Nwexx

Google Maps shows the location of the 'Brown University shooting' at the Barus and Holley engineering building on Saturday afternoon. A manhunt continued early evening, (Google images) PROVIDENCE — Two people have died and several others were wounded in a mass shooting in a Brown University engineering building late Saturday afternoon, prompting a shelter in place alert on the Ivy League campus and a massive search for a gunman that continued into the evening. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley confirmed at a press conference that began shortly after 6:30 p.m. that at least two people were killed with “a minimum of eight” more injured and in critical condition “but stable at Rhode Island Hospital.”  Smiley could not disclose whether the victims were Brown students. “These numbers may change,” Smiley said. “We are still in early hours.”  The shooting in the Barus and Holley building on Brook Street occurred as final exams were taking place between 2 and 5 p.m. inside Barus ...

Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones speaking at his gubernatorial campaign kickoff event on Dec. 12, 2025, in Birmingham, Alabama. Jones made campaign promises and attacked likely GOP opponent U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville during a 45-minute speech to more than 1,000 supporters. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) BIRMINGHAM — Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones kicked off his 2026 gubernatorial campaign Friday, mixing promises to protect health care and voting rights with attacks on likely GOP gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville. Speaking to more than 1,000 people on the eighth anniversary of his victory in the 2017 special U.S. Senate election, Jones, referencing a song by the country group The Highwomen, said he wanted to make Alabama a “crowded table” where everybody is welcome. “It’s a powerful song about community, bringing people together despite their differences,” Jones said. “It is much like our victory in 2017, an anthem about finding strength in unity and ensuring that everyone has a plac...

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters during a press conference on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. Also pictured are, from left, Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain of Michigan, Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans released a health care bill Friday evening they hope will help curb rising costs, though the measure doesn’t have the level of Democratic support needed to get through the Senate.  The  111-page bill will likely move to the House floor next week, where Speaker Mike Johnson will need nearly every one of his members to vote to pass the legislation, an uphill battle given the vastly different views among centrists and far-right members of the party on health care issues.  The Louisiana Republican said in a statement the bill offers “clear, responsible alternatives that will lower premium costs and increa...

Jim Purcell, executive director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE), speaks to legislators during a budget presentation on Feb. 5, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. ACHE will request an increase of $148 million in funding in next year's budget in part to address rising health insurance costs. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) Members of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) expressed concerns Friday about rising health care costs and the impact it could have on public college and universities’ budgets. ACHE officials said shortfalls in  the Public Education Employees’ Health Insurance Plan (PEEHIP), which provides health insurance for employees of the Alabama Community College System and three state universities, have forced the allocation of additional dollars to a fund that pays for mandatory retirement and health insurance benefits at the expense of other funding priorities. “If PEEHIP wasn’t an issue this year, we would have p...

The seal of the Alabama Community College System on display at ACCS' administrative building in Montgomery, Alabama on February 8, 2023. The ACCS Board of Trustees Wednesday approved a $10 increase in an administrative fee. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Community College System’s Board of Trustees Wednesday approved a $10 hike in its administrative fee for the  Fall 2026 Semester. The fee will increase from $10 to $20. The board said the increase will be used to “advance a unified and collaborative community college system through additional services provided at the ACCS level to increase each college’s ability to focus their efforts on student services and outcomes.” The increase is expected to produce about $20,000 in additional revenue for ACCS during the 2026-27 academic year In 2021, ACCS adjusted the $10 fee from tuition to a non-waivable administrative fee. The system doesn’t anticipate any negative impact on enrollment due to the fee increase. “Alabama...

Bryant-Denny Stadium at the University of Alabama as seen on Nov. 20, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. A University of Alabama alumni association said Thursday it had beaten a fundraising goal for two student magazines suspended by the administration this month. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) A University of Alabama alumni organization has surpassed its fundraising goal to support two student publications suspended by the university earlier this month. Media Alumni Seeking to Highlight Equity and Diversity (MASTHEAD) said in a statement released Wednesday that the fundraiser’s $25,000 goal was met Wednesday morning. As of Thursday afternoon, over $25,800 had been raised. MASTHEAD started a $25,000 fundraising campaign to support Nineteen Fifty-Six, a Black lifestyle and culture magazine, and Alice, a women’s magazine. University administrators told editors of the publications last week that their missions violated the Trump administration’s anti-DEI policies.  GET THE MO...