USA

Gov. Larry Rhoden participates in a Republican gubernatorial primary debate on April 13, 2026, at the South Dakota Public Broadcasting studio in Sioux Falls. (Photo by Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight) Searchlight Report is a podcast from South Dakota Searchlight. Reporter and host Meghan O’Brien works with other Searchlight journalists to take listeners inside politics and policy in The Mount Rushmore State.   In this special edition o

Portland, Biddeford, Brunswick, Kennebunk and Wiscasset are just some of the locales that hold the events on a regular basis.

Authorities say the 20-year-old man's body was found in Graham Lake on Friday evening.

Public Service Commission candidates, clockwise from top left, Sheri Haugen-Hoffart, Jill Kringstad, Chris Olson, John Pederson, Scot Kelsh and Deven Styczynski. (Photos courtesy of the candidates)Carbon pipelines could aid a new era of North Dakota oil production, but challengers running for seats on the agency that permits pipelines argue there are flaws in the process. There are two seats on the three-person Public Service Commission up for election in 2026. One is held by Sheri Haugen-Hoffar

Because of the West Virginia House of Delegate’s rule that lawmakers can’t use props in the chamber, Del. Shawn Fluharty placed a large poster of Raylee Browning — the namesake of Raylee’s Law — outside of the House chamber while lawmakers debated the bill on the final night of the legislative session on Saturday, March 14, 2026. (Photo by Perry Bennett/West Virginia Legislative Photography)A high-profile bill known as Raylee’s Law, which West Virginia lawmakers have struggled with for years, ha

Shipping cranes stand above container ships loaded with shipping containers at the Port of Los Angeles on Feb. 20, 2026, in Los Angeles, Calif. The fiscal leaders of several states are demanding transparency and consumer fairness as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to refund billions in international tariffs. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)The fiscal leaders of several states are demanding transparency and consumer fairness as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to refu

Tennessee Republican leaders unveil their “Immigration 2026” agenda at a news conference in January. Tennessee and other conservative states are mandating that state and local social service providers verify and report the immigration status of the people they serve — in some cases threatening stiff penalties for public employees who fail to comply. (Photo by John Partipilo/ Tennessee Lookout)An increasing number of conservative states are mandating that state and local social service providers

State Geologist Ed Murphy gives his final quarterly report to the North Dakota Industrial Commission on May 12, 2026. (Photo by Jacob Orledge/North Dakota Monitor)North Dakota’s state geologist is quietly one of the most important energy officials in state government.  The current occupant, Ed Murphy, is retiring this summer after half a century. His 49-year career with the North Dakota Geological Survey has involved advancing research crucial to oil and gas exploration, laying the foundation fo

A sign Necco foster care in Milton, West Virginia. (Photo by Leann Ray/West Virginia Watch)In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy did not click her heels and wish for a safer placement. She wished to go home and be surrounded by her family, where dinner was on the stove, and Toto was asleep at her feet.  That’s what all of us want for our children. We want them to be surrounded by family. Mom and dad helping them with homework, giving them a hug and reading a bedtime story. That is the home every child de

Health care providers, advocates and executives gathered in the Rhode Island State House library on Thursday, May 14, 2026, to show support for a package of bills meant to ease rising costs and provider shortages. (Photo by Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current)For the second consecutive year, the cost of healthcare for Rhode Islanders blew past the target agreed to by state regulators and private insurers. That’s why Rhode Island Health Insurance Commissioner Cory King is backing a budget proposal t

Chris Kearns, acting commissioner of the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, speaks as an iPhone records a presentation of Gov. Dan McKee's recommended fiscal 2027 budget on Jan. 15, 2026. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)If you think the Washington Bridge fiasco was a bummer, wait until you see the sequel. That horror movie is in production right now and will be coming to a theater near you if the governor’s cuts to clean energy programs are approved by the legislature. It w

Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Lori Urso sponsored the first bill of its kind adding workplace accommodations for menopause- and perimenopause-related conditions to state law in 2025. A generational shift in recent years has led to more legislation in statehouses around the country. (Courtesy of the Rhode Island Senate)When Jacqueline Perez started experiencing symptoms of menopause in her early 50s, the brain fog was so severe, she thought she had early-onset dementia. Perez, who founded a websit

Alina Jade Barnett, an assistant professor of computer science and statistics at the University of Rhode Island, specializes in machine learning, deep learning, and healthcare-centric AI. (Photo courtesy of Alina Jade Barnett)Some uses of AI are low-stakes, like asking ChatGPT to draw up a grocery list or summarize some emails. And then there are high-stakes uses of the increasingly robust and everyday technology based in machine learning — like, say, diagnosing cancer. Alina Jade Barnett, an as

Didn't we learn our lesson with Poland Spring? Stop using Maine's natural resources to up the ante. 

I'm sorely missing the days of the "circuit doctor" from my teenage years.

At least four municipalities have proposed their own moratoriums on new data center development while they refine local regulations.

The founders of MenoPantry hope their smoothie mix will help them break into an $18 billion menopause marketplace.

Five pointers for subtly proving you're local — or making it seem that way.