WPTF News Archives - Page 2 of 216

Rare fresco of Jesus as the ‘Good Shepherd’ uncovered in Turkish town visited by the pope

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 12, 2025, 12:59 pm

IZNIK, Turkey (AP) — Archaeologists in Turkey have uncovered a significant fresco of Jesus as the “Good Shepherd” from Anatolia’s early Christian era. The painting was found in August in an underground tomb near Iznik, a town known for the Nicene Creed’s adoption in A.D. 325. The fresco shows a youthful, Roman-looking Jesus carrying a goat. Researchers say it’s a rare depiction of Jesus with Roman attributes. The Good Shepherd motif symbolized protection and salvation before the cross became Christianity’s universal symbol. The Associated Press was the first international media organization granted access to the tomb.… Read More

UNC’s offensive and special-teams coordinators won’t return for next season

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 12, 2025, 12:40 pm

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens and special teams coordinator Mike Priefer won’t return next season. The school announced Friday it had “parted ways” with the two assistants to Bill Belichick. That came after the school’s 4-8 season. UNC’s offense was one of the worst in the country. The Tar Heels ranked 119th in the Bowl Subdivision by averaging 19.3 points and 129th in total offense at 288.8 yards per game.… Read More

After Airbus issue, DOT says airlines don’t have to cover passenger expenses amid aircraft recalls

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 11, 2025, 11:10 pm

The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued new guidance stating airlines don’t have to cover passenger expenses like meals or lodging when a flight is canceled or significantly delayed by an aircraft recall. The guidance released on Wednesday follows disruptions last month due to inspections and software updates on Airbus A320 aircraft to fix a glitch that the manufacturer said could affect flight controls. In the U.S., airlines must refund canceled flights but aren’t required to cover lodging or meals. Instead, airlines offer voluntary compensation for some expenses if a disruption is caused by something within their control, such as crew delays. The new DOT guidance clarifies that disruptions from aircraft recalls aren’t considered within an airline’s control.… Read More

Hurricanes top Capitals 3-2 in SO in a matchup of the top teams in the Eastern Conference standings

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 11, 2025, 11:04 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Brandon Bussi stopped all three shots in a shootout to lift the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals in a matchup of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings. The win pulled the Hurricanes even with Washington atop the conference and Metropolitan Division. Bussi ran his record to 10-1-0. The Carolina rookie stopped Anthony Beauvillier, Dylan Strome and Sonny Milano in the shootout. Strome also failed to convert a breakaway in overtime after two Carolina players collided. Washington has lost all four of its shootouts this season.… Read More

NASCAR settles federal antitrust case, gives all teams the permanent charters they wanted

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 11, 2025, 8:50 pm

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR has settled an antitrust lawsuit with two race teams, including one co-owned by Michael Jordan. The settlement was announced Thursday after a delay on the ninth day of the trial. The lawsuit was filed by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports last year after they refused to sign new charter agreements presented by NASCAR. As part of the settlement, all NASCAR race teams will receive the permanent charters they had been asking for. NASCAR chairman Jim France had testified that he never considered making charters permanent. A charter is the equivalent of the franchise model in other sports.… Read More

Venezuelan Nobel laureate credits Trump for pressuring Maduro with ‘decisive’ actions

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 11, 2025, 7:01 pm

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado says “decisive” actions by the United States, including the seizure of an oil tanker, have left the repressive government of President Nicolás Maduro at its weakest point. She vowed Thursday to return to the country to keep fighting for democracy. Machado spoke after her first public appearance in 11 months in Oslo, where her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. She sidestepped questions about U.S. military intervention, and said she’ll return to Venezuela when security conditions are right. Machado has been in hiding since January after a brief detention in Caracas. She won an opposition primary but was barred from running in last year’s presidential election.… Read More

Suspects in separate Charlotte, North Carolina, train stabbings face federal counts

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 11, 2025, 6:56 pm

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A man accused of killing a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina train has appeared in federal court. Decarlos Brown Jr. made his initial court appearance Thursday on a charge of causing death on a mass transportation system. He is also facing a first-degree murder charge in state court. Authorities accuse him of randomly stabbing Iryna Zarutska in August. His appearance came hours before the government announced a similar mass transportation charge against a different man for an unrelated, non-fatal stabbing on the same light rail system last week.… Read More

North Carolina Gov. Stein cancels Medicaid rate cuts amid legal and legislative battles

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 10, 2025, 2:44 pm

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein is canceling Medicaid rate cuts he initiated two months ago. Stein and Health Secretary Dr. Dev Sangvai announced Wednesday that reimbursement rates for doctors and hospitals will be restored. Legal challenges have already forced some rates back to pre-October levels. Stein said the program still lacks enough funding. He blamed the legislature for not providing enough money, leading to the cuts. Republican lawmakers called Stein’s actions unnecessary and politically motivated. Medicaid serves more than 3 million people in North Carolina. The state also remains without an enacted budget.… Read More

Archaeologists uncover intact section of ancient Jerusalem wall from Hanukkah era

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 10, 2025, 10:46 am

JERUSALEM (AP) — Archaeologists have uncovered the longest remains of an ancient wall that once encircled Jerusalem during the time of Hanukkah. The excavation was completed last week. It reveals a section of the Hasmonean wall foundation built a few decades after the Hanukkah story. This wall is almost 50 meters long and 5 meters wide and once held taller structures than the current Old City walls. Experts believe the wall was purposefully dismantled, possibly due to a ceasefire agreement in 132 or 133 BC between Jewish king John Hyrcanus I and Hellenistic King Antiochus the Seventh. The findings will be part of a new museum exhibit.… Read More

Hurricanes scored 3 goals in the third period to beat the Blue Jackets 4-1

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 10, 2025, 12:11 am

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Eric Robinson ended a 10-game stretch without a goal by breaking a third-period tie and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 on Tuesday night. Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook had Carolina’s other goals and Andrei Svechnikov supplied two assists. Brandon Bussi made 23 saves to improve his record to 9-1-0 for the Hurricanes, who wrapped up a 4-3-0 homestand. Bussi is the only Carolina goalie to win a game since Nov. 17. Dmitri Voronkov scored on a first-period power play for the Blue Jackets, who’ve lost back-to-back games in regulation for the first time in more than a month. Jet Greaves stopped 27 shots.… Read More

A student dies during stabbing at North Carolina high school

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 10, 2025, 12:06 am

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say a stabbing at a central North Carolina high school has left one student dead and another injured. Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough said at a news conference that the altercation Tuesday was between two students at North Forsyth High School in Winston-Salem. His office later confirmed that the injured person was treated at a hospital and released. He said in a video posted later on social media that there was no threat to the community. The school will be closed Wednesday, and a crisis team available for students when it reopens. District superintendent Don Phipps called the event the “worst nightmare of any educator.”… Read More

Lumbee Tribe poised to gain federal recognition through Defense bill

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 9, 2025, 11:56 pm

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina could be federally recognized through the National Defense Authorization Act the House plans to vote on this week. That would come with federal funding, access to resources like the Indian Health Service and the ability to take land into trust. The issue has been batted around Congress for more than thirty years, but the political opportunity it represented in the last election — with its 60,000 members — could be what pushed it over the finish line.… Read More