Illinois Marine among 8 dead in Nepal helicopter crash

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) – A U.S. Marine Corps combat photographer from Illinois is among the eight dead who were aboard a Marine helicopter that crashed during a relief mission in earthquake-hit Nepal. Officials identified the victims Sunday. Cpl. Sara A. Medina, a combat photographer with Marine Corps Installations Pacific, Okinawa, Japan, and a native of…

March shows slump in U.S. economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — For months, the U.S. economy’s strength has been flagging. Manufacturing slowed. Fewer homes were built. Cheaper gas failed to ignite consumer spending. Yet month after month, employers kept on hiring vigorously. In March, the economy’s slump finally overtook the job market. Employers added just 126,000 workers — the fewest since December 2013…

New Jersey racetrack plans fantasy sports betting

OCEANPORT, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey racetrack says it will soon offer fantasy sports betting. Monmouth Park officials announced their plans in a statement Saturday. It came one day after a federal judge ruled the state can’t partially lift a prohibition on sports betting in an effort to boost its struggling horse racing and…

ISRAEL, HAMAS BATTLE OVER PUBLIC OPINION ONLINE

JERUSALEM (AP) — Beyond the boom of Israeli airstrikes and the stream of rockets fired from Gaza, Israel and Hamas are also battling to control the message emanating from this latest Israeli-Palestinian conflagration. Using videos, Twitter, text messages, leaflets and phone calls, both sides have attempted to direct the tone of the fighting — for…