In The States

SANTA FE, N.M. — The Bureau of Land Management announced a competitive oil and gas lease sale offering nine parcels in Oklahoma and New Mexico brought in $22,530,735. The sale, conducted on Nov. 30, covered a total of 553.59 acres.... Read More

CINCINNATI — A federal grand jury has charged the former chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio with taking $4.3 million in bribes from one of the nation's largest investor-owned utility companies. Sam Randazzo surrendered at the federal court... Read More

WASHINGTON — A federal inspector general’s investigation is checking out reports that conflicts of interest might have influenced the choice last month of Greenbelt, Maryland, for the new FBI headquarters. Until the General Services Administration announced the 61-acre Greenbelt site... Read More

NEW YORK — A New York appeals court panel on Thursday reinstated a pair of gag orders issued in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial that barred the former president from speaking publicly about the judge’s court staff. The two-page decision... Read More

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The state of Maryland has entered into a four-year partnership with a Boston, Massachusetts-based nonprofit to eliminate barriers to contraceptive care. In an announcement on Tuesday, Gov. Wes Moore said the cooperative agreements between the Maryland Department... Read More

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Mayo Clinic announced a $5 billion expansion plan for its flagship campus Tuesday that includes new buildings designed so they can evolve and expand as patient needs change over the coming decades. The project is part... Read More

RENO, Nev. — The Bureau of Land Management opened a 30-day public comment period on Monday on two parcels of land totaling 2,330 acres that may be included in an upcoming oil and gas lease sale in Nevada. The parcels... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s new constitutional protections for abortion access and other reproductive rights take effect Dec. 7, a month after voters resoundingly passed them. How and when their impacts are felt remains unclear. Existing abortion-related lawsuits are moving again... Read More

DALLAS (AP) — Just minutes after President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot as his motorcade rolled through downtown Dallas, Associated Press reporter Peggy Simpson rushed to the scene and immediately attached herself to the police officers who had converged on the building from which... Read More

RICHMOND, Va. — A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Maryland’s preliminary handgun-licensure requirement is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced. In its ruling, a divided 4th Circuit held that the requirement unlawfully restricts the ability of law-abiding adults to possess... Read More

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Ten minutes before Vivek Ramaswamy was to take the stage in a dated casino hotel in western Iowa, no one was in the conference room except for two staffers from the Iowa GOP, which organized the event,... Read More

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Conservative justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court questioned why it was being asked Tuesday to overturn Republican-drawn legislative maps in a redistricting case that Democrats hope will result in new, more favorable legislative maps for elections in 2024.... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jeff Pena contacted his father as soon as he heard that police were passing out auto tracking devices to try to stem a sharp increase in carjackings, auto thefts and other crimes in the nation's capital. “It's... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a Florida law that bans child access to drag shows, saying it violates First Amendment free speech rights. Gov. Ron DeSantis and his supporters enacted the law to protect children from... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the House Ethics Committee announced Friday he has filed a resolution to force a vote on expelling Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from Congress, one day after the committee issued a withering report detailing substantial evidence that... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — How science textbooks in Texas address climate change is at the center of a key vote expected Friday after some Republican education officials criticized books for being too negative toward fossil fuels in America's biggest oil and gas... Read More

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota's 2021 legislative redistricting plan violates the rights of two Native American tribes because it dilutes their voting strength, a federal judge ruled Friday. U.S. District Chief Judge Peter Welte said the redrawn legislative districts... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Ethics panel said Thursday it has found “substantial evidence” of lawbreaking by Republican Rep. George Santos of New York and has referred its findings to the Justice Department. The committee said that Santos’ conduct warrants public condemnation,... Read More

CONCORD, N.H. — Bucking the wishes of the Democratic National Committee, New Hampshire’s secretary of state on Wednesday said the state’s presidential primaries will be held on Jan. 23, 2024, extending its century-old streak of holding the first-in-the-nation primary. Speaking... Read More

ALBANY, N.Y. — Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the iconic media personality who rocketed to fame as the nation’s sex therapist in the 1980s, now has a new title to add to her resume: She’s now New York’s — and by extension,... Read More

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Siemens Gamesa, the German-Spanish wind engineering company, will not be building a planned $200 million factory to manufacture offshore wind turbine blades in Virginia after all. The massive facility, which had been projected to create more than... Read More

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio City Council has approved the largest on-site municipal solar project in Texas, a $30 million initiative that will see the installation of rooftop, parking and park canopy solar systems on 42 city facilities. During... Read More

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy on Wednesday launched a bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in next year's contest. Her candidacy, announced Wednesday, puts her in the running to become the first woman... Read More

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — The partners behind what would have been the United States’ first operational small modular nuclear reactor have pulled the plug on the project, citing dramatically escalating start-up costs and a lack of takers for its energy.... Read More

NEW ORLEANS — A federal appeals court on Friday held that the latest iteration of Louisiana’s congressional district map continues to likely violate the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of Black voters. The decision handed down by a... Read More

HENRICO, Va. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger announced Monday she will run for Virginia governor in 2025 instead of seeking reelection to the U.S. House next year. Spanberger, a three-term Democrat, made the announcement in a campaign video, highlighting the importance of lowering... Read More

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas judge has denied a Republican effort to overturn election results in the nation’s third-most populous county, a Democratic stronghold that’s been beset by GOP efforts to dictate how ballots are cast. A losing GOP candidate in a... Read More

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday tossed out an attempt to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential primary ballot in the state, but left open the possibility of revisiting the matter ahead of... Read More

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Two people in Southern California have come down with dengue fever without traveling outside the United States, where the mosquito-borne illness is rare, health officials said. A Pasadena resident was confirmed to have dengue last... Read More

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Democrats who campaigned on protecting abortion rights swept Tuesday’s legislative elections, retaking full control of the General Assembly after two years of divided power. The outcome is a sharp loss for Gov. Glenn Youngkin and... Read More