Category Archives: WPTF News
North Carolina fire that killed Denny Hamlin's father ruled accidental; exact cause still unknown
GASTONIA, N.C. (AP) - The North Carolina house fire that killed the father of NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin and injured his mother has been ruled accidental but it's still unclear what started it. A repo...
Feb 20, 2026 FILE - This photo provided by Lucia-Riverbend Fire Department shows firefighters battling a house fire, Dec. 28, 2025, in Stanley, N.C. (Brian Lee Weyeneth/Lucia-Riverbend Fire Department via AP, File)
UNC's Veesaar increasing practice work ahead of Syracuse game; Wilson due for evaluation next week
By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Henri Veesaar would return to limited practice Friday while freshman star Caleb Wilson will have another evaluation next week as both playe...
Feb 20, 2026 North Carolina's Henri Veesaar, right, and Caleb Wilson, left, watch from the sideline during an NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina State in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Wall Street keeps calm after the Supreme Court strikes down Trump's tariffs
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Wall Street kept calm Friday after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, which had triggered panic in financial marke...
Feb 20, 2026 Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on February 20, 2026 in New York City. Stocks opened up mixed, with the Dow Jones nearly 200 points at opening amid a weak gross domestic product for the fourth quarter and a possible Supreme Court decision on President Donald Trump’s tariffs. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
US House campaigns are underway. Yet a redistricting battle triggered by Trump rages in some states
By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press Candidates are campaigning and voting is underway in some primaries. Yet a national battle to redraw U.S. House districts for partisan advantage is still raging in so...
Feb 20, 2026
Trump warns he's considering limited strikes as Iranian diplomat says proposed deal is imminent
By FARNOUSH AMIRI and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump warned on Friday that limited strikes against Iran are possible even as the country's top diplomat said Te...
Feb 20, 2026 U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a working breakfast with governors in the State Dining Room at the White House on February 20, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump met with a group of governors, who are in town for the National Governors Association winter meeting, after he initially invited only Republican members of the group, causing a backlash from the bipartisan organization. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Supreme Court strikes down Trump's sweeping tariffs, upending central plank of economic agenda
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's far-reaching global tariffs on Friday, handing him a significant loss on an issue crucial to his economic agenda. The decision ...
Feb 20, 2026
Norway wins its 17th gold medal, breaking record for most golds won in a single Winter Olympics
By MARTHA BELLISLE Associated Press ANTERSELVA, Italy (AP) - Johannes Dale-Skjevdal of Norway was the only biathlete to hit all 20 of his targets in the 15-kilometer mass start race Friday and skied h...
Feb 20, 2026 Gold medalist Johannes Dale-Skjevdal of Team Norway celebrates after the medal ceremony for the Men's 15km Biathlon Mass Start on day fourteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Anterselva Biathlon Arena on February 20, 2026 in Antholz-Anterselva, Italy. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Inflation rose more quickly than expected in December
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - A key inflation gauge accelerated in December to the fastest pace in nearly a year, showing how prices are still rising more quickly than m...
Feb 20, 2026 Customers shop at a Target store on February 10, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. Target plans to cut about 500 jobs at distribution centers and regional offices, but plans to increase the number of employees at their retail stores. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
US economy grows at 1.4% rate in the fourth quarter, slower than economists expected
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and MATT OTT AP Economics Writers WASHINGTON (AP) - America's gross domestic product - the nation's output of goods and services - increased at an 1.4% annual rate in the fourth...
Feb 20, 2026 A person walks past the entrance to a Crocs store on February 12, 2026, in Miami, Florida. Crocs, Inc. shares rose nearly 20% after the company announced its fourth quarter 2025 earnings report that exceeded Wall Street expectations. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
World shares, US futures advance after AI fears drag Wall Street lower
By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) - European shares were higher Friday after a mixed day of trading in Asia, as worries over risks linked to massive investments in artificial intell...
Feb 20, 2026 Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)