Hill Country News

Hundreds protest a Trump administration announcement this week that rescinds an Obama-era order allowing transgender students to use school bathrooms matching their gender identities, at the Stonewall Inn on Feb. 23, 2017, in New York. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images/TNS)

Nearly 9 in 10 trans youth say recent wave of anti-LGBTQ policies negatively affected their mental health, poll says

The recent explosion in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric across the country is dramatically affecting LGBTQ youth — especially transgender and nonbinary kids and young adults — according to a poll … more

Muri Assunção, New York Daily News (TNS) | 1/26/23

Lawyer Diane Toscano, who represents Abby Zwerner, the Newport News, Virginia, teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student, reads a statement to media on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in Newport News. (Mike Caudill/The Virginian-Pilot/TNS)

Leadership at Virginia school ‘failed to act’ after 3 warnings boy had gun on day of shooting, attorney says

Richneck Elementary School teacher Abigail Zwerner intends to file a lawsuit against the Newport News school division after school administrators “failed to act” before she … more

Kelsey Kendall and Peter Dujardin, Daily Press (TNS) | 1/25/23

U.S. 30-year fixed mortgage rates reached 6.48% on Jan. 5, 2023, nearly 50% higher than in January of 2019. (Jon Rehg/Dreamstime/TNS)

‘Housing will remain weak throughout the winter,’ economist says

There is one troubling word that Freddie Mac’s chief economist Sam Khater uses to describe the winter 2023 housing market: weak. “The housing market remains in the doldrums with … more

Hunter Boyce, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS) | 1/25/23

A pharmacist prepares to administer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots during an event hosted by the Chicago Department of Public Health at the Southwest Senior Center on September 09, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois.

First real-world data show omicron booster kept seniors out of hospitals

In the first real-world test of vaccine boosters specially designed to protect against the omicron variant, Israeli researchers have found that people 65 and over who got an updated jab were 81% less … more

By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 1/24/23

In this photo from Sept. 27, 2019, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City. The Indian government has asked social media giants Twitter Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube to take down videos and tweets about a BBC documentary on 2002 religious riots in Modi’s home state of Gujarat. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/TNS)

India blocks social media posts on BBC documentary on 2002 riots

The Indian government has asked social media giants Twitter Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube to take down videos and tweets about a BBC documentary on 2002 religious riots in Prime Minister … more

Ashutosh Joshi, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 1/23/23

President Joe Biden welcomes bipartisan mayors attending the Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting to the White House on Jan. 20, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The Justice Department found six items containing classified information during a Friday search of Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware, his personal lawyers said on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

DOJ officials find more classified documents at President Biden’s home

The Justice Department found six items containing classified information during a Friday search of President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, his personal lawyers said on … more

Jennifer Jacobs and Jordan Fabian, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 1/22/23

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 7, known as the “stop woke act,” in Hialeah Gardens, Florida, on April 22, 2022. (Daniel A. Varela/Miami Herald/TNS)

Florida cites CRT, ‘Black Struggle,’ and communism in rejected African American course

Florida rejected an Advanced Placement African American studies course because it contains critical race theory and state leaders objected to its lessons on “Black queer studies." … more

Leslie Postal, Orlando Sentinel (TNS) | 1/22/23

JUUL Labs Inc. Virginia tobacco and menthol flavored vaping e-cigarette products are displayed in a convenience store on June 23, 2022, in El Segundo, California. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

Juul settlement to end youth-vaping lawsuits gets initial approval

Juul Labs Inc. won preliminary approval of a settlement aimed at resolving thousands of lawsuits targeting the e-cigarette maker as a major cause of a US youth-vaping epidemic. U.S. District Judge … more

Jef Feeley, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 1/22/23

Journalist Jeff German is shown on the Las Vegas Strip on June 2, 2021. The Las Vegas Review-Journal is asking a judge to impose sanctions on the Metropolitan Police Department for not informing the newspaper that investigators have searched the cellphone of German, who was found dead outside his home on Sept. 2, 2022, in what has been characterized as a homicide. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS)

Newspaper seeks sanctions after police search of slain reporter’s phone

The Las Vegas Review-Journal is asking a judge to impose sanctions on the Metropolitan Police Department for not informing the newspaper that investigators have searched the … more

Katelyn Newberg, Las Vegas Review-Journal (TNS) | 1/22/23

Former President Donald Trump arrives for a New Year's event at his Mar-a-Lago home on Dec. 31, 2022, in Palm Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/TNS)

Trump not scared by judge’s million-dollar smack, experts say

A court order that Donald Trump and his lawyer must pay almost $1 million in sanctions for filing an “abusive” lawsuit against Hillary Clinton probably won’t succeed in … more

Erik Larson, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 1/21/23

Travelers wait to hear if their flight will depart on time, at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, on January 11, 2023. - The US Federal Aviation Authority ordered a temporary halt to all domestic flight departures Wednesday, after a major system outage that disrupted air traffic across the country. Airlines and airports were left scrambling with news of the nationwide pause, as the White House said there was no immediate evidence of a cyberattack. (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

US air traffic halt caused by ‘unintentionally’ deleted files

The contractors who damaged computer files leading to the massive Jan. 11 disruptions to the U.S. flight system did so “unintentionally,” aviation regulators said Thursday … more

Alan Levin, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 1/20/23

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a news conference on Sept. 21, 2022, in New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/TNS)

Trump drops lawsuit against NY Attorney General Letitia James after being fined nearly $1 million for ‘strategic abuse’ of legal system

Former President Donald Trump dropped a lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James on Friday just a day after a federal judge slapped him and a lawyer with a nearly $1 … more

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News (TNS) | 1/20/23

A computer screen relaying North Dakota Gov. Burgum's State of the State Address during the governor's inauguration at the State Capitol Building, Jan. 3, 2017, in Bismarck, North Dakota. Republican lawmakers in North Dakota have introduced legislation seeking to prohibit transgender and nonbinary people from using pronouns according to their gender identity. (Joel Angel Juarez/Zuma Press/TNS)

N. Dakota bill would bar people from using pronouns according to gender identity; $1,500 fines threatened

Republican lawmakers in North Dakota have introduced legislation seeking to prohibit transgender and nonbinary people from using pronouns according to their gender identity. Senate Bill 1299 … more

Muri Assuncao, New York Daily News (TNS) | 1/19/23

Consider a mortgage rate buy-down to lower mortgage interest rates.

Here’s how you can lower your mortgage interest rate

30-year-fixed mortgage rates reached 6.48% on Jan. 5, almost 50% higher than during the same month four years ago. Home prices took a hit during the back half of 2022 as mortgage rates began to rise. … more

By Hunter Boyce, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS) | 1/19/23

Jungle Cruise in Adventureland inside Disneyland in Anaheim, California, on Friday, July 9, 2021. (Jeff Gritchen/Orange County Register/TNS)

Disneyland employees laughed at struggling disabled guest before fall, wrongful death suit alleges

Disneyland employees laughed at the struggles of a disabled woman rather than help her out of a Jungle Cruise boat before she suffered a fall that ultimately led to her death, a lawsuit … more

Brian Rokos and Brady MacDonald, The Orange County Register (TNS) | 1/18/23

A dozen eggs cost $5.29 on Jan. 7, 2023, at a Target in Lewisville, Texas. Egg prices have soared recently, driven largely by a devastating avian flu outbreak.

Egg prices are sky-high. When will they come down?

A humble supermarket staple is no longer.Egg prices have soared in recent months, driven largely by a devastating outbreak of avian flu. Some stores have even placed limits on purchases as reports of … more

By Sarah Bahari, The Dallas Morning News (TNS) | 1/17/23

The U.S. housing market continued to sag in October as the impact of higher mortgage rates and concerns over the economy rattled buyers and sellers.

Here’s how much buyers are saving on monthly payments as mortgage rates decline

After months of record highs, mortgage rates are showing signs of easing, sending some relief to potential homebuyers’ budgets.The decline in mortgage rates from when they peaked in the fall is … more

By Amber Bonefont, Tribune News Service | 1/15/23

Elizabeth and Nick Woodruff of Binghamton, New York, were sued for nearly $10,000 by the hospital where Nick's infected leg was amputated.

Hundreds of US hospitals sue patients or threaten their credit, a KHN investigation finds

Despite growing evidence of the harm caused by medical debt, hundreds of U.S. hospitals maintain policies to aggressively pursue patients for unpaid bills, using tactics such as lawsuits, selling … more

By Noam N. Levey, Kaiser Health News (TNS) | 1/14/23

In this photo from August 20, 2022, former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Bremer County Republicans' Grill and Chill lunch in Waverly, Iowa. Pence was introduced as "the next president of the United States" during the event.

Republicans ramp up anti-ESG campaign for 2023

The investing strategy known as ESG is under attack, and virtually no one expects the backlash to die down.More than a dozen Republican state attorneys general have blasted ESG financial practices, … more

By Saijel Kishan and Danielle Moran, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 1/10/23

The ozone layer lies in the upper stratosphere, blocking radiation that can cause skin cancer and cataracts as well as damage crops.

Earth’s ozone layer is healing, UN report finds

The depleted ozone layer that shields Earth from harmful UV radiation will be healed by mid-century, a new United Nations report stated on Monday.Thanks to international cooperation starting in 1989, … more

By Theresa Braine, New York Daily News (TNS) | 1/10/23

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