Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, has been convicted of murder in the February killing of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard handed down the guilty verdict on Nov. 20. Ibarra had waived his right to […]

ATHENS, Ga.—Prosecutors finished calling witnesses Tuesday in the trial of the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, and the defense began presenting its case but quickly ran into snags. Jose Ibarra, 26, is charged with murder and other crimes in Riley’s February death. He waived his right to a jury trial, meaning […]

The city of Odessa, Texas, is tightening regulations on a 1989 ordinance regarding restroom use. The original ordinance allowed individuals to claim $10,000 in damages if they identified someone using a restroom of the opposite sex.  

The 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles may still be three years away, but the International Olympic Committee spent three days in the city this week. They visited LA28 venues and assessed the city’s preparedness for the event.  

Following President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge for mass deportations, Los Angeles is moving to become a “sanctuary city.” A proposed ordinance aims to block city resources from aiding federal immigration enforcement.

Firefighters are making steady progress on the Jennings Creek wildfire along the New Jersey–New York border, which is now 30 percent contained. Meanwhile, the mountain fire in Ventura County, California, is now more than halfway contained.  

Fire crews across the country are battling massive wildfires from coast to coast. In New York and New Jersey, the Jennings Creek fire has scorched thousands of acres, while California’s Mountain Fire has devastated hundreds of homes.  

The Mountain Fire has destroyed hundreds of homes in California since Wednesday, fueled by strong winds and high temperatures. With a brief break in the winds, firefighters are making progress, with the containment numbers rising. As of Monday, the fire has burned 20,630 acres and is 36 percent contained.  

The Mountain Fire in California has now spread to over 20,000 acres on Friday, destroying numerous homes. Fueled by strong wind gusts, the blaze has exploded in size after it was first reported Wednesday.  

Close to 30 million Americans have already cast their early votes in the 2024 election. Arizona continues to be a crucial battleground as officials began tabulating ballots on Wednesday.  

LOS ANGELES—Multiple generations of family members of Erik and Lyle Menendez pleaded for the brothers’ release from prison on Wednesday, saying they deserve to be free despite life sentences for the 1989 killings of their parents in Beverly Hills because they had been “brutalized” and sexually abused by their father. At a news conference in […]

Communities across the Southeast are working to recover from the devastating impact of Hurricanes Milton and Helene, which brought severe flooding that destroyed homes and left streets and other infrastructure in disrepair. State officials are stepping up to assure residents that help is on the way as communities continue the rebuilding process.

WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden on Friday said that Hurricane Milton is expected to cause $50 billion in damages after the storm struck Florida, leading to extensive destruction and loss of life. The president plans to visit the state on Sunday to survey areas damaged by Milton. “Experts estimate that … it’s caused damages of around $50 […]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Rescue teams plucked Florida residents from the flotsam of Hurricane Milton on Thursday after the storm smashed through coastal communities where it tore homes into pieces, filled streets with mud and spawned a barrage of deadly tornadoes. At least ten people were dead. Arriving just two weeks after the misery wrought by Hurricane […]

Hurricane Milton is weakening slightly but remains a ferocious storm that could land a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa and St. Petersburg, engulfing the populous region with towering storm surges and turning debris from Helene’s devastation 12 days ago into projectiles. Follow here for the live updates: Hurricane Milton Classified as a Category 5 Storm […]

BELLEAIR BEACH, Fla.—Florida’s storm-battered Gulf Coast raced against a Category 5 hurricane Monday as workers sprinted to pick up debris left over from Helene two weeks ago and highways were clogged with people fleeing ahead of the storm. The center of Hurricane Milton could come ashore Wednesday in the Tampa Bay region, which has not […]

ASHEVILLE, N.C.—The weary and worn residents of Julianne Johnson’s neighborhood in Asheville have been getting by without electricity since Hurricane Helene tore through the Southeast last week and upended their lives. They’ve been cooking on propane stoves and using dry erase boards to keep up with local happenings while wondering when the lights would come […]

BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.—Hurricane Helene’s death toll reached 200 on Thursday and could rise higher still, as searchers made their way toward the hardest to reach places in the mountains of western North Carolina, where the storm washed out roads and knocked out electricity, water, and cellular service. Officials in Georgia and North Carolina added to […]

The death toll from Hurricane Helene keeps rising, with hundreds still missing in the storm’s aftermath. Local authorities are working around the clock to reconnect communities and provide relief.  

SWANNANOA, N.C.—Cadaver dogs and search crews trudged through knee-deep muck and debris in the mountains of western North Carolina on Tuesday looking for victims of Hurricane Helene, days after the storm carved a deadly and destructive path through the Southeast. With Helene’s death toll topping 150, searchers fanned out, using helicopters to get past washed-out […]