia.

“We have been advised that the military lost contact with a helicopter in the area,” the department said. It said it was working with the base and that no further details were available.

Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said on Facebook that deputies located the crash site “but have been unable to continue rescue efforts as the scene is on fire.”

The most recent aviation mishap at the joint base occurred in March 2024. Two soldiers were hospitalized when their Apache helicopter crashed at the base during a routine training exercise.

Source link

September 19, 2025
Authorities believe sheriff who inspired movie “Walking Tall” killed wife in 1967

Authorities in Tennessee announced Friday that they believe a sheriff who inspired the movie “Walking Tall” is responsible for his wife’s death in 1967.During a news conference Friday, officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said there were “inconsistencies” in statements from Sheriff Buford Pusser following the 1967 murder of his wife, Pauline. “It’s been said that the dead can’t cry out for justice. It is the duty of the living to do so. In this case, that duty has been carried out 58 years later,” said District Attorney General Mark Davidson for the 25th Judicial District.Blood splatter patterns on the vehicle also contradicted statements from Buford Pusser, officials said.Buford Pusser reported that his wife volunteered to ride along in the dark early-morning hours of Aug. 12, 1967, on a disturbance call. He claimed that a car pulled alongside his and fired several shots, killing Pauline and injuring him in what he claimed was an ambush intended for him and carried out by unknown assailants.Buford Pusser recovered from his injury. No viable suspects were developed, and no charges were filed.After receiving a tip that an autopsy was never performed on Pauline Pusser, the TBI exhumed her body in February 2024. Davidson said the investigation revealed that Pauline Pusser was more than likely shot outside the vehicle and then placed inside the vehicle. Cranial trauma suffered by Pauline Pusser, depicted in crime scene photographs, does not match interior crime scene photographs from the vehicle.TBI officials also said the autopsy determined that Pauline Pusser had a nasal fracture before her death. Investigators now believe the physical evidence points to a staged crime scene and that Buford Pusser’s gunshot wound was likely self-inflicted.“There is probable cause to believe that Pauline’s death was not an accident, not an act of chance, but, based on the totality of the TBI investigative file, an act of intimate, deliberate violence,” Davidson said.Law enforcement officials said the discoveries would be sufficient to seek a grand jury indictment of Buford Pusser if he were alive today.Buford Pusser died in 1974 after a one-vehicle crash. He served as the sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee, from 1964 to 1970 and was known for his crackdown on crime along the Mississippi-Tennessee state line.

Authorities in Tennessee announced Friday that they believe a sheriff who inspired the movie “Walking Tall” is responsible for his wife’s death in 1967.

During a news conference Friday, officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said there were “inconsistencies” in statements from Sheriff Buford Pusser following the 1967 murder of his wife, Pauline.

“It’s been said that the dead can’t cry out for justice. It is the duty of the living to do so. In this case, that duty has been carried out 58 years later,” said District Attorney General Mark Davidson for the 25^th Judicial District.

Blood splatter patterns on the vehicle also contradicted statements from Buford Pusser, officials said.

Buford Pusser reported that his wife volunteered to ride along in the dark early-morning hours of Aug. 12, 1967, on a disturbance call. He claimed that a car pulled alongside his and fired several shots, killing Pauline and injuring him in what he claimed was an ambush intended for him and carried out by unknown assailants.

Buford Pusser recovered from his injury. No viable suspects were developed, and no charges were filed.

After receiving a tip that an autopsy was never performed on Pauline Pusser, the TBI exhumed her body in February 2024.

Davidson said the investigation revealed that Pauline Pusser was more than likely shot outside the vehicle and then placed inside the vehicle. Cranial trauma suffered by Pauline Pusser, depicted in crime scene photographs, does not match interior crime scene photographs from the vehicle.

TBI officials also said the autopsy determined that Pauline Pusser had a nasal fracture before her death. Investigators now believe the physical evidence points to a staged crime scene and that Buford Pusser’s gunshot wound was likely self-inflicted.

“There is probable cause to believe that Pauline’s death was not an accident, not an act of chance, but, based on the totality of the TBI investigative file, an act of intimate, deliberate violence,” Davidson said.

Law enforcement officials said the discoveries would be sufficient to seek a grand jury indictment of Buford Pusser if he were alive today.

Buford Pusser died in 1974 after a one-vehicle crash. He served as the sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee, from 1964 to 1970 and was known for his crackdown on crime along the Mississippi-Tennessee state line.

Source link

August 29, 2025
Blockbuster trade: Cowboys’ Micah Parsons heads to Green Bay after contract dispute, AP source says

Micah Parsons is headed to the Green Bay Packers after a blockbuster trade, leaving the Dallas Cowboys following a lengthy contract dispute.File video above: Highlights from Micah Parsons’ high school football careerA person with knowledge of the details said Parsons and the Packers have agreed on a record-setting $188 million, four-year contract that includes $136 million guaranteed. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade hasn’t been announced.Parsons, a two-time All-Pro edge rusher, becomes the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.“I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control,” Parsons wrote in a statement he posted on X. “My heart has always been here, and still is. Through it all, I never made any demands. I never asked for anything more than fairness. I only asked that the person I trust to negotiate my contract be part of the process.”Cowboys owner Jerry Jones declined to discuss Parsons’ deal with agent David Mulugheta. Instead, Jones spoke directly to Parsons and insisted they had agreed on the parameters of a new contract.The Cowboys are receiving two first-round picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark for Parsons, a person with knowledge of the trade told the AP. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams haven’t released the terms. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

DALLAS —

Micah Parsons is headed to the Green Bay Packers after a blockbuster trade, leaving the Dallas Cowboys following a lengthy contract dispute.

File video above: Highlights from Micah Parsons’ high school football career

A person with knowledge of the details said Parsons and the Packers have agreed on a record-setting $188 million, four-year contract that includes $136 million guaranteed. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade hasn’t been announced.

Parsons, a two-time All-Pro edge rusher, becomes the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

“I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control,” Parsons wrote in a statement he posted on X. “My heart has always been here, and still is. Through it all, I never made any demands. I never asked for anything more than fairness. I only asked that the person I trust to negotiate my contract be part of the process.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones declined to discuss Parsons’ deal with agent David Mulugheta. Instead, Jones spoke directly to Parsons and insisted they had agreed on the parameters of a new contract.

The Cowboys are receiving two first-round picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark for Parsons, a person with knowledge of the trade told the AP. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams haven’t released the terms.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Source link

August 28, 2025
Police respond to a report of an active shooter at Villanova University

Police responded Thursday to a report of an active shooter on the campus of Villanova University, sparking panic among students days before the start of classes.Related video above: Aerial footage shows the scene at Villanova on Thursday afternoonStudents shared a text from the Villanova alert system that told them to lock and barricade doors and move to secure locations. A second alert from Villanova officials warned people to stay away from the law school.In posts on X and Facebook, Radnor Township told nearby residents and students to shelter in place. Around 5:50 p.m. ET, the police department again posted to social media saying that the incident remained active, but that there were “NO reported victims.”The police department said its officers and “assisting units” were “continuing to clear buildings at Villanova University.” Radnor police advised anyone who was shetering in place to stay put “unil a police officer guides you.”Videos posted on social media showed a crowd being rushed inside a building on campus. New student orientation and registration started Thursday and is scheduled to go until Saturday. Classes begin Monday.Aerial scenes showed several emergency vehicles on the scene and armed officers milling about at the entrance of a parking garage.Brandon Ambrosino, a professor of theology and ethics at Villanova who was not on campus at the time, said most faculty members were not on campus, but students moved in on Wednesday. He said he and colleagues were struggling to find information about the active shooter during the chaotic afternoon.“None of my colleagues know what’s happening. We’re messaging back and forth,” Ambrosino said.Ambrosino said he was concerned for the safety of students.“Yeah, terrifying. Obviously, it’s our nightmare scenario. I feel terrible for these kids,” he said.State Rep. Lisa Borowski, whose district includes Villanova, said that at about 5 p.m. she received a text from Radnor Township Police and Villanova campus police for local residents to shelter in place.“I am very worried and very concerned,” Borowski said.Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said he was aware of the active shooter report and was monitoring.Villanova University is a private Catholic university in the Philadelphia suburbs. It borders Lower Merion Township and Radnor Township at the center of the city’s wealthy Main Line neighborhoods.The Augustinian school got extra attention this year as the alma mater of new Pope Leo XIV. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

VILLANOVA, Pa. —

Police responded Thursday to a report of an active shooter on the campus of Villanova University, sparking panic among students days before the start of classes.

Related video above: Aerial footage shows the scene at Villanova on Thursday afternoon

Students shared a text from the Villanova alert system that told them to lock and barricade doors and move to secure locations. A second alert from Villanova officials warned people to stay away from the law school.

In posts on X and Facebook, Radnor Township told nearby residents and students to shelter in place. Around 5:50 p.m. ET, the police department again posted to social media saying that the incident remained active, but that there were “NO reported victims.”

The police department said its officers and “assisting units” were “continuing to clear buildings at Villanova University.”

Radnor police advised anyone who was shetering in place to stay put “unil a police officer guides you.”

Videos posted on social media showed a crowd being rushed inside a building on campus. New student orientation and registration started Thursday and is scheduled to go until Saturday. Classes begin Monday.

Aerial scenes showed several emergency vehicles on the scene and armed officers milling about at the entrance of a parking garage.

Brandon Ambrosino, a professor of theology and ethics at Villanova who was not on campus at the time, said most faculty members were not on campus, but students moved in on Wednesday. He said he and colleagues were struggling to find information about the active shooter during the chaotic afternoon.

“None of my colleagues know what’s happening. We’re messaging back and forth,” Ambrosino said.

Ambrosino said he was concerned for the safety of students.

“Yeah, terrifying. Obviously, it’s our nightmare scenario. I feel terrible for these kids,” he said.

State Rep. Lisa Borowski, whose district includes Villanova, said that at about 5 p.m. she received a text from Radnor Township Police and Villanova campus police for local residents to shelter in place.

“I am very worried and very concerned,” Borowski said.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said he was aware of the active shooter report and was monitoring.

Villanova University is a private Catholic university in the Philadelphia suburbs. It borders Lower Merion Township and Radnor Township at the center of the city’s wealthy Main Line neighborhoods.

The Augustinian school got extra attention this year as the alma mater of new Pope Leo XIV.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Source link

August 21, 2025
Texas’ Republican-controlled House approves new maps to create more winnable GOP congressional seats

It’s been over 24 hours since Republican Texas House Speaker Dustin Burr said Democrats would be released into the custody of *** designated Department of Public Safety officer after Monday’s session. The doorkeeper will lock the doors, while other Democrats complied. State rep Nicole Collier refused. I am exercising my constitutional right to oppose. Instead. Settled in at her desk to spend the night. Collier posted on social media that she refused to sign away my dignity. I feel like this is wrong, that they are exercising this type of control over another person. It’s un-American. Texas House conservatives aim to put *** redistricting bill on the floor Wednesday after the redistricting committee voted to advance new congressional maps. GOP. Efforts to redraw maps would likely create 5 more GOP leaning seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In order to secure the vote, Republicans need *** quorum of lawmakers, which Democrats had previously skipped out on by leaving the state. Their 15 day standoff ended Monday when they returned, and Democratic legislators in California agreed to consider employing similar. Districting maneuvers as Republicans have done in Texas. We didn’t ask for this fight. They brought this fight to us, and California cannot stand down if other states are attempting to cheat and rig the election in 20. On Tuesday, the California Senate committee voted 4 to 1 to advance *** bill that redraws that state’s congressional boundaries. I’m Sherelle Hubbard reporting.

Texas Republicans on Wednesday took the first step toward approving new congressional maps that would give their party as many as five new seats in the House of Representatives, spurring what’s likely to be a national battle over redistricting.The approval by the Texas House of Representatives came at the urging of President Donald Trump, who pushed for the extraordinary mid-decade revision of congressional maps to give his party a better chance at holding onto the U.S. House of Representatives in next year’s election. The maps need to be approved by the state Senate and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott before they become official.Texas state legislative Democrats delayed the vote by two weeks by fleeing the state earlier this month in protest, and were assigned round-the-clock police monitoring upon their return to ensure they attended Wednesday’s session.The approval of the Texas maps is likely to prompt California’s Democratic-controlled state Legislature to approve a new House map creating Democratic-leaning districts. Unlike in Texas, the California map would require approval by voters in November before it becomes official.Democrats have also vowed to sue to challenge the new Texas map and complained that Republicans made the political power move before passing legislation responding to deadly floods that swept the state last month.

Texas Republicans on Wednesday took the first step toward approving new congressional maps that would give their party as many as five new seats in the House of Representatives, spurring what’s likely to be a national battle over redistricting.

The approval by the Texas House of Representatives came at the urging of President Donald Trump, who pushed for the extraordinary mid-decade revision of congressional maps to give his party a better chance at holding onto the U.S. House of Representatives in next year’s election. The maps need to be approved by the state Senate and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott before they become official.

Texas state legislative Democrats delayed the vote by two weeks by fleeing the state earlier this month in protest, and were assigned round-the-clock police monitoring upon their return to ensure they attended Wednesday’s session.

The approval of the Texas maps is likely to prompt California’s Democratic-controlled state Legislature to approve a new House map creating Democratic-leaning districts. Unlike in Texas, the California map would require approval by voters in November before it becomes official.

Democrats have also vowed to sue to challenge the new Texas map and complained that Republicans made the political power move before passing legislation responding to deadly floods that swept the state last month.

Source link

August 20, 2025
Racist text messages referencing slavery raise alarms in multiple states and prompt investigations

Racist text messages invoking slavery raised alarm across the country this week after they were sent to Black men, women and students, including middle schoolers, prompting inquiries by the FBI and other agencies.Video above: Black University of Alabama students, parents outraged after getting racist text messageThe messages, sent anonymously, were reported in several states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. They generally used a similar tone but varied in wording.Some instructed the recipient to show up at an address at a particular time “with your belongings,” while others didn’t include a location. Some of them mentioned the incoming presidential administration.It wasn’t yet clear who was behind the messages and there was no comprehensive list of where they were sent, but high school and college students were among the recipients.The FBI said it was in touch with the Justice Department on the messages, and the Federal Communications Commission said it was investigating the texts “alongside federal and state law enforcement.” The Ohio Attorney General’s office also said it was looking into the matter.Tasha Dunham of Lodi, California, said her 16-year-old daughter showed her one of the messages Wednesday evening before her basketball practice.The text not only used her daughter’s name, but it directed her to report to a “plantation” in North Carolina, where Dunham said they’ve never lived. When they looked up the address, it was the location of a museum.“It was very disturbing,” Dunham said. “Everybody’s just trying to figure out what does this all mean for me? So, I definitely had a lot of fear and concern.”Her daughter initially thought it was a prank, but emotions are high following Tuesday’s presidential election. Dunham and her family thought it could be more nefarious and reported it to local law enforcement.“I wasn’t in slavery. My mother wasn’t in slavery. But we’re a couple of generations away. So, when you think about how brutal and awful slavery was for our people, it’s awful and concerning,” Dunham said.About six middle school students in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, received the messages too, said Megan Shafer, acting superintendent of the Lower Merion School District.“The racist nature of these text messages is extremely disturbing, made even more so by the fact that children have been targeted,” she wrote in a letter to parents.Students at some major universities, including Clemson in South Carolina and the University of Alabama, said they received the messages. The Clemson Police Department said in a statement that it been notified of the “deplorable racially motivated text and email messages” and encouraged anyone who received one to report it.University of Alabama freshman Alyse McCall told sister station WVTMM that she was in class when she got the text, and it brought her to tears.“I can say, ‘Oh, it’s a spoof message, oh, it’s a spam message,’ but that’s truly scary,” McCall said. “These messages are going out to thousands of young African-American students who fought just as hard to get into college as everybody else did and make opportunities for themselves to thrive, and getting those messages and then walking around or not even going to class because you’re scared to walk on your own campus. It’s not fair.”Fisk University, a historically Black university in Nashville, Tennessee, issued a statement calling the messages that targeted some of its students “deeply unsettling.” It urged calm and assured students that the texts likely were from bots or malicious actors with “no real intentions or credibility.”Nick Ludlum, a senior vice president for the wireless industry trade group CTIA, said “wireless providers are aware of these threatening spam messages and are aggressively working to block them and the numbers that they are coming from.”David Brody, director of the Digital Justice Initiative at The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said that they aren’t sure who is behind the messages but estimated they had been sent to more than 10 states, including most Southern states, Maryland, Oklahoma and even the District of Columbia. The district’s Metropolitan Police force said in a statement that its intelligence unit was investigating the origins of the message.Brody said a number of civil rights laws can be applied to hate-related incidents. The leaders of several other civil rights organizations condemned the messages, including Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, who said, “Hate speech has no place in the South or our nation.”“The threat — and the mention of slavery in 2024 — is not only deeply disturbing, but perpetuates a legacy of evil that dates back to before the Jim Crow era, and now seeks to prevent Black Americans from enjoying the same freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “These actions are not normal. And we refuse to let them be normalized.”

Racist text messages invoking slavery raised alarm across the country this week after they were sent to Black men, women and students, including middle schoolers, prompting inquiries by the FBI and other agencies.

Video above: Black University of Alabama students, parents outraged after getting racist text message

The messages, sent anonymously, were reported in several states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. They generally used a similar tone but varied in wording.

Some instructed the recipient to show up at an address at a particular time “with your belongings,” while others didn’t include a location. Some of them mentioned the incoming presidential administration.

It wasn’t yet clear who was behind the messages and there was no comprehensive list of where they were sent, but high school and college students were among the recipients.

The FBI said it was in touch with the Justice Department on the messages, and the Federal Communications Commission said it was investigating the texts “alongside federal and state law enforcement.” The Ohio Attorney General’s office also said it was looking into the matter.

Tasha Dunham of Lodi, California, said her 16-year-old daughter showed her one of the messages Wednesday evening before her basketball practice.

The text not only used her daughter’s name, but it directed her to report to a “plantation” in North Carolina, where Dunham said they’ve never lived. When they looked up the address, it was the location of a museum.

“It was very disturbing,” Dunham said. “Everybody’s just trying to figure out what does this all mean for me? So, I definitely had a lot of fear and concern.”

Her daughter initially thought it was a prank, but emotions are high following Tuesday’s presidential election. Dunham and her family thought it could be more nefarious and reported it to local law enforcement.

“I wasn’t in slavery. My mother wasn’t in slavery. But we’re a couple of generations away. So, when you think about how brutal and awful slavery was for our people, it’s awful and concerning,” Dunham said.

About six middle school students in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, received the messages too, said Megan Shafer, acting superintendent of the Lower Merion School District.

“The racist nature of these text messages is extremely disturbing, made even more so by the fact that children have been targeted,” she wrote in a letter to parents.

Students at some major universities, including Clemson in South Carolina and the University of Alabama, said they received the messages. The Clemson Police Department said in a statement that it been notified of the “deplorable racially motivated text and email messages” and encouraged anyone who received one to report it.

University of Alabama freshman Alyse McCall told sister station WVTMM that she was in class when she got the text, and it brought her to tears.

“I can say, ‘Oh, it’s a spoof message, oh, it’s a spam message,’ but that’s truly scary,” McCall said. “These messages are going out to thousands of young African-American students who fought just as hard to get into college as everybody else did and make opportunities for themselves to thrive, and getting those messages and then walking around or not even going to class because you’re scared to walk on your own campus. It’s not fair.”

Fisk University, a historically Black university in Nashville, Tennessee, issued a statement calling the messages that targeted some of its students “deeply unsettling.” It urged calm and assured students that the texts likely were from bots or malicious actors with “no real intentions or credibility.”

Nick Ludlum, a senior vice president for the wireless industry trade group CTIA, said “wireless providers are aware of these threatening spam messages and are aggressively working to block them and the numbers that they are coming from.”

David Brody, director of the Digital Justice Initiative at The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said that they aren’t sure who is behind the messages but estimated they had been sent to more than 10 states, including most Southern states, Maryland, Oklahoma and even the District of Columbia. The district’s Metropolitan Police force said in a statement that its intelligence unit was investigating the origins of the message.

Brody said a number of civil rights laws can be applied to hate-related incidents. The leaders of several other civil rights organizations condemned the messages, including Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, who said, “Hate speech has no place in the South or our nation.”

“The threat — and the mention of slavery in 2024 — is not only deeply disturbing, but perpetuates a legacy of evil that dates back to before the Jim Crow era, and now seeks to prevent Black Americans from enjoying the same freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “These actions are not normal. And we refuse to let them be normalized.”

Source link

November 7, 2024