U.S./World category, Page 825
Seattle judge halts Proud Boy’s release in Capitol breach case
SEATTLE — The self-described “sergeant-at-arms” of the Seattle chapter of the far-right group Proud Boys will remain in custody for now pending charges filed in connection with the riot at the U.S. Capitol. Magistrate Judge Brian Tsuchida in Seattle initially said Monday that 30-year-old Ethan Nordean should be released pending...
In Florida city, hackers try to poison the drinking water
FLORIDA — A hacker gained unauthorized entry to the system controlling the water treatment plant of a Florida city of 15,000 and tried to taint the water supply with a caustic chemical, exposing a danger cybersecurity experts say has grown as systems become both more computerized and accessible via the...
Family of Illinois woman who drank hand sanitizer sues firm that made it
ST. LOUIS — The family of an Illinois woman who died last year after drinking hand sanitizer contaminated with methanol is suing the company that made the product. The federal lawsuit filed Friday in St. Louis says the St. Louis County Medical examiner determined that Kayla Stagner’s death was caused...
Pa. ranks No. 2 in terms of residents charged by feds in U.S. Capitol riot
This is hardly an honor, but as of Monday Pennsylvania is in second place among the 50 states in terms of the number of its residents who are facing federal charges in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Texan ranked No. 1, with 21 defendants. Pennsylvania...
50 Yellowstone bison transported to Montana reservation
BILLINGS, Mont. — Officials have transported 50 Yellowstone National Park bison to the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes in Montana. The animals transferred Friday were under quarantine by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service located north of the park in the Gardiner Basin, the...
Myanmar junta imposes curfew, meeting bans as protests swell
YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar’s new military rulers on Monday signaled their intention to crack down on opponents of their takeover, issuing decrees that effectively banned peaceful public protests in the country’s two biggest cities. The restrictive measures were ordered after police fired water cannons at hundreds of protesters in the...
Russia updates statistics on virus-linked deaths in 2020
Russia’s updated statistics on coronavirus-linked deaths show that 162,429 people with covid-19 had died in the pandemic last year, a number much higher than previously reported by government officials. The state statistics agency, Rosstat, released figures for December on Monday, updating its count of coronavirus-linked deaths that includes cases where...
Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Wright of Texas dies at 67
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, who had battled health challenges over the past year including lung cancer treatment, has died more than two weeks after contracting covid-19, his office said Monday. He was 67. Wright died Sunday, spokesman Matt Langston said. He said he did not...
Schools plan for potential of remote learning into the fall
Parents of schoolchildren learning from home shouldn’t necessarily count on reclaiming the dining room table any time soon. After seeing two academic years thrown off course by the pandemic, school leaders around the country are planning for the possibility of more distance learning next fall at the start of yet...
Poll: Few in U.S. say democracy is working very well
Only a fragment of Americans believe democracy is thriving in the U.S., even as broad majorities agree that representative government is one of the country’s bedrock principles, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Just 16% of Americans say democracy is working well...
Pelican named Arvy survives frostbite in Connecticut, flown to Florida
A pelican that got blown off course and was rescued in chilly Connecticut has been flown to Florida, where he is recovering from pneumonia and frostbite. The brown pelican, nicknamed Arvy, was rescued from the icy Connecticut River on Jan. 27. The bird, whose species is not typically seen in...
Michigan man killed after cannon used at baby shower explodes
GAINES TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A Michigan man who was fatally injured when a cannon exploded in a backyard during a baby shower was within 15 feet of the device when the blast occurred, police said. Evan Thomas Silva, 26, of Hartland, was struck by metal shrapnel in Saturday night’s explosion...
Alabama university removes Wallace name from building
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The University of Alabama at Birmingham has removed the name of four-term governor and presidential candidate George C. Wallace from a campus building over his support of racial segregation. A resolution unanimously approved by trustees Friday said Wallace rose to power by defending racial separation and stoking...
Bodies recovered, midair breakup investigated in plane crash
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska State Troopers have recovered the bodies of two people who died in the crash of a small plane, which federal investigators said may have broken up in midair. Troopers and National Park Service Rangers arrived Saturday at the site in Wrangell-St Elias National Park where the...
Throngs of maskless fans celebrate Tampa’s Super Bowl win
TAMPA, Fla. — So much for the mayor’s order requiring masks at Super Bowl parties. Videos went viral on social media, showing throngs of mostly maskless fans and packed sports bars as the clock inside Raymond James Stadium ticked down on a hometown Super Bowl win for the Tampa Bay...
Rescuers in India digging for 37 trapped in glacier floodVideo
Rescuers in northern India worked Monday to rescue more than three dozen power plant workers trapped in a tunnel after part of a Himalayan glacier broke off and sent a wall of water and debris rushing down a mountain in a disaster that has left at least 26 people dead...
Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen, once foes, talk Trump
NEW YORK — When he was Donald Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen was hellbent on silencing Stormy Daniels, even arranging a hush-money payment to the porn actress that landed him in federal prison. Now, as one of many of the former president’s insiders-turned-critics, Cohen is literally broadcasting Daniels’ story — including...
U.S. plans to reengage with UN rights council, reversing Trump
WASHINGTON — The United States announced plans Monday to reengage with the much-maligned U.N. Human Rights Council that former President Donald Trump withdrew from almost three years ago, as the Biden administration reverses another Trump-era move away from multilateral organizations and agreements. Announcing the new approach from Washington, Secretary of...
U.K.’s official terror threat level lowered to ‘substantial’
LONDON — Britain’s official terrorism threat level has been lowered from “severe” to “substantial” because the tempo of attacks in Europe has lessened. The U.K. government said Monday that the Joint Terrorism Analysis Center had lowered the level to the middle rung of its five-point scale, meaning an attack in...
Chicago mayor touts deal with teachers union to reopen schoolsVideo
CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot touted a preliminary agreement with the teachers union over covid-19 safety protocols on Sunday, potentially averting a strike in the nation’s third-largest school district. Some students could return to classrooms as soon as Thursday, with the reopening of school phased-in by grade. Also, the...
Utah students allowed to opt out of Black history curriculum
NORTH OGDEN, Utah — A charter school in northern Utah that is allowing parents to opt students out of its Black History Month curriculum has sparked a debate over if parents should have the option. Maria Montessori Academy Director Micah Hirokawa said on the school’s Facebook page on Friday that...
2nd major snowstorm in a week blankets NortheastVideo
NEW YORK — A major snowstorm pushed through the Northeastern United States on Sunday, less than a week after a storm dumped more than 2 feet on parts of the region. By early afternoon, 5 to 7 inches had already fallen in parts of northwestern New Jersey and southwestern Connecticut....
Utah police: Avalanche killed 4 local backcountry skiers
SALT LAKE CITY — Four backcountry skiers in their 20s died when one of the deadliest avalanches in Utah history hit a popular backcountry skiing area, police said Sunday. Four other people were also buried in the Saturday slide but managed to dig themselves out and didn’t suffer serious injuries,...
Reagan’s longtime secretary of state George P. Shultz dies
WASHINGTON — Former Secretary of State George P. Shultz, a titan of American academia, business and diplomacy who spent most of the 1980s trying to improve Cold War relations with the Soviet Union and forging a course for peace in the Middle East, has died. He was 100. Schultz died...
Weary postal workers hope Biden will bring new tone, change
PORTLAND, Maine — The U.S. Postal Service’s stretch of challenges didn’t end with the November general election and tens of millions of mail-in votes. The pandemic-depleted workforce fell further into a hole during the holiday rush, leading to long hours and a mountain of delayed mail. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy...
