The Minnesota man who killed Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Vance Boelter was sentenced Thursday after survivors of the attack and family and friends of the victims spoke about the enduring trauma of that … Read moreMan who killed Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman sentenced to life as family describes trauma, loss

The police shooting death of a man with a knife has roiled Wisconsin's capital city and prompted the governor to call for transparency and accountability in any investigation. Community members gathered at a growing memorial Thursday in the intersection where he died. As cellphone video of t… Read moreFatal police shooting of man with knife roils Madison, Wisconsin

Tropical Storm Bertha has made a second landfall near the Texas-Louisiana state line, ending its slow crawl across the U.S. Gulf Coast. The National Hurricane Center said Bertha should weaken rapidly over land after its center come onshore Thursday about 75 miles northeast of Galveston, Texa… Read moreTropical Storm Bertha strikes Gulf Coast near the Texas-Louisiana line in second landfall

Consumers already feeling pinched since the Iran war started may feel more pain after oil prices pushed past $100 a barrel. The elevated price reached on Thursday marked a turn from falling oil prices when hostilities between the U.S. and Iran waned in June. The last time international stand… Read moreGas, groceries and back-to-school items are where shoppers might see higher oil prices surface

The former Matthew Henson Elementary School in Chicago's North Lawndale has been vacant since it closed in 2013. Researchers from the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins found that neighborhoods around these long-vacant schools saw a 10 percent increase in gun violence. The closures were… Read moreSchools Closed, Buildings Sat Empty — And Gun Violence Rose, Study Finds