Year: 2017

iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Most of us know the words toward the beginning of the Declaration of Independence, the part about all men being created equal with “certain unalienable Rights,” among them “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” But it’s the words near the end of the document, where the signers declared the colonies “absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown” that mattered most in creating this nation.Those words, […]

iStock/Thinkstock(ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) -- A raging fire and plumes of smoke filled the air at the scene of a house explosion in Missouri today that left three people injured.Video captured the sounds of explosions as people screamed and ran at the chaotic scene in St. Joseph, Missouri, about 55 miles north of Kansas City. Another video showed the aftermath of the explosion, with fire crews surrounding the demolished home.The victims, […]

iStock/Thinkstock(SAINT ANTHONY, Minn.) -- The judge who presided over the case against the police officer who shot Philando Castile has written a letter of support to the jurors who acquitted him, saying there was "a failure to understand what you were asked to do" by the public and media outlets.The June 16 decision to acquit Saint Anthony, Minnesota, police officer Jeronimo Yanez was met with widespread criticism after dash cam […]

City Wildlife(WASHINGTON) -- A bald eagle recently rescued in the nation's capital is doing better, according to City Wildlife officials.The eagle, who was unable to fly and was having difficulty breathing, was found in Washington, D.C., on July 1.The lethargic eagle was taken to the Humane Rescue Alliance for examination.After a few preliminary tests, the staff discovered the eagle was relatively healthy and that the labored breathing may have been […]

iStock/Thinkstock(NEW CASTLE, Pa.) -- Every Fourth of July, millions of Americans watch fireworks shows designed and shipped from a little-known town: New Castle, Pennsylvania."We are the fireworks capital of America; we're fortunate to have that name," said CEO Stephen Vitale of Pyrotecnico, a fireworks and special effects company headquartered in New Castle.Italian immigrants began moving to the town in the late-1800s and early-1900s where they worked in tin factories by […]