PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix City Council has voted to raise water rates in the city starting in October with three separate increases over an 18-month span. The initial rate increase will be 6.5% in October, then another 6.5% in March 2024, followed by a 13% increase in March 2025. A 6.5% percent rate hike
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By JUAN LOZANO Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas grand jury declined to indict rap superstar Travis Scott in a criminal investigation of a deadly crowd surge at the 2021 Astroworld festival, where some spectators were packed so tightly they could not move their arms or even breathe, his attorney and prosecutors said Thursday.
Continue Reading By JACK THOMPSON Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Luke Raley homered in the first inning, Wander Franco and Josh Lowe drove in two runs each in a five-run third and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 Thursday. Tampa Bay won two of three in a series between the 1998 expansion teams. The
Continue Reading By SEAN MURPHY Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal court has ruled that a speeding ticket issued by Tulsa, Oklahoma, to a Native American man cannot be enforced because the city is located within an Indian reservation. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver issued its decision on Wednesday. It was
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As temperatures continue to increase, residents need to be aware of heat alerts on the way for all of the Desert Southwest
Continue Reading By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina lawmakers have finalized legislation touted by Republicans as giving parents greater authority over their children’s public school education and health care. Limits on LGBTQ+ instruction in the early grades are a key provision of the legislation. The Senate passed the measure Thursday, a
Continue Reading By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say the Biden administration’s special envoy for Iran has been placed on unpaid leave and had his security clearance suspended pending a review of allegations he may have mishandled classified information. The envoy is Rob Malley, who has led administration efforts to revive the
Continue Reading By ZEKE MILLER AP White House Correspondent NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden closed out an end-of-quarter campaign blitz Thursday with a pair of Manhattan fundraisers hosted by Wall Street power brokers, a funding push designed to put Biden on strong financial footing for a 2024 White House contest expected to set spending records.
Continue Reading By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has signed into law revisions to new abortion restrictions taking effect in the state this weekend. The Democratic governor signed on Thursday changes that the Republican-controlled legislature sent him. His quick action should minimize the scope of any order from
Continue Reading By RIO YAMAT The Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Scorching heat across the U.S. already has caused more than a dozen deaths in Texas alone and led to mounting misery for millions of people from the Pacific Northwest to the South. And the official end of summer is still months away. Here’s a guide
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IID said the Conserve Alert will be in effect from the morning of Saturday, July 1 through 9 p.m. on Monday, July 3.
Continue Reading By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida sheriff’s deputy was acquitted Thursday of felony child neglect and other charges for failing to act during the 2018 Parkland school massacre, concluding the first trial in U.S. history of a law enforcement officer for conduct during an on-campus shooting. Former Broward County
Continue Reading FLORENCE, S.C. (AP) — A judge has shut a courtroom from the public and reporters as he heard pretrial motions in the death penalty case of a South Carolina man charged with killing two police officers in a 2018 ambush. Court hearings in South Carolina are almost always open. But WPDE-TV reported that lawyers for
Continue Reading By JOHN HANNA AP Political Writer TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ Democratic governor says the state will keep allowing residents to change official documents to reflect their gender identities. Gov. Laura Kelly issued that statement Thursday despite a new state law aimed at preventing transgender people from altering their driver’s licenses and birth certificates. Kelly
Continue Reading By CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press The number of homeless residents counted in Los Angeles County has spiked again, increasing by 9% since last year in the latest marker of how deep the crisis is of people sleeping in cars, encampments or shelters in California. Results released Thursday from a federally required tally conducted in January
Continue Reading By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES Associated Press SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Thousands of people have gathered outside the cathedral in North Macedonia’s capital during a protest called by the country’s Orthodox Church against proposed draft laws on gender equality and gender identity. It says they threaten family values. The Church leader addressed Thursday’s gathering by saying
Continue Reading MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — While three Muslim council members were away to observe the Eid al-Adha holiday, the Minneapolis City Council narrowly voted to kill a measure that would have put a rent control question on the ballot this fall. A majority of the council supports a 3% annual residential rent cap. But with Aisha Chughtai,
Continue Reading By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. humanitarian chief is warning that the 12-year conflict in Syria has pushed 90% of its population below the poverty line and millions face a 40% cut in emergency food aid in July because the $5.4 billion U.N. humanitarian appeal for Syria – the
Continue Reading By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer The Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in Murphy vs. NCAA ushered in a new era of legalized sports betting in the U.S., allowing states to establish their own sports wagering laws and operations. The high court overturned the federal Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act that had barred betting on football,
Continue Reading By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — Bradley Beal was drafted on his 19th birthday and spent his entire 20s with the Washington Wizards, where he scored a lot of points, enjoyed a little team success, but also suffered through plenty of painful losses. On Wednesday, he turned 30. Not a bad time
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