Brad Matthews

Biden slaps 20-year ban on mining, geothermal exploration in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters

The Biden administration has banned mining and geothermal exploration in more than 225,000 acres of forest in Minnesota's Rainy River watershed, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

January 27, 2023

Storm positive: California boosts water allocation

Winter rain the past two months is letting California increase its water allocation to 29 agencies, the California Department of Water Resources announced Thursday.

January 27, 2023

Fossilized amphibian dating back 220 million years found in Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park

A new species of fossilized caecilian, a worm-like amphibian, has been found in Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park.

January 26, 2023

Third passenger stopped with gun in carry-on bag this week at Reagan Airport in Washington

Transportation Security Administration officials stopped an Alexandria man Wednesday from boarding a plane with a 9mm handgun loaded with 10 bullets at Reagan National Airport.

January 26, 2023

Federal agents bust ‘brazen’ scheme dealing in fake nursing diplomas across five states

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General and law enforcement charged 25 recruiters and school officials in five states with participating in a scheme to sell fraudulent nursing diplomas, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

January 26, 2023

Louisiana prisons keep inmates beyond release dates in violation of 14th Amendment, contends DOJ

The Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections violates the Constitution's 14th Amendment in routinely keeping prisoners incarcerated beyond their release date, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

January 26, 2023

Glitch at NYSE’s Chicago data center prevents opening auction and setting prices

A human error at a New York Stock Exchange data center in Chicago, wherein backup systems were left running, caused the exchange's computers to treat Tuesday's opening bell as a continuation of the previous day's trades.

January 26, 2023

Maryland governor’s office settles with U.S. attorney over alleged misuse of AmeriCorps funds

The Maryland Governor's Office on Service and Volunteerism will pay $639,916 to the federal government to settle allegations during the Hogan administration of misusing AmeriCorps funds intended to subsidize volunteerism, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland announced Tuesday.

January 25, 2023

Customs officials at Dulles airport seize marijuana from Nigeria-bound passenger

Customs and Border Protection officials recently busted a traveler bound for Lagos, Nigeria, finding two pounds and four ounces of marijuana in two vacuum-locked bags.

January 25, 2023

Study finds Minnesota, Oregon fastest-talking states, Louisiana and South Carolina slowest

Contrary to stereotypes of quick-speaking East Coast city slickers, Minnesota is the fastest-talking state at 5.34 syllables per second, according to a study from language learning platform Preply.

January 25, 2023

Hawaii man exonerated of 1991 murder, rape charges, released from prison

A Hawaii man convicted of a 1991 murder, abduction and rape of a Virginia tourist and sentenced to 130 years in prison in 2000 was released from an Arizona prison Tuesday. New examinations of tire tracks and DNA evidence cleared the man's name.

January 25, 2023

Mars, here we come: NASA teaming up to make nuclear-powered rocket

NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are partnering to develop nuclear thermal propulsion rockets, with hopes of using the engines to send human crews to Mars, the space agency announced Tuesday.

January 25, 2023

Where’s the whiskey? Maker of Fireball Cinnamon sued over product labels

Sazerac, maker of Fireball, is being sued in Illinois over alleged misleading labeling.

January 25, 2023

TSA stops two passengers with guns in four days at Reagan National Airport

Transportation Security Administration officers stopped two gun-toting passengers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in four days, bringing the total number of guns seized so far in 2023 to five.

January 24, 2023

Virginia family sentenced for conspiracy to compel forced labor of Pakistani woman for 12 years

A Virginia family was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for conspiracy to compel the forced labor of a female in-law and Pakistan national, Maira Butt.

January 24, 2023

Dog fatally shoots hunter with his own rifle by stepping on it in the backseat of a pickup

A Kansas hunter died Saturday morning after being shot by a dog that stepped on his rifle in the backseat of a pickup truck.

January 24, 2023

Japanese PM Kishida tells parliament: Low birthrate requires expanded programs to reverse trends

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged action on reversing the country's low birthrate.

January 24, 2023

International researchers find 5 meteorites in Antarctica — one weighing 16.7 pounds

An international team of researchers from Belgium, Switzerland and the U.S. found five meteorites in Antarctica on a trip in December.

January 24, 2023

‘Mattress Mack’ places two million dollar wagers on Dallas Cowboys to beat San Francisco 49ers

Houston furniture store owner Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, famous for his public big money wagers on Texas sports and philanthropy, has placed two $1 million bets on the Dallas Cowboys moneyline for their Sunday game against the San Francisco 49ers.

January 21, 2023

Metrorail will be able to run more 7000-series trains after winning appeal to safety regulators

The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority says Metrorail will be able to run more 7000-series trains and lower wait times after winning an appeal to the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, the transit agency announced on Twitter Friday.

January 21, 2023