HHS says it's freezing child care payments to Minnesota after fraud allegations; Ohio civic group encourages engagement as New Year's resolution; AARP CT gets head start on 2026 legislative priorities; Study: 15% of pregnancies linked to cardiovascular complications.

SNAP bans on soda, candy and other foods take effect in five states Jan. 1; UT student loan borrowers in default could face collections; EPA delays tougher coal wastewater standards in Michigan, nation; Not much New Year's cheer for MT health insurance costs.

CIA carried out drone strike on port facility on Venezuelan coast; Report: Organic farming most reliable path to profitability; Ohio researchers address hidden concussion risks among police; Pennsylvanians to vote for the state's 2026 River of the Year.

Winter storm could become "bomb cyclone" over Great Lakes and Northeast; What Indiana shows the nation about Trump-era voting; New report offers roadmap for Michigan's Great Lakes in 2026; FL employers assist families with adoption policies, funding.

WV community protests closure of homeless encampment; a new report calls for greater investment in MA's public colleges and universities; video games are being used to teach Indigenous language; Trump Administration forces last WA coal-fired power plant to remain open; NM residents encouraged to comment on clean water rule change; and GA advocates work to end the death penalty nationwide.

Expert says it will take several election cycles to know what lies ahead for American politics; the federal government gets aggressive on student loans in default; President Trump says a Russia-Ukraine peace plan is almost done; 2025 saw a great deal of news but one group is highlighting stories that slipped through the cracks; Medicaid coverage could be lose as Missouri lawmakers gear up for another possible government shutdown and Ohio sees surge in immigration enforcement.

Another storm slams California on Christmas Day with flooding rain, high winds and mountain snow; Ohio wastewater data signals early flu surge; NM's LGBTQ+ community champions expanded data privacy laws; NYC immigration judges fired in justice system purge; MI researchers create lab-grown human hearts for breakthrough study.

Flash flood, thunderstorm alerts in effect for California with heavy rain expected to last days; Reuters Exclusive: US Coast Guard lacks forces to seize Venezuela-linked tanker for now, sources say; MN state workers applaud push to restore federal bargaining rights; Plymouth PTA works to ease students' holiday hunger gap.

At least 2 dead in 'catastrophic' explosion at nursing home in Pennsylvania: Officials; New data: Poverty eases in AL but basic needs still out of reach; NYS experts offer ways to address holiday mental health challenges; Avian flu detected at AR commercial poultry farm.