Belleville News-Democrat

Groceries, childcare and healthcare costs are among the expenses some Raleigh-area moms say are squeezing their budgets. AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom. Read our AI Policy. Raleigh-area mothers reported rising grocery, gas, housing and childcare costs. U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross said at the MomsRising event that some rising costs are avoidable. Some adults are now facing additional costs as caregivers to both their kids and parents. Lindsay Saunders owns a home in Raleigh.

Rep. Maria Cervania, a Cary Democrat, speaks at a protest outside the N.C. Utilities Commission on Tuesday, Aug. 11. Cervania and members of the League of Conservation Voters say Duke Energy’s requested electric rate hike is too high amid affordability concerns. AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom. Read our AI Policy. Duke Energy Progress requested a 6.8% overall rate increase at the Utilities Commission. Residential customers face a proposed 9.3% rate increase over the next two years.

When Stephanie Mardis learned she would be Durham’s next police chief, her 19-year-old son scooped her into a massive hug. “He’s really been on this journey with me,” she said in an interview with The News & Observer on Wednesday afternoon. Now, her son is off to his second year of college, and Mardis is setting into a still-bare office at Durham police headquarters downtown. Officially taking over on Sept.

Steven King, owner of Metro Shooting Supplies, shows the proper use of the popular Smith & Wesson AR-15, 556 caliber rifle at his store in Bridgeton, Mo. on Nov. 12, 2014. A federal judge last week struck down regulations on silencers, shot-barrel rifles, and short-barrel shotguns. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI. Aug.

FILE PHOTO: Alaska Governor, Mike Dunleavy speaks during CERAWeek in Houston, Texas, U.S., March 14, 2025. REUTERS/Kaylee Greenlee/File Photo WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy said he was "deeply disappointed" that a bill to advance a pipeline for the Alaska LNG project to export natural gas to Asia stalled in the state legislature.

Mifepristone (Mifeprex) and Misoprostol, the two drugs used in a medication abortion, are seen at the Women's Reproductive Clinic, which provides legal medication abortion services, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on June 17, 2022. Mifepristone is taken first to stop the pregnancy, followed by Misoprostol to induce bleeding. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images/TNS) When college students head back to campus for the fall semester, more of them will have guaranteed access to abortion medication.

Every dollar moved from a traditional IRA into a Roth counts as ordinary income on the federal return for that year. For anyone within two years of Medicare eligibility, that income spike can trigger a surcharge adding $1,148 to $6,936 per person in annual costs. Roth conversion transactions surged 41% in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the prior year, according to Fidelity's retirement analysis, meaning a growing number of pre-retirees may be headed toward that hit.

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Florida Gators on Wednesday revealed two brand-new uniform combinations for the 2026 season in addition to its regular slate of combinations and its 60s-era throwbacks. Florida will debut all-blue uniforms with a blue helmet, blue jerseys and blue pants and will also wear its alternate blue helmets with orange jerseys and white pants, marking the first time the Gators wear either of those uniforms in program history. All blue everything.

Stephen A. Smith is warning the WNBA. One of ESPN's highest-paid employees is scolding the WNBA, amid the ongoing controversies with the league. Smith says that he's a fan of women's basketball, but he's worried about the future of the game. Smith believes that the WNBA needs to own up and realize that "a lot" of people don't like the league at the moment. "It's important that the WNBA wakes up and acknowledges something.

Brian Dutcher and the San Diego State coaching staff still have open spots to fill on the roster heading into 2026-27, but they are hard at work ensuring this program has a talented pipeline of players joining in future seasons. On Thursday, the Aztecs secured an official visit with King Rachal, a stock-rising 6'7 wing from DNA Prep Academy in Chatsworth, CA. Rachal is set to visit SDSU in two weeks on August 28, sandwiched between visits to USC (Aug. 20) and Oregon (Sep. 4).