There was a time not that long ago in the United States when the federal government did not warn people about tsunamis in the aftermath of earthquakes. We learned the hard way - after a deadly wave traveled all the way across the Pacific - why we needed to invest in such a system. MIKE WEST: It was started in 1946, after an earthquake from Alaska killed 150 people in Hawaii.
Maurice Herron, 27, was jailed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis Westmore, who checked 12 of the 20 possible reasons to jail someone with a pending federal case. In a prior federal gun case, Herron convinced Westmore to release him from jail, and Westmore said she believed that he had found a decent job and was making an honest effort to change his life. But the evidence proffered by the government in this case showed it was not so, Westmore wrote in her detention order
Retiree health care is a major issue. At the start of 2026, Verizon retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare face huge increases in their health care premiums. Verizon has not hired much over the past 20 years, as technological changes - including the move to fiber optics and wireless - have dramatically reduced the workforce. Most remaining workers are retirement-eligible, with either 30 years of service or a combined 75 years of service plus age.
Oregon Ducks defensive back Jadon Canady imagn The smallest spread (-2.5 points) in the 2025 College Football Playoff Quarterfinals finds #5 Oregon Ducks battling #4 Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Capital One Orange Bowl at noon on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. Oregon dispatched #12 James Madison in the in the First Round, while Texas Tech received the last bye-round position in the postseason.
Happy New Year, from all your friends at Fortune. As you know, New Year's Day has fallen on a Thursday for 2026, which means banks, government offices, and postal services will be closed across North America while many retailers, restaurants, and attractions will either modify their schedules or open up completely. The most direct impact is on federal services. Non-essential federal offices are closed, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. This includes Social Security Administration field offices, passport agencies,
According to court documents, Ryan Goldberg, 40, of Georgia, Kevin Martin, 36, of Texas, and a third, unnamed co-conspirator successfully deployed the ransomware known as ALPHV (BlackCat) between April 2023 and December 2023 against multiple victims located throughout the United States. The three men agreed to pay the ALPHV BlackCat administrators a 20% share of any ransoms received in exchange for access to the ransomware and ALPHV BlackCat's extortion platform.
Months after he was arrested for allegedly starting a fire by setting off homemade explosives, an ex-Stockton cop has been charged with possessing child sexual abuse material, court records show. Gregory Klemme, of Petaluma, has been charged in federal court with possession of child pornography, a federal offense that carries up to 20 years behind bars. This new case comes roughly seven months after Klemme was charged in Sonoma County with possessing homemade explosives and methamphetamine in what started as an arson investigation.
A city resident has been charged with secretly taking a nude picture of his girlfriend's 16-year-old family member while she sat on the toilet, court records show. The suspect, 44-year-old Elder Lopez, of Oakland, allegedly drank alcohol then fell asleep on his girlfriend's couch while listening to music. When he woke up, he was surrounded by Oakland police, who'd been called there by his girlfriend after she allegedly went through his phone and found the picture, according to court records.
The United States has granted Samsung and SK Hynix permission to continue shipping chip manufacturing equipment to their factories in China in 2026. This gives the two South Korean chipmakers temporary breathing space in an increasingly complex geopolitical playing field, where export restrictions and technological rivalry set the tone. According to SiliconANGLE, the approval comes in the form of an annual license. This is a clear break with the previous policy, which granted certain large chip companies long-term exemptions.
Two people were found fatally shot at a home Wednesday morning and another person was arrested in connection with the killings, authorities said. Police did not immediately release any information about the victims, such as their genders or names. Authorities also did not immediately identify the suspect or specify a possible motive. The victims were found about 7 a.m. Wednesday after officers responded to a 911 call reporting a family disturbance in the 3900 block of Walnut Avenue, police said in a social media posting.
The NWS said on X the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Northeast faced potentially "hazardous driving conditions" on New Year's Eve from snow squalls - a sudden, brief but intense burst of snow that combines with strong, gusty winds. Threat level: The heaviest snow bands are expected over areas south of Buffalo, N.Y., including Syracuse and Tug Hill in the state and across to Erie, Pennsylvania.
RICHMOND - Eager to attract more visitors and generate more revenue for the city's port, officials hope to relocate a World War II era ship to a more frequented part of Richmond's marina. The Red Oak Victory, staged in a basin in Richmond's port, is one of the last known surviving ships built in the city during World War II. The floating museum is one of many sites from the era that honors Richmond's contribution to the war effort.
Trading is expected to be light ahead of the New Year's Day holiday, when markets will be closed. With just one trading day left before the year ends, most big investors have closed out their positions for the year and trading volume has been very thin. Even after their mini post-Christmas pullback, the indexes are on pace for strong gains for the year.
I've been a Mission resident since 1998 and a professor emeritus at Berkeley's J-school since 2019. I got my start in newspapers at the Albuquerque Tribune in the city where I was born and raised. Like many local news outlets, The Tribune no longer exists. I left daily newspapers after working at The New York Times for the business, foreign and city desks. Lucky for all of us, it is still here.
The NYPD is searching for three people suspected of stealing multiple cars and ATMs across Brooklyn and Queens in nearly 20 incidents since October, according to authorities. Police said the trio has stolen at least 10 ATMs, four vehicles and $3,500 in cash since mid-October in neighborhoods including East New York, Cypress Hills, Williamsburg, Fresh Meadows, Flushing and Forest Hills.
Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, told the story of his father's diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease just a few weeks prior. After the appointment, Kim said he sat in his car in shock, replaying the words of the doctor who warned him that his next year was going to be hell. Kim said the costs of care have already been "catastrophic" for his family.
Last Monday, a family with Marin County and Los Angeles connections revealed that they are the owners of an extremely rare Honus Wagner baseball card from the 1909-11 T206 set. It is the first time in the 21st century that a T206 Honus Wagner card has been added to the list of approximately 50 previously known to exist. The baseball card is worth millions of dollars.
More than a decade after a jailhouse snitch scandal rocked the Orange County district attorney's office and nearly upended the prosecution of the deadliest mass shooting in county history, federal officials announced they have ceased overseeing the department's informant program, citing recent reforms. The decision, announced Dec. 23, ends a year-long agreement between the Department of Justice and local prosecutors who were tasked with reforming the way they use informants in criminal cases.
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
