Category Archives: WPTF News
Man dead, 2 police officers hurt in shooting during custody exchange in North Carolina
MINT HILL, N.C. (AP) - A man was shot and killed Friday after firing at police in a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, during a child custody exchange, authorities said. Two Mint Hill police officer...
Dec 26, 2025
Pope Leo XIV urges the faithful on Christmas to shed indifference in the face of suffering
By SILVIA STELLACCI and COLLEEN BARRY The Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Leo XIV during his first Christmas Day message on Thursday urged the faithful to shed indifference in the face of th...
Dec 25, 2025
Trump says US struck Islamic State targets in Nigeria after group targeted Christians
By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - President Donald Trump said Thursday that the U.S. launched a "powerful and deadly" strike against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after...
Dec 25, 2025 U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions as he announced the creation of the “Trump-class” battleship during a statement to the media at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate on December 22, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump announced the new class of ship will become the centerpiece of his “Golden Fleet” program to rebuild and strengthen the U.S. shipbuilding industry. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
A Powerball player in Arkansas has won a $1.817 billion lottery jackpot
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America A Powerball player in Arkansas won a $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday's Christmas Eve drawing, ending the lottery game's three-month stretch witho...
Dec 25, 2025 In this photo illustration, a clerk displays Powerball lottery tickets at a convenience store on December 19, 2025 in Austin, Texas. The Powerball jackpot climbs to $1.5 billion, making it the fifth largest in Powerball history. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
After missing deadline, DOJ says it may need a 'few more weeks' to finish releasing Epstein files
By SEUNG MIN KIM, ERIC TUCKER and MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a "few more weeks" to release all of its records on the lat...
Dec 24, 2025
Faithful return to Bethlehem and Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter's
By MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) - Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem's Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families there and at other sites across the Holy Land heral...
Dec 24, 2025
How Christian artists are winning over listeners and entering pop's mainstream
By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) - It is one of the most surprising music stories of the year. While streams of new music - releases from the last 18 months - were down from last year, o...
Dec 24, 2025 Brandon Lake performs on the Chevy Riverfront stage during day four of CMA Fest 2025 on June 08, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images)
US stocks drift to more records on a holiday-shortened day of trading
NEW YORK (AP) - Wall Street closed higher and reached more records Wednesday on a holiday-shortened trading day. The S&P 500 index rose 22.26 points, or 0.3%, to 6,932.05. The Dow Jones Industrial...
Dec 24, 2025 People walk outside of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) during a shortened trading day before the Christmas holiday on December 24, 2025 in New York City. The Dow finished up nearly 300 points on positive economic data, indicating strength in the U.S. economy. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Turkey shoot a holiday tradition, with no ruffled feathers
By ALLEN G. BREED AP National Writer WAKE FOREST, N.C. (AP) - With the blast of a shotgun, the Raleigh Moose Family Center Turkey Shoot is under way. But fear not: No gobblers were harmed in the makin...
Dec 24, 2025
Voluminous new Epstein document release includes multiple Trump mentions, but little revelatory news
By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Justice Department has released tens of thousands more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, a tranche that included...
Dec 24, 2025