Purdue student died in 200-foot fall in Alabama cave

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (AP) – Authorities in Alabama say a Purdue University student died in a 200-foot (60-meter) fall while rappelling in a cave. News outlets report 21-year-old Trever Col died Saturday after his equipment failed in Valhalla Cave Preserve in northern Alabama. The cave is known for its 227-foot (69-meter) pitch and its mile-long (1.5-kilometer) walkway at the bottom. Jackson…

Fired Navy secretary says he was ordered to violate “sacred oath”

President Trump’s Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said he was fired in the controversy over a Navy SEAL because the president gave him an order he couldn’t, “in good conscience,” carry out. Secretary Spencer’s removal follows a dispute that began when the president reversed the Navy’s demotion of Edward Gallagher, who was convicted of posing for a photo with a dead…

Bill Gates posts blog about his visit to Howard High in Chattanooga

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – It was a big deal in Chattanooga when Bill Gates visited Howard High earlier this year. Now he’s telling his version of the story. The billionaire philanthropist has a blog called GatesNotes. And his post this week called “I love this school’s energy!” is about his Howard visit. “I came away from my visit as excited about…

NASA discovery fuels hopes in search for life beyond Earth

Astronomers have long suspected that Jupiter’s moon Europa holds a salty ocean beneath its thick icy crust that could support life. Now, NASA has confirmed the detection of water erupting from large geysers on the moon’s surface. An international research team led by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland published a study Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy that confirmed the…

Ford debuts 2021 Mustang Mach-E all-electric SUV

Ford has unveiled its first all-electric SUV, marking the start of an avalanche of battery-powered vehicles coming from mainstream and luxury automakers during the next two years that industry analysts say will boost electric vehicle sales. The “Mustang Mach-E” was shown Sunday night ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show press days. Ford is aiming to deliver a product that…

Chattanooga Zoo hatches critically endangered turtle

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – The Chattanooga Zoo has a new baby to brag about. This month, mother Nessie hatched the first Roti Island Snake-necked turtle at the Zoo. And there are three more healthy looking eggs in Nessie’s clutch. The Roti is a critically endangered species. The Zoo is taking part in a program to hatch new turtles with the hopes…

Kanye wants to change his name to “Christian Genius Billionaire”

Kanye West was recently named one of the world’s wealthiest hip hop artists by Forbes, with the publication estimating his net worth at $240 million. West, however, wants you to know he’s not a millionaire — he’s a billionaire. The rapper floated the idea of legally changing his name to “Christian Genius Billionaire Kanye West,” just so everyone knows it….

The Latest: Jeff Sessions announces 2020 run for Senate seat

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Latest on former Attorney General Jeff Sessions running for U.S. Senate (all times local): 8:19 p.m. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions will attempt to win back his old U.S. Senate seat in Alabama after a tumultuous time in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. The Republican announced his 2020 run Thursday on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” The…

NASA opens untouched Apollo moon rock sample

In December 1972, astronauts on the Apollo 17 lunar mission returned to Earth with samples of rock and soil from the moon. On Tuesday, NASA scientists opened a sample that had been sealed and untouched for more than 40 years. The pristine sample of rock and regolith was opened on Tuesday at the Johnson Space Center in Houston as part of…

NASA’s new lunar rover will search for water on the moon

NASA wants to explore the moon’s mysterious South Pole, and it’s sending a new rover to do it. The VIPER will land in 2022 in search of water on the lunar surface. The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover — or VIPER — will take samples of moon soil, looking for evidence of water-ice, NASA announced Friday. Starting in December 2022,…

20 new moons were discovered around Saturn

Twenty new moons have been found to be orbiting Saturn — and scientists want the public’s help in naming them, according to a Carnegie Institution for Science news release. The new discovery brings the total moons around the “jewel of our solar system” to 82. The new moons are each about 3 miles in diameter and 17 orbit Saturn backwards, or in…

2 Americans among winners of 2019 Nobel Prize for medicine

Two Americans and a British scientist have been awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine for discovering how the body’s cells sense and react to oxygen levels, work that has paved the way for new strategies to fight anemia, cancer and other diseases, the Nobel Committee said. Doctors William G. Kaelin Jr. of Harvard University, Gregg L. Semenza…

The Rock to return to WWE’s “Friday Night Smackdown”

“The Rock” posts heartfelt message about his dad WWE’s “Friday Night Smackdown” is going to rock this week. Professional wrestler turned movie star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced he will be returning to his roots and appear on Friday’s Fox premiere of the hit program. “FINALLY…I come back home to my @WWE universe,” the people’s champion wrote on Twitter Monday….

Elon Musk shows off next-generation “Starship” prototype

Starship Update by SpaceX on YouTube SpaceX founder Elon Musk showed off a towering prototype of his next-generation stainless steel “Starship” Saturday, telling a throng of reporters, cheering supporters and company workers the gleaming rocketships could begin piloted orbital test flights within the next year. “With any development into uncharted territory, its difficult to predict these things with precision,” the…

Man admits shooting transgender woman

Police in Dallas have arrested a man they say admitted to shouting slurs at a transgender woman before following her to a bus stop and opening fire, seriously wounding her. The suspect was identified as  29-year-old Domingo Ramirez-Cavente. Police have said they are investigating the Friday night incident as a hate crime. The shooting comes amid community concern over a series…

Ad showing Ocasio-Cortez’s face in flames airs during debate

A dramatic ad targeting Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez aired during the third Democratic debate on Thursday, comparing Ocasio-Cortez’s support for democratic socialism to the brutal Khmer Rouge communist regime in Cambodia. The ad shows a picture of the young congresswoman bursting into flame to reveal a picture of a pile of skulls. The narrator of the ad, onetime Republican congressional…

Apple to reveal updated iPhones, watches and Apple TV

Apple on Tuesday holds its annual product reveal event, where it’s expected to unveil a next-generation iPhone, a new watch and a look at its hotly anticipated video-streaming device, Apple TV. As per usual, the Apple store is down before and during the event and Twitter is already abuzz with expectation. The company’s newest iPhone models are expected to be…

Tom Brady’s application for “Tom Terrific” trademark denied

Tom Brady just suffered a rare loss — his trademark application has been denied by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The New England Patriots quarterback tried to trademark “Tom Terrific” earlier this summer. The office refused the request made by the six-time Super Bowl champion Thursday because of the phrase’s association with another famous athlete: “The applied-for mark consists…

Coming soon to Netflix: Movie trailers crafted by AI

Netflix is investing in technology to automate movie and television trailers, an executive said on a July earnings call. The technology could help Netflix lower the cost of creating trailers while adding personalization for its subscribers. In 2016, IBM’s Watson made a promo spot for the 2016 thriller “Morgan” by categorizing emotional moments in the film, although a human editor…