A county weighed renaming Negro Creek. Black leaders fought the change.
A committee of community leaders in Johnson County, Kan., voted last month to keep the name despite some opposition and an unclear origin story behind it.
By Praveena SomasundaramA rock smashed through their roof. Scientists say it was a meteorite.
The College of New Jersey confirmed that a rock that crashed through a home in Hopewell Township, N.J., on Monday was a meteorite.
By Daniel WuA fetus had a 1% chance at life. A historic surgery in womb saved it.
Kenyatta Coleman learned that her fetus had a vein of Galen malformation. Boston doctors saved its life with the first successful fetal brain surgery.
By Kyle MelnickOfficers rushed to help a crying ‘damsel in distress.’ It was a goat.
What seemed like a person in distress prompted a police response in Enid, Okla. But it wasn’t a human crying out for help — it was a goat.
By María Luisa PaúlNonbinary students were crowned prom royalty. Then came the threats.
A 42-year-old man is accused of calling in threats to LGBTQ+ high school students after two nonbinary seniors were elected prom king and queen.
By Jonathan EdwardsA woman took her dog out — and saved a toddler from plunging to his death
Kyrie Jones was taking her dog outside when she noticed a 2-year-old boy throwing things from a second-story window. Minutes later, he fell toward the concrete.
By Jonathan EdwardsIs the sun white or yellow? It’s a hot debate, and everyone’s wrong.
A Twitter post left people divided over the sun's color. We asked scientists to weigh in.
By María Luisa Paúl‘Bruce’ went everywhere with their late son. Now the elephant is missing.
The Atkinson family lost Bruce, a plush teal elephant, while on a trip in Florida for what would have been their son, Gabryel's, ninth birthday.
By Praveena SomasundaramS.C. deputies fired roughly 50 shots at suicidal man, lawsuit says
York County Sheriff's Office deputies in South Carolina were called to a wellness check and opened fire on Trevor Mullinax in 2021, a lawsuit alleges.
By Daniel WuShe bought her dream home. Then she noticed the snakes in her wall.
Amber Hall saved for years to buy a house for her family in Centennial, Colo. She was happy until she noticed snakes in the wall of her garage.
By Kyle MelnickAn American expat raised a family in Australia. He was hiding a dark secret.
William Leslie Arnold escaped from a Nebraska prison in 1967, nine years after murdering his parents at the age of 16. He eluded authorities for decades.
By Jonathan EdwardsAn archaeologist saw shapes in the water. They led to a submerged grave.
Florida archaeologists discovered the tombstone of John Greer, a laborer who died in 1861, submerged in the Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida.
By Daniel WuDoctors found the world’s smallest skin cancer spot: A woman’s tiny mole
Alexander Witkowski, an Oregon dermatologist, found a 0.65 millimeter mole – the world's smallest skin cancer spot – under Christy Staats’s eye.
By Kyle MelnickA Chamber of Commerce in Texas apologizes for promoting ‘Pulling Triggers’
The post by the Allen Fairview Chamber of Commerce welcoming Pulling Triggers and Pulling Corks came less than a day after a mass killing in the Dallas suburb.
By Praveena SomasundaramFacing expulsion vote over sexual misconduct, GOP lawmaker resigns in Texas
Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton (R) has resigned from his seat, one day before his colleagues were slated to vote on whether to expel him from the Texas House of Representatives after a committee unanimously recommended his dismissal over sexual misconduct with a 19-year-old aide.
By Kyle Melnick and Amy B WangProfessor who has claimed Native ancestry admits she’s ‘a white person’
Elizabeth Hoover, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, admitted that, after claiming Native American ancestry for decades, she's "a white person."
By Jonathan EdwardsIllinois libraries that ban books may soon be ineligible for state grants
If signed into law, the bill would require libraries to adopt policies prohibiting book bans so that they can remain eligible for state grants.
By Praveena SomasundaramBritish pub closes after losing beer suppliers over blackface doll display
The White Hart pub in Essex closed after its owners defended a display of blackface "golly dolls" seized by police in a hate-crime investigation.
By Daniel WuAn Iowa mayor rejected Pride Month. LGBTQ+ residents changed his mind.
Rob Green, the mayor of Cedar Falls, Iowa, had first rejected a proposal to recognize June as Pride Month. He changed his mind after a city council meeting.
By Kyle MelnickMich. school district bans backpacks, citing safety: ‘Lives are at stake’
The Flint Community Schools board in Michigan voted unanimously last week to ban backpacks after multiple incidents in which students brought weapons to school.
By Daniel Wu