Brian S. McGrath

Latest Stories

World

Dorian Strikes

September 6, 2019

A powerful storm slammed into the Bahamas on September 1. Hurricane Dorian made landfall as a Category 5 storm. It dropped 30 inches of rain. Winds blew at 185 miles an hour. Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands were hit…

Science

Orbiting the Moon

August 21, 2019

On Tuesday, an uncrewed spacecraft called Chandrayaan-2 entered lunar orbit. India launched it about a month ago. Chandrayaan’s destination? The south pole of the moon. There, its rover will probe lunar craters for water deposits. If it gets to the…

United States

Baseball’s Class of 2019

July 22, 2019

Mariano Rivera stepped to the podium and the crowd chanted his name. The retired New York Yankee spoke in both English and Spanish to the 55,000 people who turned out in Cooperstown, New York, on Sunday. It was the second-largest…

Community

A Curious Porcupine

July 18, 2019

Visitors to the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine, expected to see a collection of historic streetcars. On Tuesday, they got an additional, unexpected treat. A rare albino porcupine scuttled across the museum’s lawn. At first, museumgoers misidentified the fluffy…

Election 2020

Democrats Debate

June 26, 2019

The race to become the next president of the United States is on. A record-setting 24 Democrats are campaigning for the 2020 election. Twenty of them will face off in debates to be held tonight and tomorrow in Miami, Florida.…

Technology

Space Getaways, for a Price

June 10, 2019

Want to visit the International Space Station? You may soon get your chance. There’s just one hitch: It’ll cost you $58 million. Last Friday, NASA announced it will open the space station to tourists. The first mission could happen as…

History

A Salute to Memorial Day

May 27, 2019

On Memorial Day weekend, families across the United States enjoy warm weather, backyard barbecues, maybe even a trip to the beach. The school year may not be over, but it sure feels like summer. Yet Memorial Day is not just…

United States

A Gallery of Their Own

May 21, 2019

The museums of the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C., house the treasures of America’s past. They also tell the stories of the many people who call the United States home. The millions who visit the capital each year can tour…

World

It's a Boy!

May 7, 2019

On May 6, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, welcomed their first child into the world. The royal baby, a boy, was born just after dawn, at 5:26 a.m. He’s a healthy seven pounds, three ounces. At press…

Health

Outbreak

April 26, 2019

Measles is on the rise. As of April 19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had recorded 626 cases of the disease. This is the second-highest number of cases since 2000. That is when measles was declared…