Month: January 2024

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — The body of a woman who went missing 12 years ago appears to have been found last week in a minivan submerged in a central Florida retention pond near Walt Disney World. The family of Sandra Lemire told local media that they believe that the remains found in the vehicle are

By MEGAN JAENTSKY Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Prosecutors in central Mexico say a drug cartel set up its own makeshift internet antennas and told locals that they had to pay to use their Wi-Fi or they would be killed. The criminal group allegedly set up three internet antennas in various towns in the

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A judge says a North Carolina law that makes it a serious crime for someone to vote while still on probation or parole for a felony conviction shouldn’t be thrown out. U.S. Magistrate Judge Joe Webster recommended Tuesday that the request by groups representing poor

By JOHN WAWROW AP Hockey Writer TORONTO (AP) — The Associated Press went behind the scenes to capture what former tennis star and gender equality champion Billie Jean King referred to as the birth of women’s hockey. King made the reference while addressing New York players in the dressing room before they played Toronto in

By DAVID B. CARUSO Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Social media has been rife in recent weeks with posts speculating that a judge is about to release a list of clients or co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein, the jet-setting financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The truth is

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities are searching for 31 migrants from five countries who were abducted from a bus near the Texas border over the weekend. Federal Security Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez said Wednesday that the National Guard, Army and Navy are participating in the search, but there have been few advances. On Dec.

By KEMO CHAM Associated Press FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Sierra Leone’s government says former President Ernest Bai Koroma has been charged with treason for his alleged involvement in a failed coup attempt in November. Authorities said Wednesday that Koroma has also been charged with misprision of treason, which is concealing knowledge of treasonable acts.

By VALERIE GONZALEZ and STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press EAGLE PASS, Texas (AP) — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is leading about 60 fellow Republicans in Congress on a visit Wednesday to the Mexican border as they demand hard-line immigration policies in exchange for backing President Joe Biden’s emergency wartime funding request for Ukraine. The trip

By RISDEL KASASIRA Associated Press KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda’s military says an attack helicopter being used in the fight against Islamic extremists in neighboring Congo has crashed into a Ugandan house, killing both crew members and a civilian in the building. A spokesperson says the cause of the crash near the border is suspected

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A widely used slogan by the office of Puerto Rico’s governor that sparked heavy criticism across the U.S. territory has been struck down this election year. The electoral comptroller’s office said Wednesday that the phrase “Making things happen” can no longer appear on ads launched by the administration of

NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams will make his New York Philharmonic debut on April 24 when future music director Gustavo Dudamel leads the orchestra’s spring gala at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall. Common, a rapper whose actual name is Lonnie Rashid Lynn, will also make his philharmonic debut

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey imam was shot and critically wounded outside a mosque in the state’s largest city early Wednesday. Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said the cleric was shot after 6 a.m. outside the Masjid Muhammad-Newark Mosque. There have been no arrests in the shooting. It’s unclear what led to

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Coco Jones went from being a Disney child star to reshaping her image and finding her musical voice en route to five Grammy nominations, including best new artist. She went through a few rough patches after she starred on the 2012 Disney Channel musical

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Multiple state capitols have received threats that led to evacuations or lockdowns as police investigated, but no evidence of dangerous items has been found. Connecticut, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi and Montana and are among the states that evacuated their capitols on Wednesday morning. Lawmakers in Kentucky and Mississippi have begun meeting in

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled that a law that could make it harder to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office must go into effect only after the next elections. The court says  the law was clearly crafted for personal reasons. Israeli legislators passed the law in March 2023 as part of

BUCARAMANGA, Colombia (AP) — One soldier has been killed and 12 injured in an attack with explosives on a military unit in northwestern Colombia that the military has blamed on the notorious Gulf Clan drug cartel. The Defense Ministry says in a news release that the attack occurred early Wednesday in a military facility in

By JIM SALTER Associated Press Prosecutors in Kansas are asking a judge to drop three felony charges related to accusations that Jackson Mahomes — the brother of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — grabbed a woman by the neck and kissed her against her will. Johnson County Assistant District Attorney Megan Ahsens on Tuesday

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas sheriff’s deputy has been fatally shot and a suspect is in custody. Arkansas State Police said Tuesday night it was investigating the shooting of the Stone County deputy that occurred earlier that afternoon. Police did not release the name of the deputy or the suspect, or where the

TOKYO (AP) — Police in Japan have arrested a woman who wielded a knife and injured four passengers inside a train that stopped at Tokyo’s electronic town of Akihabara. NHK public television reported that police rushed to the scene late Wednesday after a report that a woman was brandishing a knife while the train stopped

By GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Fighters from an ethnic minority group battling Myanmar’s military government say they shot down a helicopter believed to be on a resupply mission in a combat zone in the northern state of Kachin. A spokesperson for the Kachin Independence Army told The Associated Press the helicopter was

By TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — In the wake of Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s days in office seemed numbered. Despite his reputation as the ultimate political survivor, the devastation of the attack and the security failures that allowed it to happen on his watch appeared to

ARLINGTON, Mass. (AP) — Rayner Pike, a retired reporter for The Associated Press for over four decades, has died. He was 90. Surrounded by family at the end, his Dec. 26 death at home in Arlington, Massachusetts, set off a wave of tributes from former co-workers. He spent most of his career in the AP’s

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press For the first time in the United States, turbines are sending electricity to the grid from the sites of two large offshore wind farms. The joint owners of the Vineyard Wind project, Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, announced Wednesday the first electricity from one turbine at what will be a

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers posted 8.8 million jobs openings in November, down slightly from October and fewest since March 2021. But demand for workers remains strong by historical standards. The number of job vacancies dipped from 8.9 million in October. The number of people quitting their jobs —

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) — Two decades ago, Michael Blowen’s love for horses spurred him into a mid-life career as founder of a retirement horse farm in Kentucky. It’s a place where older thoroughbreds can spend their remaining years in dignity and security. His Old Friends farm outside Georgetown has been

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A new joint currency will be launched this year for the Dutch Caribbean islands of Curacao and St. Maarten more than a decade after they became autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  A recent bank report states that the Caribbean guilder will replace the Netherlands-Antillean guilder as

SOMERS, Conn. (AP) — Four children have died in a fire that broke out in a two-family home in the northeastern Connecticut town of Somers. Fire and town officials said the children, ages 5, 6, 8 and 12, were found inside the house where 11 people lived. Several other people were taken to local hospitals.

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO says it will help buy up to 1,000 Patriot missiles so allies can better protect their territory as Russia ramps up its air assault on Ukraine. NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency said Wednesday that it will support a group of nations, including Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain, in buying the

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Honoring victims, survivors and first responders following the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history is the first order of business for state lawmakers as they get back to work. A planned tribute on Wednesday is expected to set the tone for a session that will including several gun proposals. They include

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s Defense Ministry says China sent four balloons over the island, three of which passed near to a key air force base. The reported incursions on Tuesday come as China has been constantly upping its threat to use force to annex the self-governing republic. Taiwan is holding elections for its president

By DEEPA BHARATH Associated Press HANAPEPE, Hawaii (AP) — The process of making salt from sea water is a lengthy and laborious one that requires patience, perseverance and stoicism. Work that salt makers do for hours or even days could be wiped out by passing rain showers, which are all too common on the island

By DEEPA BHARATH Associated Press HANAPEPE, Hawaii (AP) — On a warm summer afternoon, Tina Taniguchi was on her hands and knees scraping dirt off an oblong depression in the ground. Thick brown hair peeked out from her coconut leaf hat. Splotches of mud stuck to her T-shirt and speckled her smiling face. Taniguchi smiles

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A lawyer says a Pakistani court has indicted former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a contempt case for allegedly insulting election officials. The indictment Wednesday is another blow for Khan, who is already serving time on a corruption conviction and has multiple legal cases hanging over him. He is accused of calling

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A small, rare herding dog called the Lancashire heeler is the latest breed recognized by the American Kennel Club. The organization announced Wednesday that the breed is now eligible for thousands of U.S. dog shows. Lancashire heelers historically were farm helpers that could both drive cattle

By BETH J. HARPAZ Associated Press Planning a trip this winter? Yes, it’s tempting to look for sunny spots where you can lie on a beach or play golf. But some of my favorite winter vacations have been to northerly destinations at their coldest, darkest times of year. I don’t ski, so I’m not looking

By DAN FRIO Edmunds Most of us struggle with making those New Year’s resolutions stick. This year, add some fuel — or even electricity — to your personal improvement fire with cars that can help you see your goals through to the end. Whether you want to get fit or get out, Edmunds picks five