Associated Press ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Northern Virginia’s largest high school has canceled the final two days of classes in 2024 after fights at the school resulted in injuries to students and staff. Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt said in a letter Wednesday to families that classes would be canceled Thursday and Friday
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Nearly 3 million people could receive a boost in Social Security payments under legislation that’s set for a final vote in the Senate. The Social Security Fairness Act would end longtime provisions that reduce the federal benefit for people who are also eligible for other pensions. The policies have heavily
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Capitals and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and other area leaders celebrated the start of an $800 million downtown arena renovation Thursday. The event came several hours before an attempt to potentially get the NFL’s Washington Commanders back into
Continue ReadingAP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Who works harder than Questlove? The Academy Award winner has teamed up with Emmy winner Oz Rodriguez and NBC for a new three-hour special. “Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music” celebrates 50 years of the program and spotlights its memorable live music performances. The film
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will shuffle his Cabinet on Friday. The prime minister’s office says Trudeau will participate in the swearing-in ceremony and chair a meeting with his new Cabinet later Friday. New Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc says Trudeau has “full support of his Cabinet” and that he respects
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Immigration in 2024 drove U.S. population growth to its fastest rate in 23 years as the nation surpassed 340 million residents, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday. The 1% growth rate this year was the highest it has been since 2001, and it was a marked contrast to the record low of 0.2%
Continue ReadingCHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A former Virginia sheriff has been convicted on federal bribery charges for deputizing individuals in exchange for cash payments. The jury in Charlottesville, Virginia, convicted former Culpeper Sheriff Scott Jenkins on all counts Wednesday night after several hours of deliberations. News outlets report that Jenkins took the stand in his own
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Amy Allen might not yet be a household name, but her work lives in your brain rent free. And it’s grabbed the attention of the Grammys. The 32-year-old songwriter has composed enduring hits with Halsey, Selena Gomez and Tate McRae, and won a Grammy for her contributions to Harry
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will travel to Italy next month to meet with Pope Francis and top Italian officials for what is expected to be the final international trip of his presidency. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says Biden will meet with the Pope, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and
Continue ReadingMOSCOW (AP) — Russian state media says that an Uzbek citizen accused of acting on behalf of Ukraine has been charged by Russian authorities with this week’s assassination of a senior Russian general and his assistant. The bombing has been claimed by Ukraine’s security services. Akhmadzhon Kurbonov was ordered detained until at least Feb. 17
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer NBC Sports makes its first foray into doing an NFL alternate broadcast on Saturday when it puts the matchup between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs into the realm of the Madden video game universe. The Madden altcast will be streamed on Peacock with the main broadcast airing on NBC, beginning
Continue ReadingGRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities are searching for a Michigan woman reported missing at Grand Canyon National Park. National Park Service officials say 66-year-old Martha Anne Overholser was last seen at Mather Point on the canyon’s South Rim on Dec. 10. They say she later failed to return on a commercial bus
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Suspected drone sightings in the eastern U.S. are continuing to captivate many, but the federal government’s authority to track and disable any threatening unmanned aircraft is set to expire after Friday. A proposal to extend that authority is included in a temporary spending bill that continued to be debated in Congress on Thursday.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Congress has until midnight Friday to come up with a way to fund the government, or federal agencies will shutter. It’s up to each federal agency to determine how it handles a shutdown, but there would be disruptions in many services. Benefits checks for Social Security and Medicare recipients would go out, though.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press A 20-year-old blind cat named Tiki caused a scare after he was seen on ice floating in a Massachusetts pond and then fell in. The black-and-white cat can thank an alert passerby who called first responders Monday and a couple of nearby construction workers for his rescue. One worker jumped into a rowboat
Continue ReadingAP Media Writer Neil Cavuto, a business journalist who hosts a weekday afternoon show on Fox News Channel and has been with the network since its inception in 1996, is leaving after Thursday’s show, Fox said. A workhorse at the network, Cavuto also hosts programs at Fox’s sister, the Fox Business Network, and is not
Continue ReadingAssociated Press/Report for America NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans police say they’ve arrested a man suspected in one of the mass shootings that broke out within one hour of each other during a large parade. The police department said in a statement Wednesday that 32-year-old Alex Harris and another person were arguing before they
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The Kenyan government has declared gender-based violence the nation’s most pressing security threat, with 100 women killed in the past four months alone, most of them by men who were known to them, including intimate partners. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi referred to the escalating crisis as “the elephant
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer American Airlines said Thursday it has settled a federal race discrimination lawsuit filed by three Black men who were ordered to deboard a flight last January. Financial details of the settlement weren’t released. American called it an “amicable resolution” to the lawsuit, which was filed in May in federal court in New
Continue ReadingSOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — NATO’s secretary general has visited a military training site in Bulgaria, inspecting the activities of a multinational unit set up as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Mark Rutte told reporters it was important to ensure that the alliance continues to provide military assistance, training and advice to
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