U.S./World category, Page 1028
Texas governor says no to refugees in coming year
AUSTIN, Texas — In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday the state will not allow refugees to resettle in Texas. Under President Donald Trump’s Sept. 26 executive order, cities and states must provide their written consent to allow refugees to resettle within...
‘Bullitt’ Mustang sells for $3.74 million at Florida auction
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GT featured in the film “Bullitt” was sold Friday at a Florida auction house for $3.74 million. The sale at Mecum Kissimmee marks the most expensive Mustang ever sold, surpassing a 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake that sold last year for...
U.S. bans charter flights to Cuban cities besides Havana
HAVANA — The Trump administration is banning charter flights to Cuban cities besides Havana in a new tightening of U.S. restrictions on the island. In October, the administration banned commercial flights to cities outside the capital. The State Department said in a press release Friday that charter operators would have...
China mourns native paddlefish scientists say is now extinct
BEIJING — The Chinese paddlefish’s sharp, protruding snout made it one of the largest freshwater species in the world. Since scientists declared it extinct in a research paper published last week, Chinese internet users and media outlets have been paying tribute to the hefty creature. “It’s farewell at first sight,”...
U.S. announces new sanctions on Iran after missile strikes
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Friday announced a new wave of sanctions on Iran following this week’s missile strikes by the Islamic Republic on U.S. bases in Iraq. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the new sanctions will target eight senior Iranian officials involved...
Nets going up to prevent suicides at Sunshine Skyway bridge
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Nets will be going up along a portion of Florida’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which spans the mouth of Tampa Bay and has become a magnet for suicides. The Tampa Bay Times reported Friday that the steel mesh nets will be installed along a 1.5-mile section of...
Man convicted of assault for hitting Trump protester
A man accused of punching a protester outside a rally for President Donald Trump has been found guilty. A jury convicted Dallas Frazier, 30, Thursday of misdemeanor assault for hitting Michael Alter, 61, outside the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati in August. Thousands attended the rally at the Cincinnati arena....
U.S. adds 145,000 jobs; unemployment holds at 3.5%
WASHINGTON — U.S. employers downshifted on hiring in December, adding 145,000 jobs, with steady spending by Americans continuing to steer economic growth heading into a presidential election year. The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate held at 3.5% for the second straight month, prolonging a half-century low. Hiring...
Virginia lawmakers set to vote on Capitol gun ban
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia lawmakers are set to vote Friday on whether to ban guns at the state Capitol. Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have set a meeting to vote on new rules that are widely expected to include a proposed new gun ban for the Capitol and...
Puerto Ricans settle in quake shelters, refuse to go home
GUAYANILLA, Puerto Rico — A new community has popped up in this earthquake-damaged town in southwest Puerto Rico: it houses 300 people, a dozen police officers and one macaw. Cries of “Uno!” filled the air early Friday morning as children on cots played card games while men with a pillow...
Ex-Mrs. Florida headed to prison for stealing mom’s checks
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A federal judge in Florida ordered Mrs. Florida 2016 to spend a month in jail for stealing her mother’s Social Security checks rather than using the money to pay for nursing home care. U.S. Magistrate Bruce Reinhart also sentenced Karyn Turk on Thursday to five...
Boeing papers show employees slid 737 Max problems past FAA
Boeing employees raised doubts among themselves about the safety of the 737 Max, apparently tried to hide problems from federal regulators and ridiculed those responsible for designing and overseeing the jetliner, according to a batch of emails and texts released nearly a year after the aircraft was grounded over two...
Vermont bill proposes to ban cellphones for anyone under 21
MONTPELIER, Vt. — A Vermont lawmaker has proposed a bill that would bar anyone under 21 from using or owning a cellphone — a move meant to draw attention to restrictions on guns. The bill, introduced by Democratic Sen. John Rodgers, states that the Legislature has concluded those under 21...
Royal courtiers chart path for Prince Harry’s independence
Queen Elizabeth II has moved quickly to take control of the crisis surrounding the decision by Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, to distance themselves from the royal family, ordering royal courtiers to find a future role for the pair within days. Officials representing the most senior members...
South Korea conveys Trump’s birthday message to Kim Jong Un
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said Friday it conveyed a message by President Donald Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wishing him a happy birthday, which is believed to be Jan. 8. Returning from a visit to Washington on Friday, Chung Eui-yong, South Korea’s presidential national security...
Iran denies downing plane, says West should share evidenceVideo
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Friday denied Western allegations that one of its own missiles downed a Ukrainian jetliner that crashed outside Tehran, and called on the United States and Canada to share any information they have on the crash, which killed all 176 people on board. Western leaders said...
Stakes high as U.S. Supreme Court weighs New Jersey ‘Bridgegate’ case
NEWARK, N.J. — “This is not going to end well.” Those words spoken by a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official in the summer of 2013 could hardly have been more prophetic. The plot to create gridlock near the busy George Washington Bridge that September to punish...
Iraqi PM tells U.S. to decide mechanism for troop withdrawal
BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi has told the U.S. secretary of state to send a delegation to Iraq tasked with formulating the mechanism for the withdrawal of U.S troops from Iraq, according to a statement released Friday. The statement, from the office of the Iraqi caretaker prime minister,...
Florida teacher arrested after video shows him throwing student from class, deputies sayVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — A Flagler County teacher was arrested Wednesday after picking a 14-year-old student up and throwing him out of the classroom, deputies said. Jeffrey Paffumi, 47, of Palm Coast, was taken to Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and faces a charge of battery, according to Flagler County...
Trump proposes sweeping rollback of environmental oversight
WASHINGTON — In a dramatic rollback of environmental oversight, President Trump took action Thursday to clear the way and speed up development of a wide range of commercial projects by cutting back federal review of their impact on the environment. “The United States can’t compete and prosper if a bureaucratic...
Video in apparent Jeffrey Epstein suicide attempt ‘no longer exists,’ feds say
NEW YORK — Video footage of the area around Jeffrey Epstein’s jail cell on a day he apparently tried to kill himself “no longer exists,” federal prosecutors told a judge Thursday. Officials at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York believed they had preserved footage of guards finding Jeffrey Epstein...
Feds realize a jailed man’s 3,000 pounds of ‘marijuana’ isn’t pot, Texas lawyer says
It was trumpeted as a huge drug bust. Texas Department of Public Safety posted a picture on Facebook of dozens of boxes — presumably filled with over 3,000 pounds of marijuana — piled in front of a U-Haul truck stopped by troopers in early December. During the traffic stop east...
Anti-establishment views unite, divide Hong Kong protesters
HONG KONG — Trump signs, Pepe the Frog graffiti and British and American flags have become a common sight at Hong Kong’s anti-government protests — and an unsettling one to longtime democracy activists on the left. Beijing has seized on the images to portray the movement as a coddled, westernized...
Puerto Rico earthquake aftermath deepens as government seeks help
SAN JUAN — More than 2,000 people in shelters. Nearly one million without power. Hundreds of thousands without water. The aftermath of a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that killed one person, injured nine others and severely damaged infrastructure in Puerto Rico’s southwest coast is deepening as the island’s government says it is...
Report: 2019 natural gas prices lowest in 3 years
A new report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) notes that natural gas prices in 2019 were the lowest in the last three years. That won’t come as a surprise to Marcellus shale gas drillers, who spent much of 2019 adjusting to a low-price market. Analysts believe low prices...
