NPR News | Blue Ridge Public Radio

A Wisconsin appeals court has temporarily blocked a judge's order that would have banned the use of absentee ballot drop boxes in the swing state.

The court issued its decision Monday afternoon. Assuming it stands, it would mean drop boxes can continue to be used for Wisconsin's Feb. 15 primary.

The Superior Court of Fulton County in Georgia has granted a request by the local district attorney to impanel a special grand jury for the DA's investigation into former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the state.

Be warned: The review below contains plenty of spoilers about past and present episodes of Billions.

Showtime's Billions is attempting one of the most difficult maneuvers in scripted television: A major star transplant.

Novant Health is now using artificial intelligence to help emergency room doctors read CAT scans.

The technology is already being used at the Novant’s Presbyterian Medical Center in Charlotte and the hospital system plans to expand it to all of its acute care locations in the coming months.

A Michigan woman struck gold in her spam folder.

Laura Spears, 55, found out she won the lottery earlier this month while digging for a missing email in her junk folder. Spears says she purchased the winning ticket seeing an ad on Facebook for the Mega Millions jackpot. Just a few days later, she stumbled on the victorious message.

Football fans feasted on four incredible games this weekend — but after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills in overtime, the NFL's rules for overtime games are once again being questioned.

Unlike many other sports, pro football's rules don't require that both teams have a chance to score in overtime.

Do illegal homeless camps generate crime? It's a sensitive question, but one that's becoming politically urgent in cities where pandemic-era tolerance policies have allowed the camps to sprawl into more visible areas.

Krispy Kreme says it will provide a dozen free glazed doughnuts to anyone who can prove they donated blood from Monday through the end of January.

The promotion follows an announcement from the Red Cross earlier this month that it is facing its worst blood shortage in more than a decade. Over the course of the pandemic, blood donations and blood drives have dropped off significantly — a problem that's been compounded in recent weeks by severe winter weather.

A North Carolina man shackled to a floor while in police custody did not get help from police officers who watched him swallow cocaine, beg for water and tell them he couldn't breathe, according to a lawsuit filed by the man's sister.

Andrell Mackey filed the lawsuit Thursday in Mecklenburg County Superior Court, The Charlotte Observer reported. Mackey’s brother, Harold Easter, 41, died Jan. 26, 2020, three days after his arrest and detainment in a police station.

Billionaire investor and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has launched an online pharmacy for generic drugs that promises steep discounts over traditional distributors.

Actress Rita Moreno’s performance as Anita in the original “West Side Story” movie is iconic. She famously became the first Latina to win an Oscar for her role in the 1961 film.

Things are moving fast in Ukraine.

More countries are taking their lead from the U.S. and moving their staffs out of their embassies in the country’s capital.

Germany and Australia being the latest to act.

We also know that the Biden administration is considering sending as many as 5,000 U.S. troops to Eastern Europe.  

The Biden administration is considering sending up to 5,000 US troops from the U.S. and Europe to Eastern Europe. The move comes as the potential for a Russian invasion in Ukraine continues to grow.

According to the U.K.’s Foreign Office, Russian officials are already discussing potential pro-Russian leadership to replace Ukrainian leaders.

A federal prosecutor told jurors Monday morning that officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane could have saved George Floyd's life in 2020, but they chose not to.

In opening arguments, prosecutor Samantha Trepel said officers are trained to help people in need, but the three didn't intervene as Floyd slowly died as then-officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes.

The conservative-dominated Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a challenge to the consideration of race in college admissions, adding affirmative action to major cases on abortion, guns, religion and COVID-19 already on the agenda.

French fashion designer Manfred Thierry Mugler's signature style could be summed up in one Cardi B dress — highly constructed and outlandishly dramatic.

Mugler, who died Sunday at 73, launched his brand in 1973 and defined haute couture over several decades. He became known for his architectural style, defined by broad shoulders and a tiny waist, The Associated Press reports.

In the era of the Great Resignation, one particular job posting is getting a lot of attention online.

The Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council is looking for the next landlord of Piel Island, which consists of 50 acres a half-mile off England's northwestern coast and is home to wildlife, castle ruins and a centuries-old pub. The local government is hoping to award the 10-year lease to one lucky applicant by the time the 2022 season starts in April.

It was a remarkable day for stocks.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped by more than 1,000 points on Monday, before staging a remarkable recovery that saw the key index end the session with a nearly 100 point gain.

It was the same story for the S&P 500 and cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, which also slumped earlier in the day only to come roaring back and end the day with gains.

A luxury cruise ship that was scheduled to dock in Miami this past weekend made a surprise detour to the Bahamas after a U.S. judge ordered it to be seized as part of a lawsuit over unpaid fuel.

The High Court in London ruled on Monday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal to the U.K.'s Supreme Court against extradition to the United States, where he faces espionage charges over the publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents more than a decade ago.

Assange's lawyers have 14 days to submit their application to the Supreme Court, which will decide whether to hear the case, according to the BBC.

What group is especially vulnerable to the ravages of COVID-19 even if fully vaccinated and boosted? Seniors. And who will have an especially tough time getting free at-home COVID tests under the Biden administration's plan? Yes, seniors.

America's librarians awarded top honors to their favorite children's books of the year on Monday. The Newbery — celebrating its 100th year — and Caldecott medals, as well as several other honors, were among those awards.

The John Newbery Medal for the most distinguished children's book this year went to The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera. In the book, a girl named Petra must travel to another planet to carry on the human race after Earth has been destroyed.

The Supreme Court said Monday it will revisit the question of affirmative action in higher education, deciding to hear cases challenging the use of race as one factor in admissions at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina.