Shutdown averted, Senate backs stop-gap spending bill

With less than hour to spare, the Senate late Friday backed legislation averting a government shutdown as coal-state Democrats retreated on long-term health care benefits for retired miners and promised a renewed fight for the working class next year. The 63-36 vote sent the stop-gap spending bill to President Barack Obama, who signed the measure early Saturday morning.

Virginia Flood Damage from Matthew Costliest Since Isabel, Officials Say

Virginia suffered only a glancing blow from Hurricane Matthew last month when unprecedented amounts of rain fell, but on Wednesday officials estimated flood damage to be hundreds of millions of dollars, making it the costliest storm since Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Emergency management officials are now renewing calls for residents to get flood insurance, saying a vast majority of homeowners in areas vulnerable to major hurricane storm surge lack coverage.

Gambian official: Opposition candidate Barrow wins election

So far, the hundreds of protesters fighting the Dakota Access pipeline have shrugged off the heavy snow, icy winds and frigid temperatures that have swirled around their large encampment on the North Dakota... So far, the hundreds of protesters fighting the Dakota Access pipeline have shrugged off the heavy snow, icy winds and frigid temperatures that have swirled around their large encampment on the North Dakota grasslands.

Brown water, beaver battle among early signs of water woes

Beaver dams have been demolished, burbling fountains silenced, and the drinking water in one southern town has taken on the light brownish color of sweet tea. Though water shortages have yet to drastically change most people's lifestyles, southerners are beginning to realize that they'll need to save their drinking supplies with no end in sight to an eight-month drought.

Officials outline flood insurance offerings

If Jefferson City residents want flood insurance, it's available at an affordable premium, according to state and federal emergency management officials who led a Flood Insurance Open House at City Hall this week. Floods, flood insurance, stormwater and the municipal infrastructure that handles stormwater have been issues of citywide concern since the flash floods of August and September.

New Aerial Survey Identifies More Than 100 Million Dead Trees in California

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that the U.S. Forest Service has identified an additional 36 million dead trees across California since its last aerial survey in May 2016. This brings the total number of dead trees since 2010 to over 102 million on 7.7 million acres of California's drought stricken forests.

Officials survey crop damages

Hurricane Matthew might have been the death knell for many Eastern North Carolina farmers, according to federal officials touring devastated farms Thursday in Edgecombe County. U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-1st District, said many farmers were already operating at a margin when the storm blew into town in early October.

Massive Oklahoma manhunt ends with fugitive suspect dead

A western Oklahoma county sheriff says the manhunt is over for Michael Dale Vance Jr., a suspect in a string of violent crimes. A massive, weeklong manhunt for a suspect in a string of violent crimes, including the killing of two relatives, the shooting of three law enforcement officers and multiple carjackings, has ended in a police chase and... Authorities say investigators found three people shot to death outside a rural home in central Kansas, and an unharmed 18-month-old child was found inside.

Clinton lining up policy priorities for 2017, if she wins

A western Oklahoma county sheriff says the manhunt is over for Michael Dale Vance Jr., a suspect in a string of violent crimes. A massive, weeklong manhunt for a suspect in a string of violent crimes, including the killing of two relatives, the shooting of two police officers and multiple carjackings, ended on Sunday evening in a police chase and... Police say as many as 70 members of rival motorcycle clubs brawled during a classic car show on New York's Long Island, leaving two people hurt.

LGBT law, hurricane jostle close N. Carolina governor’s race

Republican Gov. Pat McCrory has been unable to quash the firestorm over his signing of a law limiting protections for LGBT people, while trying to focus his re-election bid on North Carolina's economy, taxes, teacher pay and his recent response to historic flooding. That legislation has reinforced this election as a referendum on North Carolina's conservative shift under McCrory and the Republican-led legislature.

4 Years After Storm, Some Places Changed by Sandy Forever

CW44 Station Bio- WTOG-TV first began operations on November 4, 1968, broadcasting on UHF channel 44. Originally owned my Minnesota-based Hubbard Broadcasting Corp., WTOG solidified itself in the Tampa Bay market by being the area's only [] 4 Years After Storm, Some Places Changed by Sandy Forever For four years, people have worked hard and mostly successfully to erase the deep scars Superstorm Sandy left on the New York and New Jersey coastlines when it crashed ashore with deadly force on Oct. 29, 2012. Trump Campaign Downplays Clinton Cash Advantage The Trump campaign on Friday downplayed federal filings showing Hillary Clinton with an $85 million cash advantage in the final stretch of the campaign.

Effingham hastens storm cleanup

Taking advantage of federal and state funds, Effingham County commissioners agreed Monday to hire debris removal and monitoring companies to clean up after Hurricane Matthew. Clint Hodges, the director of the county's Emergency Management Agency, said the county will be reimbursed more funding if it cleans up the debris quickly - up to 85 percent of the cleanup cost by FEMA and 13 percent by the state.