NHRA drag racing great John Force shows improvement but long road to recovery after brain injury

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — NHRA drag racing great John Force suffered a traumatic brain injury in a fiery, 300 mph crash at the Virginia Nationals a week ago but is showing “daily signs of improvement” in a neurological intensive care unit, according to his team. John Force Racing...

Should gun store sales get special credit card tracking? States split on mandating or prohibiting it

Beginning Monday, a California law will require credit card networks like Visa and Mastercard to provide banks with special retail codes that can be assigned to gun stores in order to track their sales. But new laws will do the exact opposite in Georgia, Iowa, Tennessee and Wyoming...

For India's garbage pickers, a miserable and dangerous job made worse by extreme heat

JAMMU, India (AP) — The putrid smell of burning garbage wafts for miles from the landfill on the outskirts of Jammu in a potentially toxic miasma fed by the plastics, industrial, medical and other waste generated by a city of some 740,000 people. But a handful of waste pickers ignore both the...

Angels star Mike Trout is hoping to return to the team's lineup by late July

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout repeatedly said he doesn't have a timetable for his return. However, the Los Angeles Angels slugger did admit he would be disappointed if he wasn't playing by the end of July. “Oh yeah, I'll be back before that,” Trout said Saturday before the...

What to know about water safety before heading to the beach or pool this summer

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — With school out for the summer and temperatures rising across the country, many families will visit the beach, lake or local swimming pool. Now is the time to review safety tips to keep children safe around water. Drowning is the leading cause of death...

ESPN’s Dick Vitale diagnosed with cancer for a 4th time with surgery scheduled for Tuesday

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale said on social media he has been diagnosed with cancer for a fourth time. Vitale announced Friday that a biopsy of a lymph node in his network showed cancer. He is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday. ...

Nevada verifies enough signatures to put constitutional amendment for abortion rights on ballot

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A ballot question to enshrine Nevada’s abortion rights in the state constitution has met all of the requirements to appear in front of voters in November, the Nevada Secretary of State’s office announced Friday, and Democrats across the nation hope similar measures mobilize...

Nevada officials verify enough signatures to put proposed constitutional amendment for abortion rights on 2024 ballot

US miners' union head calls House Republican effort to block silica dust rule an 'attack' on workers

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The head of the national mine workers’ union on Friday condemned what he characterized as an effort by House Republicans to block enforcement of a long-awaited federal rule directed at curbing workers' exposure to poisonous, deadly rock dust, calling it “a direct...

Research gives more reassurance that milk pasteurization kills bird flu, officials say

NEW YORK (AP) — A new study that recreated commercial pasteurization in a government lab provides reassurance that heat treatment kills bird flu virus in cow’s milk, U.S. officials said Friday. When the bird flu known as H5N1 was first detected in U.S. dairy cows earlier this...