Man charged with arson in Spokane, Washington, told police he planned wildfire for weeks

Louisiana school board and federal government end 61 years of segregation monitoring

BOSSIER CITY, La. (AP) — A Louisiana school board and the federal government have agreed to end more than 60 years of oversight meant to end segregation. The agreement was announced Thursday on the first day of classes for Bossier Parish Schools near Shreveport. “Dismissal of the case allows us the freedom to make our […]

Body found in California home burned by wildfire believed started by chain saw

SAN ANDREAS, Calif. (AP) — A dead body was found inside a central California home burned by a wildfire that investigators believe was accidentally started by sparks from a chain saw, authorities said Thursday. Herbert Wayne Smith, 65, was arrested Wednesday in connection with the blaze that has destroyed seven structures and scorched more than […]

MaineHealth board votes to close midcoast hospital birthing unit

Officials said the roughly 130 annual births at the Damariscotta hospital are too few and they haven't been able to maintain stable staffing.

Meta says its AI model hacked another company, adding to worries about bots going rogue

Meta said Thursday that one of its artificial intelligence models accessed the internet on its own and hacked another company, the latest in a series of disclosures about AI models going rogue. In recent weeks OpenAI and Anthropic also have described instances of AI models going beyond humans’ instructions to access the web and find […]

Unusually intense haboob dust storms strike Phoenix twice this week

Dust storms that blanketed the Phoenix area in thick haze this week were among the most intense to hit the region in years, scientists said Thursday. The storms — called haboobs — occur throughout the U.S. Southwest when strong downdrafts from thunderstorms stir up loose dust and dirt that get blown along in front of […]