Boeing has locked out its private force of firefighters who protect its aircraft-manufacturing plants in the Seattle area and brought in replacements after the latest round of negotiations with the firefighters' union failed to deliver an agreement on wages.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Heavy rains in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul killed 39 people, with another 68 still missing, the state civil defense agency said Friday, as record-breaking floods devastated cities and forced thousands to leave their homes.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian village of Ocheretyne has been battered by fighting, drone footage obtained by The Associated Press shows. The village has been a target for Russian forces in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country’s mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — After years of delays and stumbles, Boeing is finally poised to launch astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA.

HOUSTON (AP) — Heavy storms slammed the Houston area again Friday, widening already dangerous flooding in Texas and putting stranded drivers and a school bus of children in need of high-water rescues. Officials redoubled urgent instructions for residents in low-lying areas to evacuate, warning the worst was still to come.

ARLINGTON, Texas (BP) – To be on a Zoom call with Jared Wellman is to observe his love for professional basketball. In addition to family pictures, his workspaces are filled with photos, jerseys, basketballs and other collectibles connected to NBA legends.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) — The Biden Administration has finalized new rules that could threaten the ability of Sunrise Children’s Services and other faith-based agencies to place Kentucky children in foster care.

LYPIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — This Orthodox Easter season, an extraordinary new church is bringing spiritual comfort to war-weary residents of the Ukrainian village of Lypivka. Two years ago, it also provided physical refuge from the horrors outside.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Roughly 100,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children are expected to enroll in the Affordable Care Act's health insurance next year under a new directive the Biden administration released Friday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s employers pulled back on their hiring in April but still added a decent 175,000 jobs in a sign that persistently high interest rates may be starting to slow …

LITHONIA, Ga. — Over the last 61 years, Luther Rice College & Seminary has been faithfully providing graduates who go on to serve Georgia Baptist churches. On Friday, Luther Rice has expanded its impact by launching its newest degree program - an Associate of Arts in General Studies. The 60-credit hour program is open for applications and will begin offering classes this fall.  

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police have arrested more than 2,100 people during pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses across the United States in recent weeks, clearing tent encampments and occupied buildings.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia's Kirby Smart agreed to a contract extension Thursday that makes him the highest-paid coach in college football with an annual salary of $13 million. Smart got a bump in salary of $1.75 million annually as part of the deal, which ties him to the Bulldogs through 2033.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Comcast has blacked out 15 regional sports networks offered by Bally Sports, escalating a contract dispute with their distributor. The cutoff affects games played by a dozen Major League Baseball teams based in nine states, including the Atlanta Braves.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — A pilot has died after a small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in a Georgia city. The plane crashed on Thursday a little more than a half mile from Daniel Field, a general aviation airport in Augusta.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) – Racetrack workers on the backside of Churchill Downs number around 1,000. Pavel Urruchi, who has been the track chaplain since last November, sees it as his mission field. He wants to make sure each one of them has an opportunity to hear the gospel.

In the final months of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, the region of Brazil faced an unprecedented crisis—the worst drought in recorded history. This catastrophe struck hardest in the river communities, where livelihoods depend on abundant water.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday rejected calls from pro-Palestinian student protesters to change his approach to the war in Gaza while insisting that “order must prevail” as college campuses across the country face a wave of violence, outrage and fear.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of senators is pushing for restrictions on the use of facial recognition technology by the Transportation Security Administration, saying they are concerned about travelers' privacy and civil liberties.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — At a Ukrainian power plant repeatedly hit by Russian aerial attacks, equipment department chief Oleh has a one-word answer when asked what Ukraine’s battered energy industry needs most: “Patriot.”

NORWALK, Conn. (AP) — Both sides of I-95, the East Coast's main north-south highway, were shut down in southwestern Connecticut — causing “horrendous” traffic jams — following an early morning crash Thursday involving a passenger car, a tractor-trailer and a tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline.

W. Thomas Hammond Jr., executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, and his wife Kerri led Georgia Baptists in a time of corporate prayer via livestream Wednesday morning on the National Day of Prayer.

KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — During pitched battles with far better-armed Russian forces, Ukrainian soldier Batyar’s unit has few options. Devastating Russian aerial glide bombs that can drop up to 1.5 tons of explosives out of range of most of Ukraine's air defenses are gnawing away at his men’s positions in a new tactic.

Seminary training has always been more than taking classes. Formation for ministry has always been as important as the content of the curriculum. But the global pandemic in 2020 forged a new era in virtual education. Could the intangible qualities of seminary translate into an increasingly digital education space?