Articles by Lindsay Whitehurst

Associated Press

Supreme Court Seems to Favor NRA in Free Speech Case Against Insurance Regulator

Supreme Court justices appeared receptive Monday to National Rifle Association claims that a former New York state official violated its free-speech rights by pressuring banks and insurance companies to blacklist the group after the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida. …

911 Calls From Maui Capture Pleas for Stranded, and Those Caught in Fire’s Chaos

The day after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century destroyed a seaside community on Maui, the barrage of 911 calls didn’t stop: Reports of missing people, stranded family members and confused tourists trapped without food or water lit up …

U.S. Marshals Computer System Hit by Ransomware Attack

In a major breach of a U.S. Marshals Service computer system this month with ransomware, hackers stole sensitive and personally identifiable data about agency employees and targets of investigations, an agency spokesman said Tuesday. The hacked system was disconnected from …

First Sweeping Federal Gun Crime Report in 20 Years Released

The most expansive federal report in over two decades on guns and crime shows a shrinking turnaround between the time a gun was purchased and when it was recovered from a crime scene, indicating firearms bought legally are more quickly …

Yellowstone Flooding Recovery Could Take Years, Cost $1 Billion

Created in 1872 as the United States was recovering from the Civil War, Yellowstone was the first of the national parks that came to be referred to as America’s best idea. Now, the home to gushing geysers, thundering waterfalls and …

Pandemic Adding Cost to Rebuild After Colorado Wildfire

Rex and Barba Hickman’s home of 23 years near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains has been reduced to a blackened heap by the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history. Before the Dec. 30 blaze, which ripped through nearly 1,100 …

Tourists from China Sue After Deadly Utah Tour Bus Crash

The state of Utah didn’t do enough to make sure a remote highway was safe before a tour bus crashed, killing four people from China and injuring two dozen more in 2019, family and survivors said in a lawsuit filed …

Severe Drought in Western U.S. Raises July 4 Fireworks Fears

Many Americans aching for normalcy as pandemic restrictions end are looking forward to traditional Fourth of July fireworks. But with a historic drought in the U.S. West and fears of another devastating wildfire season, officials are canceling displays, passing bans …

M5.7 Earthquake in Utah Confirmed

With much of normal life at a screeching halt to combat the coronavirus, millions of people in Utah are hunkered down in the safety of their homes. But on Wednesday morning, even that protection felt fragile as an earthquake strong …

Bus in Utah With Chinese-Speaking Tourists Crashes in, Killing 4

A tour bus crashed on a highway running through the red-rock landscape of southern Utah on Friday, killing four people from China and injuring dozens more. The bus from Southern California rolled onto a guard rail, crushing its roof and …