COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Around the country, advocates for Christian education have been finding legal ways to tap taxpayer money used more typically for public schools. One new approach in Ohio is benefiting schools tied to a burgeoning conservative political group and facing objections from defenders of the separation of church and state. In President-elect […]

Groups working to help victims of domestic violence in Nova Scotia say a recent string of murders of women provides just a glimpse of the extent of intimate partner violence in the province, and they say more action is needed to protect victims. Miia Suokonautio, executive director of the YWCA Halifax, says that while the […]

Newfoundland and Labrador’s return on investment for sponsoring a professional English soccer team was not quite as rosy as previously claimed. In September, Liberal Immigration Minister Sarah Stoodley told The Canadian Press that a government website whose address was emblazoned on the jerseys of Barrow AFC saw a boost in traffic after the English side […]

Spear points, hammer stones and picks lost to history under layers of leaves, roots and rocks — it was the evidence Scott Ashcraft was looking for. The ancient tools were inadvertently unearthed in 2021 by a bulldozer fighting a wildfire along a steep slope in western North Carolina. Ashcraft, a career U.S. Forest Service archaeologist, […]

NEW YORK (AP) — As the International Rescue Committee copes with dramatic increases in displaced people in recent years, the refugee aid organization has looked for efficiencies wherever it can — including using artificial intelligence. Since 2015, the IRC has invested in Signpost — a portfolio of mobile apps and social media channels that answer […]

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court has decided the state should take a break from executions for the holidays. Justices issued an order on Thursday saying they would wait to sign the next death warrant until at least Jan. 3. South Carolina restarted its death chamber this year after an unintended 13-year […]

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A state judge in Montana heard arguments Thursday over policies that block transgender people from changing the sex designation on their birth certificates and driver’s licenses. District Court Judge Mike Menahan did not immediately issue a ruling on the request for a preliminary injunction to block those prohibitions while the case […]

— THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Hard-right Dutch political leader Geert Wilders on Wednesday blamed “Moroccans” for attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam last week, asserting that they “want to destroy Jews” and recommending the deportation of people convicted of involvement if they have dual nationality. While lawmakers condemned antisemitism and agreed that perpetrators […]

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine’s elections chief, a former civil liberties advocate who sparred with President-elect Donald Trump over ballot access, is acting like a play-by-play sports announcer as she describes the state’s process of determining a congressional winner through ranked choice voting. Shenna Bellows is spending the week streaming the effort live on YouTube […]

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Legislators from Mexico’s ruling party reelected the head of the National Human Rights Commission on Wednesday despite widespread opposition and her failure to call out the government for abuses. The reelection of Rosario Piedra in a party-line Senate vote appeared to be another example of the ruling Morena party’s attempts to […]

An Alberta Crown corporation says it recently experienced “network issues” after it was the target of a cyberattack.  Dwayne Brunner, a spokesman for Alberta Innovates, wouldn’t confirm when the issues began, but said an investigation is underway and all network problems have been resolved. “Alberta Innovates recently experienced network issues, which we quickly resolved and […]

The federal privacy watchdog has opened an investigation into the World Anti-Doping Agency’s handling of biological samples collected from athletes. The office of privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne says the investigation will examine whether the collection, use and disclosure practices of the organization respect Canada’s personal information law for the private sector. The commissioner’s office says […]