U.S./World category, Page 739
‘We lost Greenville’: Wildfire decimates California townVideo
GREENVILLE, Calif. — A 3-week-old wildfire engulfed a tiny Northern California mountain town, leveling most of its historic downtown and leaving blocks of homes in ashes, while a new wind-whipped blaze destroyed homes as crews braced for another explosive run of flames Thursday amid dangerous weather. The Dixie Fire, swollen...
FAA head seeks more prosecution of unruly airline passengers
The nation’s top aviation regulator is suggesting that local police around the country should file charges more often against unruly airline passengers and that airports should clamp down on alcohol sales. Federal Aviation Administration chief Stephen Dickson said that every week, police are asked to be there when a flight...
Off-duty Kentucky deputy working security for car lot fatally shotVideo
LOUISVILLE — An off-duty sheriff’s deputy working security at a car lot in Kentucky was fatally shot early Thursday while sitting in his unmarked vehicle, police said. Someone came up to the vehicle’s window and shot the Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy around 2:30 a.m., according to Louisville Metro Police Department...
U.S. to investigate Phoenix police over excessive force allegationsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Thursday said it was launching a widespread probe into the police force in Phoenix to examine whether officers have been using excessive force and abusing people experiencing homelessness. The investigation into the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Police Department is the third sweeping...
1966 death of heiress’ employee under renewed scrutiny
When Doris Duke, a fabulously wealthy tobacco and power company heiress, ran over and killed a longtime employee and confidant at her Newport, Rhode Island, mansion in 1966, police took her at her word that it was an accident. But the story of the killing at Duke’s Rough Point estate,...
Fire rages anew near Athens, evacuations in southern Greece
ATHENS, Greece — Wildfires rekindled outside Athens and forced more evacuations around southern Greece on Thursday as weather conditions worsened and firefighters in a round-the-clock battle stopped the flames just outside the birthplace of the ancient Olympics. As additional support arrived from Greece’s military and European Union countries, water-dropping planes...
Pakistan sends troops after Muslim mob attacked Hindu temple
MULTAN, Pakistan — Pakistan on Thursday deployed paramilitary troops in a conservative town in the country’s eastern Punjab province, a day after a Muslim mob attacked and badly damaged a Hindu temple there. In New Delhi, India’s foreign ministry summoned a Pakistani diplomat to protest the attack and demand protection...
Pennsylvania girl injured in suspected shark attack in Ocean City, Md.Video
OCEAN CITY, Md. — A 12-year-old Pennsylvania girl suffered injuries after a suspected shark attack in Maryland that left her with 42 stitches for 20 cuts, family members said. Jordan Prushinski and her family, of Luzerne County, told WBRE-TV that they were on vacation Monday at the beach in Ocean...
At least 10 dead as van carrying migrants crashes in Texas
An overloaded van carrying 29 migrants crashed Wednesday on a remote South Texas highway, killing at least 10 people, including the driver, and injuring 20 others, authorities said. The crash happened shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday on U.S. 281 in Encino, Texas, about 50 miles north of McAllen. Sgt. Nathan...
Federal judge rebukes Jan. 6 defendant, sentences him to time served
A federal judge on Wednesday assailed the false claims of election fraud pushed by former President Donald Trump and his supporters as she sentenced a member of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to time served, saying the Michigan man “placed his trust in someone who...
Marist poll finds 59% New Yorkers say Cuomo should resign in wake of sexual harassment reportVideo
ALBANY, N.Y. — A majority of New Yorkers think it’s time for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to go, according to a new Marist poll. The survey, conducted overnight and released Wednesday, found that 59% of Empire State voters, including 52% of Democrats, believe Cuomo should resign following the bombshell attorney general’s...
Passenger charged with groping, punching flight attendants
MIAMI — An Ohio man was arrested in Florida during the weekend after being accused of groping two female flight attendants and punching a male flight attendant during a flight from Philadelphia to Miami, officials said. Maxwell Berry, 22, of Norwalk, Ohio, was arrested Saturday at Miami International Airport and...
Gulf of Mexico’s ‘dead zone’ larger than average this year
This year’s Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” — an area where there’s too little oxygen to support marine life — is larger than average, according to researchers. Scientists supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration determined that the area off Louisiana and Texas’ coasts covers about 6,334 square miles,...
Mike Pompeo got $5,800 whisky gift from Japan, but where is it?
WASHINGTON — The State Department said Wednesday it’s looking into the apparent disappearance of a nearly $6,000 bottle of whisky given more than two years ago to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by the government of Japan. Pompeo knows nothing about the gift or an inquiry, a representative said. In...
Sturgis bike rally revs back bigger, despite delta variant
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Crowds of bikers are rumbling their way toward South Dakota’s Black Hills this week, raising fears that covid-19 infections will be unleashed among the 700,000 people expected to show up at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The rally, which starts Friday, has become a haven for those...
Hot, gusty weather could mean explosive fire growth in West
GREENVILLE, Calif. — California’s largest wildfire continued to grow Wednesday as thousands of firefighters prepared for a tougher fight as dangerous weather returns. A red flag warning was issued through Thursday because of hot, bone-dry conditions with winds up to 40 mph (64 kph). That could drive flames through timber,...
This hurricane season could see even more storms than first expected, NOAA says
MIAMI — Just a few weeks shy of the peak of hurricane season, NOAA released an updated prediction for the number of storms to expect this year — and it’s a bit higher. The latest prediction calls for 15 to 21 named storms, an uptick from the May update that...
16 killed by lightning on way to wedding party in Bangladesh
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Lightning killed at least 16 people who were traveling to a wedding party in western Bangladesh and injured several others, including the groom, an official said.. Local government official Sakib Al-Rabby said the bride was not with the group when the incident occurred Wednesday in Shibganj in...
Mexico sues U.S. gun manufacturers over arms trafficking toll
The Mexican government sued United States gun manufacturers and distributors Wednesday in U.S. federal court, arguing that their negligent and illegal commercial practices have unleashed tremendous bloodshed in Mexico. The unusual lawsuit was filed in U.S. federal court in Boston. Among those being sued are some of the biggest names...
This year’s summer of climate extremes hits wealthier places
As the world staggers through another summer of extreme weather, experts are noticing something different: 2021′s onslaught is hitting harder and in places that have been spared global warming’s wrath in the past. Wealthy countries such as the United States, Canada, Germany and Belgium are joining poorer and more vulnerable...
Illinois officer dies trying to stop fleeing car on bridge
BROOKLYN, Ill. — An Illinois police officer died early Wednesday while trying to stop a car fleeing police into Missouri, authorities said. The officer from Brooklyn was struck around 3 a.m. on the McKinley Bridge, which connects the two states. He was setting up stop sticks, which flatten tires, when...
Police brass eyed in probe of Black man’s deadly arrest
MONROE, La. — Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Louisiana State Police brass obstructed justice to protect the troopers seen on long-withheld body camera video punching, dragging and stunning Black motorist Ronald Greene during his fatal 2019 arrest. It marks a significant expansion of the federal inquiry that began as a...
U.K. to roll out covid vaccines to 16- and 17-year-olds
LONDON — The U.K. is to offer coronavirus vaccines to 16 and 17-year-olds in the coming weeks after the independent body of scientists that makes recommendations over the rollout changed its advice. The four nations of the U.K. all accepted the change in advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination...
Airstrikes pummel Taliban positions in southern Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. and Afghan airstrikes hit Taliban targets overnight in southern Helmand province in an effort to dislodge the insurgents after they captured much of the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, officials said Wednesday. The United Nations and Human Rights Watch asked both sides to take care to...
3 in fatal Michigan rock-throwing case get probation
FLINT, Mich. — Three young Michigan men who were teens when they were part of a rock-throwing incident that killed a motorist on Interstate 75 were put on probation after spending more than three years in custody while their case was stuck in court. The court hearing Tuesday ended a...
