Lawmakers in GOP-led Nebraska debate bill to raise sales tax

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are debating a bill that would raise the state’s sales tax by 1 cent to 6.5% on every taxable dollar spent — which would make it among the highest in the

Saving lives with food but paying a price in blood: World Central Kitchen in Gaza

WASHINGTON (AP) — The deaths of seven World Central Kitchen workers in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza was a tragic turn for an American homegrown charity that, in less than 15 years, has mushroomed from the grassroots

Second channel opens around collapsed Baltimore bridge, but not for shipping

By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – Recovery teams opened a second channel enabling smaller vessels to navigate the Port of Baltimore on Tuesday but most commercial shipping remains blocked by the collapsed bridge and stranded container ship that

Democrats hope an abortion ballot measure could make Florida competitive

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Despite Florida’s reputation as a newly bonafide red state, Democrats have new hope that a ballot question seeking to preserve abortion rights will put the state back in play as the nation’s largest

Judge sides with conservative group in its push to access, publish voter rolls online

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico election officials violated public disclosure provisions of the National Voter Registration Act by refusing to provide voter rolls to a conservative group and its public online database, a federal judge

Officer acquitted in 2020 death of Manuel Ellis in Tacoma is hired by neighboring sheriff’s office

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — One of the three Tacoma police officers cleared of criminal charges in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis — a Black man who was shocked, beaten and restrained facedown on a sidewalk as

Teachers in Iowa district that had school shooting can get retention bonus next year under new bill

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Teachers and staff in the rural Iowa district where a deadly school shooting took place earlier this year could get bonuses if they don’t quit their jobs under a new bill approved

Aid organizations suspend operations in Gaza after World Central Kitchen workers’ deaths

NEW YORK (AP) — Several humanitarian aid organizations suspended operations in Gaza on Tuesday after an Israeli airstrike killed seven World Central Kitchen workers. The nonprofits, including World Central Kitchen, said they now need to determine whether

Tribes blast South Dakota governor’s claim that leaders are benefitting from drug cartels

Relations between South Dakota tribes and Republican Gov. Kristi Noem have long been strained, but they have become even more contentious recently as Noem has pointedly criticized tribal leaders, accusing some of profiting from drug dealing and

North Carolina redistricting attorney who fell short in federal confirmation fight dies at 69

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Thomas Farr, a longtime North Carolina redistricting and election law attorney who regularly defended Republican interests but whose 2018 federal judgeship nomination was scuttled by two GOP senators, has died, a legal colleague