Author: rpnadmin

Former Miss North Carolina USA Brittany Boltinhouse says she believes her conservative Christian faith and political views played a role in the pageant organization’s decision to strip her of the title just weeks before she was set to compete nationally. The Miss USA Organization announced Wednesday that Ms. Boltinhouse had lost her crown. Chairman and CEO Thom Brodeur did not specify what conduct prompted the move, saying only that the organization “does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia nor language that strips any person of their dignity,” and that the conduct occurred over an extended period, according to a Fox News…

Nikiyah Clark had five boxes and a backpack when she ultimately received the keys to her Howard University dorm. Weeks earlier, the school had told her this moment would never come. When Howard administrators informed Clark – and hundreds of others – that she was permanently unenrolled for missing a tuition fee deadline, she rode a bus from Cleveland, Ohio, to plead with administrators. She left in tears. “I didn’t just lose my dream. I lost my way out,” said the 17-year-old, who had pinned her hopes on Howard as a peaceful environment and a path to financial freedom after…

A new six-race horse championship that excludes Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course could mean the end of the Preakness Stakes as a premium sporting event. The Thoroughbred Championship Series launching next year will travel from Churchill Downs in Kentucky to Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course in New York. It includes the first and last jewels of the Triple Crown — the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes — but skips the middle jewel in Maryland. Churchill Downs Inc., which owns the Derby, says it designed the series with the New York Racing Association “around a shared vision for a season-long championship”…

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is moving to equip officers with body cameras in the next two months but the agency’s policy gives it broad control over what footage will be made public by specifying any releases must be in its “best interests.” After years of delays, ICE said its field officers nationwide will have body-worn cameras by the end of September. The rollout comes after recent fatal shootings by officers enforcing President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown have intensified pressure for accountability that the cameras could provide. But the agency’s body-worn camera policy could mean taxpayers who are pitching in tens…

During a school year, parents spend a grand total of 432 hours on meal planning and preparation. That’s according to a recent survey of 2,000 parents with school-aged kids (5-17), in which respondents said they spend 12 hours on food prep and cooking each week. In the study, parents said they’ll devote three hours to meal planning and another three hours grocery shopping every week, on average. They’ll also spend another two hours packing school lunches and four hours cooking during a typical school week, on average. Simply from a time perspective, keeping a family fed is no easy task.…

More than 50 bodies were found improperly stored and decomposing at a Chicago funeral home on Thursday, prompting a hazardous materials response and efforts to identify the remains and notify relatives, authorities said. Illinois state officials, meanwhile, suspended the license of one of the funeral home’s directors – alleging bodies were being kept in an unrefrigerated area in “deplorable conditions” – and said the owners previously ran a crematory that was shut down after improperly stored bodies were found there. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said it was notified by state and local officials that bodies were being stored…

A resurfaced documentary clip shows Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed complaining about “hating” Mackinac Island, one of the state’s most popular tourist destinations. The footage, taken from the 2020 documentary “How to Fix a Primary” about Mr. El-Sayed’s unsuccessful 2018 run for governor, shows him walking through the island as he says, “I hate Mackinac so much.” Mr. El-Sayed can also be heard suggesting that if his campaign had won, the governor’s summer residence on the island would have become his own vacation spot, adding that he had never enjoyed visiting despite the trip. The clip was posted by…

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito confirmed Friday he’s staying on the nation’s highest court, weeks after a swell of speculation about a possible retirement. “Obviously, I’m here for another term,” Alito, 76, said in an interview published in The Wall Street Journal’s editorial section. Discussion of Alito’s future hit a fever pitch in June, when a mistake by a veteran Supreme Court reporter at National Public Radio resulted in the erroneous publication of a previously prepared retirement story. The story was quickly retracted and the court confirmed it was inaccurate, but that did not stop the talk about…

RICHFIELD, Utah — A helicopter helping battle a large Utah wildfire crashed Friday with no immediate word on the conditions of the two people aboard, federal officials said. The helicopter was one of seven working a fire in central Utah that was caused by lightning on July 27. It crashed near Richfield, which is about 160 miles (258 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed. Local officials in Sevier and Millard counties did not immediately respond to questions about the crash, and the FAA and wildfire officials didn’t have information on the conditions of the two…

Former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn is one of 14 candidates competing for Florida’s open 19th Congressional District seat, a Republican-dominated South Florida district where no clear frontrunner has emerged less than two weeks before the primary. Ten Republicans, three Democrats, one non-party-affiliated candidate and a write-in are seeking the seat being vacated by Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for governor rather than seek reelection. The winner of the Aug. 18 GOP primary is heavily favored to win the general election in November in a district that has never elected a Democrat to Congress. The Republican field has loaned…