WPTF News Archives - Page 12 of 91

Elwood Edwards, the man behind the voice of AOL’s ‘You’ve got mail’ greeting, dies at 74

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 8, 2024, 11:31 am

The man who voiced America Online’s famous “You’ve got mail” greeting has died at age 74. Elwood Edwards died Tuesday at his home in New Bern, North Carolina. His daughter says the cause was complications from a stroke. Edwards taped his AOL greeting in 1989 while sitting in the living room of his home. “You’ve got mail” became a pop culture catchphrase in the late 1990s and served as the title of the 1998 film starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Edwards was also the voice of AOL’s “Welcome,” “Goodbye” and “File’s Done” messages. He was paid $200 for the recordings.… Read More

43 monkeys escape from a South Carolina medical lab. Police say there is no serious danger

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 7, 2024, 11:42 pm

YEMASSEE, S.C. (AP) – A police chief in South Carolina says there is no “almost no danger” to the public after 43 monkeys escaped from a compound used for medical research. Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander says the monkeys from the Alpha Genesis faculty aren’t infected with any diseases and are harmless and probably skittish. Police say the female Rhesus macaque primates weighing about 7 pounds escaped Wednesday when a new employee didn’t fully shut an enclosure. Authorities say Alpha Genesis employees can see the monkeys and are setting traps and using thermal imaging cameras to capture them. Police say people should close their windows and doors and call 911 if they see a monkey.… Read More

Republicans make gains in numerous state legislatures. But Democrats also notch a few wins

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 7, 2024, 9:19 pm

Republicans running on the ballot underneath President-elect Donald Trump have made gains in numerous state legislatures. But Democrats also notched a few wins in an expensive battle for state power. The most notable change came in Michigan, where Republicans won back the House just two years after Democrats took full control of state government. Republicans also appear on track to force a tie in the Minnesota House, which had been led by Democrats. Both parties scored some incremental victories. Republicans ended Democrats’ veto-proof supermajority in Vermont, while Democrats appeared on track to do the same in North Carolina.… Read More

President-elect Trump names Susie Wiles as chief of staff, first woman in the post

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 7, 2024, 8:45 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has named Susie Wiles, the manager of his victorious campaign, as his White House chief of staff. She would be the first woman to hold the influential role. Wiles is widely credited within and outside Trump’s inner circle for running what was, by far, his most disciplined and well-executed campaign. She largely avoided the spotlight, even refusing to take the mic to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning.… Read More

NASCAR’s championship weekend shrouded in off-track drama from lawsuit to alleged race manipulation

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 7, 2024, 8:01 pm

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — NASCAR heads into its championship weekend locked into a federal antitrust lawsuit with NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan. Its officiating has been under months-long scrutiny, and this week it issued a wave of hefty fines for alleged race manipulation in the final playoff qualifier. Other than that? Three champions will be crowned starting Friday at Phoenix Raceway. But those national series races have become a sideshow to the off-track drama that has engulfed NASCAR the last several months. Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick will race for the championship Sunday.… Read More

Republican David McCormick flips pivotal Pennsylvania Senate seat, ousts Bob Casey

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 7, 2024, 5:37 pm

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican David McCormick has won Pennsylvania’s pivotal U.S. Senate seat, beating three-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. The victory pads Republicans’ majority in the Senate, which they wrested from Democratic control this week. The 59-year-old McCormick was CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund and served in former President George W. Bush’s administration. Casey is the son of a former two-term governor and Pennsylvania’s longest-serving Democrat in the Senate. McCormick attacked Casey as a do-nothing career politician. The Republican also benefited from tens of millions in campaign cash from billionaires and other Wall Street allies. It was McCormick’s second time running. He lost narrowly in 2022’s seven-way GOP primary.… Read More

CDC calls for expanded testing for bird flu after blood tests reveal more farmworker infections

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 7, 2024, 5:32 pm

Federal health officials are calling for more testing and treatment of workers on farms with bird flu. The new guidance comes after a study showed that some dairy workers had signs of infection, even when they didn’t report feeling sick. Blood tests of 115 workers on farms in Michigan and Colorado showed that eight workers had antibodies that indicated previous infection. The finding suggests the virus may be spreading more widely. Four of the workers reported feeling sick and four reported no symptoms. Officials said the risk to the public remains low.… Read More

No. 9 Tar Heels visit No. 1 Kansas in only second on-campus showdown between college hoops titans

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 7, 2024, 5:25 pm

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — North Carolina and Kansas will be meeting for only the 13th time in their storied histories on Friday night, and for only the second time, the ninth-ranked Tar Heels will be playing the top-ranked Jayhawks on campus. The game at Allen Fieldhouse is the first of a rare home-and-home series that sees Kansas heading to Chapel Hill in November 2025. While the two bluebloods have rarely played, their 12 matchups have carried plenty of weight. Seven have been in the NCAA Tournament, five have been in the Final Four and, in 1957 and 2022, the two played for the national championship.… Read More

Stock market today: Most of Wall Street rises after the Fed cuts interest rates

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 7, 2024, 5:17 pm

NEW YORK (AP) — Most U.S. stocks rose as the Federal Reserve cut interest rates again to make things easier for the economy. The S&P 500 climbed 0.7% Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was virtually unchanged, and the Nasdaq composite gained 1.5%. The rate cut was widely expected. What’s less certain going forward is how much Donald Trump’s presidential victory may change things for the Fed. Chair Jerome Powell said it’s too early to know what it will mean for the Fed’s policies. Treasury yields remained lower following the Fed’s announcement. Bank stocks and smaller companies also lagged the market as other Trump trades lost momentum.… Read More

Biden gets blamed by Harris allies for the vice president’s resounding loss to Trump

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 7, 2024, 3:09 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden’s name wasn’t on the ballot. But history will likely remember Vice President Kamala Harris’ resounding defeat as his loss, too. As Democrats pick up the pieces following President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory over Harris, some Harris backers are expressing frustration with Biden’s decision to remain in the race — despite voter concerns about his age and unease about post-pandemic inflation — until this summer. His decision to wait until just 107 days before Election Day is a move that his Democratic critics say all but sealed his party’s surrender of the White House.… Read More

Democratic incumbent Don Davis wins reelection in North Carolina’s only toss-up congressional race

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 7, 2024, 2:46 pm

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Democratic freshman Rep. Don Davis has won reelection, defending his seat from a challenge by Republican opponent Laurie Buckhout in North Carolina’s only toss-up congressional race. Davis faced an uphill battle this year after redistricting by the GOP-controlled state legislature made the 1st Congressional District less blue than it once was. The race that culminated in Davis’ victory attracted millions of advertising dollars from both parties as Davis and Buckhout tried to capitalize on swaying the purple district.… Read More

A green giant: This year’s 74-foot Rockefeller Christmas tree is en route from Massachusetts

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 7, 2024, 12:01 pm

WEST STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — A giant Norway spruce that will serve as this year’s Rockefeller Christmas tree is en route to New York City from its tiny Massachusetts hometown. The 74-foot-high conifer from West Stockbridge was cut down on Thursday and hoisted onto a flatbed truck by crane. It will be erected in midtown Manhattan on Saturday. People from across the country flocked to West Stockbridge to see the spruce, the first Rockefeller Christmas tree to hail from Massachusetts since 1959. The tree will be draped with 50,000 multi-colored lights and be topped by a Swarovski star. Its scheduled Dec. 4 lighting will be broadcast live on TV.… Read More