Month: December 2021

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A former deep-sea treasure hunter is preparing to mark his sixth year in jail for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of 500 missing gold coins. Defendant Tommy Thompson has been held in contempt of court since mid-December 2015. That’s when federal Judge Algenon Marbley found Thompson had violated a plea deal

NEW YORK (AP) — The sex-abuse trial of Ghislaine Maxwell has been paused because an attorney on the case has gotten sick. U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan told the in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday that an attorney was “ill and has to get care.” She said there was no reason to believe the

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE Associated Press The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters, opening a third dose of Pfizer’s vaccine to people as young as age 16. The U.S. and many other nations already urge adults to get a booster to pump up their immunity months after initial vaccination. In the U.S., the Pfizer

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s attorney general is seeking former President Donald Trump’s testimony in an ongoing civil investigation into his business practices, a person familiar with the matter said. Attorney General Letitia James’ office has requested that Trump sit for a deposition on Jan. 7, according to

By ADELLE M. BANKS of Religion News Service and PETER SMITH of The Associated Press Most major Black Christian denominations in the U.S. have no doctrinal bar to ordained women leaders, and women have preached and been ordained in historically Black churches since at least the 19th century. Yet denominational leadership remained all-male until the

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A federal jury in Arkansas has convicted former reality TV star Josh Duggar of downloading and possessing child pornography. Jurors on Thursday found Duggar guilty of the charges, and Duggar was immediately taken into custody. He faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 for each

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO Associated Press Buddhist female monastics or “bhikkhunis,” lay persons and academics have challenged longstanding patriarchal traditions. They have blazed a path of progress in recent decades for Buddhist women — from education through advanced degrees and the creation of nunneries in the U.S. and India, to seeking full ordination in Taiwan

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press Writers WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans’ overall income has accelerated since the pandemic, but so has inflation — and a new poll finds that far more people are noticing the higher prices than the pay gains. Two-thirds say their household costs have risen since the pandemic, compared with

OLD TOWN, Maine (AP) — A Maine paper mill is asking local residents for cardboard to turn into packaging because of the rising cost of the raw materials it typically uses. ND Paper in Old Town uses cardboard and corrugated containers to create pulp that is later used to make packaging. A representative for the

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press Three ocean drones were launched from Rhode Island to travel along the Gulf Stream, collecting data in tough winter conditions that would be challenging for traditional ships with crews. Saildrone, headquartered in Alameda, California, makes autonomous surface vehicles powered by the wind and sun to measure climate quality data and

Following a blog post that led to some criticism about her giving style, billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott said her team will share details about her philanthropy in the “year to come.” She made the comments on Twitter Wednesday evening, hours after writing on her Medium blog that she wouldn’t include in the post how much

By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press BARINAS, Venezuela (AP) — Farmer Julio Álvarez hasn’t sold milk in about a year and a half even though the cows at his farm in northwestern Venezuela are milked every day. Fuel shortages and rationing make it impossible to transport it to market. The fed up Álvarez was among

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The last piano on which Frederic Chopin played and composed is being renovated by a U.S. expert who is giving it back its original mid-19th century characteristics. Paul McNulty is spending days at the Chopin museum in Warsaw filling in some cracks in the soundboard and

By MICHAEL HILL Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — State University of New York Chancellor James Malatras said he will resign amid criticism for sending text messages mocking one of the women who later accused former Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment. Calls for Malatras’ resignation or removal began after the state Attorney General late

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer Neil Young had a barn rebuilt in the Rockies and used it to reunite with his old backing band Crazy Horse. The little log structure from the 1850s lends its name to the album that resulted, just called “Barn.” It will be released Friday along with a documentary of

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities say a  crash in Minneapolis that followed a police pursuit of an SUV that was reportedly stolen has left two juveniles dead and three others hospitalized. Police say officers in suburban Robbinsdale spotted a Mercedes SUV about 2 a.m. Thursday that was reported stolen in Minneapolis and attempted to stop the

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — The average interest rate on a long-term mortgage in the U.S. held firm again this week. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year, fixed rate home loan ticked down this week to 3.10% from 3.11% last week.

By SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Anuel AA finally felt free to express himself uncensored on his new album, “Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren” (Legends Never Die). It came out on the the trap and reggaeton star’s 29th birthday, and landed soon after he finished his three-year probation in a case of illegal

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s newest X-ray observatory is circling the world after launching from Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX launched the spacecraft early Thursday on its $214 million mission to shed light on exploded stars, black holes and other violent high-energy events unfolding in the universe. It’s actually

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s independent vaccination advisory panel says it is recommending COVID-19 shots for children aged 5 to 11 with pre-existing conditions or who are in close contact to vulnerable people. The expert panel also said Thursday that young kids without pre-existing conditions can be vaccinated if there is an “individual desire” to do

By MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Capitol Police arrested a congressional staffer on Thursday after he walked into a legislative building with a gun in his bag. The incident led to a brief lockdown in a Capitol Hill complex that’s still on edge nearly a year after a deadly insurrection. Police say