National News - The Morning Sun

A twin-engine plane crashed outside Fairbanks Tuesday. (AP Graphic)

Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska

A Douglas C-54 Skymaster has crashed into the Tanana River outside Fairbanks, Alaska. The Federal Aviation Administration says two people were on board. An aviation website says the plane model dates … more

4/23/24

In this photo released by the MacDill Air Force Base, an alligator rests at the landing gear of a KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft on the runway of MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, on Monday, April 22, 2024. Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded and the alligator was moved and released in a nearby river. (MacDill Air Force Base via AP)

Alligator on runway at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida captured, released into nearby river

Officials say a large alligator that made its way onto the runway at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa has been captured and moved to a nearby river. Base officials say the toothy reptile was spotted … more

4/23/24

A unique book club at one of the nation's largest jails brings together college students and inmates. Their recent meeting at Cook County Jail was to discuss “Dead Man Walking,” a book writing by anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean.

College students, inmates and a nun: A unique book club meets at one of the nation’s largest jails

A unique book club at one of the nation's largest jails brings together college students and inmates. The student-led volunteer effort started years ago as an offshoot of a DePaul University program … more

By SOPHIA TAREEN | 4/23/24

A periodical cicada nymph is held in Macon, Ga., Wednesday, March 27, 2024. This periodical cicada nymph was found while digging holes for rosebushes. Trillions of cicadas are about to emerge in numbers not seen in decades and possibly centuries.(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Cicadas are so noisy in a South Carolina county that residents are calling the police

Emerging cicadas are so loud in one South Carolina county that residents are calling the sheriff’s office asking why they can hear sirens or a loud roar. The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office sent … more

4/23/24

This illustration provided by NASA depicts Voyager 1. The most distant spacecraft from Earth stopped sending back understandable data in November 2023. Flight controllers traced the blank communication to a bad computer chip and rearranged the spacecraft’s coding to work around the trouble. In mid-April 2024, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory declared success after receiving good engineering updates. The team is still working to restore transmission of the science data. (NASA via AP)

NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet

NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth stopped sending back understandable data last November. Flight controllers in California … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 4/23/24

FILE - This Nov. 11, 2013 file photo shows a bedroom built by Mike Spangler using some reclaimed materials, in Belle, W.Va. Nearly one-third of American adults don't get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Some of the major causes: Stress, anxiety and a culture that experts say is about productivity, not rest. (Craig Cunningham/Charleston Daily Mail via AP, file)

Get better sleep with these 5 tips from experts

Nearly a third of American adults don't get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Stress and anxiety are keep people from snoozing, as can a culture that experts say is about … more

By KENYA HUNTER | 4/23/24

GoFundMe Chief Executive Officer Tim Cadogan poses for a photo in Altadena, Calif. on Friday, April 19, 2024. Mexican fundraisers can now solicit donations on GoFundMe, the company announced Tuesday, under an expansion that the crowdfunding giant hopes is the first of additional entrances into untapped Latin American markets. Mexico marks the 20th country serviced by GoFundMe. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

GoFundMe expands into Mexico as part of for-profit crowdfunding platform's international growth

GoFundMe is expanding into Mexico, the company announced Tuesday. That marks 20 countries now serviced by the crowdfunding giant. CEO Tim Cadogan says the for-profit platform is eyeing new … more

By JAMES POLLARD | 4/23/24

FILE - Pages from the United Healthcare website are displayed on a computer screen, Feb. 29, 2024, in New York. UnitedHealth says files with personal information that could cover “a substantial portion of people in America” may have been taken in the cyberattack on its Change Healthcare business. The company said Monday, April 22, 2024 after markets closed that it sees no signs that doctor charts or full medical histories were released after the attack. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

UnitedHealth says wide swath of patient files may have been taken in Change cyberattack

UnitedHealth says files with personal information that could cover a “substantial portion of people in America” may have been taken in the cyberattack on its Change Healthcare business. The … more

By TOM MURPHY | 4/23/24

FILE - A person works on a laptop in North Andover, Mass., on June 19, 2017. Cyberattacks on businesses are rising, including small businesses. It’s a troubling trend that can be very costly and time consuming if owners don’t have a plan to deal with them. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

Cyberattacks are on the rise, and that includes small businesses. Here's what to know

Cyberattacks on businesses are rising, including small businesses. It’s a troubling trend because a breach can be very costly and time consuming if owners don’t have a plan to deal with one. … more

By MAE ANDERSON | 4/23/24

The Rev. Tracy Cox of First United Methodist Church and members of her congregation pray for Tracy Merrick, who will attend the United Methodist General Conference as a delegate representing Western Pennsylvania, as well as Anais Hussian and Joshua Popson who will also be in attendance, Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Pittsburgh. Hussian is a reserve delegate and Popson will be advocating for LGBTQ inclusion with the Love Your Neighbor Coalition. Many, including Rev. Cox, hope that this is the year they change longstanding bans on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)

United Methodists open first top-level conference since breakup over LGBTQ inclusion

Thousands of United Methodists are gathering Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, to begin an 11-day denominational General Conference. Typically it is held every four years, but church leaders … more

By PETER SMITH | 4/23/24

FILE - A gardener uses a leaf blower to clear leaves at a home on Oct. 13, 2021 in Sacramento, Calif.. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

The problem with leaf blowers, and what you can do instead

Many communities across the country have tried to ban or limit leaf blowers because of their noise and environmental impact. But they roar on. There are simple alternatives and steps you can take. … more

By JESSICA DAMIANO | 4/23/24

Police investigate after people were found dead in a home in Oklahoma City on Monday, April 22, 2024. Oklahoma City police called to a home on the city's southwest side Monday discovered the bodies of five people, including at least two children, authorities said. (Nathan J. Fish/The Oklahoman via AP)

Oklahoma police say 5 found dead in home, including 2 children

Oklahoma City police are investigating the deaths of five people, including at least two children, inside a home on the city's southwest side. Police Sgt. Gary Knight says someone called police … more

4/22/24

California Gov. Gavin Newsom breaks ground at a new state park in a decade on Monday April 22, 2024 at the Dos Rios property, in Modesto, Calif. The announcement comes as the state sets targets for cutting planet-warming emissions on natural lands. (AP Photo/Sophie Austin)

California announces first new state park in a decade and sets climate goals for natural lands

California will open its first new state park in a decade this summer. The Dos Rios tract in the state's Central Valley is set to open in June. Gov. Gavin Newsom made the announcement Monday. The … more

By SOPHIE AUSTIN | 4/22/24

Insider Q&A: Trust and safety exec talks about AI and content moderation

Alex Popken was a trust and safety executive at Twitter, leaving in 2023 after a decade at the social media company focusing on content moderation. Now, she serves as the vice president of trust and … more

By BARBARA ORTUTAY | 4/22/24

This artist sketch depicts Salah Al-Ejaili, foreground with glasses, a former Al-Jazeera journalist, before the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Al-Ejaili, a former detainee at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison, has described to jurors the type of abuse that is reminiscent of the scandal that erupted there 20 years ago: beatings, being stripped naked and threatened with dogs, stress positions meant to induce exhaustion and pain. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)

Jury deliberating in Iraq Abu Ghraib prison abuse civil case; contractor casts blame on Army

A lawyer for a military contractor being sued by three survivors of the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq says the plaintiffs are suing the wrong people. Lawyers for Virginia-based CACI told jurors … more

BY MATTHEW BARAKAT | 4/22/24

FILE - The Chinese and the Olympic flag wave during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. In the two years before the World Anti-Doping Agency cleared 23 Chinese swimmers of doping allegations, that country’s government contributed nearly $2 million in additional funding to WADA programs, including one designed to strengthen the agency’s investigations and intelligence unit. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, file)

Chinese generosity in lead-up to cleared doping tests reflects its growing influence on WADA

In the two years before the World Anti-Doping Agency cleared 23 Chinese swimmers of doping allegations, that country’s government contributed nearly $2 million in additional funding to WADA … more

By EDDIE PELLS | 4/22/24

Sima Gutierrez, right, observes as a teammate examines water at the Flint Community Water Lab, Wednesday, April 3, 2024, in Flint, Mich. The lab, with more than 60 high school and college interns, has provided free water testing for thousands of residents since 2020. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Children of Flint water crisis make change as young environmental and health activists

Dozens of the children of Flint, Michigan’s lead-contaminated water crisis have turned their trauma into advocacy 10 years after it began. Now as teenagers and young adults, they’re providing … more

By TAMMY WEBBER | 4/22/24

FILE - Social media applications are displayed on an iPhone, March 13, 2019, in New York. An independent Russian news site has reported that a court in Russia convicted the spokesman of U.S. technology company Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, of justifying terrorism and sentenced him to six years in prison in absentia. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

Russia convicts the spokesperson for Facebook owner Meta in a swift trial in absentia

An independent Russian news site has reported that a court in Russia convicted the spokesperson of U.S. technology company Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, of justifying terrorism and … more

By The Associated Press | 4/22/24

FILE - A woman walks by a Yale sign reflected in the rainwater on the Yale University campus, Aug. 22, 2021, in New Haven, Conn. Columbia University canceled in-person classes Monday, April 22, 2024 and police arrested several dozen protesters at Yale University as tensions on U.S. college campuses continue to grow over the war in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

Columbia cancels in-person classes and Yale protesters are arrested as Mideast war tensions grow

Columbia University has canceled in-person classes and police have arrested dozens of students at Yale University as tensions over the war in the Middle East continue to grow on U.S. college … more

By NICK PERRY and DAVE COLLINS | 4/22/24

FILE - Two lake sturgeons are set to be weighed near Black Lake in Cheboygan County, Mich., Feb. 4, 2017. Lake sturgeon don't need Endangered Species Act protections, federal wildlife officials announced Monday, April 22, 2024, saying that stocking programs have helped the prehistoric fish return to areas where they had vanished. (Julia Nagy/Lansing State Journal via AP, File)

Prehistoric lake sturgeon is not endangered, US says despite calls from conservationists

Federal wildlife officials have decided not to place lake sturgeon on the endangered species list, ensuring annual spearing seasons in Wisconsin and Michigan can continue. The Center for Biological … more

By TODD RICHMOND | 4/22/24