Month: April 2024

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — An acute housing shortage hitting fire survivors on the Hawaiian island of Maui is squeezing out residents even as they try to overcome the loss of loved ones, their homes and their community. The situation is prompting state lawmakers to consider giving counties the authority to phase

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal law enforcement officials have brought charges against a man accused of creating an illicit marijuana-growing operation off the beaten path in rural Maine. The bust of the home marked the latest example of what authorities describe as a years-long trend of individuals trying to exploit

By SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press Carpets of yellow, orange and gold flowers are beginning to cover stretches of Southern California’s vast deserts, the Bay Area’s dramatic bluffs and even the fields near Los Angeles International Airport. But they don’t quite make for a “superbloom” like the one seen across the Southwest last year. Scientists don’t

By ISABEL DEBRE and ALMUDENA CALATRAVA Associated Press ROSARIO, Argentina (AP) — The order to kill came from inside a federal prison near Argentina’s capital. Unwitting authorities patched a call from drug traffickers tied to one of the country’s most notorious gangs to collaborators on the outside. Hiring a 15-year-old hit man, they sealed the

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Police in Tennessee say a shooting at an unsanctioned public party in a Memphis city park killed two people and wounded 14 more. Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn Davis says officers responded at 7:19 p.m. to a reported shooting. She says police found five victims with gunshot wounds. Two men were

By MOHAMED SHARUHAN Associated Press MALE, Maldives (AP) — Maldivians are voting in parliamentary elections, in a ballot crucial for President Mohamed Muizzu, whose policies are keenly watched by India and China as they vie for influence in the archipelago nation. Both countries are seeking a foothold in the Maldives, which are in a strategic

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuadorians head to the polls in a referendum touted by the country’s fledgling leader as a way to crack down on criminal gangs behind a spiraling wave of violence. The majority of 11 questions posed to voters Sunday focus on tightening security measures. Proposals include deploying the army in the fight

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial shifts to opening statements Monday, followed by the start of witness testimony. A jury of seven men and five women, plus six alternates, was picked last week. The witnesses include a porn actress, a former tabloid publisher and Trump’s

BERLIN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan sheriff says a vehicle drove through a boat club building where a children’s birthday celebration was taking place, seriously injuring a number of children and adults. Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough said in a news release that the victims were taken to several area hospitals after the crash

NEW YORK (AP) — Police in New York City say a knife attack on a boat at a pier in Brooklyn has resulted in the hospitalization of three people. Detective Sophia Mason says a 911 call came in around 5 p.m. Saturday reporting the assault at a pier along the East River. The victims are

GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s historic Timberline Lodge, which featured in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film “The Shining,” will reopen to guests Sunday after a fire that prompted evacuations but caused only minimal damage. The lodge said Saturday in a Facebook post that it will support guests while repairs are being done, as well as

By DAVID KOENIG AP Business Writer DALLAS (AP) — The United Auto Workers union is celebrating a huge win at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee, where workers will now be represented by the union. The UAW won a stunning 73% of the vote after losing two elections there in the past decade. That is giving

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — Police say three of the five youths shot in a suburban Washington, D.C., park during a high school “senior skip day” gathering have been released from the hospital, while the condition of the most seriously injured student has improved. The Greenbelt, Maryland, police department is still seeking information about Friday’s shootings

By MAYSOON KHAN and ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York lawmakers have approved a $237 billion state budget that includes plans to spur housing construction, combat unlicensed marijuana stores and address the migrant crisis. The package also includes measures ranging from expediting the closure of some state prisons and addressing the

By The Associated Press Roman Gabriel, the former North Carolina State quarterback who was the 1969 NFL MVP with the Los Angeles Rams, has died. He was 83. Gabriel’s son, Roman III, announced his father’s death in a social-media post, saying he had “passed away peacefully” of natural causes at home. Gabriel was a two-time

By The Associated Press The House’s $95 billion foreign aid package provides military aid to Ukraine and Israel, replenishes U.S. weapons systems and gives humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza. After House approval Saturday, it heads to the Senate, where it’s expected to pass in the coming week. President Joe Biden has promised to sign

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A Fort Wayne city councilwoman has been chosen as the new mayor of Indiana’s second most populous city, and its first Black leader, during a caucus to replace its late mayor, who died in March. Councilwoman Sharon Tucker, a Democrat, will also become the second woman to serve as mayor

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A police official in Kabul says a sticky bomb has killed one person and wounded three others. Saturday evening’s blast happened in the mostly Shiite neighborhood of Kot-e-Sangi, a bustling commercial and residential area. The bomb was attached to a car and killed the driver. The police official didn’t say if

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country music star Morgan Wallen, who faces charges stemming in part from accusations that he threw a chair off the rooftop of a six-story bar, says he’s “not proud” of his behavior and accepts responsibility. The “One Thing at a Time” singer responded publicly Friday night on social media to his

MIAMI (AP) — Venezuela’s opposition is rallying behind an unknown former diplomat to challenge Nicolas Maduro in this summer’s presidential election. It’s the latest gambit to unseat the self-declared socialist, whose lock on power seems all but assured. On Friday night, all 10 parties in the chief opposition coalition announced they would back Edmundo González

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China this coming week as Washington and Beijing try to keep ties on an even keel despite major differences on a range of issue, from the Middle East to opioids. The U.S. and China are at odds over

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s defense minister says two Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force helicopters are believed to have crashed in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo during night-time training. The two SH-60K helicopters, carrying four crew each, lost contact late Saturday near Torishima island in the Pacific south of Tokyo, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and HALELUYA HADERO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed legislation Saturday that would ban TikTok in the United States if the popular social media platform’s China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake within a year, but don’t expect the app to go away anytime soon. The decision by House Republicans

BALTIMORE (AP) — A third temporary channel for boats to enter and depart the Port of Baltimore has opened, expanding further shipping access as collapsed sections of the Francis Scott Key Bridge are salvaged before the span can ultimately be rebuilt. The alternate channel, located to the northeast of the fallen bridge, is open to

PORT ANGELES, Wash. (AP) — Longtime publisher and Associated Press journalist John Brewer has died. He was 76. Brewer’s close friend Randy Johnson says the two were on their annual fly fishing trip in Montana on Friday when the boat Brewer was in hit a submerged log and flipped over. Johnson says Brewer could not

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — David Pryor, a former Arkansas governor and U.S. senator who was one of the state’s most beloved and active political figures, has died at the age of 89. His son, former two-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, says the Democrat died Saturday of natural causes

By JEAN FERNAND KOENA Associated Press BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Witnesses in Central African Republic say that at least 20 people have drowned after a ferry sank in the capital. Witnesses said Saturday that the wooden ferry was carrying more than 300 people to a funeral over the Mpoko River in Bangui on

By RONALD BLUM Associated Press Romeo Castellucci has dropped out of his production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle at Belgium’s La Monnaie theater halfway through because of what the company says is a lack of money and time. The four-part “Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)” is considered opera’s most ambitious work. Castellucci,

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Authorities say the New Jersey rabbi serving a decadeslong sentence in a 1994 murder-for-hire plot targeting his wife has died. News outlets cite the state department of corrections as saying that 82-year-old Fred Neulander was pronounced dead Wednesday evening after he was found unresponsive in his cell in the state prison

By JARI TANNER Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — An artisan roastery based in the Finnish capital has introduced a coffee blend that has been developed by artificial intelligence in a trial in which it’s hoped that technology can ease the workload in a sector that traditionally prides itself on manual work. It is only apt

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian attack on an Israeli desert air base last week as part of Tehran’s unprecedented assault on the country damaged a taxiway, a satellite image analyzed by The Associated Press on Saturday shows. The overall damage done to Nevatim air base in southern

By JACK THOMPSON Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — U.S. officials said that they will begin to withdraw troops from Niger but there is no timeline. The planned departure comes comes as U.S. officials said Saturday they were trying to find a new military agreement after relations have frayed between Niger and the U.S. Experts

By MIKE CATALINI and MARC LEVY Associated Press NEW HOPE, Pa. (AP) — Mark Houck’s campaign to unseat Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania’s GOP primary could offer hints about swing-district party sentiment in a heated presidential election year. The congressional district in suburban Philadelphia is one of 16 nationwide that Democrat Joe Biden carried

By AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden can breathe a bit easier, at least for the moment, now that Israel and Iran appear to have stepped back from the brink of tipping the Middle East into all-out war. Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Iran and Syria caused limited damage. The restrained action

By ALEXANDRA OLSON and CLAIRE SAVAGE AP Business Writers Pregnant workers have the right to a wide range of accommodations under new federal regulations for enforcing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission adopted an expansive view of conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth in its proposed regulations. It drew condemnation from