The Latest: 9th death reported following powerful nor’easter

The Latest on the nor'easter that's battering coastal areas from Maryland to Maine : 9:30 p.m. Police in Andover, New Jersey say a man was killed by downed power lines during the storm that rampaged up and down the East Coast. NJ.com reports that the 41-year-old man came in contact with live power lines at about 6:45 p.m. Friday.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions says feds will take action in Cleveland opioid lawsuits

The U.S. Department of Justice will get involved with a federal case in Cleveland that consolidates hundreds of government lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday. Sessions said the Justice Department will file a "statement of interest" in the case, currently being heard by a federal judge in Cleveland , filed by local governments, including Cincinnati and Cuyahoga County.

Texas launches Harvey recovery tracker 6 months after storm

Texas launched a public online tool to track incoming and outgoing funds for Hurricane Harvey recovery on Monday, six months after the storm hit and two months after The Associated Press reported that it did not have one. Gov. Greg Abbott called the tracker - which provides a county-level view of the more than $13 billion in flood insurance payouts, hotel vouchers and other forms of federal aid that has been disbursed so far - "a good start in achieving transparency" in a statement from the Texas A&M University System-based Commission to Rebuild Texas.

The Health 202: States are going after opioid makers

Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events Erika Marble visits the gravesite of Edward Martin III, her fiance and father of her two children, who died in 2014 from an overdose of the opioid fentanyl. To understand how states are going on the offensive against opioid makers and distributors for the devastation their pills have caused, look no further than Kentucky, where about as many people die of overdoses every year as from car accidents and gunshots combined.

Flood fears rise as wicked storm system tears across southern, central U.S.

A violent storm system with relentless rains and fierce winds that pounded the southern and central U.S. over the weekend could lead to treacherous flooding in the days ahead. The system that stretched from Texas to the Canadian maritime provinces left a path of destruction as it cut eastward Sunday: Homes were leveled, trees uprooted, cars demolished.

Trump hates California, again slashes earthquake budget

That would seem to be the case as for the second year in a row the president's budget proposal this week zeroed out funding for the ongoing rollout of the earthquake early warning system that will serve the West Coast. Meaning, mostly us, though Oregon and Washington - also disliked by the White House, because they didn't vote for its current occupant - are also part of the system, though with less seismic activity to worry about.

Magnitude-7.2 earthquake slams south, central Mexico

A timeline released by Florida authorities shows that the 19-year-old former student who confessed to a deadly high school shooting was only in the building for six minutes. A timeline released by Florida authorities shows that the 19-year-old former student who confessed to a deadly high school shooting was only in the building for six minutes.

Sen. Murphy: – Scourge of school shooting’

While rescuers were searching for an active shooter and extracting schoolchildren from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Connecticut Senator Christopher Murphy says television showed a horrific scene of children running for their lives in what he says is the 19th school shooting incident of 2018. Here are the remarks U.S. Senator Chris Murphy made on the floor of the U.S. Senate Wednesday in response to reports of an active shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Missouri River reservoirs ready for spring runoff Monday, February 12

The officials who manage the reservoirs along the Missouri River say the system is in good shape to handle this spring's runoff. John Remus with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the reservoirs are ready to reduce flood risk in the region even though runoff is expected to be slightly above average at 104 percent of normal.

FEMA contractor says she is a “scapegoat” in controversy over canceled contract

The woman at the heart of a controversy surrounding a cancelled $156 million contract to provide 30 million meals for victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico says she is being turned into a scapegoat for problems with how FEMA handles contracts with small businesses. House Democrats have asked for the Oversight Committee to subpoena FEMA officials to explain why the contract was issued to a small company called Tribute Contracting, LLC run by Atlanta-based business owner Tiffany Brown - the sole employee listed for that business.

Opioid makers gave $10M to advocacy groups amid epidemic

Companies selling some of the most lucrative prescription painkillers funneled millions of dollars to advocacy groups that in turn promoted the medications' use, according to a report released Monday by a U.S. senator. The investigation by Missouri's Sen. Claire McCaskill sheds light on the opioid industry's ability to shape public opinion and raises questions about its role in an overdose epidemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of American lives.