WPTF News

PGA has strong field and big surprise: Jhonattan Vegas leads at 64 as stars fail to shine

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The PGA Championship has the strongest field of the majors. It was just hard to find them at Quail Hollow. Jhonattan Vegas birdied five of his last six holes for a 64. That gives the Venezuelan a two-shot lead over PGA Tour rookie Ryan Gerard and Cam Davis of Australia. Masters champion Rory McIlroy shot 74. Scottie Scheffler had a 69 and Xander Schauffele a 72. For the first time in at least 30 years, no one from the top 10 in the world was in the top 10 on the leaderboard after one round of a major.… Continue Reading

More than 1,000 Starbucks baristas go on strike to protest new dress code

More than 1,000 Starbucks baristas at 75 U.S. stores have gone on strike since Sunday, protesting the coffee giant’s new dress code. Starbucks announced last month that it was setting new limits on what baristas can wear under their green aprons. Starting Monday, employees were required to wear a solid black shirt and khaki, black or blue denim bottoms. Starbucks said the new dress code will make its green aprons stand out. But Starbucks Workers United, the union that represents workers at 570 of Starbucks’ 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores, said the dress code should be subject to bargaining.… Continue Reading

Cassie testifies that Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs raped her and threatened to release sex videos

NEW YORK (AP) — The R&B singer Cassie has testified that her ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs’ raped her in 2018 and kept control over her life by threatening to release recordings of her with male sex workers during encounters he arranged. Cassie testified for a second day at Combs’ sex trafficking trial. Combs is accused of exploiting his status as a powerful music executive to coerce women including Cassie into drugged-up sexual encounters he watched. He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers say all sexual acts were consensual. The 55-year-old Combs faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.… Continue Reading

US overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen

There were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before — the largest one-year decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from an overdose 2024. That’s down 27% from the 110,000 in 2023. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released the data Wednesday. The CDC has been collecting comparable data for 45 years. The previous largest one-year drop was 4% in 2018. Experts say several things could be driving the decline. They include increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, expanded addiction treatment and shifts in how people use drugs.… Continue Reading

Hurricanes and Stars ride stellar special teams to the verge of the conference finals

The Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars are each one win away from winning their second-round series and moving on to the conference finals. Carolina is up 3-1 on Washington and Dallas up 3-1 on Winnipeg and have gotten to this point thanks to some of the best special teams play in the NHL playoffs. They have the top two power plays and penalty kills among the teams that made it past the first round. Scoring with the man advantage and preventing goals on the kill is a big reason they’re on the verge of eliminating the Capitals and Jets.… Continue Reading

What the EPA’s partial rollback of the ‘forever chemical’ drinking water rule means

The Environmental Protection Agency says it will roll back limits on several types of what are known as forever chemicals in drinking water. The agency, however, will keep limits on the two most common types, called PFOA and PFOS, although it will offer a two-year deadline extension for utilities to comply. PFAS are a group of chemicals that have been around for decades and are incredibly useful in household products, but that resilience also makes them hazardous.… Continue Reading

House works into the night as Republicans push ahead on Trump’s big bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tax breaks tallying more than $5 trillion. But also sizable reductions in Medicaid health care, food stamps for older Americans and green energy strategies to fight climate change. Those all faced sharp debate as House lawmakers pushed through marathon public hearings overnight into Wednesday on President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” Republicans are working on Trump’s signature legislative package over mounting opposition from Democrats, advocacy groups and even some wary Republicans themselves. The first hearing was disrupted by protesters shouting against health care cuts. House Speaker Mike Johnson hopes to send the Senate the bill by Memorial Day.… Continue Reading

New graduates enter shifting job market with cautious optimism

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – As graduation season arrives, new college grads face a more uncertain job market than expected. CBS News Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger advises entering the workforce with realistic expectations, preparation, and flexibility to build a solid foundation for long-term career growth.… Continue Reading

Scottie Scheffler is trending going into the PGA and inspired by Rory McIlroy’s win at the Masters

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler prefers to live in the present. He still concedes that coming to the PGA Championship off a big win doesn’t hurt. Scheffler has been lost in the mighty shadow of Rory McIlroy so far this year. McIlroy has won three big tournaments in a stretch capped off by the Masters and the career Grand Slam. McIlroy said at the start of his run that he was inspired by the play of Scheffler. Now it might be Scheffler’s turn to get inspired. They are the star attractions at a PGA Championship that so far has been soaked by heavy showers.… Continue Reading

Larry Miller, star on North Carolina’s ACC championship teams in 1967-68, dies at age 79

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Larry Miller, a two-time ACC player of the year for North Carolina and 2022 inductee in the College Basketball Hall of Fame, has died. He was 79. The UNC athletic department says Miller died Sunday in Pennsylvania. No cause of death was given. An athletic department spokesman says Miller was in hospice care and had been dealing with medical issues for some time. Miller was a star forward on coach Dean Smith’s first two ACC championship and Final Four teams in 1967 and 1968. Miller played seven years in the ABA and set the league’s single-game record with 67 points.… Continue Reading

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