Breaking News

Local columns

Almanac for March 13, 2026

Today is Friday, March 13, the 72nd day of 2026. There are 293 days left in the year. Today in history: In 2013, Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina was elected pope, choosing the papal name Francis. He was the first pontiff from the Americas, and the first from outside Europe since Pope Gregory III's death in the year 741. Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025. Also on this date: In 1781, the seventh planet of the solar system, Uranus, was discovered by astronomer William Herschel. In 1925, the Tennessee General Assembly approved the Butler Act, which prohibited public schools from ...

Noem rides off into the sunset

At times, you could be forgiven for having thought that Kristi Noem wanted to be a uniformed Department of Homeland Security officer rather than the secretary of the department. Now, the cabinet member most inclined to glamour shots out in the field is going to have to go back to wearing ...

Trump insists he’s winning Iran war but is less clear on how it ends

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing jittery global markets and dropping poll numbers since launching a war with Iran, President Donald Trump has cycled from calls for "unconditional surrender" to sounding amenable to an end state in which Iran trades one hard-line ayatollah for another. Shifting ...

Almanac for March 12, 2026

Today is Thursday, March 12, the 71st day of 2026. There are 294 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1930, Mohandas Gandhi began his 24-day, 240-mile "Salt March" to the Indian village of Dandi (then called Navsari) as an act of nonviolent civil disobedience to protest the salt tax levied by colonial Britain. Also on this date: In 1912, the Girl Scouts of the USA had its beginnings as Juliette Gordon Low of Savannah, Georgia, founded the first American troop of the Girl Guides. In 1928, the St. Francis Dam north of Los Angeles, California failed, sending over 12 billion ...

Using religion to win votes

Democrats have had trouble in recent years attracting conservative evangelical voters, who mostly vote for Republicans. In 2000, former Vice President Al Gore gave it a try. He failed badly when he said the first instance of pollution in the Bible is when “Abel’s blood cried out from the ...

What Americans think about the war in Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are divided along party lines on U.S. military action against Iran, according to polls conducted since the war began, with most polls showing opposition is higher than support. Polls suggest that many Americans are worried the military action is making the U.S. ...