Month: December 2021

By CLAIRE GALOFARO WINGO, Ky. (AP) — Victims of the deadly tornadoes in the Midwest and South scoured the debris of what was once their homes, trying to salvage pieces of their lives. Tommy Jackson’s house in Mayfield collapsed during the storm, and he stayed the first night after with his brother.  He was just

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canadian political and military leaders have apologized to victims of military sexual misconduct. Streamed online from National Defense Headquarters, the apology followed the federal government’s $600-million Canadian ($468 million) settlement with tens of thousands of current and former Armed Forces members who experienced such behavior while serving. It also came as

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have reached a $380 million settlement with hundreds of victims of sexual abuse. The settlement conditionally approved in federal bankruptcy court also includes some nonmonetary provisions dedicated to making the victims stakeholders in USA Gymnastics going forward. The vast majority

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada boxing regulators have voted to close a legal loophole by giving themselves authority over charity unarmed combat events like one that led to the death last month of a UNLV student competitor after a fraternity boxing fundraiser. The chairman of the state Athletic Commission declared

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — State parks officials say a car that was stuck partly submerged near the brink of Niagara Falls after a daring rescue attempt last week went over the falls and cannot be seen from the shore. A U.S. Coast Guard swimmer who descended by a cable from a hovering helicopter pulled

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N.’s top human rights body will hold a special session Friday to discuss the “grave human rights situation” in Ethiopia and a call to set up an international commission of experts to monitor and report on it. The Human Rights Council agreed to hold the session following a request by the

By SARAH RANKIN and ALAN SUDERMAN Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The information technology agency that serves Virginia’s legislature has been hit by a ransomware attack that has substantially affected its operations. A spokesperson for Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday confirmed the attack on Virginia’s Division of Legislative Automated Systems. The spokesperson says the

By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A judge has rejected an attempt by Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz’s attorneys to bar the parents of his 17 victims from testifying about the trauma the murders caused. Cruz’s public defenders asked Judge Elizabeth Scherer on Monday to have the victim impact statements read

LONDON (AP) — Virgin Atlantic has received 400 million pounds ($530 million) of new funding from its shareholders to help the airline ride out the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement Monday, it said its shareholders, Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, will provide the money in line with their stakes. Virgin Group

By DON BABWIN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago City Council is expected to approve a $2.9 million settlement to a woman who was handcuffed while naked by police officers during a botched 2019 raid of her home. The council’s Finance Committee unanimously recommended the settlement on Monday. The full City Council is set

BY DREW COSTLEY AP Science Writer Researchers who study the environment and public health say that thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars have been saved in the United States by recent reductions in emissions from vehicles. The researchers from Harvard University looked at the impact of declines in emissions from cars and

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has refused to halt a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for health care workers in New York that does not offer an exemption for religious reasons. The court acted Monday on emergency appeals filed by doctors, nurses and other medical workers who say they are being forced to choose between their

By AMY FORLITI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin appears to be on the verge of pleading guilty to violating George Floyd’s civil rights. A federal docket entry on Monday shows that a hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday for Chauvin to change his not guilty plea. The move would

By DYLAN LOVAN and RUSS BYNUM Associated Press A clearer picture is emerging of some of the dozens of victims killed by tornadoes that ripped through five states in the Midwest and South. Among those who perished were a 2-month-old whose family tried to protect her by putting her in a car seat. Another victim

LONDON (AP) — British prosecutors say an American citizen who left Britain after being involved in a crash that killed a teenage motorcyclist is to face charges in a U.K. court. In an apparent breakthrough in the long-deadlocked case, prosecutors said the case against Anne Sacoolas would be heard in a London’ court on Jan

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Former NFL player Josh Bellamy has been sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining over $1.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Court records show Bellamy was sentenced Friday in Tampa federal court. He pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The wide

By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — William Shatner is well-known for his “Star Trek” role as Capt. Kirk. But even the actor says he was surprised by how much attention his July trip to space drew. Shatner’s flight is the subject of “Shatner in Space,” an hour-long special out Wednesday on

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. defense officials say no U.S. troops involved in the August drone strike that killed innocent Kabul civilians and children will face disciplinary action. The Pentagon said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has approved recommendations from the generals who lead U.S. Central Command and Special Operations

By ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Joe Manchin is signaling anew Monday that he’s still not ready to back his party’s $2 trillion social and environment legislation as party leaders scramble for a pathway to advance the long-stalled package — preferably by Christmas. The West Virginia Democrat spoke to President Joe Biden

By BEN FOX Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Associated Press is seeking answers from the Department of Homeland Security on its use of sensitive government databases for tracking international terrorists to investigate as many as 20 American journalists, including an acclaimed AP reporter. In a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, AP Executive Editor

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has agreed to meet with the commission that published a ground-breaking report into clergy sexual abuse in the French Catholic Church. That’s according to French bishops who met with him. The president of the French Bishops Conference told reporters Monday that Francis had agreed “in

BERLIN (AP) — Germany has activated its national IT crisis center in response to an “extremely critical” flaw in a widely used software tool that the government says has already been exploited internationally. A spokesman for Germany’s Interior Ministry said the country’s federal IT safety agency is urging users to patch their systems as quickly

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s new foreign minister says the European Union should slap sanctions on Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik for his efforts to get Serb-dominated areas in Bosnia to secede from the Balkan country. Minister Annalena Baerbock said the secession attempts were “unacceptable.” She told reporters after a meeting of EU foreign ministers that

OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) — A group of women is going all the way to the top with their challenge of a beach town ban on topless sunbathing, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to rule against allowing men but not women to show all that skin. Ocean City, Maryland, passed its ordinance four years ago

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and Alabama teammates Will Anderson Jr. and Jameson Williams have been selected All-Americans by The Associated Press. That gives the top-ranked Crimson Tide more players on the first team than any other school. The AP All-America team was selected by a panel

NEW YORK (AP) — Sony says that the ‘Dr. Oz’ syndicated talk show will end next month, with its star Mehmet Oz now a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. It will be replaced in most parts of the country by a hybrid cooking-talk show hosted in part by Oz’s daughter Daphne. Some television

By CARLA K. JOHNSON AP Medical Writer The first full year of the biggest vaccination drive in American history has saved many lives but has left many behind. The COVID-19 vaccines have proven incredibly safe and wildly effective, and many hoped they would bring an end to the crisis. But a year later, too many

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia is the latest large city to require proof of vaccination to dine indoors. City officials announced Monday that vaccination proof will be required starting Jan. 3 for bars, restaurants, indoor sporting events, movie theatres and other places where people eat indoors close to each other. For the first two weeks of

BRAZIL, Ind. (AP) — A man who pleaded guilty to attacking a 13-year-old girl who was attending an Indiana University violin camp has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder for allegedly trying to hire his jail cellmate to kill the victim’s parents and a dozen other people. The Herald-Times reports 19-year-old Dongwook Ko allegedly