A decade after Standing Rock protests, Dakota Access oil pipeline gets OK

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Federal officials on Thursday gave final approval for the Dakota Access oil pipeline to continue operating its contentious Missouri River crossing, an outcome that comes nearly a decade after boisterous protests against the project on the North Dakota prairie.

Muskets like those from 1776 are mostly exempt from today's gun laws

HALIFAX, N.C. (AP) – With 165 grains of black powder in the barrel, a .75-caliber Brown Bess flintlock musket like the ones the redcoats carried in 1776 can hurl a lead ball at a velocity of around 1,000 feet (305 meters) per second.

Tribes sue to halt drilling in Black Hills near sacred ceremonial site

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – Nine Native American tribes in South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska are suing the federal government in a bid to stop exploratory drilling for graphite near a sacred site in the Black Hills.

Trump claims Iran talks will start Monday, and other Middle East developments

CAIRO (AP) – After calling off a fresh round of strikes against Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that new talks to wind down the war would start Monday, even as Iranian officials claimed their diplomatic efforts were focused on neighboring nations.

Could more cattle cause record beef prices to drop?

MANDAN, N.D. (AP) – It’s never been so expensive for Americans to buy a steak or hamburger, but cutting those costs requires ranchers like Stephanie Hatzenbuhler to raise more cattle – and that’s not an easy ask.

What to know about the lawsuits alleging Roundup weedkiller causes cancer

Kentucky lawmakers have brushed aside the objections of Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear to enact a new law that could protect global agrochemical manufacturer Bayer from state lawsuits alleging it failed to warn customers that a commonly used weedkiller could cause cancer.

Bloodhounds have a nose for finding people

FARGO, N.D. (AP) – The North Dakota Highway Patrol’s newest recruit has floppy ears, four legs and an amazing knack for finding people. Beau, a 12-week-old puppy, is joining a band of bloodhounds who are in demand for difficult cases across the upper Midwest. They trail missing children, people with dementia and criminal suspects.

What to know about Greenpeace and the oil pipeline lawsuit

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Greenpeace is fighting for its life in North Dakota’s court system, where a judge has decided to order the environmental group to pay an expected $345 million to an energy company whose Dakota Access oil pipeline construction drew protests nearly a decade ago.

Huge US winter storm to bring crippling snow from Texas to Boston

ATLANTA (AP) – Bread was flying off the shelves, salt was being loaded into trucks and utility workers were nervously watching forecasts Thursday as a huge winter storm that could bring catastrophic damage, widespread power outages and bitterly cold weather was barreling toward the eastern two-thirds of the U.S.