Lupus and other autoimmune diseases strike far more women than men. Now there’s a clue why

WASHINGTON (AP) - Women are far more likely than men to get autoimmune diseases, when an out-of-whack immune system attacks their own bodies - and new research may finally explain why. It's all about how the body handles females' extra X chromosome, Stanford University researchers reported Thursday - a finding that could lead to better ways to detect a long list of diseases that are hard to diagnose and treat.

Mexico overtakes China as the leading source of goods imported to US

WASHINGTON (AP) - For the first time in more than two decades, Mexico last year surpassed China as the leading source of goods imported to the United States. The shift reflects the growing tensions between Washington and Beijing as well as U.S. efforts to import from countries that are friendlier and closer to home. Figures released Wednesday by the U.S. Commerce Department show that the value of goods imported to

NC Department of Public Instruction issues call for summer meal sponsors

NC Newsline - The N.C. Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is calling on schools and community organizations to sponsor Summer Nutrition Programs that provide meals and snacks to needy students when school is out of session. More than 1 million students in North Carolina rely on the meals from the school breakfast, school lunch and afterschool meals programs during the school year. The summer meals help fill the gap for

Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick rule at pre-Grammy gala hosted by Clive Davis

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The night began with a rare sight: tennis champion Serena Williams was flustered. "I'm a little nervous... I can't breathe," she said through an exasperated smile. "I'm usually really good at this." The overwhelming task was not opening the famed Clive Davis pre-Grammys gala at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California - though that no doubt comes with some social pressure. It was introducing its opening act,

Private equity’s growing footprint in home health care draws scrutiny

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Help at Home employed nearly 800 caregivers scattered across every county in Alabama, helping 1,100 older and disabled clients with activities such as bathing, housework and meal preparation. And then suddenly, it was gone. Alabama's largest provider of home care services said it abruptly left the state last fall because the state's "reimbursement and regulatory environment" made it difficult to recruit and retain enough workers, according to

UNCG Faculty Senate votes to censure chancellor, provost over program elimination process

UNC-Greensboro's Faculty Senate has voted to censure university's chancellor and provost amid ongoing tensions over the process administrators are using to cut programs at the university. The resolution was "a motion to censure the Chancellor and the Provost for not initiating consultation with the Senate at the start of the APR [Academic Program Review] process and not providing a clear rationale of the choice of program closures." With 39 eligible to

Walmart to build or convert 150-plus stores in next 5 years. It hasn’t opened new stores in 3 years

NEW YORK (AP) - Walmart plans to build or convert more than 150 stores in the next five years, while continuing to remodel existing stores. The plan, announced Wednesday, marks a big change for the discounter. In 2016, Walmart announced it was slowing new store openings and instead investing in its online efforts, technology and store remodels as it aimed to be more competitive with online behemoth Amazon. A company spokeswoman said

Meta, TikTok and other social media CEOs testify in heated Senate hearing on child exploitation

AP NEWS - Sexual predators. Addictive features. Suicide and eating disorders. Unrealistic beauty standards. Bullying. These are just some of the issues young people are dealing with on social media - and children's advocates and lawmakers say companies are not doing enough to protect them. On Wednesday, the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X and other social media companies went before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify as lawmakers and parents

Advocates file federal complaint over ‘Parents’ Bill of Rights’ law

NC NEWSLINE - North Carolina's adoption of the "Parents' Bill of Rights" law has led to school-based policies and practices that discriminate against LGBTQ students, the Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE) alleges in a federal Title IX complaint against the State Board of Education and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The complaint was filed with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of