NEWS

February 14, 2024
Business News
AP-Summary Brief-Business   February 14, 2024 Artificial intelligence, real emotion. People are seeking a romantic connection with the perfect bot NEW YORK (AP) — The generative artificial intelligence boom has led to the emergence of more companion chatbots. Similar to general-purpose AI chatbots that answer typical questions, companion bots use vast amounts of training data to mimic human language. But they also come with features — such as voice calls, picture exchanges and more emotional exchanges — that allow them to form deeper connections with the humans on the other side of the screen. On online messaging forums devoted to […]
February 14, 2024
AP-Newswatch
AP-Summary Brief News February 14, 2024 Displaced Palestinians leave one of Gaza’s main hospitals after weeks of being isolated by fighting RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians have begun evacuating the main hospital in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis after weeks of heavy fighting had isolated the medical facility and claimed the lives of several people inside it. The war between Israel and Hamas, now in its fifth month, has devastated Gaza’s health sector, with less than half of its hospitals even partially functioning as scores of people are killed and wounded in daily bombardments. Israel accuses the […]
February 15, 2024
Business News
AP-Summary Brief-Business   February 15, 2024 Retail sales fall 0.8% in January from December as shoppers pause after strong holiday season NEW YORK (AP) — Americans pulled back their spending in January after splurging during the holiday season. Retail sales fell 0.8% from the strong pace in December when retail sales were up a revised 0.4%, according to the Commerce Department. The decline was bigger than the 0.10% drop that economists expected and marked the lowest monthly figure since March of last year. Economists had expected consumers to pull back on spending late last year under the weight of credit […]
February 15, 2024
AP-Newswatch
AP-Summary Brief News February 15, 2024 Israeli forces storm the main hospital in southern Gaza, saying hostages were likely held there RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces have stormed the main hospital in southern Gaza in what the army says is a limited operation seeking the remains of hostages taken by Hamas. Thursday’s raid came a day after the army sought to evacuate thousands of displaced people who had taken shelter at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The southern city has been the main target of Israel’s offensive against Hamas in recent weeks. Separately, Israel launched a second day […]
February 16, 2024
App State Online bachelor’s, master’s programs named ‘bests’ for 2024 by U.S. News & World Report
By Jessica Stump Posted Feb. 8, 2024 at 10:21 a.m. FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailGmail   BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University has strengthened its standing among the nation’s best schools for online education, according to U.S. News & World Report, which named the university in its “2024 Best Online Programs” rankings, released Feb. 7. App State Online placed within the top 23% of U.S. colleges and universities for best online bachelor’s programs. The national publication also recognized App State’s Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA), Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Science in nursing programs, as well as the university’s online master’s […]
February 16, 2024
App State alumni lead the nation in earning teaching’s top credential
By Rebekah Saylors Posted Jan. 22, 2024 at 3:40 p.m. FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailGmail   BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University is known nationally as an established leader in teacher education — a fact supported by the university’s record as the No. 1 alma mater for National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT). For the eighth consecutive year, App State topped the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ list of “Top 50 Alma Maters by Total Number of NBCTs” for 2023, with 2,321 alumni having earned the national credential to date. The certification is achieved through a rigorous performance-based assessment that typically takes from one to […]
February 16, 2024
Business News
AP-Summary Brief-Business   February 16, 2024 US wholesale inflation accelerated in January in latest sign that prices picked up last month WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale prices in the United States accelerated in January, the latest sign that some inflation pressures in the economy remain elevated. The producer price index — which tracks inflation before it reaches consumers — rose 0.3% from December to January after having fallen -0.1% from November to December. Measured year over year, producer prices rose by a mild 0.9% in January. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, “core” wholesale prices rose 0.5%, the most since last […]
February 16, 2024
AP-Newswatch
AP-Summary Brief News February 16, 2024 Alexei Navalny, galvanizing opposition leader and Putin’s fiercest foe, died in prison, Russia says Alexei Navalny, who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, has died in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence. That’s according to Russia’s prison agency. He was 47. The stunning news comes less than a month before an election that will give Putin another six years in power. It brought renewed criticism of the Kremlin leader who has cracked down on all opposition at home. The Federal […]
February 16, 2024

Keith Werner named chief information officer at App State

  By University Communications Posted Feb. 16, 2024 at 9:06 a.m. FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailGmail   BOONE, N.C. — Keith Werner has been named chief information officer at Appalachian State University, effective March 18. Werner currently holds the position of vice president of information technology (IT) strategy and cybersecurity at the University of North Carolina System Office, a position he has held since 2022. From 2018 to 2022, he was vice president for IT and chief information officer for the UNC System Office. “I am confident that Keith — who has 30 years of experience delivering innovative and strategic solutions to the public sector […]
February 19, 2024
Business News
AP-Summary Brief-Business   February 19, 2024 Some video game actors are letting AI clone their voices. They just don’t want it to replace them Video game studios pay professional actors to voice the soldiers, goblins, elves and aliens that populate virtual worlds. Some are also starting to use artificial intelligence to generate synthetic voice clones that can save money or bring more characters to life. The arrival of increasingly realistic AI-generated voices is forcing actors to navigate an emerging technology that could threaten their careers or bring new opportunities. Some actors — with cautious support from Hollywood’s actor union — […]
February 19, 2024
AP-Newswatch
AP-Summary Brief News February 19, 2024 Gaza Health Ministry says over 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel-Hamas war RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said on Monday that 107 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours. That brings the total number of fatalities to 29,092 since the start of the war. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its records, but says most of those killed were women […]
February 20, 2024
Business News
AP-Summary Brief-Business   February 20, 2024 Capital One to buy Discover for $35 billion in deal that combines major US credit card companies NEW YORK (AP) — Capital One Financial is buying Discover Financial Services for $35 billion, in a deal that would bring together two of the nation’s biggest lenders and credit card issuers. Discover Financial shareholders will receive Capital One shares valued at nearly $140, according to a news release issued by the companies Monday. Discover shares closed Friday trading at $110.49. Virginia-based Capital One was the 12th largest U.S. bank as of the third quarter. Illinois-based Discover […]
February 20, 2024
AP-Newswatch
AP-Summary Brief News February 20, 2024 Israel orders new evacuations in northern Gaza, where UN says 1 in 6 children are malnourished RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel has ordered new evacuations from parts of Gaza City, an indication it still faces stiff resistance in areas it said were cleared weeks ago. UNICEF meanwhile says one in six children are acute malnourished in the isolated and largely devastated north of the territory, where the city is located. The report finds deepening misery across the territory, where Israel’s air and ground offensive, launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, has […]
February 21, 2024
Narcotics Investigation Leads to 6 Arrests
      Jefferson, N.C. – Sheriff B. Phil Howell announces the arrest of 5 individuals resulting from a narcotics investigation that took place over several months in 2023. The investigation was conducted by the Ashe County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division, N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, GraysonCo. Sheriff’s Office, and Wilkesboro PoliceDepartment. In recent months, over 3 lbs. ofMethamphetamine was recovered and seized. Danny Cole Lawrence, 52-year-old male from Grassy Creek, NC, is currently being held in the Ashe County Detention Center under a no bond. Lawrence’s charges include: •3 Felony Counts PWIMSD Sch. II Controlled Substance •2 Felony Counts […]
February 21, 2024
Business News
AP-Summary Brief-Business   February 21, 2024 Robots and happy workers: Productivity surge helps explain US economy’s surprising resilience WASHINGTON (AP) — Across the United States, chronic worker shortages have led many companies to invest in machines to do some of the work they can’t find people to do. They’ve also been training the workers they do have to use advanced technology so they can produce more with less. The result has been an unexpected productivity boom, which helps explain a great economic mystery: How has the world’s largest economy managed to remain so healthy, with brisk growth and low unemployment, […]