SEATTLE — There are only 73 southern resident orcas left in our region's waters, according to the most recent count released by the Center for Whale Research. It is one of the lowest tallies since the center counted 71 orcas when it began its survey in 1976.

The 2023 census identified 75 southern residents counted in the J, K and L pods. ...Read more

CHICAGO — All members of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s school board plan to resign, the latest turmoil gripping his administration as it struggles for control of the Chicago Public Schools system led by embattled CEO Pedro Martinez.

Chicago Board of Education President Jianan Shi, along with members Elizabeth Todd-Breland, Mariela Estrada, Mary ...Read more

Three ex-Memphis police officers were convicted Thursday in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, but were acquitted of the harshest charges they faced in their federal trial.

After about six hours of deliberating, the jury convicted Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith of witness tampering related to the cover-up of the beating. ...Read more

ATLANTA — For a fifth day Friday, cleanup efforts at the site of a now-extinguished fire at the BioLab plant in Rockdale County kicked up more smoke, and there is no timetable for when that work will be finished.

Officials across southeastern parts of metro Atlanta warned residents again Friday that they may continue to see hazy skies and ...Read more

NEW YORK — New York City is withholding vital funds earmarked for the widows and children of cops, firefighters and other uniformed city employees who died in the line of duty as the agency in charge of the funds reprioritizes its debts, the Daily News has learned.

Since the beginning of the fiscal year, the city’s Office of Labor Relations...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The National Weather Service is changing its cold weather alerts and messaging this week, doing away with familiar terms like “wind chill watch” and “wind chill warning.”

The changes, which come just as cooler temps begin to roll in, is part of the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Hazard Simplification initiative. The ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A federal judge on Friday sentenced former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan to 12 years in prison for his role in a sprawling City Hall corruption case that also brought down a former council member.

U.S. District Court Judge John F. Walter handed down the sentence in a courtroom packed with Chan's supporters, stating that ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles police officer Toni McBride, a gun rights influencer on social media and daughter of a high-ranking police union official, has been cleared of wrongdoing in a fatal shooting where she was previously faulted for continuing to fire bullets into a man who'd fallen to the ground.

McBride appealed an earlier finding by ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania has seen more cases of whooping cough than any other state this year, with 2,165 cases of the serious bacterial infection reported as of late September.

At this time in 2023, the state had reported 205 cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This year's cases represent a 956% increase from the year...Read more

A Cuban Reggaeton artist known as El Taiger is in critical condition after being found shot in the head in Miami, authorities say.

Miami Police say they responded to the area of Northwest Ninth Avenue and 17th Street Thursday morning and found an unconscious man inside a car. First responders rushed him to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced on Friday it will decide disputes about the scope of Nuclear Regulatory Commission power, e-cigarette marketing approvals and a $10 billion fight between the Mexican government and gunmakers and more.

The justices announced more than a dozen additional cases to their work this term, which starts Monday...Read more

BALTIMORE — The man accused of killing Bel Air mother Rachel Morin won’t face trial until at least April, a Harford County judge ruled during a Friday hearing.

The decision came after the defense team representing Victor Martinez-Hernandez said there was a “voluminous” amount of evidence to review ahead of the trial, which had been ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s state lawmakers return to Raleigh for a one-day session on Oct. 9, and leaders say they will vote on an initial relief package for communities affected by Tropical Storm Helene.

Top Republicans, who control the legislature, put out a joint statement on Friday. Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim...Read more

DETROIT — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Friday that she's bringing criminal charges against seven individuals who were allegedly involved in a flurry of double voting in the August primary election in St. Clair Shores.

Nessel's office is alleging that four people voted twice — once in person on Election Day and once ...Read more

DETROIT — Michigan residents looking up could get a good view of the Northern Lights this weekend, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Current forecasts from the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center show moderate likelihoods of seeing the aurora in Michigan on Friday and Saturday evening.

The aurora borealis is ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The relationship between Israel and its closest and most reliable ally, the United States, has started to feel like a case of unrequited love.

Despite being sidelined repeatedly by Israel over the last year, the Biden administration keeps up its nearly unquestioning support — even as Israel all but ignores American efforts to ...Read more

NEW YORK — More than two-thirds of New Yorkers think Mayor Eric Adams should resign in wake of his indictment on federal corruption charges, a new Marist poll shows — with 65% of those surveyed saying they believe Adams broke the law.

The poll results, from a Marist survey of 1,073 NYC residents, were gathered Monday and Tuesday, days ...Read more

The Menendez brothers have fought a decades-long battle for freedom since being convicted in 1996 in the sensational murders of their parents at the family’s Beverly Hills home.

For years, they made little progress.

But a series of events in the last year have brought them closer to their goal after spending 34 years behind bars.

There is ...Read more