Breaking News

Smithsonian leader to retire after clashes with Trump administration

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lonnie Bunch is stepping down from the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution after a tumultuous year in which President Donald Trump tried to remake the portrayal of U.S. history by the Smithsonian museums and other cultural entities. Bunch said in a news release ...

Midterm elections head into the home stretch

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Troy Jackson was a longtime labor activist and logger before he unexpectedly became the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine. On Monday, he returned to a union hall to tell workers they need to go to the polls this fall — to raise the minimum wage, expand ...

Almanac for Sept. 8, 2026

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 8, the 251st day of 2026. There are 114 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1974, one month after taking office, President Gerald R. Ford granted a “full, free, and absolute pardon” to former President Richard Nixon for any crimes committed during Nixon’s presidency. Also on this date: In 1504, Michelangelo’s towering marble statue of David was unveiled to the public in Florence, Italy. In 1565, a Spanish expedition established the first permanent European settlement in North America at present-day St. Augustine, Florida. In 1664, the Dutch ...

Knowing when to keep kids home from school

By now, all area schools are back in session, with the long Labor Day weekend providing an early break after a week or two of classes. As parents and caregivers well know, when students begin sharing spaces with others in the close confines of school, they’ll likely encounter a host of viruses and other bugs circulating indoors. Children average more than two to three colds each year, according to the American Lung Association. To limit such exposures for others, it’s important for families to know when a child should stay home from school and when it is safe to return, Aspirus ...

Vance called El-Sayed evil — he’s one to talk

In a year when Democrats have the wind at their backs and a shot at winning even in Texas, primary voters in Michigan have chosen a Senate candidate in Abdul El-Sayed who needlessly alienates many voters. But of all the Republican politicians to criticize El-Sayed, JD Vance may be the least ...