Triangle/Local
‘Naked lady’ spider lilies bring surprise blooms
By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend Gardener Every regular co-host on the WPTF Weekend Gardener has discussed with delight, at one time or another, the attributes of the “naked lady” spider lily or Lycoris radiate. I have read that the name “Lycorus” refers to the mistress…
Duke Energy seeks to merge Carolina utilities, projecting more than $1B in customer savings
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Duke Energy Corp. says its move to combine electric utility subsidiaries in North and South Carolina into one entity could save customers more than $1 billion over a decade. The Charlotte-based utility said it formally asked federal and state regulators on Thursday for…
Walden: N.C. economy still strong despite national slowdown
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — While the national economy shows signs of slowing, North Carolina remains in good shape, according to N.C. State University Economist Emeritus Dr. Mike Walden. Walden, the guest on this week’s Carolina Newsmakers, said tracking the effectiveness of tariffs is challenging and…
Salvia: A colorful, hardy favorite for Carolina gardens
By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend Gardener Everyone should have some type of salvia in their landscape. Sage advice, I must say, if you like puns that is! Salvia also is known for its medicinal qualities for oral health, digestion problems and cognitive issues. I for…
Rushing floodwater from heavy rain kills 2 in North Carolina
SPRING HOPE, N.C. (AP) — Two people were found dead in central North Carolina after they and a police officer trying to save them were swept away in rushing floodwaters, authorities said Wednesday. Another cluster of storms was dumping rain on the region Thursday, a…
State/Regional
Republicans look to make a U-turn on federal commitment to electric vehicles for the Postal Service
By SUSAN HAIGH Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A year after being lauded for its plan to replace thousands of aging, gas-powered mail trucks with a mostly electric fleet, the U.S. Postal Service is facing congressional attempts to strip billions in federal EV funding. In June,…
Category 4 Hurricane Erin buffets northern Caribbean islands but not forecast to hit land
By DÁNICA COTO and RUSS BYNUM Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Erin exploded in strength and became a major storm in Atlantic waters just north of the Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day and bringing heavy rains…
Republican Winsome Earle-Sears is on the defensive in Virginia’s race for governor
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America HOPEWELL, Va. (AP) — Against an olive drab backdrop in a barbecue joint filled with the aroma of pulled pork and the sweat of a Virginia summer, Republican Winsome Earle-Sears told voters she was running her campaign for governor like a military-style…
CDC shooter believed COVID vaccine made him suicidal, his father tells police
By JEFF AMY and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia man who opened fire on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters, shooting dozens of rounds into the sprawling complex and killing a police officer, had blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for…
Iconic North Carolina tourist attraction damaged by Helene will be demolished
By MAKIYA SEMINERA and ALLEN G. BREED Associated Press Nearly a year after Hurricane Helene’s devastating pathway through western North Carolina, a vibrant tourist attraction offering visitors a serene escape in the Blue Ridge Mountains is being torn down. Like many other beloved sites in the region,…
World/National
Putin agreed to let US, Europe offer NATO-style security protections for Ukraine, Trump envoy says
By JILL COLVIN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed at his summit with President Donald Trump to allow the U.S. and European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO’s collective…
European leaders to join Ukraine’s Zelenskyy for White House meeting with Trump
KYIV (AP) — European leaders will join Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his crucial meeting with President Donald Trump, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday. The move in relation to the key White House meeting on Monday is an apparent effort…
No deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine after Trump rolls out red carpet for Putin
By MICHELLE L. PRICE and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — President Donald Trump failed to secure an agreement from Vladimir Putin on Friday to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, falling short in his most significant move yet to stop the…
Bondi names DEA head as DC’s ’emergency police commissioner,’ but capital leaders push back
By ASHRAF KHALIL and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration, stepping up its crackdown on policing in the nation’s capital, on Thursday named the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration to be Washington’s “emergency police commissioner” with all the powers of the…
Most US stocks fall after a disappointing inflation update, but Big Tech keeps Wall Street steady
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Most stocks fell on Wall Street Thursday after a disappointing report said inflation was worse last month at the U.S. wholesale level than economists expected. But gains for Amazon and some other influential Big Tech companies helped…
Entertainment
Androids dance, rock, shimmy and sway at opening of World Humanoid Robot Games
By FU TING Associated Press Humanoid robots danced hip-hop, performed martial arts and played keyboard, guitar and drums at the opening ceremony of the first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Thursday evening. The competition begins Friday with more than 500 humanoid robots in…
Trump names Strait, Stallone and KISS for Kennedy Center Honors and says he’ll host the awards show
By ANNIE MA and HILLEL ITALIE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday named country music star George Strait, “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, singer Gloria Gaynor, the rock band KISS and actor-singer Michael Crawford among the first batch of Kennedy Center Honors…
YouTube to begin testing a new AI-powered age verification system in the U.S.
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer YouTube on Wednesday will begin testing a new age-verification system in the U.S. that relies on artificial intelligence to differentiate between adults and minors, based on the kinds of videos that they have been watching. The tests initially will…
Dean Cain, former TV Superman, will be sworn in as honorary ICE officer
Dean Cain, the actor best known for portraying Superman on a 1990s television show, wants to join the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. In an interview with Fox News this week, Cain said he’d already spoken to the agency responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass…
New study sheds light on ChatGPT’s alarming interactions with teens
By MATT O’BRIEN and BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writers ChatGPT will tell 13-year-olds how to get drunk and high, instruct them on how to conceal eating disorders and even compose a heartbreaking suicide letter to their parents if asked, according to new research from a watchdog group.…
Sports
Chimaev wins UFC middleweight belt by unanimous decision
By PATRICK ROSE Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Khamzat Chimaev continued his dominance in the UFC, capturing the middleweight belt on Saturday night by defeating Dricus Du Plessis by unanimous decision at UFC 319. With a smile on his face, Chimaev (15-0) shot out of…
C.J. Stroud’s TD pass helps Texans defeat Panthers 20-3 in preseason
By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — C.J. Stroud found Nico Collins for a touchdown pass on his second drive Saturday in Houston’s preseason win over the Carolina Panthers. But he was unhappy with himself because he overthrew him on a deep ball…
Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud reunite at joint practice, reflect on NFL journeys
By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud will be forever linked after the quarterbacks were taken first and second, respectively, in the 2023 NFL draft. But long before they became NFL stars, the two California natives became friends…
A way-too early guess at who will make the College Football Playoff this season
By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer It is a well-versed group of athletic directors, former coaches and players along with a sports writer, who will be armed with statistics, analytics, charts and graphs and enough highlights to start their own college football network as they…
Texas is No. 1 in preseason AP Top 25 for first time, edging Penn St, Ohio St; 10 SEC teams ranked
By ERIC OLSON AP College Football Writer For the first time, Texas will open a college football season ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25. The Longhorns hardly have a mandate in the poll released Monday: They edged out Penn State by just five points in…