Category Archives: WPTF News

Plastics are seeping into farm fields, food and eventually human bodies. Can they be stopped?

Plastics are seeping into farm fields, food and eventually human bodies. Can they be stopped?

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Around the world, plastics are finding their way into farm fields. Some farmers say agricultural plastic, already a necessity for many crops, is becoming even more necessary as climate change fuels extreme weather. And plastics from other industries end up in fields, too, and eventually the food grown there as well as waterways. Scientists, farmers and consumers all worry about how the plastics that enter the food supply affect health, and research is continuing to show that it’s ending up in human bodies. Researchers are looking for solutions, but industry experts say despite attempts to tackle the plastic problem, it’s difficult to know where plastic ends up or get rid of it completely, even with the best intentions of improving reuse and recycling programs.… Continue Reading

Myanmar’s earthquake death toll jumps to 1,644 as more bodies are recovered from the rubble

Myanmar’s earthquake death toll jumps to 1,644 as more bodies are recovered from the rubble

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s ruling military has said on state television that the confirmed death toll from a devastating earthquake rose to1,644. Saturday’s new total is a sharp rise compared to the 1,002 total announced just hours earlier. It underlines the difficulty of confirming casualties over a widespread region and the likelihood that the numbers will continue to grow from Friday’s quake. Rescue efforts are underway especially in the major stricken cities of Mandalay and Naypyitaw. Teams and equipment have been flown in from other nations. But they are hindered by the airports in those cities being damaged and apparently unfit to land planes.… Continue Reading

North Carolina judge challenging outcome of race wore Confederate uniform in college photo

North Carolina judge challenging outcome of race wore Confederate uniform in college photo

WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge challenging the outcome of his North Carolina Supreme Court race was photographed wearing Confederate military garb and posing before a Confederate battle flag when he was a member of a college fraternity that glorified the pre-Civil War South. The emergence of the photographs comes at a delicate time for Jefferson Griffin. The Republican appellate judge is seeking a spot on North Carolina’s highest court. Griffin is facing mounting criticism as he seeks to invalidate over 60,000 votes cast in last November’s election. He trails the Democratic incumbent by over 700 votes. The photographs obtained by The Associated Press were taken when he was a student at the University of North Carolina in the early 2000s. Griffin said he regrets wearing the Confederate uniform.… Continue Reading

Boys with cancer can face infertility as adults. Can storing their stem cells help?

Boys with cancer can face infertility as adults. Can storing their stem cells help?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Researchers have performed the first known transplant of sperm-producing stem cells in hopes of restoring fertility in a man who survived childhood cancer. There’s no proven way to preserve boys’ future fertility if cancer strikes before puberty. But a University of Pittsburgh study for years has frozen testicular tissue and cells before boys begin treatment to see if they eventually might help. Now the first study participant has returned as an adult to reimplant those cells in hopes of one day fathering a biological child.… Continue Reading

Was classified information shared? Senators overseeing military request probe into Signal leak

Was classified information shared? Senators overseeing military request probe into Signal leak

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee are requesting an investigation into how Trump national security officials used the Signal app to discuss military strikes. A federal judge also says he will order the preservation of the messages. Thursday’s action ensures some scrutiny on an episode President Donald Trump has dismissed as frivolous. Republican Sen. Roger Wicker and Democratic Sen. Jack Reed signed onto a letter to the acting inspector general at the Defense Department for an inquiry into the potential use of unclassified networks to discuss classified information. Contents of the Signal chat published by The Atlantic show Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listed weapons systems and a timeline for an attack on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.… Continue Reading

First rain and then fire chase people from their homes in North and South Carolina

First rain and then fire chase people from their homes in North and South Carolina

At least a half-dozen large wildfires continue to burn in the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina and North Carolina. Nicole Taylor had to leave her home with the porch that overlooks Table Rock Mountain in South Carolina. She took video of the smoke pouring off the ridge until an evacuation order came Tuesday. She says she doesn’t know when she can go home. So far no one has been hurt in the fires that have burned more than 20 square miles of mostly rugged remote forests. The firefighting is slow. Water sources are scarce, so crews depend on building fire breaks.… Continue Reading

Chief lawyer’s position at alma mater prompted Newton’s departure from North Carolina Senate

Chief lawyer’s position at alma mater prompted Newton’s departure from North Carolina Senate

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A top lieutenant to North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger is resigning from the chamber. A statement released Tuesday from Senate Majority Leader Paul Newton says he’s retiring effective Wednesday evening “to pursue an opportunity outside of state government.” His specific plans weren’t immediately released. The 64-year-old is a former Duke Energy state president in North Carolina from Cabarrus County who joined the Senate in 2017. He was elected majority leader after the 2022 elections. Republicans in his 34th Senate District will choose someone to fill his two-year term. Senate Republicans also will have to meet to pick a new majority leader.… Continue Reading

3D printed and factory-built homes could help tackle housing crisis

3D printed and factory-built homes could help tackle housing crisis

DENVER (AP) — Businesses and lawmakers are trying to address the U.S. affordable housing crisis by turning to alternative ways to build homes. These include 3D printing houses out of concrete, building homes in a factory and shipping them to their final destination, and even using the hemp plant in construction. The 3D printing technology is far off from making a dent in the crisis, but proponents hope its speed in building walls can bring down construction time and costs. Modular and manufactured homes, built inside a factory, are gaining ground in the U.S., with homes built in a matter of days. Hemp, a plant related to marijuana, has also shown promise when combined with other materials to build more cheaply and efficiently.… Continue Reading

More evacuations as wildfires burn in the Carolinas. Forecasts aren’t encouraging for firefighters

More evacuations as wildfires burn in the Carolinas. Forecasts aren’t encouraging for firefighters

More people have been asked to leave their homes in the North Carolina and South Carolina mountains as wildfires spread and the forecast for the rest of the week isn’t encouraging. A half-dozen large fires are burning in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Millions of fallen trees from September’s Hurricane Helene are both providing fuel for the wildfires and blocking the logging roads and paths firefighters use to fight the blazes and create fire breaks. The forecast for this week is dry and windy. There’s a chance of rain over the weekend, but forecasters say it isn’t likely to be the kind of downpour that can knock a fire out on its own.… Continue Reading

North Carolina government makes big tax revenues quickly from first year of sports betting

North Carolina government makes big tax revenues quickly from first year of sports betting

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina government cashed in early when it came to reaping fiscal benefits from authorized sports wagering in the ninth-largest state. Legalized online sports betting began in North Carolina in March 2024. A report Wednesday to a state commission says the state expects it will have collected over $131 million in taxes from the first full year of sports betting operations. An earlier estimate by state legislative researchers before the law was enacted in 2023 said taxes could reach $100 million annually within five years. The windfall is connected to big betting — the taxes are based on a percentage of betting revenue minus paid winnings.… Continue Reading

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