U.S./World category, Page 1087
U.S. couple accused of ditching adopted girl, moving to Canada
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Indiana prosecutors have charged a couple with abandoning their adopted daughter in 2013 and moving to Canada, renting an apartment in Lafayette for the then-11-year-old girl but otherwise leaving her to fend for herself. Prosecutors in Tippecanoe County, where Lafayette is located, filed neglect charges Wednesday against...
Torrential rains pound southeastern Spain, death toll to 4
BARCELONA, Spain — Rescue workers saved thousands of people from rising waters as record rainfall pounded southeastern Spain on Friday, a deluge that authorities said killed at least four people. The storm that slammed into the Mediterranean coastal regions of Valencia, Murcia and eastern Andalusia on Thursday and Friday left...
Reports: U.S. natural gas production, future supply at record levels
Two new reports tout the continued resilience and productivity of the nation’s natural gas industry, bolstered in part by the Marcellus shale play in Pennsylvania. Even at a time of low natural gas prices, which tend to put downward pressure on production, U.S. natural gas production set daily and monthly...
Death toll in Brazil hospital fire rises to 11
RIO DE JANEIRO — A fire raced through a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, forcing staff to wheel patients into the streets on beds or in wheelchairs and leaving at least 11 people dead, Brazilian officials said Friday. Four firefighters were hospitalized after battling the overnight blaze at Badim Hospital...
Civil War cannonball found in Kansas City area tree
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — A worker has found what’s believed to be a Civil War cannonball lodged in a Kansas City area tree that he was hired to take down. KMBC-TV reports the small cannonball fell out as the worker was chopping the diseased tree on the grounds of the Overfelt-Johnston...
Mississippi sixth-grader scores 27 on ACTVideo
You might just be on your way to do remarkable things if you start reading books as a toddler. That’s exactly what sixth-grader Kristen Rhodes of Canton, Miss. did. And she’s continuing to show her academic prowess after scoring a 27 on the ACT. According to prepscholar.com, in order to...
HUD watchdog clears Ben Carson in $31,000 dining set order
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s independent watchdog on Thursday cleared Secretary Ben Carson of any misconduct in connection with the order of a $31,000 dining room set for his office suite. HUD’s Office of Inspector General launched a probe last year into allegations that Carson...
El Paso police dispute man’s story of heroism in attack; Trump gives him awardVideo
Surveillance video does not back up the story told by a man who was honored this week at the White House by President Donald Trump for his actions during the Aug. 3 mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart, police said. Christopher Grant has said he threw bottles to try...
Skylar Richardson acquitted of killing newborn baby she buried in Ohio backyardVideo
LEBANON, Ohio — A young Ohio mother who prosecutors said killed and buried her unwanted newborn in her backyard was acquitted by jurors Thursday. The Warren County jury deliberated for four hours before acquitting 20-year-old Brooke Skylar Richardson of aggravated murder, involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment charges. She was found...
Former FBI No. 2 Andrew McCabe faces prospect of criminal chargesVideo
WASHINGTON — Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, a frequent target of President Donald Trump’s wrath, faces the prospect of an indictment after his attorneys were unable to persuade senior Justice Department officials not to pursue charges that he lied to internal investigators. Two people familiar with the matter said...
Grand jury indicts man on capital murder for El Paso attack
EL PASO, Texas — A man accused of gunning down people at a busy Walmart in El Paso last month was indicted Thursday for capital murder, prosecutors announced. Patrick Crusius, 21, of Allen, Texas, was indicted on one count in connection with the Aug. 3 mass shooting that left 22...
Judge blocks Tennessee voter signup penalties, citing harm
NASHVILLE — A federal judge has blocked Tennessee’s new restrictions for registering voters from taking effect on Oct. 1, saying Thursday that any benefit of the law won’t likely outweigh its potential harm. The ruling, for now, sets aside a law that goes beyond other states by fining groups that...
Pesticide criticized in bee deaths could also kill birds
PORTLAND, Maine — Scientists studying a widely used pesticide say even small doses of the chemical can have crippling health effects on migrating birds, and it might be contributing to declines in their overall populations. The researchers with the University of Saskatchewan are set to publish their research about the...
NTSB says crew asleep during fatal boat fire
LOS ANGELES — The National Transportation Safety Board says all six crewmembers were asleep when a fire broke out in a scuba diving boat off the coast of California, killing 34 people. The NTSB released a two-page preliminary report Thursday. Authorities have said they were investigating if there was a...
German herdsmen lead autumn Alpine cattle driveVideo
BAD HINDELANG, Germany — Bavarian herdsmen have gathered together in the Alps in for an annual autumn ritual, driving their herds of cattle from high mountain pastures to the valley below in preparation for the cold winter to come. Dressed in traditional lederhosen pants and felted hats garnished with flowers...
Powerful new electric eel found in South America
Researchers report two newly discovered species of electric eels in South America, one of which can deliver a bigger jolt than any other known animal. The researchers collected 107 eels in four countries and found differences in their DNA, along with minor physical variations. One species had the ability to...
House committee approves guidelines for impeachment hearings
WASHINGTON — House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler says there’s no confusion about what his committee is doing: It’s an impeachment investigation, no matter how you want to phrase it. Nadler tried to clear up any misconceptions Thursday as the committee approved guidelines for impeachment hearings on President Donald Trump...
A region in Italy will pay you $27,000 to live there
Finding cheap housing is one thing, but there’s a region of Italy that will pay you to live there. Molise, a mostly mountainous region of southern Italy, has been having issues with keeping residents around. According to the Italian National Institute of Statistics, more than 9,000 people have left since...
Publix: Only officers should openly carry guns in its stores
LAKELAND, Fla. — If you’re carrying a gun, the Publix supermarket chain doesn’t want to see it. Publix is joining a growing number of retailers in asking customers not to openly carry firearms in its stores, even if state laws allow it. The company announced the move by email in...
Indiana man charged in police dog’s death in fiery crash
COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. — A northeastern Indiana man has been charged in the death of a police dog that became trapped inside a burning police cruiser following a high-speed crash. Thirty-one-year-old Clarence L. Shearer of Fort Wayne was formally charged Wednesday with causing the death of a law enforcement animal...
Ohio State denied request to trademark ‘The’ for merchandise
COLUMBUS — Ohio State University has lost its fight to trademark the word “The.” The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office turned down the university’s request to trademark “The” when used as part of the school’s name on university merchandise. OSU submitted the trademark application last month. The patent office cited...
Jarrid Wilson, founder of Christian suicide outreach, takes his own life
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Jarrid Wilson, a Southern California pastor who with his wife founded the outreach group “Anthem of Hope” to help people coping with depression and suicidal thoughts, took his own life, a church official said. The 30-year-old Wilson, an associate pastor at the megachurch Harvest Christian Fellowship died...
Taylor Swift suspect charged in Trump golf course damage
BEDMINSTER, N.J. — The man charged with breaking into singer Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island mansion is accused of causing more than $20,000 damage to President Donald Trump’s New Jersey golf course. The Somerset County prosecutor says an employee at Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster observed a spinning vehicle “doing...
OxyContin maker reaches tentative opioid-crisis settlement
HARTFORD, Conn. — OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma reached a tentative deal Wednesday with about half the states and thousands of local governments over its role in the nation’s deadly opioid epidemic, but criticism by several state attorneys general clouded prospects for an end to litigation against the company and the...
Water, temperature right for life at another star’s planetVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — In a tantalizing first, scientists have discovered water at a planet outside our solar system that has temperatures suitable for life. Two research groups announced this week that they’ve found water vapor in the atmosphere of a planet 110 light-years away in the constellation Leo. This...
