Triangle/Local
North Carolina’s first standalone children’s hospital set to bring 8,000 jobs to Apex
APEX, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s first standalone children’s hospital will be built in a bedroom community near the state capital, the project’s health systems announced Thursday, creating a campus estimated to bring 8,000 jobs to the area. UNC Health and Duke Health announced in January an…
3 potential storm deaths in North Carolina after Chantal, officials say
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — There were three potential storm-related deaths in North Carolina amid flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal, a state official said Tuesday. The state’s Department of Health and Human Services was working on confirmation of the deaths in Chatham, Orange and…
Family of 4, including 2 children, killed in North Carolina plane crash
SANFORD, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina family of four, including two school-age children, died when their small plane crashed as they flew back from Florida. The National Transportation Safety Board said an agency investigator was expected Tuesday at the site of the wreckage of…
Twisting the truth: study finds fake news often rides on real headlines
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – Trusted headlines, twisted reach? A new study in Nature finds that even reputable news stories can help fuel misinformation—especially when they’re passed around by users who also share fake news. Jon Green, Duke University Assistant Professor of Political Science, says the…
Nine months after Helene: The Southeast still reels from rare hurricane damage
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – It’s already been nine months since Hurricane Helene carved its path through the Southeast—leaving behind memories many are still rebuilding from. State Assistant Climatologist Corey Davis says we’ve been through portions of all four seasons which has given them a pretty…
State/Regional
North Carolina governor vetoes another set of bills, including one on guns in private schools
By MAKIYA SEMINERA Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Josh Stein cleared his desk Wednesday of the deluge of bills passed to him from the North Carolina General Assembly last month, three of which he vetoed. Stein topped off his veto total at 14 for…
Swain County sheriff steps down after sexual misconduct charges
BRYSON CITY, N.C. (AP) — The longtime sheriff of a western North Carolina county whom some women accused of sexual misconduct has quit before he could be permanently removed. Curtis Cochran, who was first elected Swain County sheriff in 2006, retired from the post effective…
Flooding from Chantal’s remnants forces dozens to flee homes in North Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Heavy rain and flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal forced dozens of people to flee their homes in central North Carolina, officials said Monday. The Chapel Hill Fire Department and neighboring agencies completed more than 50 water rescues, many of…
North Carolina governor vetoes anti-DEI and transgender rights bills, calling them ‘mean-spirited’
By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein vetoed on Thursday three anti-DEI bills and another measure that in part would target transgender rights. His actions set up more showdowns with Republican lawmakers who pitch the legislation as doing away…
Medicaid, food aid recipients worry about safety net cuts in bill sent to Trump
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Supporters of the sweeping tax and spending legislation that Congress has sent to President Donald Trump say the changes to Medicaid, food aid and other programs will encourage personal responsibility and halt those scamming the system. Critics of the bill, given final…
World/National
Furor over Epstein files sparks clash between Bondi and Bongino at the Justice Department
By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department and FBI are struggling to contain the fallout and appease the demands of far-right conservative personalities and influential members of President Donald Trump’s base after the administration’s decision this week to withhold records from the Jeffrey…
Trump tours Texas flood sites and defends officials as questions mount about response
By SEAN MURPHY and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday toured the devastation from catastrophic flooding in Texas and lauded state and local officials, even amid mounting criticism that they may have failed to warn residents quickly enough that a deadly wall…
S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite pull back from their all-time highs
Stocks closed lower on Wall Street, pulling the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite below the records they set a day earlier. The S&P 500 fell 0.3% Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gave back 0.6%. The Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2%. Levi Strauss jumped 11%…
Mourning begins in Texas where more than 170 are still missing from flash floods
By NADIA LATHAN, SEAN MURPHY, and JOSHUA A. BICKEL Associated Press KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Shock has turned into grief across Texas where at least 120 people died from flash floods and more were missing as the search for victims moved methodically along endless miles of rivers…
Stocks close higher, nudging the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to more highs
By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer Wall Street added to its recent milestones Thursday as the market closed at an all-time high after Delta Air Lines kicked off earnings season with a solid outlook for the rest of 2025, spurring an airline stock rally. The…
Entertainment
Justin Bieber releases ‘Swag,’ his long-awaited seventh album: Hear the best songs
By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Never say never! Justin Bieber surprised fans Friday by releasing “Swag,” his seventh studio album, hours after he teased it on billboards and social media posts. It is his first album since 2021’s “Justice” and his first…
Latest ‘Tiger King’ twist finds ‘Doc’ Antle sentenced to 1 year in prison for animal trafficking
By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — “Tiger King” star Bhagavan “Doc” Antle is going to prison — but not for as long as prosecutors wanted — after admitting he broke federal law buying endangered animals to keep at his zoo in South Carolina. Antle,…
Ozzy Osbourne says farewell to live performance with a hometown show for 40,000 fans
LONDON (AP) — Hard-rock royalty and some 40,000 fans gathered for an ear-splitting tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at what the heavy metal icon says was his last-ever live performance. The original lineup of Osbourne’s band Black Sabbath performed at Villa Park soccer stadium in their home city of…
Michael Madsen, ‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ star, dies at 67
By ANDREW DALTON and ITZEL LUNA Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Madsen, the actor best known for his coolly menacing, steely-eyed, often sadistic characters in the films of Quentin Tarantino including “Reservoir Dogs” and “Kill Bill: Vol. 2,” has died. Madsen was found unresponsive in his home…
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is denied bail after mixed verdict clears him of top charges in sex crimes case
By MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs dropped to his knees and prayed in the courtroom after he was acquitted Wednesday of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put one of hip-hop’s celebrated figures behind bars for life.…
Sports
Joe Coleman, No. 3 pick in the first MLB draft who pitched for Senators and Tigers, dies at 78
Joe Coleman, a lanky right-hander who won 142 games in 15 major league seasons and was an All-Star in 1972 with Detroit, died Wednesday morning, his son said. He was 78. Casey Coleman said his father died in his sleep in Jamestown, Tennessee. The son…
Former Olympic wrestler and MMA star Ben Askren recovering from double lung transplant
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Former Olympic wrestler and MMA star Ben Askren, who has been hospitalized in Wisconsin after a severe case of pneumonia, said in a post on social media Wednesday that he had undergone a double lung transplant and is in recovery. Askren said during the…
Clayton Kershaw makes his 11th All-Star team. James Wood is the youngest All-Star at 22
By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was picked for his 11th All-Star Game and Paul Skenes, James Wood and Elly De La Cruz boosted the 23-and-under group to five when they were picked Sunday for the July…
Djokovic’s daughter steals the show at Wimbledon with her victory dance
LONDON (AP) — Novak Djokovic won the match on Centre Court on Saturday, but it was his 7-year-old daughter who really wowed Wimbledon. Tara Djokovic’s victory dance brought a smile to dad’s face. Everybody else’s, too. Djokovic had just clinched his 100th Wimbledon singles win and was…
Joey ‘Jaws’ Chestnut reclaims title in Famous hot dog eating contest, wins 17th Mustard Belt
By SUSAN HAIGH Associated Press Famed competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut reclaimed his title Friday at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest after skipping last year’s gastronomic battle in New York for the coveted Mustard Belt. Chestnut, 41, consumed 70 1/2 hot dogs…