Weird, wild and wonderful stories of joy from 2023

Let's face it: the news in 2023 was often a grind, confronting us with war, tragedy and controversies. But there were also incredible moments of hope, kindness and joy.


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Carnival cruise crew members help rescue 12 people from ocean after cargo vessel capsizes

The men were stranded in the ocean near the Dominican Republic early Wednesday morning, Carnival said in a statement. 


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Dad, daughter discover 150-year-old shipwreck during Lake Michigan fishing trip

A father and his daughter are being praised by archaeologists for discovering for what's believed to be a 150-year-old shipwreck that got lost during the one of the deadliest wildfires in the country's history way back in the 1870s.


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Supreme Court leaves Illinois semiautomatic gun ban in place

Two lower courts have upheld the law, and Thursday's Supreme Court action marked the second time in six months that the justices have declined to intervene.


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Jail populations are bouncing back to near pre-pandemic levels

During the COVID-19 pandemic, local jails and prisons released thousands of inmates early. Experts say the recent increase reflects a return to business as usual for the nation's carceral system.


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Prisoners are suing Alabama over forced labor, calling it a 'form of slavery'

In a lawsuit filed this week, a group of current and former Alabama prisoners say they have been coerced into providing cheap labor to the state and to private employers.


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Israel is using an AI system to find targets in Gaza. Experts say it's just the start

Israel's military says the system makes it more efficient and reduces collateral damage. Critics see a host of problems with the nation's use of AI, but other militaries will likely follow suit.


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Australian court tosses woman's 2-decade-old convictions in deaths of her 4 children

Kathleen Folbigg already was pardoned and released from prison in June based on new scientific evidence that her four children may have died from natural causes as she had insisted.


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Epic Games beat Google but lost to Apple in monopoly lawsuits. What does it all mean?

The tech giants' app stores are multibillion-dollar money-makers. Now the services are under threat like never before.


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Where the Republican presidential candidates stand on immigration

Immigration has become one of the cornerstone issues of the 2024 campaign as GOP presidential hopefuls try to stand out as the toughest on both illegal and legal immigration.


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It took 23 years, but a 'Chicken Run' sequel has finally hatched

It's Bond meets The Truman Show in Aardman's sequel to Chicken Run. This time, the chickens break in — not out — to save the flock. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget premieres on Netflix this week.


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Wall Street calls them 'the Magnificent 7': They're the reason why stocks are surging

The S&P 500 has surged this year, but most of those gains are thanks to a handful companies nicknamed "The Magnificent Seven." And that's worrying Wall Street.


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Judge vacates murder conviction of Chicago man wrongfully imprisoned for 35 years

Brian Beals was convicted in the 1988 murder of a 6-year-old. At the time, Beals, a 22-year-old student at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, was home in Chicago during Thanksgiving break.


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CPR can be lifesaving for some, futile for others. Here's what makes the difference

If someone young and healthy collapses, the treatment is a no-brainer. As we age or suffer serious health problems, there may come a point where it would do more harm than good.


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Inflation continues to moderate thanks to a big drop in gas prices

Consumer prices rose 3.1% in November from a year ago, marking a more moderate pace of inflation thanks in large part to falling gasoline prices.


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Civil rights groups appeal court ruling that threatens Voting Rights Act enforcement

Civil rights groups are appealing a federal court ruling that could make it harder to enforce key voting protections for people of color under the Voting Rights Act.


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The Air National Guard disciplines 15 members in wake of Discord intel leak

The Air Force says it's disciplining 15 members following it's investigation of Jack Teixeira, an Air National Guardsman accused of classified leaks online.


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An unpublished poem by 'The Big Sleep' author Raymond Chandler is going to print

Strand Magazine announced that its latest issue will include a poem by the author written around 1955 that shows his "softer, sensitive side."


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Texas Supreme Court rules against woman who sought abortion for complicated pregnancy

Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two, is ill and carrying a fetus with a genetic condition that is almost always fatal. She decided to leave Texas to get an abortion.


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Jury will decide amount Giuliani will pay to 2 Georgia election workers for defamation

How much should it cost to defame two innocent citizens in the service of a dangerous fallacy that sought to undermine a U.S. presidential election?


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COP28 Update: Promises And Regrets

UN climate talks are winding down in Dubai. Negotiators are debating the language on how to reduce the use of fossil fuels, climate finance for developing countries and renewable energy.


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If Donald Trump becomes president again, how authoritarian would his agenda be?

Donald Trump summed up his agenda for a second term as president: Revenge and retribution. Will become a full-fledged autocrat in his second term?


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WHO resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict hopes for 'health as a bridge to peace'

The health organization's director-general says needed humanitarian aid isn't possible without a cease-fire but the resolution provides a platform to build from.


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Iran blocks Mahsa Amini's family from collecting a human rights prize in her name

Amini's family was attempting to board a flight to France to collect the prize, but authorities told them that they aren't allowed to leave Iran. Their passports were also confiscated.


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A massive star called Betelgeuse will be briefly obscured by an asteroid Monday night

The astronomical event, known as an occultation, is expected to occur for no longer than 15 seconds but could offer scientists new insights into the star and the asteroid that will obscure it.


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Suspect in attempted arson of MLK Jr’s birth home is decorated US Navy veteran

Laneisha Henderson earned a good conduct medal and Navy 'E' ribbon, among others.


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Minnesota grocery clerk who was neighborhood ‘fixture’ killed when ‘crazy’ man impales him with golf club

A Minnesota store clerk and "fixture" of the neighborhood was killed Friday when a deranged customer drove a golf club through his chest, police said.


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California moving company that touts its young, fit staff sued by feds for age discrimination: ‘No idea we were doing anything wrong’

A California-based moving company that boasts about its young, buff employees is being sued by the federal government for age discrimination. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against Meathead Movers for violating age-discrimination law by not hiring enough older workers, the Wall Street Journal reported. Since launching in 1997, the Fresno-based company’s mission...


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Child among 6 dead after severe storms tear through central Tennessee, at least 23 injured

Severe storms that tore through central Tennessee killed six people Saturday and sent about two dozen to the hospital as homes and businesses were damaged in multiple cities.


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Stores in crime-riddled San Francisco abandoning self-checkout lanes to combat thefts: report

A Safeway supermarket in San Francisco's Fillmore District and a Target on Mission Street closed their self-checkout kiosks — a change that other stores across the troubled city may follow.


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The U.S. has vetoed a Gaza cease-fire resolution in the U.N. Security Council

The United States was the only country to vote against a resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.


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Israeli strike badly damages Gaza's oldest mosque

An Israeli strike has badly damaged an iconic and historic mosque in Gaza. As conditions around Gaza worsen amid the offensive, Israel claims it was aiming at Hamas militants.


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Michigan high school shooter sentenced to Life in Prison without Parole

A Michigan judge hands down a life without parole sentence for the teenager who shot and killed fellow students and wounded others at Oxford High School in 2021.


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He won his seat on council by a single vote — which he cast himself

Every election we're told that each vote counts. Ryan Roth, the newly-elected city council member for Rainier, Wash., is now proof that it does.


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How a top economic adviser to Biden is thinking about inflation and the job market

The latest numbers show a strong picture for the U.S. economy. Yet many Americans have a pessimistic view. Here's how an adviser to Joe Biden says they're addressing that.


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Pickup truck strikes 3 people, ‘seriously’ injuring them ahead of Christmas parade in California

The truck backed into a crowd of partygoers waiting for the parade's 6 p.m. start time, Vice Mayor of Bakersfield Andrae Gonzales revealed


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Off-duty pilot accused of trying to down Alaska Airlines flight shares big hug with wife after posting bail — ordered to stay away from planes

“I’m saddened that this situation had to happen to my husband and to the people it affected,” Stretch said. “But I know that this has created a movement and momentum to help thousands of other pilots.”


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Alleged drunk driver plows headfirst into cop who was looking for him: video

The truck failed to follow the curve of the roadway and barreled clear across the yellow dividing line -- straight into the patrol car.


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Massive weekend storm to pummel eastern US with heavy rain, damaging winds, snow

A developing storm system will deliver widespread rain, damaging winds, severe storms and even snow to the eastern half of the U.S. this weekend. 


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Florida bear attacks, takes off with reindeer Christmas decoration

A black bear was caught on a Florida home's surveillance camera asserting its dominance over the home's Christmas reindeer decor.


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A Black Texas student has been suspended once again for his natural hairstyle

Darryl George, 18, showed up for class on Tuesday at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, before being removed and placed back into in-school suspension for natural hairstyle.


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The College Board releases a new framework for its AP African American Studies course

Controversy swirled around the new course after it was rejected by the Florida Department of Education, with conservative critics accusing the College Board of bias.


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Palestinians in Chicago mourn loss of family in Gaza

Mohammed AbuSafia and his uncle Mohammed Abu Realh say at least 39 family members have been killed by Israeli bombardment.


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Pilots say they're afraid to seek mental health care. The FAA says it's listening

At a summit on mental health in aviation, pilots and safety experts urged regulators to reform rules that discourage people from seeking treatment because they're afraid of losing clearance to fly.


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Texas woman asks court's permission for abortion because of pregnancy complications

A woman who is pregnant and seeking an abortion is asking a judge to allow it to be performed in Texas. She has health problems, and the fetus has a condition that is almost always fatal.


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'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' goes to No. 1 — after 65 years

Move over, Mariah Carey: Brenda Lee's reliable holiday hit, first released during the Eisenhower administration, is the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 — for the first time ever.


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Prosecutors cite Trump's history of false election claims as evidence of motive

Prosecutors want to use evidence of former President Trump's baseless statements about election fraud and his embrace of rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, to bolster the election interference case against him.


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Sen. Tuberville drops his monthslong hold on military promotions

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., says he is dropping his hold on hundreds of military promotions.


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Liz Cheney, focused on stopping Trump, hasn't ruled out 3rd-party presidential run

The former representative says a second Trump presidency would be an "existential threat" to democracy: "There's simply no defense, no excuse for putting that power back in the hands of Donald Trump."


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Senator hires an indicted and ousted representative to troll an indicted senator

"I thought my ethically-challenged colleague" should hear from former Rep. George Santos, said Sen. John Fetterman. He hired Santos to record a message for Sen. Bob Menendez.


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