A tornado that touched down in the small, upstate New York city of Rome ripped roofs from houses, reduced brick buildings to rubble and toppled steeples from two historic churches.

A watchdog group says the Environmental Protection Agency should conduct additional soil studies around the site of a toxic train derailment in Ohio after independent testing found high levels of chemicals in locally grown garlic.

Ron Eller has won a Republican primary runoff in Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District.

Two Republicans are competing for the right to challenge 16-term Democratic incumbent Bennie Thompson in Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District.

Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker has defeated two Republican challengers and will face Democrat Ty Pinkins in the Nov. 5 election.

The father of a Virginia student sexually assaulted in her high school bathroom has been pardoned after his arrest two years ago protesting a school board meeting became a flashpoint in the conservative push to increase parental involvement in public education.

Public school advocates who oppose a massive expansion of Arizona’s private school voucher system have filed enough signatures to block it from taking effect.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has endorsed businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson to be his successor.

Chief Justice John Roberts has rejected a Supreme Court appeal by the St. Louis-based natural gas company Spire Inc. to allow it to keep operating a pipeline through Illinois and Missouri.

The remnants of Hurricane Ida blew through the mid-Atlantic states with at least two tornadoes, heavy winds and drenching rains.

Scott Smith, a correspondent for The Associated Press who traveled across Venezuela to document personal stories of desperation and hope in the troubled country, has died.

SPARTA, N.C. – The United States Geologic Survey (USGS) reports a 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck Sparta, North Carolina at 8:07 a.m. Sunday morning. There was a 5.2 magnitude earthquake reported near Skyland, NC in 1916. It went on for 10 seconds before it stopped.”The seismograph at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg recorded the earthquake’s shaking. Sunday morning seismograph showing Sunday's earthquake (Virginia Tech)Once the shaking commenced, residents in Sparta witnessed the remnants of the earthquake’s force. If you’d like to learn more about earthquakes in Virginia, the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy has a great resource.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Transportation leaders in the Lynchburg area have spent the last several months asking people about traffic concerns and safety. In a virtual town hall Tuesday, the Central Virginia Transportation Planning organization will present its draft projects to the public. Organizers say the 20-year plan includes about 30 projects addressing traffic patterns for cars, pedestrians and bicyclists. And then we’ll start looking at prioritizing those projects to get them into a funding stream in the future,” said Scott Smith, transportation planning director. Click or tap here to watch the virtual town hall.