Governor declares emergency over wildfire near Yosemite

By NOAH BERGER and JOCELYN GECKER Flames from the Oak Fire consume a home on Triangle Road in Mariposa County, Calif., Saturday, July 23, 2022.  A fast-moving brush fire near Yosemite National Park exploded in size Saturday into one of California’s largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people and shutting off power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses.  The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon

Ex-cop Thomas Lane faces sentencing in George Floyd killing

By STEVE KARNOWSKI FILE - This June 3, 2020, file photo, provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota, shows Thomas Lane is shown. Former Minneapolis police Officer Thomas Lane is hoping for a sentence Thursday, July 21, 2022, that could let him go free after as little as two years in prison for his role in the killing of George Floyd. (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP, file)

NC’s Budget – What’s in it for you?

DR. JOYNICOLE MARTINEZ, Staff Writer North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed the state budget into law this week, marking the second year in a row that he's accepted the Republican’s comprehensive state spending plan after vetoing budget bills in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The budget alters the second year of the two-year budget bill Cooper signed last November. It also lifts the state of emergency in place since the coronavirus

Diversity of Candidates Shows the GOP’s Growing Strength

The Republican Party made historic gains with minority communities in the 2016 and 2020 elections. Black, Asian, and especially Hispanic American voters compelled by the bold leadership of President Trump and our inclusive Republican message of opportunity and patriotism shifted towards the GOP. Today, the RNC, under the leadership of Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, remains committed to making the GOP a more diverse, big-tent party. And our diversity goes far beyond

17 Receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

The White House said the President presents medals to individuals who have had significant cultural impacts or made significant contributions to the country or the world. A reported bout with Covid kept actor Denzel Washington from attending the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House on Thursday, but 16 others, including Olympic Champion Simone Biles, U.S. soccer player Megan Rapinoe, and Khazir Khan, joined President Joe Biden to

Leader Who Fought Trump Tulsa Campaign Rally Killed

BIXBY, Okla. (AP) — A Black business leader and community activist who joined Tulsa civic leaders in fighting then-President Donald Trump’s plan to hold a campaign rally on Juneteenth in a city known as the site of one of the nation’s deadliest white-on-Black mob attacks has been killed in what police describe as a domestic incident at her home. Investigators were trying Thursday to develop a timeline that led to

NC governor signs executive order protecting abortion access

North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper signs an executive order designed to protect abortion rights in the state at the Executive Mansion in Raleigh, N.C. on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. The order in part prevents the extradition of a woman who receives an abortion in North Carolina but may live in another state where the procedure is barred. (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson). North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order Wednesday

Ex-cop Chauvin to get federal sentence for Floyd’s killing

FILE - Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin addresses the court as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over Chauvin's sentencing at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis June 25, 2021. A federal judge will sentence former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Thursday, July 7, 2022, for federal civil rights violations in the killing of George Floyd. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson on Tuesday, July 5, set Chauvin's sentencing

Britain’s Boris Johnson resigning as PM amid scandal

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks to media next to 10 Downing Street in London, Thursday, July 7, 2022. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign, his office said Thursday, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future that has paralyzed Britain's government. An official in Johnson's Downing Street office confirmed the prime minister would announce his resignation later. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation Thursday amid a

6 dead, 30 hurt in shooting at Chicago-area July 4 parade

By MICHAEL TARM, KATHLEEN FOODY and ROGER SCHNEIDER A Lake Forest, Ill., police officer walks down Central Ave in Highland Park, Ill., on Monday, July 4, 2022, after a shooter fired on the northern suburb's Fourth of July parade. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune via AP) A gunman on a rooftop opened fire on an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago on Monday, killing at least six people, wounding at least 30