Month: December 2021

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government has threatened legal action over provisions of U.S. President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better framework that would give subsidies of up to $12,500 for purchases of union-made, American-made electric vehicles. Mexico’s secretary of the economy said Thursday the bill, currently before the U.S. Senate, would violate non-discrimination clauses

By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota judge has sentenced a woman to 10 years in the state prison system for her infant son’s 1981 death that went unsolved for decades. Judge Bradley Zell called the sentencing of 60-year-old Theresa Bentaas a difficult decision. He says it was not

By STEVE PEOPLES AP National Politics Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Vulnerable Democrats from Nevada to New Hampshire are promising to make abortion a centerpiece of their political strategy heading into the midterm elections. They’re betting that focusing on the divisive issue can beat back a red wave and preserve their delicate majorities in Congress.

By KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A lawyer for the parents of a Georgia Tech student killed by a campus police officer four years ago said they have settled a lawsuit against the university for $1 million. University police officer Tyler Beck fatally shot 21-year-old Scott “Scout” Schultz on Sept. 16, 2017, authorities

By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida police say a homeless man fatally stabbed a 14-year-old boy riding his bike during a random encounter and without apparent motive. Palm Beach Gardens police charged 39-year-old Semmie Lee Williams with first-degree murder for the Nov. 15 slaying of Ryan Rogers. The boy had

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press Officials in Oregon are asking for help locating the person or persons responsible for poisoning an entire wolf pack in the eastern part of the state earlier this year. The Oregon State Police said Thursday it has been investigating the killing of all five members of the Catherine Pack

BOSTON (AP) — A former college track and field coach accused of setting up sham social media and email accounts in an attempt to trick female athletes into sending him nude or semi-nude photos of themselves has been indicted on 15 counts. Federal prosecutors said Thursday that 28-year-old Steve Waithe, 28, of Chicago, was indicted

By ALAN SUDERMAN Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Transportation Security Administration is issuing new directives and recommendations aimed at strengthening the cybersecurity defenses of U.S. rail and airport operators. The Biden administration said Thursday the new requirements are part of a broader effort at protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure from ongoing cyberespionage and

CAIRO (AP) — A Libyan court has ruled that a son of the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi can compete in next month’s presidential elections. With Thursday’s ruling, the court overturned a decision by the country’s top electoral body to disqualify Seif al-Islam as a candidate. The electoral committee had said last week that he

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — More than 60 organizations are urging the U.N. General Assembly to establish an investigative body to gather and preserve evidence of serious human rights violations during Yemen’s seven-year conflict – including possible war crimes and crimes against humanity. The organizations, including Amnesty International and Human

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A man accused of putting razor blades and screws in pizza dough at supermarkets in Maine and New Hampshire has been sentenced to four years and nine months in  prison. The hearing proceeded Thursday even though Nicholas Mitchell, 39, of Dover, New Hampshire, was recovering from COVID-19 contracted in jail. During

By ALEX DANIELS of The Chronicle of Philanthropy Chronicle of Philanthropy Grantmakers are increasing spending on education, hoping to turn the pandemic into an opportunity to fine tune the use of educational technology, develop better lesson plans, and build connections with families and after-school programs that could help reduce students’ mental-health challenges due to COVID.

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press While all eyes are on the new and little-understood omicron variant, the delta form of the coronavirus isn’t finished wreaking havoc in the U.S., sending record numbers of patients to the hospital in some states, especially in the Midwest and New England. The U.S. recorded its first known omicron infection

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press Prosecutors are recommending a three-month prison sentence for a North Carolina woman accused of bringing her 14-year-old child into the U.S. Capitol when she and her husband stormed the building on Jan. 6. In a court filing Thursday, prosecutors say Virginia Marie “Jenny” Spencer and her husband, Christopher, had the

CAMDEN, Ala. (AP) — Residents of a west Alabama county are remembering a retired sheriff’s deputy who was killed in the line of duty. Madison “Skip” Nicholson retired from his job as a deputy with the Wilcox County Sheriff’s Department, but he never really left. He was still around the office many days, partly because

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — The lay head of a new Portuguese Catholic Church committee on child sex abuse is urging victims to come forward but stresses his group’s task is to study what has happened, not launch formal investigations. The Independent Committee for the Study of Child Abuse in the Church is due to start

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Olympic Committee says it held a second video call with Peng Shuai. But again it didn’t release any video or transcript nor did the group make any reference to the tennis player’s sexual assault allegation against a former Chinese government official. The Grand Slam doubles champion and three-time Olympian

By KELLI KENNEDY Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — The official Art Basel show is back in Miami with all its eccentric glory, a dizzying list of celebrity attendees and dozens of spin-off shows already generating buzz, including a 10-year-old child painter and a $4 million Banksy sale. Fashion continues to play a prominent role with

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is drawing on her native South Carolina’s struggles with racist violence during her time as governor, arguing Thursday that the Republican Party is best positioned to lead the country alongside a continued diversification of its ranks. Haley

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Starbucks is fighting an expanded effort to unionize its stores. The effort comes even as a union vote proceeds at three of the coffee chain’s locations in Buffalo, New York. Union organizers from three additional Buffalo-area stores appeared before the National Labor Relations Board on Thursday, asking to hold

By LINDSEY TANNER AP Medical Writer New government autism numbers suggest more U.S. children are being diagnosed with the developmental condition and at younger ages. In an analysis of 2018 data released Thursday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers found that among 8-year-olds, 1 in 44 had been diagnosed with autism. That compares with

NEW YORK (AP) — The United Nations headquarters in New York City was locked down for several hours after a man was seen pacing outside with what police said appeared to be a shotgun. The man was taken into custody at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. During the standoff, the man held an object pointed at his