Thousands forced to evacuate over explosion fears after fire at Winston-Salem fertilizer plant

At least 6,000 residents are being asked to evacuate their homes over fears of an explosion after a fire broke out at a fertilizer plant in the North Carolina city of Winston-Salem.The fire at the Winston Weaver Co. fertilizer plant was still active as of around 4:30 a.m. ET, Winston-Salem Fire Department Battalion Chief Patrick…Continue Reading

The year that celebrating Lunar New Year changed my life

As a third-culture Taiwanese kid growing up in the West, I experienced a constant tug-of-war between the American culture that surrounded me and the Asian traditions I was raised with. Navigating these two worlds is something that most Asian Americans and Asians growing up in the West can relate to. Feeling they were mutually exclusive,…Continue Reading

The GOP’s midterm playbook: Flip the script on Covid

In Pennsylvania, a Republican Senate candidate bashes the federal government’s Covid response in TV ads. In Ohio, another promotes ending vaccination mandates. In Florida, the Republican governor criticizes the “flip flops” of the government’s top infectious disease specialist during the pandemic.Like never before, Republicans are campaigning on the coronavirus, looking to harness the anger of…Continue Reading

Here are 50 books Texas parents want banned from school libraries

Conservative parents have swarmed school board meetings in Texas and across the country in recent months to call for the removal of library books that deal with race, racism, sex, gender and sexuality. Some parents have taken it a step further, filling out paperwork to formally challenge the appropriateness of library books and forcing school…Continue Reading

Banned: Books on race and sexuality are disappearing from Texas schools in record numbers

KATY, Texas — From a secluded spot in her high school library, a 17-year-old girl spoke softly into her cellphone, worried that someone might overhear her say the things she’d hidden from her parents for years. They don’t know she’s queer, the student told a reporter, and given their past comments about homosexuality’s being a…Continue Reading

Time for Iran to make ‘tough decisions’ on whether to revive 2015 nuclear deal, says U.S. official

Nuclear talks between world powers and Iran are entering the “final stretch” and leaders in Tehran must now make tough political decisions about whether to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, a senior State Department official said Monday.After the latest round of talks in Vienna produced progress, the negotiations have reached a critical stage, and…Continue Reading

477-mile lightning bolt spanning 3 states sets world record

A bolt of lightning that stretched nearly 500 miles across three U.S. states has set a world record for longest flash.The single flash extended 477.2 miles across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi in April 2020, the World Meteorological Organization said Monday. The previous record was 440.6 miles, set in 2018 in Brazil.Also in 2020, a single lightning flash…Continue Reading