Month: October 2021

GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) — The trial of a former Nevada prison inmate accused of the 1984 killing of a suburban Denver woman has ended in a mistrial after his lawyers requested an evaluation to determine if he is mentally competent to stand trial. The judge declared a mistrial a day after opening statements in Alex

By ALEXANDRA JAFFE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden is speaking candidly about the challenges of her job as first lady. She was at a Washington event for the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy at the Kennedy Center. Biden offered tribute to the late Barbara Bush, who was first lady from 1989 to

By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The FBI and a family attorney say items believed to belong to Brian Laundrie and potential human remains have been found in a Florida wilderness park during the search for clues in the slaying of his girlfriend, Gabby Petito. Searchers including Laundrie’s parents found unspecified

By AMY FORLITI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed woman after she called 911 to report that she heard a possible rape happening behind her home will be sentenced on a lesser charge. Mohamed Noor was initially convicted of third-degree murder and manslaughter in the July 2017

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A fire chief in Florida has been fired for insubordination. Battalion Chief Stephen Davis wouldn’t discipline employees who refused to follow Orange County’s mandate that all employees get vaccinated against COVID-19. Fire Rescue spokeswoman Lisa McDonald says Davis was fired Tuesday for failing to follow a direct order. A union member

BERLIN (AP) — Center-left lawmaker Baerbel Bas is set to become the new speaker of Germany’s parliament. She would replace conservative veteran and former Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in one of the country’s most prominent positions. Leaders of the parliamentary group of the Social Democrats, who emerged from Germany’s Sept. 26 election as the strongest

SELMA, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama prosecutor says he has no plans to dismiss an indictment in an unusual ransom plot involving a stolen Confederate monument, despite a decision by prosecutors in Louisiana to drop related charges there. District Attorney Michael Jackson says he is moving ahead with the case against Jason Warnick. The man

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa has started giving COVID-19 vaccinations to adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years, with a goal of inoculating at least 6 million people from this age group. The country is trying to increase its rate of vaccinations which is running behind the target of 300,000

CAIRO (AP) — State-run media says a head-on vehicle collision left at least 19 people dead and one other injured just outside the Egyptian capital of Cairo. The al-Ahram daily reported the crash took place Wednesday when a passenger microbus collided with a truck on a highway that links Cairo’s outskirts on the banks of

By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — The race for city attorney in heavily liberal Seattle is offering voters a stark choice: A self-described “abolitionist” who wants to end traditional prosecution of most misdemeanors, or a Republican? The abolitionist is former public defender Nicole Thomas-Kennedy, who spent much of 2020 tweeting about her “rabid

By AMY TAXIN and BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Records show the Coast Guard received multiple reports of a possible fuel spill off the Southern California coast earlier than previously disclosed. Documents obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press also show the Coast Guard asked local authorities to investigate about 15 hours

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s company is under criminal investigation by a district attorney in a New York City suburb into whether it misled officials to cut taxes for a golf course there. That’s according to the New York Times, citing “people with knowledge of the matter.” The newspaper didn’t say why

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A $650 million plan would give the Los Angeles Zoo a theme park-style transformation over the next 20 years. The Los Angeles Times says the city-owned zoo would get exhibit upgrades and new attractions including a 60-foot-deep canyon for rock climbing and a hilltop feature in the style of a Yosemite

By JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Hugo Chávez’s former bodyguard is scheduled to be released from prison in the coming months after receiving a massive sentence reduction for collaborating with U.S. prosecutors investigating corruption in Venezuela. A federal judge in Miami reduced to 42 months from 10 years Alejandro Andrade’s sentence 2018 sentence

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The NFL is kicking off a $6.2 million campaign for problem gambling programs across the country. The effort aims to get fans to set limits on their wagers, understand the risks of betting and know where to go for help. The league is partnering with

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Biden administration has dealt a serious blow to the proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northeastern Minnesota. The government ordered a study Wednesday that could lead to a 20-year ban on mining upstream from the wilderness. The

By ED WHITE Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — The only Michigan official fired in the Flint water disaster likely was a “public scapegoat” who lost her job because of politics. That’s the opinion of an arbitrator who is ordering $191,880 in lost wages and other compensation for Liane Shekter Smith. She served as head of

AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Amherst College says it will no longer give admissions preference to the children of alumni. The liberal arts college announced Wednesday that it’s dropping legacy admissions to create a fairer admissions system and to promote diversity on campus. Amherst President Biddy Martin said the shift will make the school accessible to

By KRISHAN FRANCIS and ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The Maldives’ environment minister says a failure to limit global warming could mean a “death sentence” for small island nations, including the end of their livelihoods and cultures. Ahead of a key U.N climate summit known as COP26 that starts in Scotland

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — More than half of the European Union member states have formally opposed soccer’s Super League project at the European Court of Justice. UEFA says 16 of the 27 EU members filed written submissions against the league to the court in Luxembourg by Monday’s deadline. The court