SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An investigation into the deadly July 1 fireworks explosion in Esparto led authorities to discover a cache of fireworks at a property in East Los Angeles on Monday, prompting the evacuation of a neighborhood and a nearby high school.

The search was conducted by the Arson and Bomb Unit of Cal Fire’s Office of the State ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The nation’s largest federal workers’ union have called for Congress to pass a clean funding extension to reopen the government.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) announced its new position on Monday through an article published on the organization’s website. The move marked a significant shift; many ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Maryland will no longer house foster youth in hotels, a much-criticized practice even before a 16-year-old foster girl was found dead a month ago in a Residence Inn in East Baltimore.

As of Monday, six youth remained in hotels, said Maryland Department of Human Services Secretary Rafael J. López. He has issued a directive to ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Bill Essayli was approaching a 120-day limit as an interim U.S. attorney when he hinted to conservative commentator Glenn Beck that he might not be leaving just yet.

“We’ve got some tricks up our sleeves,” the former Republican state lawmaker said in a July podcast.

Essayli would later become one of several interim U.S. ...Read more

There is never a good time for a catastrophic hurricane to hit. But for Junior Ebanks, a farmer on Jamaica’s southern coast, Hurricane Melissa’s timing could not be worse.

“We are just preparing to start planting again for the tourism winter season,” he said from Treasure Beach in St. Elizabeth Parish. “That’s our best growing ...Read more

Venezuela is threatening to revoke energy deals with neighboring Trinidad and Tobago for its support of a U.S. military offensive in the Caribbean, potentially raising the economic cost of the twin-island nation’s alliance with the Trump administration.

Speaking on state television, Venezuelan Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodríguez ...Read more

One lot of Neutrogena makeup remover wipes has been recalled by Kenvue Brands after testing found a bacteria dangerous to people with weakened immune systems.

The 15,744 two-packs of 25-count packs — or 31,488 25-count packs — in lot No. 1835U6325A of Neutrogena Makeup Remover Ultra-Soft Cleansing Towelettes went to Florida, South Carolina,...Read more

Cuba is bracing for Hurricane Melissa as it heads towards Santiago de Cuba, the island’s second-largest city, threatening catastrophic damage at a time the government is already failing to provide the most basic services and thousands are sick because of the rise of mosquito-transmitted diseases and other illnesses linked to poor sanitary ...Read more

As Hurricane Melissa heads toward Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, South Florida’s Jamaican community is already organizing to help.

Several non-profits and several local municipalities have launched donation drives, accepting monetary donations, food, water, toiletries and other items that organizers expect to be necessities in the aftermath ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The return of winter has already claimed a life on the tallest mountain in the continental United States, with the death of a hiker on slippery Mount Whitney, according to the Inyo County Sheriff's Department.

Over the weekend, the hiker fell in the notorious "99 Switchbacks" section of the main trail, said Lindsey Stine, ...Read more

DENVER — Premiums will double next year for Coloradans who buy their health insurance on the state’s individual market, with higher-income families facing increases of $10,000 or more, the Colorado Division of Insurance announced Monday.

Marketplace customers face a double hit this year. The monthly “sticker price” of health insurance ...Read more

More than half of the grades handed out at Harvard College are A’s, an increase from decades past even as school officials have sounded the alarm for years about rampant grade inflation.

About 60% of the grades handed out in classes for the university’s undergraduate program are A’s, up from 40% a decade ago and less than a quarter 20 ...Read more

In an ancient star system expected to be stable and dormant, scientists found a 3 billion-year-old white dwarf star still tearing apart massive quantities of rock.

“The rate we’ve seen rock consumed by this star is very high,” said John Debes, an astronomer with the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore and a co-investigator on a...Read more

CHICAGO — Illinois residents will pay an average of 78% more across the state for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchange if Congress does not extend enhanced premium tax credits — the issue at the heart of the current government shutdown — state regulators said Monday.

Illinois residents who have health insurance ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Federal rules prevent Nevada from funding a food program that helps feed half-a-million state residents, even as it’s slated to run out of money Saturday due to the government shutdown, Gov. Joe Lombardo wrote in a letter.

Nevada’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP, costs the federal government ...Read more

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia lawmakers convened in the Capitol Monday for the start of an effort that opens the door to redistricting the state’s congressional seats.

Virginia Democrats are trying to pass a constitutional amendment to begin the process for redistricting. If they’re successful, congressional maps could be redrawn so that ...Read more

A judge in Utah said the 22-year-old man accused of killing conservative commentator Charlie Kirk can wear civilian clothes in court rather than his jail fatigues, but he’ll have to appear with some form of physical restraints.

A defense lawyer for Tyler James Robinson argued that allowing the suspect to appear in plain clothes was necessary ...Read more

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan House must present nine bills passed from the last session to the governor for her signature, an appellate court panel ruled Monday.

The 2-1 decision out of the Michigan Court of Appeals found that the House had a constitutional obligation to present the bills, and it ordered a lower court to set a deadline by ...Read more