TRIPOLI, Lebanon — At dusk, the parking lot of Tripoli’s Quality Inn is packed with cars and families milling about. Children’s shouts fill the air, reminding some of better times, when the hotel hosted weddings and birthdays parties. Now, though, the cars in the lot are dusty and battered, the...
People With Felony Records Can Now Vote in Nebraska — and It Could Help Tip the Balance in November
OMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska's top election official had no authority to strip voting rights from people convicted of a felony, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a decision that could add hundreds of new voters to the rolls and potentially help tip the balance on Nov. 5. The order...
A Brown Dwarf Discovered 30 Years Ago Is Actually Twins Circling Each Other
NEW YORK — A celestial object discovered decades ago is actually twins orbiting each other, a new study confirms. Scientists have puzzled over the object known as Gliese 229B, the first known brown dwarf discovered 30 years ago. Brown dwarfs are sometimes called failed stars because they're lighter than stars,...
Stock Market Today: Wall Street Holds Steadier a Day After Sliding From Its Record
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are holding steadier Wednesday following better-than-expected profit reports from Morgan Stanley, United Airlines and other big companies. The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher in afternoon trading, a day after sliding from its all-time high because of tumbling energy and technology stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial...
California Health Care Workers Get a Pay Bump Under a New Minimum Wage Law
SACRAMENTO — Some of the lowest-paid health care workers in California will get a pay bump Wednesday under a state law gradually increasing their wages to at least $25 an hour. Workers at rural, independent health care facilities will start making a minimum of $18 an hour, while others at...
Madera County Mountain Areas Brace for PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff
Madera County mountain residents should prepare for a public safety power shutoff event as PG&E plans to de-energize power lines in several areas, the Madera County Sheriff's Office said. According to authorities, the shutoff is expected to begin Friday around 4 a.m. and power is anticipated to be restored by...
Ex-Husband of ‘Real Housewives’ Star Gets Seven Years for Hiring Mobster to Assault Her Boyfriend
NEWARK — The ex-husband of "Real Housewives of New Jersey" cast member Dina Manzo was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison for hiring a reputed mobster to assault her boyfriend in exchange for the defendant hosting a lavish wedding reception for the attacker. Thomas Manzo, 59, of Franklin Lakes,...
Will Newsom Block a Merced Killer’s Parole? Officials, Victim’s Family Hope Governor Will Hear Their Pleas
Joseph Romero was barely a teenager when his mother Diane Lynn Reid Romero was murdered on Sept. 16, 2010. A beloved teacher at Peterson Elementary School, Diane was stabbed to death by her husband Rodolfo Romero at the family's Tioga Court home in north Merced. Rodolfo Romero was eventually sentenced...
Former Ozzy Osbourne Guitarist Jake E. Lee Shot Multiple Times in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — Jake E. Lee, a former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, was shot and wounded multiple times in Las Vegas early Tuesday morning. Las Vegas police said in an emailed statement that the victim was shot around 2:40 a.m. Tuesday and was taken to a hospital for treatment. No...
Roger Goodell Says NFL Is Still Reviewing Latest Claims Against Deshaun Watson
ATLANTA — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is still reviewing the latest claims of sexual assault and battery against Deshaun Watson. The Cleveland Browns quarterback resolved the civil lawsuit filed against him by the woman but that doesn't preclude him from being disciplined by the league. "We're continuing...