A recent detection of a flesh-eating parasite in southern Mexico has U.S. officials concerned that the previously eradicated New World Screwworm (NWS) could make its way back into the country for the first time since the 1960s.

The pest was found in a cow in southern Mexico, near the border of Guatemala, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife in...Read more

CHICAGO — Marvin Fournier launched two canoes off a city park boat dock on a recent December afternoon, as he has done countless times for over a decade. The vessels were decked out in twinkling Christmas lights, the remnants of a prior paddling outing on the river — a holiday tradition with fellow river canoe guides.

“We put up Christmas...Read more

The main international airport remains off-limits to U.S. jetliners. Armed gangs continue to gain ground despite the presence of a police-led international force. And the political transition that the United States and others helped Haitians craft in March to restore security and stability? It’s enmeshed in scandal and internal bickering that ...Read more

PLAINS, Ga. — They quieted their dogs when he jogged by their homes. They saw him getting ice cream. Or paying respects at graveside services. Or popping in for a fried catfish dinner. Or pitching against them in a softball game. Or stopping by to welcome them to the community. Or riding by on bicycles with his wife.

All very normal and ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said he would lobby House Republicans to help elect Mike Johnson as speaker if needed, acknowledging that some lawmakers in the party had reservations about allowing him to retain the gavel.

Asked if he would press Republicans to back Johnson, whom he endorsed on Monday for the post, Trump said he ...Read more

The family of a kindergartner wounded in early December in a Butte County school shooting offered an encouraging update on New Year’s Eve.

Debbie Wolford, the grandmother of Elias Wolford — who was injured from a gunshot wound Dec. 4 at Feather River Adventist School in Oroville — wrote on social media Tuesday that 5-year-old boy is in ...Read more

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed to keep increasing the island’s defense spending and display its resolve to fight, as Beijing intensifies drills showcasing its ability to use military force against Taipei.

“Taiwan needs to be prepared for danger in times of peace and must continue increasing its defense budget and strengthen military...Read more

The fate of a Canadian teenager who was infected with H5N1 bird flu in early November, and subsequently admitted to an intensive care unit, has finally been revealed: She has fully recovered.

But genetic analysis of the virus that infected her body showed ominous mutations that researchers suggest potentially allowed it to target human cells ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Over the last year in Kensington, at the epicenter of Philadelphia’s opioid crisis, elected officials cut funding for a syringe exchange, urged a landlord to stop renting space to a harm-reduction program, and advocated for restrictions on how and where medical providers operate.

Amid intense debate during a new mayor’s ...Read more

File this under unusual traffic stops.

The California Highway Patrol reported an officer stopped a Rolls Royce Ghost that had been observed speeding along Highway 99 near Avenue 17 in Madera on Monday night.

Discovered in the luxury car during the stop (and subsequent DUI arrest) were cannabis (enough to warrant another charge) and a baby ...Read more

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron admitted that his decision to dissolve Parliament last summer had backfired, leading to more division and political turmoil, while he called for greater unity to meet the nation’s challenges.

“Lucidity and humility require the recognition that at this time this decision has produced more ...Read more

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — An Isle of Wight County man alleged to have stockpiled the largest number of homemade explosives ever seized by the FBI is in custody following a recent raid at his 20-acre farm.

Brad Kenneth Spafford, 36, was arrested Dec. 17 following the execution of a search warrant at the Foursquare Road home he shares with his wife...Read more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An Anchorage judge has ruled that the state is violating its own regulations by failing to provide timely assistance to low-income elderly and disabled Alaskans.

Anchorage Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman ruled in December that the Department of Health violated state law by not processing the majority of applications to ...Read more

California’s Proposition 36 was officially enacted over the holiday break, following voters’ overwhelming approval of the initiative aimed at driving down serial theft and fentanyl crimes through harsher prosecution and more aggressive drug diversion policies.

County prosecutors across the state now have the latitude to more readily charge ...Read more

Leslee Cohen-Lavin and her family were feeling pretty good just before the holidays.

“Then all of a sudden, we each went down right when break started,” said Cohen-Lavin, of Highland Park. Her 5-year-old daughter got a fever and aches and lost her appetite. Soon, Cohen-Lavin developed a days-long fever. Finally, her husband got what felt ...Read more

A Hawaiian Airlines flight headed toward Honolulu from Seattle turned around shortly after takeoff Monday because the crew reported fumes in the cockpit of the Airbus A330.

At around 1 p.m. PST, Hawaiian Airlines Flight 21 landed safely back at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, according to the FAA’s website. The agency is investigating ...Read more

Nearly all of Puerto Rico was without power Tuesday after the fragile electricity grid collapsed, triggering an island-wide blackout.

The power outage started early Tuesday and, by midday, about 85% of Puerto Rico’s 1.4 million customers remained without electricity, according to Luma Energy, the private company that operates the system. Luma...Read more