U.S./World category, Page 1095
OxyContin maker negotiating settlement worth a reported $12B
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Purdue Pharma would devote its profits to cleaning up the devastation wrought by opioids, and the controlling Sackler family would be out, under a $10 billion to $12 billion nationwide settlement taking shape at the negotiating table, according to published reports Wednesday. The agreement, if it comes...
Jet-car speed racer, ‘Mythbusters’ host Jessi Combs dies in Oregon jet-car crashVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — Jet-car speed racer Jessi Combs, known by fans as the “fastest woman on four wheels,” has died in a crash in Oregon’s Alvord Desert while trying to break a speed record, local authorities said Wednesday. Combs, 39, died Tuesday afternoon while racing in a dry lake bed...
FEMA, Coast Guard money moved to border programs
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security is moving $271 million from other agencies such as FEMA and the U.S. Coast Guard to increase the number of beds for detained immigrants and support its policy forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases play out. The news comes...
West Virginia state senator charged with prostitution
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia state Sen. Mike Maroney has been charged with soliciting a prostitute. The Republican lawmaker turned himself in and was arraigned Wednesday morning, a Marshall County court clerk said. He has pleaded not guilty and paid a $4,500 bond. Maroney exchanged text messages to discuss prices...
McDonald’s offering harassment training to all U.S. workers
McDonald’s is introducing a new training program for its U.S. employees after dozens of workers complained of sexual harassment. The Chicago-based company says its 2,000 U.S. franchisees have committed to provide the training to 850,000 employees. The online and in-person training will begin in October. It will educate workers about...
26 killed in fiery attack on bar in southern Mexico
MEXICO CITY — An attack on a bar in Mexico’s Gulf coast city of Coatzacoalcos killed 26 people and injured about a dozen, officials said Wednesday, and they said it was apparently overseen by a man who had been recently arrested but released. “The criminals went in, closed the doors,...
Manhunt ends with capture of naked man in family’s slaying
KEELING, Va. — Police in Virginia apprehended a naked 18-year-old after an intense manhunt in the slayings of two women and a child. Authorities said Matthew Thomas Bernard is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor indicated he’s related to the victims. Police warned of...
Police: Man gets truck stolen while robbing store across the street
Karma is best served instantly. The Kennewick Police Department in Washington state posted a story to Facebook about just such an incident that happened Sunday. According to the police, William Kelley, 42, called to report someone stole his 1992 Chevy pickup truck. Turns out he had left his keys on...
Epstein accuser says Prince Andrew should ‘come clean’
LONDON — An alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein who claims she was also delivered to Britain’s Prince Andrew for paid sex as a teenager has challenged the British royal to speak up, saying: “He knows exactly what he’s done and I hope he comes clean about it.” The jet-setting middle...
Hurricane Dorian moves away from Puerto Rico, with Florida now in its sightsVideo
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Hurricane Dorian caused limited damage in the northern Caribbean as it left the region Wednesday night, setting its sights on the U.S. mainland as it threatened to grow into a dangerous Category 3 storm. Power outages and flooding were reported across the U.S. Virgin Islands,...
U.K.’s Johnson moves to suspend Parliament ahead of Brexit
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson maneuvered Wednesday to give his political opponents even less time to block a no-deal Brexit before the Oct. 31 withdrawal deadline, winning Queen Elizabeth II’s approval to suspend Parliament. His critics were outraged. Though Johnson previously had refused to rule out such a...
Survey finds new auto technology can annoy drivers
A survey shows that alerts from new driver assist systems are so annoying that some motorists are turning the features off. The 2019 J.D. Power Tech Experience study also found that frustrated drivers may avoid the systems in future vehicle purchases. J.D. Power says the findings are a major concern...
Italy’s Stromboli volcano erupts anew, spewing fiery lava
ROME — The Stromboli volcano has erupted, spewing fiery chunks of lava onto the tiny Italian island and alarming residents and tourists. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology says a strong volcanic explosion just after noon Wednesday sent flaming lava rolling down the volcano’s slopes to the edge of...
Popeyes sold out of chicken sandwiches in 2 weeks
“Love that chicken from Popeyes.” No kidding. The new chicken sandwiches at Popeyes didn’t last long. Fifteen days, to be exact. The fried chicken chain announced Tuesday it is sold out of the sandwiches nationwide. Fret not. Popeyes said via Twitter that the sandwich would make a return, and this...
U.S. is becoming more diverse — and quickly, in certain places
The United States is becoming more diverse as the white share of the population declines and Hispanic, Asian and African American populations grow — and that change is happening quickly in certain places. While whites remain the largest racial or ethnic group nationwide, accounting for 60% of all Americans, 109...
FanDuel debuts sportsbook app in West Virginia
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — A West Virginia resort owned by Gov. Jim Justice has launched a sportsbook app this week with fantasy sports company FanDuel. The app debuted Monday for use by bettors inside West Virginia’s border. Last year, New York-based FanDuel reached an agreement for retail, online and...
Appeals judge allows New Jersey’s aid-in-dying law to go forward
A New Jersey appellate court Tuesday reversed a lower court’s decision to grant a temporary restraining order against the state’s aid-in-dying law. The law became effective Aug. 1, but was suspended on Aug. 14 after a suit filed by Josef Glassman, a Bergen County physician, argued that the lack of...
Basketball-sized world-record grapefruit grown in Louisiana
BATON ROUGE, La. — A basketball-sized grapefruit has brought two world records to a Louisiana couple. The giant citrus grew in the yard of Mary Beth and Doug Meyer of Slidell. The Guinness Book of World Records says it’s the world’s heaviest and largest in circumference. It weighed 7 pounds,...
How the Amazon plays a role in global climate change
RIO DE JANEIRO — Fires across the Brazilian Amazon have sparked an international outcry for preservation of the world’s largest rainforest. Here’s a look at the role the Amazon plays in regulating the world’s climate. Is the world`s oxygen supply at risk? No. While it’s commonly said that the Amazon...
Woman fighting request to turn in 15-year-old vanity plate
ROCHESTER, N.H. — A New Hampshire woman is fighting the state Department of Motor Vehicles over her 15-year-old vanity license plate showing a common parental phrase. Seacoastonline.com reports Wendy Auger, of Rochester, has been asked to surrender the plate, which reads “PB4WEGO.” The state says phrases related to excretory acts...
Mother, deputy indicted over filmed sex act involving child
ST. GABRIEL, La. — A grand jury has indicted a Louisiana woman who’s accused of performing a sex act on her 1-year-old son, as well as the sheriff’s deputy accused of filming it. The Advocate reports the mother had told investigators that Iberville Parish Sheriff’s deputy Shaderick Jones coerced her...
Federal judge blocks Missouri’s 8-week abortion ban
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new Missouri ban on abortions at or after eight weeks of pregnancy won’t take effect Wednesday after a federal judge temporarily blocked it from being implemented. U.S. District Judge Howard Sachs put a pause on the law as a legal challenge against it plays out...
Jeffrey Epstein accusers pour out their anger in court
NEW YORK — Women who say they were victimized by Jeffrey Epstein expressed anger Tuesday over his suicide in a New York City jail, saying during an unusual court hearing that he deprived them of a chance at justice. “He is a coward,” said Courtney Wild, who has said she...
Traveling with pets: No-deal Brexit would make it far harder
All across Europe, families and couples on vacation are seamlessly crossing borders with their beloved dog, cat or even ferret, thanks to the European Union Pet Passport scheme. Now, as a no-deal Brexit looms as a possibility for Britain, free pet travel is under threat. If the U.K. leaves the...
Trump portrays G-7 as a lovefest, papering over differences
BIARRITZ, France — Never mind his differences with world leaders on China, trade, Russia, Iran and more. President Donald Trump’s takeaway message from the Group of Seven summit in France was “unity.” In fact, “flawless” unity. During this year’s gathering of leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies, Trump went to...
