What You Should Know About the Man Behind the Alfred E. Smith Dinner

After Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton gave speeches that danced on the razor edge of good spirit at Thursday night's annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner , Smith's name is all over the news. Trump's poorly landed joke about Clinton "pretending not to hate Catholics," which drew boos from the crowd, points to a key fact about the man and why he is honored with such an event: Smith was the first Catholic presidential candidate of a major party, at a time when distrust of Catholics was widespread in the United States.

DOJ to investigate conditions at Alabama prisons

The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday launched an investigation into conditions in Alabama prisons, a corrections system that has been troubled by overcrowding and rocked by recent outbreaks of violence. The investigation by the Justice Department 's Civil Rights Division will focus on whether male inmates are housed in safe, secure and sanitary conditions and protected from physical harm and sexual abuse, the department indicated.

Supreme Court in holding pattern, awaiting ninth justice

The Supreme Court is set to begin its new term as it ended the last one, down one justice and ideologically deadlocked on a range of issues. The absence of a ninth justice since Antonin Scalia's death in February has hamstrung the court in several cases and forced the justices to look for less contentious issues on which they are less likely to divide by 4-4 votes.

The Bates memorial

A place for the writings and the ideas of the people in and around the Ridenbaugh Press. Legislators descended upon the capitol building in Salem last week for a series of interim committee meetings.

William P. Long

William P. Long, 85, of Amherst, NH passed away on Tuesday, September 20, 2016 at his home with his loving family by his side. William was born in Amherst, NH on September 17, 1931, to Charles and Ruth Long, where he lived all his life.

Arizona’s 1st female governor, Rose Mofford, dies at 94

This Jan. 3, 2011 file photo, former Arizona governor Rose Mofford, left, gets a hug from a supporter as she sits next to another former Arizona governor Raul Castro, right, prior to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer taking the oath of office at inaugural ceremonies at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix. A former spokeswoman says Arizona's first female governor, Mofford, died Thursday, Sept.

Watch: Fallon Smart’s mother asks city council to address traffic safety

The mother of 15-year-old Fallon Smart , who was struck and killed by a driver while crossing Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard last month, asked the Portland City Council to address street safety in testimony Wednesday that recounted the day of the crash. Fallon Smart, a 15-year-old who was about to begin her sophomore year at Franklin High School, died Friday after she was struck by a car at the intersection of Hawthorne Boulevard and 43rd Avenue.

Ridgefield Park Fire Chief Michael Lauer pulls the veil off the new sign on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016.

Dozens gathered Sunday near the fire bell on Euclid to remember the men and women who lost their lives 15 years ago and to honor Hatton, an FBI special agent. "We gather today because we realize just how fragile that sense of safety can be, but we know we are blessed because we could never forget the men and women who gave their lives on an ordinary day,'' said Rev.

Female WWII pilot has finally been laid to rest at Arlington

It took an act of Congress, but World War II pilot Elaine Harmon was finally laid to rest Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery. Harmon died last year at age 95. She was one of the Women Airforce Service Pilots , a group of women who flew military aircraft on noncombat missions during World War II so that men were freed up for combat.

US conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly dead at 92

Conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly introduces US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Peabody Opera House in St Louis, Missouri, March 11, 2016. Photo: Reuters Phyllis Schlafly, who became a "founding mother" of the modern US conservative movement by battling feminists in the 1970s and working tirelessly to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment, died on Monday at the age of 92, her Eagle Forum group said.

John Sandy

He was retired from the U.S. Air Force, after serving 20-plus years. He then worked for the Department of Defense as a computer systems analyst for 18 years. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Jane of Deer Park, Wash.; and sons, John of Jensen Beach, Fla., and James of Spokane, Wash.