On Juneteenth, a journalist honors ancestor at ceremony for Black soldiers who served in Civil War

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was the middle of the night in the summer of 2021 when I finally found the missing piece of my family history. My great-great-great-great grandfather Hewlett Sands, born into slavery in Oyster Bay, New York in 1820, was one of the more than 200,000 names listed...

Today in History: June 19, Senate approves Civil Rights Act of 1964

Today in History Today is Wednesday, June 19, the 171st day of 2024. There are 195 days left in the year. This is Juneteenth. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 19, 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was approved by the U.S. Senate, 73-27, after...

The beginner's guide to celebrating Juneteenth

For more than one-and-a-half centuries, the Juneteenth holiday has been sacred to many Black communities. It marks the day in 1865 enslaved people in Galveston, Texas found out they had been freed — after the end of the Civil War, and two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s...

Juneteenth proclaimed state holiday again in Alabama, after bill to make it permanent falters

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has again authorized Juneteenth— the day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States — as a state holiday, while legislative efforts to make it a permanent holiday in the state have so far faltered. Ivey’s office said...

Texas bridge connecting Galveston and Pelican Island reopened after barge collision

HOUSTON (AP) — A bridge near Galveston, Texas, that was damaged last week when a barge carrying fuel broke free from a tugboat has reopened to vehicle and pedestrian traffic after safety inspections deemed it safe, officials said. The barge crashed into a pillar supporting the...

US Coast Guard says Texas barge collision may have spilled up to 2,000 gallons of oil

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — Early estimates indicate up to 2,000 gallons of oil may have spilled into surrounding waters when a barge carrying fuel broke free from a tugboat and slammed into a bridge near Galveston, Texas, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday. The barge crashed into a...

US Coast Guard says early estimates show barge collision in Galveston may have spilled up to 2,000 gallons of oil

Barge hits bridge connecting Galveston and Pelican Island, causing partial collapse and oil spill

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into waters near busy shipping channels and closing the only road to a small neighboring island. No injuries were reported. The impact sent pieces of the bridge, which...

A barge has hit a bridge in Galveston, Texas, partially collapsing a rail line and closing only road to a small island

At least 15 people died in Texas after medics injected sedatives during encounters with police

At least 15 people died in Texas over a decade following a physical encounter with police during which medical personnel also injected them with a powerful sedative, an investigation led by The Associated Press has found. Several of the fatal incidents occurred in Dallas and its...