Month: October 2023

By BERNARD CONDON and JIM MUSTIAN Associated Press Police across Maine were alerted just last month to “veiled threats” by the U.S. Army reservist who would go on to carry out the worst mass shooting in the state’s history, one of a string of missed red flags that preceded the massacre. Two local law enforcement

By JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel says it has two main objectives in Gaza: destroy Hamas and rescue some 230 hostages being held by the militant group. But families worry the two aims clash. Beginning Friday night, Israel ramped up ground operations and airstrikes in Gaza, saying it was targeting tunnel infrastructure

By NAJIB JOBAIN, SAMYA KULLAB and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Cellular and internet service abruptly vanished for most of the Gaza Strip as Israel expanded ground operations and launched airstrikes. A rare few Palestinians with international SIM cards or satellite phones took it upon themselves to get the news

By FERNANDO CRISPIM and EDMAR BARROS Associated Press MANAUS (AP) — Severe drought in the Brazilian Amazon has caused the Negro River to reach historic lows, revealing millennia-old carvings previously hidden under water. Archaeologists say the engravings representing human faces, animals and other figures are between 1,000 and 2,000 years old. The Ponto das Lajes

NEW YORK (AP) — Two former New York City jail guards won’t serve any prison time in connection with a teenage inmate’s suicide attempt in 2019. The Daily News reported Friday that Daniel Fullerton and Mark Wilson received conditional discharges after pleading guilty to misdemeanor official misconduct in May and September, respectively. Prosecutors say Fullerton,

By HOLLY RAMER and JAKE BLEIBERG Associated Press LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Sunshine and a sense of relief swept through central Maine after a gunman who had been on the loose for days was found dead. Residents of Lewiston and surrounding towns had been told to stay home since Wednesday night, when authorities say Robert

By MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Republican presidential candidates professed their strong support for Israel as they addressed an influential Republican Jewish group during a campaign stop Saturday in Las Vegas. The gathering coincided with Israel’s stepped-up offensive in the war against Hamas. And also at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s summit

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Authorities say five children died in Kenya after a boat they were riding in at a popular amusement park capsized. Police said the children were visiting Amazement Park with other students and teachers from the Arap Moi Primary School in Eldoret on Saturday when they broke off from the group to

By JILL COLVIN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence is dropping his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, ending his campaign for the White House after struggling to raise money and gain traction in the polls. He said in Las Vegas that “after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided

By KEN MILLER Associated Press A group of poultry producers, including the world’s largest, are asking a federal judge to dismiss his ruling that they polluted an Oklahoma watershed. Arkansas-based Tyson Foods, Minnesota-based Cargill Inc. and the others say in a motion filed Thursday that the case is “constitutionally moot” because the evidence is now

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Israel says it’s recalling its diplomats from Turkey over “increasingly harsh statements” coming from the government in Ankara. The announcement on Saturday came hours after Turkey’s president declared at a massive protest in Istanbul that his government is preparing to declare Israel a “war criminal.” Israel previously removed its diplomats from

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — Jeep maker Stellantis has reached a tentative contract agreement with the United Auto Workers union that follows a template set earlier this week by Ford, two people with knowledge of the negotiations said Saturday. The deal, which still has to be ratified by members, leaves only

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Asa Hutchinson says the campaign manager for his beleaguered bid for the Republican presidential nomination is departing. The former Arkansas governor says he’s not dropping out of the crowded race but does plan other changes to his campaign. Hutchinson has struggled to make in-roads as

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — The food delivery business Yelloh is cutting 750 jobs nationwide and closing 90 delivery centers. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that closures for the Bloomington, Minnesota-based company will begin Dec. 8. The company will continue to serve 18 states with its iconic yellow trucks. Customers elsewhere will get deliveries via UPS.

JANESVILLE, Wis. (AP) — A live cluster bomblet and ammunition have been found in a donation dropped off at a thrift shop in southeastern Wisconsin. Police say an employee at the Janesville Goodwill made the discovery while conducting inventory Friday morning. The store and surrounding area were evacuated as a bomb squad was called in

VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — Ukrainian and Maltese officials say two days talks on Ukraine’s plan for peace have started in Malta, with the participation of more than 65 countries — but not Russia. The meeting of national security delegates is the third round of such talks in recent months. Ukraine sees them as an opportunity to

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A former North Dakota police officer fired for badly injuring a 63-year-old man during an arrest has been sentenced to probation after dropping his not-guilty plea. The Bismarck Tribune cites court documents in reporting that former Bismarck Officer George Huff entered an Alford plea on Oct. 12 to a misdemeanor charge

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Three Sumatran tigers have been born at a zoo in Tennessee. Nashville Zoo officials announced that the two female and one male cubs were born Oct. 20. It’s the first time that Sumatran tigers were born at the zoo. The cubs’ mother, 9-year-old Anne, arrived at the Nashville Zoo from the

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona has aligned with The Rolling Stones its “clasico” game against Real Madrid. Mick Jagger and fellow Stones member Ronnie Wood turned up to see the home side wear special shirts featuring the iconic logo of his legendary rock group. Barcelona’s players wore special shirts for the game featuring the Rolling

JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian security forces say they have recovered the bodies of six traditional gold mining workers who had been missing since a separatist attack at their camp in the restive Papua region almost two weeks ago. Gunmen stormed the gold panning camp in the Yahukimo district of Highland Papua province on Oct.

By ERIC WILLEMSEN Associated Press SOELDEN, Austria (AP) — Ragnhild Mowinckel of Norway has become the first skier to be disqualified for a forbidden type of wax on her skis. The two-time Olympic silver medalist finished the first run of the season-opening race in sixth place before her skis failed the mandatory post-run test by

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has accused Ukraine of damaging a nuclear waste storage facility in a drone strike on the Kursk nuclear power plant and said its air defenses shot down a total of eight Ukrainian drones. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that three drones armed with explosives targeted the power plant on Thursday

WORCESTER, Massachusetts (AP) — Authorities say a university campus in Massachusetts was locked down for seven hours Saturday after two people were shot in an altercation near a parking garage. The Worcester County District Attorney’s office says neither the victims, who were hospitalized, nor the assailants were students at Worcester State University. The shooting happened

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana is a step closer to connecting its capital city to New Orleans via a revived train line. Gov. John Bel Edwards on Thursday signed an agreement advancing the return of passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, which stopped running in 1969. The agreement is a breakthrough for

By JAKE BLEIBERG, PATRICK WHITTLE, HOLLY RAMER and DAVID SHARP Associated Press LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Lewiston, Maine, transitioned into a time of healing and questioning the day after an Army reservist who opened fire in a bowling alley and then at a bar, killing 18 people, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. Authorities

By SAMY MAGDY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Adel Omran, a video producer in chaos-stricken Libya for The Associated Press, has died. He was 46. His family says he died while at home in the Egyptian Mediterranean city of Port Said early Friday after suffering a heart attack. Before joining the AP more than a

By ISABEL DEBRE and WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians say the devastating war between Israel and Hamas is robbing them not only of their loved ones but also of the funeral rites that long have offered mourners some dignity and closure in the midst of grief. The overwhelmed hospitals

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Police in North Macedonia say they found 77 migrants in the country’s south and arrested seven Pakistanis suspected of human trafficking. The group crossed over from Greece was intercepted near the southern town of Negorci last Thursday. The majority of the migrants are Syrian, with Pakistanis, Iraqis, Turks and Syrians

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer For the second year in a row, U.S. shoppers are seeing double-digit inflation in the candy aisle. Candy and gum prices are up an average of 13% in October. That’s on top of a 14% increase in candy and gum prices in October 2022. Weather is the main culprit.

By GABE STERN Associated Press/Report for America LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada is a pivotal early state on the 2024 election calendar, but it’s gotten much less attention than leadoff Iowa and New Hampshire. Not this weekend. Most of the Republican presidential candidates are in Las Vegas for the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual meeting. That

By MICHAEL PHILLIS and MIKE STOBBE Associated Press The Environmental Protection Agency will soon strengthen lead in drinking water regulations. Lead levels have dropped drastically over the last several decades. Lead in drinking water has improved, too, but it’s remained a stubborn problem. Lead in tap water is difficult to regulate and advocates had to

By MICHAEL PHILLIS and MIKE STOBBE Associated Press The Environmental Protection Agency will soon strengthen lead in drinking water regulations, after decades when they essentially remained the same. Those decades have included numerous crises involving lead poisoning from tainted water, including Flint, Michigan and Washington, DC. Overall, lead levels in children’s blood have have dropped

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis’ monthlong meeting on the future of the Catholic Church is wrapping up. Delegates are voting on a final document on the role of women and how the church can better respond to the needs of the faithful today. Organizers and participants alike have tried

By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — New House Speaker Mike Johnson has inherited many of the same problems that bedeviled Republican leaders with far more experience. But at least for now he holds favor with the ultra-conservative wing of his party that toppled previous House speakers. The big question is whether the Louisiana

By JON GAMBRELL and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — As an Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza Strip looms in its most devastating war yet with Hamas, one of the greatest threats to both its troops and the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped inside the seaside enclave is buried deep underground. An extensive labyrinth

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — U.N. agencies say there has been a sharp increase in Afghans returning home since Pakistan launched a crackdown on migrants who are in the country illegally. The policy targets all undocumented or unregistered foreigners, according to the government. But it mostly affects Afghans, who make up the bulk of migrants in

By KENYA HUNTER AP Health Writer State and local health departments across the U.S found out in June they’d be losing the final two years of a $1 billion investment to strengthen the ranks of people who track and try to prevent sexually transmitted diseases — especially the rapid increase of syphilis cases. The fallout

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hundreds of mourners have lined the streets and laid flowers near former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s childhood residence, a day after he died of a heart attack. Li was born in Hefei in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui, where he spent most of his childhood

By MARIAM FAM Associated Press For many of the university chaplains and faith leaders caring for students angered and shaken by the Israel-Hamas war, the needs are acute, the days intense. The bloodshed has roiled campuses in the United States, at times sparking rival rallies and competing demands. Kaiser Aslam, Muslim chaplain at the Center

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Halloween celebrations in South Korea are subdued on the eve of the anniversary of the harrowing party crush that killed about 160 people. Many restaurants, bars, department stores and amusement parks are avoiding Halloween-themed events as a sign of respect for the victims. Few people

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s health ministry said at least 32 people were killed in a multi-car pileup on a highway linking Cairo and the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. At least 63 others were injured in the crash Saturday which involved a passenger bus and other vehicles, the statement said, adding that fire erupted in some

By NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian police say they have arrested at least 27 suspected militants believed to have links to banned extremist groups, in a nationwide crackdown as the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country gears up for elections in 2024. The police’s elite counterterrorism squad, known as Densus 88, made

ISLAMABAD The Pakistani military say two soldiers and one militant have been killed in a roadside bomb explosion and in a separate shootout during an overnight military operation in the northwest along the border with Afghanistan. Two militants were arrested. A statement said an operation was conducted in the Tirah valley of Khyber district triggered