ALLEN G. BREED

National writer/video journalist

Breed is an Associated Press general assignment/feature writer. He joined the AP in 1988 in Kentucky.

Could YOU pass a citizenship test?

Immigrants seeking to become United States citizens have to show a working knowledge of the nation’s history and how the federal government functions.

Do you know the 3 branches of US government? Many don’t, leading to a push for civics education

Many people think it’s time for a new push for civics instruction in college. A recent survey shows a third of people can’t name the three branches of government.

A deadly tornado, flooding rains and swollen rivers plague residents in the path of Debby

Tornadoes spawned by Debby have leveled homes, damaged a school and killed one person. At least three tornadoes fueled by the tropical system were reported overnight in North Carolina.

How a North Carolina city’s hospital closure could hint at trouble for Joe Biden’s campaign

After one North Carolina city’s only hospital closed, residents there say they’re not only worried about their health but they’ve lost trust in politicians.

Today’s campus protests aren’t nearly as big or violent as those last century — at least, not yet

Although it might be tempting to compare the U.S. campus protests to the anti-Vietnam War movement of a half century ago, experts say that would be an overreaction at this point.

Endangered red wolf can make it in the wild, but not without `significant’ help, study says

A long-awaited viability study says the endangered red wolf can survive in the wild, but it’s going to take “substantial management efforts beyond many of those currently implemented.”

Takeaways from AP’s reporting on efforts to restore endangered red wolves to the wild

Over 25 years, the red wolf went from being declared extinct in the wild to becoming hailed as an Endangered Species Act success story.

Endangered red wolves need space to stay wild. But there’s another predator in the way — humans

Over 25 years, the red wolf went from being declared extinct in the wild to becoming hailed as an Endangered Species Act success story.

5 takeaways from AP’s reporting on a historic fire that destroyed millions of veterans’ records

Fifty years ago, millions of files were destroyed in a huge fire at the Military Personnel Records Center in suburban St. Louis.

A fire destroyed millions of veterans’ records. 50 years later, families are still seeking answers

The July 12, 1973, blaze consumed an estimated 16 to 18 million personnel files, the vast majority covering the period just before World War I through 1963.

AP Was There: How we covered the last coronation (Hint: It involved the Air Force)

It might just be the coolest caption in newspaper history: “AP Wirephoto via jet bomber from London”

Parents of accused North Carolina shooter express sorrow

The parents of a 15-year-old boy accused of killing five people in a North Carolina shooting rampage released a statement saying they are “overcome with grief” over the deaths.

What we know about the Raleigh shooting victims

Details about the five people killed in a mass shooting in North Carolina are continuing to trickle out.

What we know about the Raleigh shooting victims

Details about the five people killed in a mass shooting in North Carolina are continuing to trickle out.

Raleigh shooting rampage shatters quiet neighborhood’s peace

Police say a 15-year-old boy turned the gently curving streets of a Raleigh neighborhood and nearby greenway into a killing zone.

Police: 15-year-old boy kills 5 in Raleigh shooting rampage

Police say a 15-year-old boy fatally shot five people in an attack that stretched from the streets of a Raleigh neighborhood to a nearby walking trail.

NC shooting claims mom, veteran, matriarch, officer and teen

The mass shooting in North Carolina’s capital city occurred during a moment of late afternoon rituals along a neighborhood’s quiet streets and on a popular walking trail.

Despite Ian’s punch, wedding day saved on wet Pawleys Island

Hurricane Ian almost derailed plans for one couple to wed in South Carolina on Saturday. Two families traveled to the island from Texas and North Carolina and were staying in neighboring Pawleys Island homes when Ian barreled toward the coast.

Grand jury declines to indict woman in Emmett Till killing

A Mississippi grand jury has declined to indict the white woman whose accusation set off the lynching of Black teenager Emmett Till nearly 70 years ago.

Former coal town comes together in face of Kentucky floods

The town of Fleming-Neon was trying to move beyond an economic disaster when a natural one knocked it back down.

How an AP reporter broke the Tuskegee syphilis story

SOUTHPORT, N.C. (AP) — Jean Heller was toiling away on the floor of the Miami Beach Convention Center when an Associated Press colleague from the opposite end of the country walked into her workspace behind the event stage and handed her a thin manila envelope.

Emmett Till accuser, in memoir, denies wanting teen killed

The white woman who was at the center of the 1955 lynching of Black teenager Emmett Till in Mississippi denies wanting him killed.

Black US farmers awaiting billions in promised debt relief

BOYDTON, Va. (AP) — There was a time when Black farms prospered.

Just two generations out of slavery, by 1910 Black farmers had amassed more than 16 million acres of land and made up about 14 percent of farmers.

Black US farmers awaiting billions in promised debt relief

BOYDTON, Va. (AP) — There was a time when Black farms prospered.

Just two generations out of slavery, by 1910 Black farmers had amassed more than 16 million acres of land and made up about 14 percent of farmers.

7 deputies on leave after fatal shooting of Black man

Authorities say seven North Carolina deputies have been placed on leave in the aftermath of a Black man being shot and killed by members of their department serving drug-related search and arrest warrants.

Man killed by deputy recalled as storyteller, jokester

Relatives and friends of Andrew Brown Jr. say he had a smile that belied a lifetime of loss and troubles with the law.

National Guard sleeping in the Capitol an echo of Civil War

To most Americans, the sight of armed National Guard troops sleeping in the Capitol Rotunda this past week was shocking and disturbing.

To save Everglades, guardians fight time - and climate

New climate change data is raising questions about how much of Florida’s shrinking Everglades National Park can ever be regained.

To save Everglades, guardians fight time -- and climate

FLAMINGO, Florida (AP) — Grabbing a clump of vegetation to steady herself, Tiffany Troxler gingerly slides her feet along the makeshift boardwalk as she ventures out into the marsh.

To save Everglades, guardians fight time -- and climate

FLAMINGO, Florida (AP) — Grabbing a clump of vegetation to steady herself, Tiffany Troxler gingerly slides her feet along the makeshift boardwalk as she ventures out into the marsh.