Month: December 2022

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Two lawyers and a former U.S. attorney have been chosen to conduct an external review of the shooting that killed three University of Virginia students and wounded two others. State Attorney General Jason Miyares announced the appointments on Thursday. William Burck and Crystal Nix-Hines will lead the probe. They co-chair the

By KATHY McCORMACK Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The remains of a soldier from New Hampshire who went missing during the Korean War and was later reported to have died in a prisoner of war camp have been laid to rest, several months after they were identified. Twenty-three-year-old U.S. Army Sgt. Alfred Sidney, of

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico officials outlined new conditions Thursday for a proposed permit for the U.S. government to continue the disposal of nuclear waste in the southeast corner of the state, part of a multibillion-dollar federal cleanup program. As a hedge against becoming the nation’s only permanent

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Police in St. Paul, Minnesota, have released video from body and squad car cameras that they say shows an exchange of gunfire between an officer and the man he fatally shot. Twenty-four-year-old Howard Johnson died at a hospital after the Monday shooting. His family and community members have been calling

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Reflecting on her five years as New Zealand’s leader, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says China has undoubtedly become more assertive in the region over that time. But she cautions that building relationships with small Pacific nations shouldn’t become a game of one-upmanship. In a joint

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A group of Oklahoma residents has withdrawn a petition that sought to put a state question on the ballot that would protect the right to an abortion. Records show the proponents of the initiative petition notified the Secretary of State’s office on Wednesday of their plans to withdraw. The group was

By SOPHIE AUSTIN Associated Press/Report for America SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A small team from the Wintu Tribe of Northern California is searching for human remains and cultural artifacts in the soil of a construction site where a trail along the Sacramento River and parking area will soon open to the public. But time is

By MATTHEW LEE and LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials say the U.S. is sending an additional $275 million in military aid to Ukraine, including large amounts of ammunition and high-tech systems that can be used to detect and counter drones in its ongoing war with Russia. The total amount is smaller

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida lawmaker who sponsored the controversial law critics call “Don’t Say Gay” has resigned after being indicted on charges of defrauding a federal coronavirus loan program for small businesses. Rep. Joe Harding submitted his resignation letter Thursday. That came a day after authorities announced he had been indicted on charges

CARTHAGE, N.C. (AP) — Authorities in North Carolina are seeking search warrants related to the shooting of electric substations in Moore County that caused widespread power outages. FBI spokeswoman Shelley Lynch confirmed Thursday that the agency is seeking cell phone records that could indicate who was near the substations Saturday night. She said such search

By JIM HEINTZ Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — A show of prison artwork by a Russian arms trader serving 25 years in the United States and the focus of speculation about a prisoner swap that could free WBNA star Brittney Griner has opened at the upper chamber of the Russian parliament. The exhibition at the

By JIM SALTER Associated Press Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has asked a judge to sanction St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, accusing her of concealing evidence in her effort to vacate the conviction for a man who has spent nearly 30 years in prison for murder. Lamar Johnson was convicted in 1994 of killing

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX has launched a batch of internet satellites for a competitor. Elon Musk’s company stepped in to help after the London-based OneWeb halted its flights with Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. The Falcon rocket blasted off at sunset Thursday from Florida’s Kennedy Space

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Advocates for people with mental illnesses urged a federal judge Thursday to stop New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ plan to force people from the streets and into mental health treatment. They told Judge Paul A. Crotty in a court filing that the policy Adams announced

By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The University of Idaho will pay $90,000 to settle a lawsuit from members of a Christian law students’ organization who claimed their freedom of speech was violated when the school’s civil rights investigation office issued no-contact orders against them. The settlement, filed in Idaho’s U.S. District

MARENGO, Iowa (AP) — An explosion and fire at an agricultural plant in eastern Iowa has caused injuries and an evacuation of people near the operation. The explosion and fire happened about 11:15 a.m. Thursday in Marengo at a plant owned by Heartland Crush, a soybean crushing company. Hours later, the fire continued to burn.

RIDGEWAY, S.C. (AP) — Law enforcement officials say they have found no evidence linking gunshots near a Duke Energy facility in South Carolina to earlier gunfire at North Carolina electric substations that cost thousands of customers their power, though multiple state and federal agencies continue to investigate. Kevin Wheeler, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau

By JOHN HANNA, HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, and JOSH FUNK Associated Press TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An oil spill in a creek in northeastern Kansas shut down a major pipeline that carries oil from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast, briefly causing oil prices to rise Thursday. Canada-based TC Energy said it shut down its Keystone system

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill to rescind the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military has passed the House. The bill approved Thursday directs Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to rescind his 2021 order requiring COVID vaccination. The bill also provides nearly $858 billion for national defense, which is

By JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press The FedEx driver accused of abducting and killing a 7-year-old girl last week in Texas told authorities that he strangled her after accidentally hitting her with his van while making a delivery at her home, according to an arrest warrant obtained Thursday. Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, told investigators that Athena

By MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s Supreme Court has reinstated a progressive prosecutor on a criminal burglary case after a judge removed her when he was dissatisfied with a plea deal her office reached. Thursday’s ruling faults Circuit Court Judge James Plowman for removing Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj

By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — In 2014, Oregon voters approved a ballot measure legalizing recreational marijuana after being told it would eliminate problems caused by “uncontrolled manufacture” of the drug. Illegal production of marijuana has instead exploded. Oregon lawmakers, who have heard complaints from police, legal growers and others, are now