Category Archives: WPTF News
Starbucks sees room to expand with hundreds of new US stores and increased seating
By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Starbucks said Thursday that it plans to open hundreds of new stores across the U.S. and add seating capacity at thousands of existing locations, d...
Jan 29, 2026 A Starbucks coffee shop stands in Manhattan on December 02, 2025 in New York City. City officials announced that Starbucks will pay New York City workers around $35 million to settle claims that the chain arbitrarily cut hours and deprived workers of stable schedules. The announcement comes a day after mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders visited striking baristas on a picket line. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Worries deepen in US South after days of grappling with snow, ice and widespread outages
By SOPHIE BATES, JEFF MARTIN and RUSS BYNUM Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Conditions were growing more dire in parts of the South still reeling from subfreezing temperatures and widespread po...
Jan 28, 2026 A tree blocks the road days after an ice storm in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Travis Loller)
US stocks hold near their all-time high while the dollar's value stabilizes
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Few ripples washed through Wall Street Wednesday after the Federal Reserve decided to hold its main interest rate steady, just like investors expected. ...
Jan 28, 2026 First lady Melania Trump appears at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) where she rang the opening bell on January 28, 2026 in New York City. Mrs. Trump made the appearance as part of her publicity tour for the film, "Melania," which documents her life in the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Federal Reserve keeps interest rates unchanged even as Trump continues to insist they be lowered
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Reserve pushed the pause button on its interest rate cuts Wednesday, leaving its key rate unchanged at about 3.6% after lowerin...
Jan 28, 2026 Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a press conference following the Federal Open Markets Committee meeting at the Federal Reserve on January 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. Powell announced that interest rates will remain steady at 3.5 - 3.75 percent. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Bill Belichick's snub from the Pro Football Hall of Fame is criticized by voters and NFL fans
By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer Bill Belichick won six Lombardi Trophies as a head coach with the Patriots, two as an assistant with the Giants and has more Super Bowl rings than anyone in NFL hi...
Jan 28, 2026 RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 29: Head coach Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels responds to questions during his press conference following their loss to the NC State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faces rising calls for her firing or impeachment
By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) - A groundswell of voices have come to the same conclusion: Kristi Noem must go. From Democratic Party leaders to the nation's leading ad...
Jan 28, 2026 A photograph of the pistol recovered by immigration agents after a shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday morning is shown on a screen behind U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem as she speaks during a news conference in the National Response Coordination Center at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters on January 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Federal immigration agents shot and killed another U.S. citizen on Saturday morning, later identified as Alex Pretti, during operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)
It's one storm after another for much of the US, but the next one's path is uncertain
By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer HOUSTON (AP) - Winter's brutal grip on the U.S. East is not letting up, with coming days bringing subfreezing temperatures that will plunge deep into what had been...
Jan 28, 2026 A mom and her daughters walk to find a sledding spot outside the U.S. Capitol on January 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. A massive winter storm brought frigid temperatures, ice, and snow to millions of Americans across the nation. The storm has left at least 10 people dead and hundreds of thousands without power. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
'Doomsday Clock' moves closer to midnight over threats from nuclear weapons, climate change and AI
Earth is closer than it's ever been to destruction as Russia, China, the U.S. and other countries become "increasingly aggressive, adversarial, and nationalistic," a science-oriented advocacy group sa...
Jan 27, 2026
QB Darian Mensah joins Miami Hurricanes after legal battle with Duke
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) - Darian Mensah has enrolled at Miami, giving the Hurricanes another standout transfer at quarterback as they come off a season where they went...
Jan 27, 2026 Darian Mensah #10 of the Duke Blue Devils warms up prior to the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 6, 2025 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
Bill Belichick snubbed by Pro Football Hall of Fame in first year of eligibility, report says
By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer Six-time Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Belichick didn't get voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, according to a report ...
Jan 27, 2026