DENVER — Colorado transportation officials, anticipating dangerous driving resulting from voters’ decriminalization of certain psychedelic drugs and the growing practice of microdosing, have launched a campaign to prevent driving under the influence: “Plan your trip before you trip.”

Estimating that as many as 5 million people, ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — With a state budget almost a year overdue, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein is urging the General Assembly to spend $1.4 billion on what he calls “critical needs” to keep the state running.

That includes a public safety package with raises for state troopers and correctional officers; raises for teachers and state employees;...Read more

SEATTLE — The rule of law is protected by a thin, black-robed line, and it’s in trouble.

That’s according to experienced judges in Washington, who say threats against the judiciary are at an all-time high, fed by a presidential administration that vilifies dissent and scoffs at the separation of powers.

A trio of judges from both sides ...Read more

Oil is a global market, so when prices rise in one place, they rise everywhere. The current war against Iran has already raised oil prices significantly.

Mideast oil production has been slowed by efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil tankers from the Middle East to the rest of the world, as well as by attacks – ...Read more

Every summer, people living near the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska, keep a close eye on the water level. When the river level begins to rise rapidly, it’s a sign that Suicide Basin, a small glacier-dammed lake 5 miles up the mountains, has broken through the glacier again and a glacial lake outburst flood is underway.

After ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dominic M. Miller pleaded guilty Monday to one count of unlawful use of a weapon in Jackson County Circuit Court for his role in the 2024 Chiefs Super Bowl rally shooting that killed a Kansas City-area mother and injured dozens.

The 20-year-old Kansas City man was accused of firing the fatal shot that killed 43-year-old ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Gracie Mansion counterprotesters accused of throwing IEDs were inspired by the Islamic State terror group and wanted to cause more carnage than the Boston Marathon bombing, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Ibraham Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18, were radicalized and bent on destruction, with two of the three devices linked to ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — A motorist who was pulled over after driving erratically on a Chester County roadway opened fire on a Pennsylvania state trooper Sunday night, killing him, authorities said. Then, they said, the motorist turned his gun on himself and ended his life.

Cpl. Timothy J. O’Connor Jr. stopped the driver shortly before 8:30 p.m. near...Read more

LANSING, Mich. — Kellie Lauwers, the wife of Michigan state Sen. Dan Lauwers, is facing two felony charges, according to court records, after a small chamber of commerce in St. Clair County accused her of stealing from the organization.

On Friday, Kellie Lauwers, who had been the treasurer of the Yale Area Chamber of Commerce, was charged ...Read more

President Donald Trump on Monday urged oil tankers to “show some guts” and sail out of the Persian Gulf amid the danger posed by the Iran war that has practically shut down shipping through the strategic Straits of Hormuz.

As the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran raged with no end in sight, Trump said oil tankers should brave the threat posed by ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Take Minnesota’s state bird, the loon, combine it with the “Star Wars” Rebel Alliance symbol, and the Rebel Loon is born.

During Operation Metro Surge, Moorhead-based software engineer Bernardo Anderson felt inspired when he saw friends come together across the political spectrum.

“I kept thinking about how this is a ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Gracie Mansion counterprotestors accused of throwing IEDs were inspired by ISIS, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday.

Ibraham Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18, were radicalized and bent on destruction,with two of the three devices linked to them containing the hallmark explosive seen in bombings around the world, Tisch ...Read more

BOGOTÁ, Colombia – Colombia’s left wing is on track to win the largest number of seats in legislative elections held Sunday, but faces an emboldened right-wing bloc, according to the preliminary vote count.

The Pacto Historico, or Historic Pact, founded by incumbent president Gustavo Petro – who is not eligible for re-election – won 22...Read more

Iran chose Mojtaba Khamenei, the hardline son of the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as its new supreme leader, signaling Tehran won’t back down in a war now raging across the Middle East and causing a surge in energy prices.

The choice was quickly criticized by U.S. President Donald Trump, who is under mounting pressure as oil prices ...Read more

When Secretary of Defense James Mattis addressed the intensification of U.S. combat operations against the Islamic State group in 2017, he assured the American public of his commitment to “get the strategy right” while maintaining “the rules of engagement” to “protect the innocent.”

Mattis’ professional tone was a stark...Read more

Every morning, people fasten their watch, slip on a bracelet and head out the door without thinking much about what they might encounter along the way. The air they breathe, the dust on their hands and the surfaces they touch all feel ordinary. Yet many chemical exposures happen quietly, without smell, taste or warning.

What if ...Read more

Most people know only two things about the appendix: You don’t need it – and if it bursts, you need surgery fast.

That basic story traces back at least to Charles Darwin, the English naturalist who developed the theory of natural selection. In “The Descent of Man,” he described the appendix as a vestige: a leftover from plant-...Read more

The electricity needed to power new Pennsylvania data centers already in advanced stages of planning could power 11 million homes – nearly twice the total number of households in the state.

Companies that want to build data centers to expand their cloud and artificial intelligence computing are drawn to Pennsylvania due to its ...Read more

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

Why do we see snow on mountaintops that are closer to the Sun but not near the ground? – Ms. Drew’s third grade class, Beechview Elementary School, Farmington Hills, Michigan

...Read more