For the last decade, California’s offshore seafloors have been missing a massive, colorful predator that keeps kelp-munching sea urchins in check.

The sunflower sea star is a big starfish — more than 3 feet across — that roams the ocean floor in orange, yellow and purple. These invertebrates can grow as many as 24 arms, and they’re ...Read more

Israel struck multiple targets in Yemen it said were controlled by Houthis, the last of the Iran-backed groups still fully engaged in the regional war that began 14 months ago.

Targets hit Thursday included military infrastructure at the Sanaa International Airport and in the Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations, according to the Israel ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — A wanted sex offender is back into custody in Las Vegas after being on the run in Mexico for more than a decade, authorities announced.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Robert Sturgiss was arrested in Rosarito, Mexico, on Dec.13 by Mexican Immigration Officials.

Authorities said Sturgiss was convicted of sexual assault on ...Read more

A 37-year-old Oakland man who saved his family on Christmas morning when he woke them up to a fire in their home died after he went back inside and lost consciousness searching for an engagement ring.

Family members told news station KRON that Steven Weatherford planned to propose to his girlfriend next week on New Year's Eve.

The Oakland Fire...Read more

Eros Bongiovanni lost her Madeira Beach rental home and job during Hurricane Helene. Like thousands across the Tampa Bay area, she waited hours — in line and on hold — while seeking help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

She was turned away twice before FEMA awarded her enough money to put herself and Ruby, her Pomeranian-Yorkie...Read more

Four people have died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in a New Hampshire residence, according to officials who reported that the victims were found dead on Christmas.

The Wakefield, N.H. Police Department responded to 2962 Province Lake Road for a welfare check at around 4:21 p.m. on Wednesday.

When police officers arrived, they found...Read more

DETROIT — The mother of the Oxford High School shooter has asked an Oakland County judge to be released from prison while her appeal and request for a new trial or a dismissal of her charges is pending.

In a motion filed Thursday in Oakland County Circuit Court, Jennifer Crumbley asked Judge Cheryl Matthews to allow her to be released from ...Read more

After passing the U.S. Senate, a bill that would have established the Chesapeake National Recreation Area fell short in the 118th Congress, but advocates are hoping to ride the momentum into next year.

The bill would have linked natural and historical sites in the Chesapeake Bay watershed under the banner of the National Park Service, including...Read more

Yemen-based Houthis — the last of Iran-backed groups still fully present in the regional war that began 14 months ago — are slowly escalating attacks on Israel with an eye to avoid full-out retaliation.

With Hamas on the ropes after losing much of its forces in Gaza since the conflict began in October 2023 and Hezbollah in an official truce...Read more

BALTIMORE — Who wants to be a billionaire?

Mega Millions, the national lottery known for its high-stakes jackpots, has reached $1.15 billion for the next drawing Friday – potentially the fifth largest prize in the game’s history.

Mount Washington resident Paul Chrismer said he is feeling lucky and is looking to end the year as a wealthy ...Read more

CHICAGO — As the scope of the consent decree that governs Chicago’s public safety reforms has grown, so, too, has the city’s legal tab.

From 2019 through 2023 — the first five years of the consent decree — the independent monitoring team responsible for assessing compliance billed the city 35% more than was initially quoted. The ...Read more

MIAMI — When Hurricane Irma slammed into Miami’s Rickenbacker Causeway in 2017, it nearly wiped out a narrow, shady roadside beach popular with locals for its panoramic views of Brickell and Biscayne Bay.

Seven years after Miami-Dade County shut it down as a safety hazard, the modest park with outsized views has finally reopened on the ...Read more

NEW YORK — A man accused of slashing two people in back-to-back Christmas Eve attacks at Grand Central Station — cutting one victim in the wrist so deeply a tourniquet needed to be applied — screamed “F— these people!” at the start of his rampage, prosecutors say.

Jason Sargeant was ordered held on $150,000 bail during a brief ...Read more