Triangle/Local
Walden: N.C. economy still strong despite national slowdown
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — While the national economy shows signs of slowing, North Carolina remains in good shape, according to N.C. State University Economist Emeritus Dr. Mike Walden. Walden, the guest on this week’s Carolina Newsmakers, said tracking the effectiveness of tariffs is challenging and…
Salvia: A colorful, hardy favorite for Carolina gardens
By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend Gardener Everyone should have some type of salvia in their landscape. Sage advice, I must say, if you like puns that is! Salvia also is known for its medicinal qualities for oral health, digestion problems and cognitive issues. I for…
Rushing floodwater from heavy rain kills 2 in North Carolina
SPRING HOPE, N.C. (AP) — Two people were found dead in central North Carolina after they and a police officer trying to save them were swept away in rushing floodwaters, authorities said Wednesday. Another cluster of storms was dumping rain on the region Thursday, a…
North Carolina residents can now seek state aid after Tropical Storm Chantal
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Individuals in central North Carolina counties whose homes and belongings were damaged by massive rains last month from Tropical Storm Chantal can now seek state-funded financial grants for temporary assistance. The aid for residents in eight counties within or near the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill…
Funeral held for Dr. Greg Brannon, North Carolina tea party favorite and ex-Senate candidate
CARY, N.C. (AP) — A funeral was held over the weekend for Dr. Greg Brannon, a physician in North Carolina and past favorite of political conservatives who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate and House in the 2010s. Brannon, an early personality in the tea…
State/Regional
Republican Winsome Earle-Sears is on the defensive in Virginia’s race for governor
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America HOPEWELL, Va. (AP) — Against an olive drab backdrop in a barbecue joint filled with the aroma of pulled pork and the sweat of a Virginia summer, Republican Winsome Earle-Sears told voters she was running her campaign for governor like a military-style…
CDC shooter believed COVID vaccine made him suicidal, his father tells police
By JEFF AMY and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia man who opened fire on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters, shooting dozens of rounds into the sprawling complex and killing a police officer, had blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for…
Iconic North Carolina tourist attraction damaged by Helene will be demolished
By MAKIYA SEMINERA and ALLEN G. BREED Associated Press Nearly a year after Hurricane Helene’s devastating pathway through western North Carolina, a vibrant tourist attraction offering visitors a serene escape in the Blue Ridge Mountains is being torn down. Like many other beloved sites in the region,…
North Carolina Gov. Stein signs stopgap budget bill and vetoes opt-in bill helping school choice
By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein signed into law on Wednesday a stopgap spending measure while lawmakers remain in a state budget impasse. But he vetoed legislation that would direct state participation in a yet-implemented federal tax credit…
North Carolina Gov. Stein signs stopgap budget bill and vetoes opt-in bill helping school choice
By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein signed into law on Wednesday a stopgap spending measure while lawmakers remain in a state budget impasse. But he vetoed legislation that would direct state participation in a yet-implemented federal tax credit…
World/National
Big Tech keeps Wall Street steady, even as most US stocks fall
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Most stocks are falling on Wall Street Thursday after a disappointing report said inflation was worse last month at the U.S. wholesale level than economists expected. But gains for Amazon and other influential Big Tech companies are…
DeSantis announces plans for second immigration detention facility dubbed ‘Deportation Depot’
By KATE PAYNE Associated Press/Report for America TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is preparing to open a second immigration detention facility dubbed “Deportation Depot” at a state prison in north Florida, as a federal judge decides the fate of the state’s holding…
Wall Street ticks higher after a rally wrapped around the world
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks ticked higher on Wednesday after a rally spurred by hopes for lower U.S. interest rates wrapped around the world. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average…
Amazon expands its perishable delivery service, putting pressure on traditional grocers
By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is now rolling out a service where its Prime members can order their blueberries and milk at the same time as their batteries, T-shirts and other basic items. The online juggernaut said Wednesday that…
US stocks rally to records on hopes for cuts to interest rates
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market rallied to records on Tuesday after data suggested inflation across the country was a touch better last month than economists expected. The S&P 500 rose 1.1% to top its all-time high set two weeks ago.…
Entertainment
Trump names Strait, Stallone and KISS for Kennedy Center Honors and says he’ll host the awards show
By ANNIE MA and HILLEL ITALIE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday named country music star George Strait, “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, singer Gloria Gaynor, the rock band KISS and actor-singer Michael Crawford among the first batch of Kennedy Center Honors…
YouTube to begin testing a new AI-powered age verification system in the U.S.
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer YouTube on Wednesday will begin testing a new age-verification system in the U.S. that relies on artificial intelligence to differentiate between adults and minors, based on the kinds of videos that they have been watching. The tests initially will…
Dean Cain, former TV Superman, will be sworn in as honorary ICE officer
Dean Cain, the actor best known for portraying Superman on a 1990s television show, wants to join the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. In an interview with Fox News this week, Cain said he’d already spoken to the agency responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass…
New study sheds light on ChatGPT’s alarming interactions with teens
By MATT O’BRIEN and BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writers ChatGPT will tell 13-year-olds how to get drunk and high, instruct them on how to conceal eating disorders and even compose a heartbreaking suicide letter to their parents if asked, according to new research from a watchdog group.…
Judge says Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs must stay in jail until he is sentenced
By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs can’t go home from jail to await sentencing on his prostitution-related conviction, a judge said Monday, denying the rap and style mogul’s latest bid for bail. Combs has been behind bars since his September arrest. He…
Sports
A way-too early guess at who will make the College Football Playoff this season
By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer It is a well-versed group of athletic directors, former coaches and players along with a sports writer, who will be armed with statistics, analytics, charts and graphs and enough highlights to start their own college football network as they…
Texas is No. 1 in preseason AP Top 25 for first time, edging Penn St, Ohio St; 10 SEC teams ranked
By ERIC OLSON AP College Football Writer For the first time, Texas will open a college football season ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25. The Longhorns hardly have a mandate in the poll released Monday: They edged out Penn State by just five points in…
Jen Pawol breaks MLB’s gender barrier as the first female umpire to work a regular-season game
By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — Jen Pawol felt love and support from fans, family, peers and players as she made history as the first female umpire to work a regular-season game in the major leagues. “It was amazing when we took the field,”…
Browns’ Shedeur Sanders impressive in NFL preseason debut, tosses 2 TD passes in win over Panthers
By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Rookie Shedeur Sanders’ NFL preseason debut was so impressive even LeBron James took notice. Sanders completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdown passes in the first half to Kaden Davis on…
Panthers CB Jaycee Horn not seriously injured in car accident, is day to day with thumb injury
By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn escaped serious injury on Wednesday morning after being involved in a car accident on his way to the team’s stadium. Horn injured his left thumb and sat out a joint…