archivesource:USA TODAY

Updated Oct. 1, 2026, 6:07 a.m. ETORLANDO, FL — I wouldn’t consider myself a horror fan, but after five years of covering Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights (HHN), it’s become one of my favorite fall traditions.My first foray in 2022, I was so nervous that I only braved one haunted house and scampered out of open-air scare zones before night fell.I still hide behind friends in haunted houses and startle when scareactors catch me off guard, but the more I’ve learned about what it takes to create and execute the...

Updated Sept. 28, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ETHayden Panettiere's ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, is taking his "urgent" concerns over the "Nashville" actress' estate to court.Klitschko, a former boxer and heavyweight champion whose engagement to Panettiere ended in 2018, filed a request for guardianship of their daughter Kaya Klitschko's estate on Sept. 24, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court documents obtained by USA TODAY.In the filings, Wladimir Klitschko's lawyers shared his concerns over Panettiere's probate estate, of which 11-year-old Kaya is the sole heir.He "is informed and believes that non-family members previously...

Updated Sept. 24, 2026, 8:21 a.m. ETWASHINGTON — A federal judge halted President Donald Trump's ban blocking three major media outlets from reporting at the White House, saying the move was probably unconstitutional, and ordered access to be restored.In an early-morning ruling, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, issued a temporary restraining order to reinstate press passes for reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, after Trump announced on Sept. 18 that he was banning them from the White House.In his court order, Kelly blocked officials from enforcing the ban...

Sept. 12, 2026, 8:14 p.m. ETA woman entered the Malibu, California, property of former Vice President Kamala Harris and husband Doug Emhoff late on Sept. 11, prompting Harris' security personnel to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, according to multiple reports.Security personnel stopped the woman before she reached the home, the Los Angeles Times reported. Harris and Emhoff were not at the property at the time.Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies responded to the property at about 10:30 p.m., according to Lt. Jason Duron, of the Malibu station. The woman...

Updated Sept. 8, 2026, 11:56 a.m. ETLUBBOCK, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has unveiled his campaign plan to address several facets of the number one issue Texans care about in the race: affordability.Abbott visited Lubbock, Texas, on Sept. 4, touting a plan to lower Texans' property taxes, the cost of higher education, the cost of health care and more, as recent polling shows the governor's race is tightening."Texas ranks number one in the United States for the most jobs," Abbot said. "We rank number one as the best economy in...

April 24, 2026Updated May 1, 2026, 12:35 p.m. ETYounger Americans are flocking to high-risk "alternative" investments in 2026, driven by the conviction that crypto, meme stocks and prediction markets offer better odds for meeting their financial goals.Gen Zers and millennials are gripped by a pervasive sense of financial nihilism that pushes them into risky investments, according to Northwestern Mutual's Planning & Progress Study 2026.Three-quarters of millennials and 80% of Gen Zers who choose risky investments feel "financially behind," the study says. They believe speculative investments "will help reach financial goals more effectively than traditional methods," such as conventional stocks and bonds.But some high-risk investments are more akin to gambling,...

Sept. 4, 2026, 3:02 a.m. ETUnited States stock markets will be closed on Monday, Sept. 7, in observance of the Labor Day holiday.The Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange will be closed Monday and reopen Tuesday, Sept. 8. The U.S. bond market will also be closed on Sept. 7, according to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the holiday celebrates "the social and economic achievements of American workers" and is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday "to recognize the many contributions workers...

Aug. 29, 2026, 9:32 a.m. ETFor the first time since 2012, every property in Allegheny County is headed for a new assessment, a process that could significantly affect how much homeowners, businesses and nonprofit organizations pay in property taxes.The change comes after Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kenneth Valasek ordered the county to conduct a countywide reassessment, replacing values that have remained largely unchanged for more than a decade. Under the court order, the county must begin the reassessment process by 2027 and complete it within five years. The reassessment...

Updated July 28, 2026, 2:23 p.m. ETBuying a home is a huge milestone people save up most of their lives for, but it's very different from owning a home, according to a survey.Nearly 2 in 3 homebuyers said homeownership has been more expensive than expected, according to business software Jobber's survey of 800 adults who purchased a home in the past two years. Of those, only 44% budgeted for ongoing maintenance, the data showed.Buyers are so focused on homeownership that most budget for the purchase, not the full cost of...

July 2, 2026, 6:08 a.m. ETUnited States stock markets will be closed on Friday, July 3, in observance of Independence Day, which falls on a Saturday this year.The Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange will be closed Friday and reopen Monday, July 6. The U.S. bond market will also be closed on July 3 and will close early at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 2, according to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.The origins of the Fourth of July date back to July 4, 1776, when the U.S. unanimously adopted the Declaration of...