A tornado ripped through central Texas on Wednesday evening, causing huge damage and destroying homes, as forecasters warn of a potentially record-breaking heat wave in the state. The city of Temple, northeast of Austin, declared a state of emergency and opened a shelter for displaced people after a twister caused widespread devastation. Cars were overturned, … Read more
In the highest hurricane season forecast they have ever issued in May, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters said Thursday that the coming months may be exceptionally busy. “The forecast for named storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes is the highest NOAA has ever issued for the May outlook,” Rick Spinrad, the agency’s administrator, said in … Read more
New York City began a new policy Wednesday to evict some migrants from shelters within 30 days, or 60 days for younger adults. About 250 new arrivals face eviction this week if they cannot meet the city’s list of requirements for extensions. Advocates have criticized the shift in policy as inhumane and unrealistic for migrants … Read more
A former Southern Baptist professor has been accused by the Department of Justice of trying to rewrite history by helping co-workers at the Texas seminary where he taught make a report of an alleged sexual misconduct incident “go away.” Matthew Queen has been charged with falsifying records for allegedly giving FBI investigators doctored notes from … Read more
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit this week against Oklahoma over a new immigration law that would fine and jail migrants who are in the state without legal documentation. The complaint, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, maintains the law violates the Constitution, which gives the federal government … Read more
Pride revelers will likely see less — if any — National Park rangers marching in uniform at LGBTQ Pride events across the country this year. The National Park Service is effectively prohibiting uniformed employees from marching in public events that “could be construed as agency support for a particular issue, position, or political party,” according to internal … Read more
For three summers, wildlife managers wrestled mountain goats in Washington state’s Olympic National Park, blindfolded them and then flew them into the far reaches of the state’s Cascade Range — an ambitious project to boost the goat population in an area where they once were common. The researchers released a total of 325 goats into the Cascades from 2018 to 2020. Today, most of … Read more
Mass shooter Ethan Crumbley asked his parents for help appealing his life sentence, but they refused to disclose documents that he said would strengthen his case, according to court documents. Crumbley, who was 15 when he opened fire at Oxford High School in Michigan, killing four classmates and injuring seven other people, asked an Oakland … Read more
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A climber was found dead on North America’s tallest peak, Denali, on Monday, a day after a family member told rangers they had not heard from them in days, authorities said. The climber was identified Tuesday as T. Hagiwara, from Sapporo, Japan. His body was recovered at around 17,000 feet, the National Park … Read more
BEAUMONT, Texas — A Texas petrochemical company has pleaded guilty to a violation of the Clean Air Act and agreed to pay more than $30 million in connection with two explosions that injured workers and caused the evacuation of thousands, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday. The explosions at a TPC Group plant in the coastal city … Read more