Supreme Court justices and donors mingle at campus visits. These documents show the ethical dilemmas

WASHINGTON (AP) - When Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas headlined a 2017 program at McLennan Community College in Texas, his hosts had more than a speech in mind. Working with the prominent conservative lawyer Ken Starr, school officials crafted a guest list for a dinner at the home of a wealthy Texas businessman, hoping an audience with Thomas would be a reward for school patrons -- and an inducement to

Convicted sports doctor Larry Nassar stabbed multiple times at Florida federal prison

BY MICHAEL BALSAMO AND MICHAEL R. SISAK WASHINGTON (AP) - Disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing female gymnasts including Olympic medalists, was stabbed multiple times during an altercation with another inmate at a federal prison in Florida. Two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press the attack happened Sunday at United States Penitentiary Coleman. The people said he was in stable condition Monday. One

In search of a lost cemetery, dig begins at a former Native American school in Nebraska

BY SCOTT MCFETRIDGE AND CHARLIE NEIBERGALL Bodies of dozens of children who died at a Native American boarding school have been lost for decades, a mystery that archeologists aim to unravel as they begin digging in a central Nebraska field that a century ago was part of the sprawling campus. Crews toting shovels, trowels and even smaller tools planned to start searching Monday at the site experts suspect is the Genoa

Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

BY JAKE BLEIBERG An Oklahoma judge has thrown out a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, dashing an effort to obtain some measure of legal justice by survivors of the deadly racist rampage. Judge Caroline Wall on Friday dismissed with prejudice the lawsuit trying to force the city and others to make recompense for the destruction of the once-thriving Black district known as Greenwood. The order comes in

With Griffey’s help, MLB hosts HBCU All-Star Game hoping to create opportunity for Black players

SEATTLE (AP) - Ken Griffey Jr. holds a plethora of titles, especially in this part of the country. Hall of Famer. Cultural icon. The guy who made baseball in the Pacific Northwest relevant. Arguably, the greatest of his generation. He even holds a title in association with Major League Baseball as a special adviser to Commissioner Rob Manfred. But what's most meaningful to Griffey currently is his association with Friday

To fight berry-busting fruit flies, researchers focus on sterilizing the bugs

BY MELINA WALLING Paul Nelson is used to doing battle with an invasive fruit fly called the spotted wing drosophila, a pest that one year ruined more than half the berries on the Minnesota farm he and his team run. In recent years, they've cut their losses closer to 5%, but it's been labor-intensive and expensive. "It's a pest that if you're not willing to stick the time into it, it's

Decreased funding for Charlotte Arts and Science 

By: Tyria Bourda - Carolinian Reporter Due to Charlotte City Council's recent decision to cut funding for Charlotte's Arts and Science, artists like Marcus Kiser now wonder if his grant will be affected. According to its February 27th agenda, the city council wants to "diversify funding" by allocating those dollars to "programs based in city-owned facilities." Kiser, a local multimedia designer, has received ASC grants in the past therefore this

Ransomware criminals are dumping kids’ private files online after school hacks

BY FRANK BAJAK, HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH AND LARRY FENN The confidential documents stolen from schools and dumped online by ransomware gangs are raw, intimate and graphic. They describe student sexual assaults, psychiatric hospitalizations, abusive parents, truancy - even suicide attempts. "Please do something," begged a student in one leaked file, recalling the trauma of continually bumping into an ex-abuser at a school in Minneapolis. Other victims talked about wetting the bed or

US citizenship test changes are coming, raising concerns for those with low English skills

BY TRISHA AHMED ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The U.S. citizenship test is being updated, and some immigrants and advocates worry the changes will hurt test-takers with lower levels of English proficiency. The naturalization test is one of the final steps toward citizenship - a monthslong process that requires legal permanent residency for years before applying. Many are still shaken after former Republican President Donald Trump's administration changed the test in

Attorneys: Lawsuit alleging North Carolina House speaker ruined a marriage has been resolved

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Litigation filed by a North Carolina local elected official alleging House Speaker Tim Moore's ruined his marriage by having an affair with his wife is ending, attorneys said on Monday, two weeks after a lawsuit was filed. Lawyers for Scott Lassiter and Moore confirmed the resolution in separate emails. They said little or nothing more when asked for details, such as whether the lawsuit filed in