SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Michael Thurmond thought he was reading familiar history at the burial place of Georgia’s colonial founder. Then a single sentence on a marble plaque extolling the accomplishments of James Edward Oglethorpe left him stunned speechless. Within a lengthy tribute to the Englishman who died in 1785, the inscription read: “He was […]
CRESTLINE, Ohio (AP) — From its earliest days as a village, Crestline was synonymous with trains. A railroad station inspired this northern Ohio town, railroad workers populated it and the passengers who flocked here helped it grow. So it seems only fitting that a politician’s stop in Crestline would go on to popularize the word […]
NEW YORK (AP) — When Kate Kleinart fell victim of a romance scam, what hurt the most wasn’t the thousands of dollars that she lost, but the love that she thought existed between her and the person who scammed her. “Losing the love was worse than losing the money,” said Kleinart, 70, who lost tens […]
In a classic “Saturday Night Live” sketch, a young man hands his girlfriend a Valentine’s Day gift: a bear dressed in a bee costume that he picked up at the drugstore. “When did you get this?” she asks with a strained smile. “One minute ago,” he replies. It has more than a ring of truth. […]
NEW YORK (AP) — A few months ago, Derek Carrier started seeing someone and became infatuated. He experienced a “ton” of romantic feelings but he also knew it was an illusion. That’s because his girlfriend was generated by artificial intelligence. Carrier wasn’t looking to develop a relationship with something that wasn’t real, nor did he […]
In a classic “Saturday Night Live” sketch, a young man hands his girlfriend a Valentine’s Day gift: a bear dressed in a bee costume that he picked up at the drugstore. “When did you get this?” she asks with a strained smile. “One minute ago,” he replies. It has more than a ring of truth. […]
Thousands of ride-hailing and delivery workers in the U.S. and the U.K. went on strike on Valentine’s Day, calling for higher pay and other changes to their working conditions. In the U.S., Uber and Lyft drivers planned daylong strikes in Chicago; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Miami; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; Hartford, Connecticut; Newark, New Jersey; Austin, Texas; […]
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The muted sounds of hammering and sanding drift down to the first floor of Bario Neal, a jewelry store in Philadelphia, where rustic artwork that mimics nature hangs on warmly-lit walls. Waiting for one of those rings is Haley Farlow, a 28-year-old second grade teacher who has been designing her three-stone engagement […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Fidelity Charitable, the nation’s largest grantmaker, distributed a record-setting $11.8 billion to nonprofits in 2023, up more than 5% from the previous year at a time when generally donations are dropping. The grant total shows how quickly use of the donor-advised fund — an investment account that allows donations to be […]
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans bade a typically joyous goodbye to Carnival season Tuesday with Mardi Gras parades, street parties and what amounted to a massive outdoor costume festival around the bars and restaurants in the French Quarter. Revelers in capes, wigs, spandex and feathers danced in front of St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Derry Oliver was in fifth grade when she first talked to her mom about seeing a therapist. She was living in Georgia with her brother while her mom was in New York scoping out jobs and apartments ahead of moving the family. It was a rough year apart. Oliver, now 17, […]
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Carnival season 2024 entered its final days in New Orleans on Friday as a parade of “fabulous women and the men who support them” walked the narrow streets of the old French Quarter handing out hand-decorated bras. The krewe of “Bosom Buddies & Breast Friends” is one of the smaller clubs […]
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Toby Keith’s songs accomplished, for some, what great art is intended to: They sustained people in challenging times, particularly U.S. service members and their families during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11. For others, Keith’s work sowed division and was blindly patriotic — a wedge that deepened America’s cultural […]
NEW YORK (AP) — How much choice is too much? Apparently for Coca-Cola, it’s about 400 different types of drinks. That’s why the beverage company recently decided to discontinue half of them, shedding brands like Tab, Zico coconut water, Diet Coke Fiesty Cherry and Odwalla juices but still leaving about 200 others to choose from. […]
As host of “The Daily Show” from 1999 to 2015, Jon Stewart changed comedy — and arguably journalism, too — with sharp, satirical takes on politics and current events.
Like a lot of mothers, North Dakota state Rep. Emily O’Brien struggled to find infant care when her daughter Lennon was born in 2019. So O’Brien, a Republican who represents the Grand Forks region, brought Lennon along to meetings with local leaders and constituents. O’Brien had her second daughter, Jolene, in 2022, not long before […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Ever-present on the lips of Taylor Swift and the uniforms of both Super Bowl teams. In streetwear and along the Gucci runway. Amid the sea of Valentine’s Day goods and in bright, dopamine home decor. The color red has gone boom as loud as TNT. Not that TNT. We’re talking TNT […]
From Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to Sweet Heat Starburst, America’s snacks are getting spicier. Now, Coca-Cola wants in on the trend. On Wednesday, the Atlanta beverage giant introduced Coca-Cola Spiced, the first new permanent offering to its North American portfolio in three years. Coca-Cola Spiced and Coca-Cola Spiced Zero Sugar will go on sale in the […]
LONDON (AP) — King Charles III’s cancer was caught early and the monarch will “crack on” with his constitutional duties, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Tuesday, as Prince Harry flew in from California for a rare visit with his father. Royal officials announced Monday that the 75-year-old king has been diagnosed with an undisclosed […]
LITTLETON, N.H. (AP) — The quaint town of Littleton, New Hampshire, is seeing more tourists, drawn to a main street of shops and restaurants where rainbow colors and gay pride symbols can be seen alongside American flags. Its population of 6,000 is growing younger and more diverse, supporting LGBTQ-themed art and a local theater’s gay-themed […]
COOKE CITY, Mont. (AP) — As Wesley Mlaskoch motored his snowmobile across a mountain in the Montana backcountry, the slope above him collapsed into a thick slab and began rushing down the hillside. He had triggered an avalanche. Within seconds, the fury of accelerating snow flipped the snowmobile on top of him, threatening to bury […]
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It’s Carnival season in New Orleans and that means lines are long outside local bakeries and the pace inside is brisk as workers strive to meet customer demand for king cakes — those brightly colored seasonal pastries that have exploded in popularity over the years. “Mardi Gras is our busiest time […]
LAS VEGAS (AP) — If Taylor Swift is jetting from her upcoming Tokyo concert to Las Vegas to see boyfriend Travis Kelce play in the Super Bowl the next day, she’d better already have a place to park her plane. Places to leave private aircraft at airports in and around Las Vegas have been spoken […]
SAN DIEGO (AP) — More storms, rising seas and huge waves are taking their toll on California’s iconic piers that have dotted the Pacific coast since the Gold Rush, posing the biggest threat yet to the beach landmarks that have become a quintessential part of the landscape. At least a half dozen public piers are […]