ECU men's basketball: Pirates lose early lead, game to South Carolina State

A helicopter pilot and a meteorologist who worked for a North Carolina television station died following the crash of the station’s helicopter next to an interstate highway in the Charlotte area. WBTV broadcasters who had been reporting on the crash identified their colleagues on air Tuesday about three hours following the deadly incident. The men were identified as meteorologist Jason Myers and pilot Chip Tayag. The crash occurred along Interstate 77. Johnny Jennings, chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, said no vehicles were involved in the incident. The chief said preliminary witness accounts indicate that the pilot made some “diversionary” maneuvers and “probably saved some lives."

A judge has declared a mistrial at the rape trial of “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson. Jurors told Los Angeles Judge Charlaine Olmedo that they were hopelessly deadlocked and could not come to unanimous verdicts on any counts.  The judge declared a mistrial Wednesday afternoon. Masterson is charged with the rape of three women, including a former girlfriend, between 2001 and 2003, when he was at the height of his fame as a star of the Fox sitcom “That ’70s Show.” Masterson pleaded not guilty. His attorney argued that the acts were consensual. A retrial is scheduled for March, but Masterson's lawyer says he will seek to dismiss the case before then.

The former CEO of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX says that he did not "knowingly” misuse customers' funds. He also says he believes his millions of angry customers will eventually be made whole. The comments from Sam Bankman-Fried came during an interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin at conference put on by The New York Times. Bankman-Fried has done a handful of media interviews since FTX collapsed in mid-November, but Wednesday's was his first video interview since it filed for bankruptcy protection on Nov. 11. FTX failed in the cryptocurrency version of a bank run.

The world’s largest volcano is oozing rivers of glowing lava and drawing thousands of awestruck viewers who jammed a Hawaii highway that could soon be covered by the flow. Mauna Loa awoke from its 38-year slumber Sunday, causing volcanic ash and debris to drift down from the sky. On Wednesday, a main highway linking towns on the east and west coasts of the Big Island became an impromptu viewing point. Thousands of cars jammed the highway near Volcanoes National Park. Anne Andersen left her overnight shift as a nurse to see the spectacle. She was afraid that the road would soon be closed.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida backup quarterback Jalen Kitna, the son of retired NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, was arrested Wednesday on two charges of distribution of child exploitation material and three charges of possession of child pornography.

UAB has hired former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer as its next head coach on the eve of his high school team’s state championship game.

In a normal year, University of Idaho students would be bustling between classes and the library, cramming for finals and looking forward to winter break. But on Wednesday a little less than half the students appear to have switched to online classes after four of their classmates were stabbed to death. Blaine Eckles is the university's dean of students. He hopes candlelight vigils set to be held across the state tonight will offer some temporary comfort amid grief and fear. The killings remain unsolved, and police have not yet named a person of interest in the case. Idaho Gov. Brad Little is directing $1 million in emergency funds toward the investigation, and the FBI has 44 agents assigned.