Fatima Al Ali's remarkable hockey skills were discovered by Capitals alumnus Peter Bondra at an ice rink in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emerites this past November. This week, Al Ali flew to America for a practice session with her favorite team, the Washington Capitals. Her visit is part of the NHL's "Hockey is for Everyone" month, an initiative to become more diverse and inclusive. (Jessica Koscielniak)
Bill McCann, who voted for Donald Trump for the simple reason that he wasn't a politician, rode his motorcycle approximately 1,400 miles from Fort Worth, Texas to witness President Trump's inauguration in-person. (Brittany Peterson)
American women have come far since the first women's rights convention in 1848. The first female conductor, speaker of the house, astronaut to walk in space, chess grandmaster and others explain what it was like to break the glass ceiling in their field, and what is next for America's women. (Natalie Fertig, Ali Rizvi and Patrick Gleason)
These are the personal stories of five people who experienced or made a significant change in their lives as a result of the divisive 2016 presidential election. (Brittany Peterson)
We asked American voters to leave us voicemails explaining who they plan to vote for and why in the 2016 presidential election. In this non-scientific project, we hear from 69 people from 25 states. What they said ranged from passionate and hopeful to angry and disgusted, with supporters for each candidate describing their decision to vote—or not—on Nov. 8. (Nicole L. Cvetnic, Sohail Al-Jamea and Ben Connors)
The Atlantic Ocean is eroding parts of North Topsail Beach by about five feet per year. The town of 800 residents is running out of cash and solutions in its efforts to protect its north shore. Whose job is to save this popular North Carolina tourist destination? (Brittany Peterson and Sohail Al-Jamea)
The story of Texas high school football in Aledo, home of the six-time state champion Bearcats, will be chronicled this season in an original Star-Telegram series beginning in August. Watch the entire series here. (Jessica Koscielniak)
A Charlotte Observer investigation uncovered dozens of N.C. lottery retailers or employees — the gatekeepers to potential fortunes — who beat improbable odds time and again to collect significant prizes at their own stores. Here's how unlikely that can be. (Adam Bell, Gavin Off, Meta Viers, Patrick Gleason and Ali Rizvi)
The Video Lab spoke with athletes competing for the chance to go to Rio. (Brittany Peterson and Ali Rizvi)
The State Department offers Special Immigrant Visas to Afghans who risked their lives translating and providing other services to U.S. and allied forces during the war on terror. Sacramento's ethnic diversity and mild climate have made it a magnet for these refugees, making California’s capital city home to 2,000 Afghans with these special visas. Their transition has been difficult. They’ve faced poverty and violence, and some long for their war-torn homeland. (Jessica Koscielniak)
As one of the most well-traveled Commander-in-Chiefs in U.S. history, President Obama has made numerous historic trips around the globe. From the Czech Republic to India and Cuba, Obama has prioritized foreign policy while logging thousands of miles on Air Force One.
(Patrick Gleason and Nicole L. Cvetnic)
President Barack Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Hiroshima nuclear disaster site since then-President Harry S. Truman ordered the first nuclear bomb to be dropped in August, 1945. From the Truman Library to the museum that's home to the Enola Gay, Americans alike see Obama's visit as the right step forward in U.S.-Japan relations. (Ali Rizvi)
New to betting a horse race? Learn how to place a bet and increase your odds with Chief Betologist at Keeneland Race Course, Tom Kudla. Pro tip: Don't bet on a sweaty horse. (Ali Rizvi)
Offshore corporations have one main purpose — to create anonymity. Recently leaked documents reveal that some of these shell companies, cloaked in secrecy, provide cover for dictators, politicians and tax evaders. (Sohail Al-Jamea and Ali Rizvi)
Many hours before the event, tens of thousands of Cubans gather outside Havana's Ciudad Deportiva park, where the Rolling Stones are set to play Friday night. “This is the music of my generation. I’ve waited 50 years to see them,” said Leopoldo Galvez Medina, 61, of Varadero. (Brittany Peterson)
A multi-part series | Three months ago, the Kansas City Royals played in their second consecutive World Series and laid claim to the club's second world championship. This spring, they're back to square one. And players will be doing everything they can to chase another crown. (Brittany Peterson and Todd Feeback)
A video series on politics with McClatchyDC's political editor, Steve "Buzz" Thomma. (Natalie Fertig)
A group of anti-government ranchers and activists seized buildings at a rural Oregon federal wildlife refuge on January 2. The heavily-armed group drew criticism from locals and support from militia groups. On February 11, the last occupier turned himself over to federal authorities. The weeks-long standoff is explained in this video. (Ali Rizvi)
Only three teams in NFL history have gone 18-1. With a win Sunday, Carolina will join the 1984 49ers, the 1985 Bears and the 2007 Patriots, teams considered among the greatest of all-time. But how do the 2015 Panthers compare to these three juggernauts? (Ali Rizvi and Sohail Al-Jamea)
Comedian John Di Domenico watched an entire season of 'The Apprentice' to master his Donald Trump impersonation. Since then he has been busy traveling the country for commercials, corporate gigs and live television spots on Fox News. From high thread count undershirts to the finest wigs and makeup — watch Di Domenico become Trump. (Jessica Koscielniak)
Yessica Alvarado left her abusive exboyfriend, with whom she lived and had two children, in 2009 when the beatings became too much to endure. Later, after fleeing to Texas, her new boyfriend was brutally murdered. Currently awaiting the decision on her second appeal for asylum, Yessica fears for her life if the court orders her to return to Honduras. (Brittany Peterson)
We think of memory as the ability to recall something, but there's more to it than that. Here's how your brain stores short-term memories for the long term and what happens when that process malfunctions. (Sohail Al-Jamea)
A multi-part series | The U.S. government has compensated over 52,000 nuclear workers illnesses related to radiation exposure, but the process is complicated. Deaths resulting from exposure while working at the plants and the compensation process for survivors begs the question: How much is a life worth? (Brittany Peterson and Ali Rizvi)
Approximately 4,000 inmate firefighters are manning the front lines against California's raging wildfires. Inmates in Cal Fire's program are risking their lives to work 24-hour shifts to save drought-stricken California while earning less than five dollars an hour and reduced time on their sentence. (Jessica Koscielniak)
Scott Berry has his heart set on finding the 14-foot "monster" alligator he hooked two years ago and got away. After leading two first-time alligator hunters to Mississippi state records in 2014, its Berry's turn to find the "king of the swamp." (Jessica Koscielniak)
A multi-part series | The Shivashankar family first made the trek to the National Spelling Bee ten years ago. After older daughter Kavya won the bee in 2009, younger daughter Vanya aspired to match her sister's lofty achievement. This year marks Vanya's fifth and final shot at the championship trophy, and the family's final year at the bee. (Natalie Fertig)
A multi-part series | A mother. A daughter. A son. A police officer. An activist. A firefighter. A restaurateur. A coroner. A schooner captain. A bed and breakfast owner.
10 people. 10 stories. 10 perspectives. 10 years after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. (Ali Rizvi and Jessica Koscielniak)
How cops used a money-laundering system to turn millions of drug dollars into clean pesos. (Sohail Al-Jamea)
A multi-part series | A Chinese company is planning to dig a massive canal across Nicaragua. While approved by lawmakers, Nicaraguan citizens ask, "Is the benefit worth the cost?" (Brittany Peterson)
The debate is real and the barbs are swift. We try to get to the bottom of who the real Carolina is as the Tar Heels prepare to face off against the Gamecocks. (Ali Rizvi)
The death of Freddie Gray put the spotlight on the plight of the West Baltimore neighborhood Sandtown-Winchester. Local civil rights leader Dr. Helena Hicks and community activist Doni Glover describe the how decades of government neglect and rampant drug abuse has created a hopeless environment for its residents. (Jessica Koscielniak)
The Army's Ranger School, which has historically been open to males only allowed females to qualify for the Army's most elite training course as part of the military's gender integration assessment. At the beginning of Ranger School, 19 woman joined the course, and 8 females continued beyond Ranger Assessment Phase (RAP) Week. (Jessica Koscielniak)
Marine Life Oceanarium in Gulfport was home to 14 dolphins before Katrina made landfall. Six dolphins were relocated to swimming pools on higher ground before the water began to rise, but the remaining eight “Katrina dolphins” weathered the historic storm in their on-site tank. From Gulfport to the Bahamas, this is their story. (Jessica Koscielniak)
Second generation beekeeper Mike Brandi expects to bring in less than half of his usual honey yield this year in California's Central Valley. The varroa mite, pesticides, and Colony Collapse Disorder have been threatening beehives across the country for years, but the fourth year of California's drought is making bee survival a challenge. Brandi and his father Gene are facing economic challenges to keep their bees alive and well fed on sugar water, with natural forage and irrigated crops sparse this year. (Brittany Peterson)
October 21, 2015 is the day Marty McFly and Doc Brown arrived in the future in the second Back to the Future film. Chief Futurist Dr. Allison Druin saw the movie as a grad student at MIT, and it changed her future. As a futurist, she now studies how to prepare for whatever the future holds. (Ali Rizvi)
FDA-approved Flibanserin is a pill that is supposed to increase a woman's sex drive. But it is far from a miracle drug. (Sohail Al-Jamea, Natalie Fertig and Jessica Koscielniak)
The odds are not in Danzig Moon's favor at this weekend's Kentucky Derby. He'll be running on home turf, but that won't be enough for the horse. The trainers on Team Casse are hoping Danzig Moon's knack for long distances will make their underdog a winner. (Brittany Peterson)
