U.S./World category, Page 851
One lucky NYC family gets to spend night at FAO Schwarz
NEW YORK — It’s like getting a peek at Santa’s workshop. A New York City family had a most unusual holiday experience — spending the night at the FAO Schwarz toy store in midtown Manhattan, overlooking the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The special night came from a collaboration between the...
U.S. population growth smallest in at least 120 years
The U.S. population grew by the smallest rate in at least 120 years from 2019 to 2020, according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau — a trend that demographers say provides a glimpse of the coronavirus pandemic’s toll. Population growth in the U.S. already was stagnant over...
Pair of passengers exit NYC flight via slide before takeoff
NEW YORK — A Delta flight out of New York City was halted after a Florida couple traveling with a Great Dane puppy fled the aircraft with the pet using an emergency slide, an airline spokesman and authorities said Tuesday. The incident involving Antonio Murdock and Brianna Greco occurred on...
Congress takes steps to curb unexpected medical bills
Most Americans tell pollsters they’re worried about being able to afford an unexpected medical bill. Late Monday, Congress passed a bill to allay some of those fears. The measure is included in a nearly 5,600-page package providing coronavirus economic relief and government funding for the rest of the fiscal year....
Can employers make covid-19 vaccination mandatory?
Can employers make covid-19 vaccination mandatory? Yes, with some exceptions. Experts say employers can require employees to take safety measures, including vaccination. That doesn’t necessarily mean you would get fired if you refuse, but you might need to sign a waiver or agree to work under specific conditions to limit...
Britain finds itself isolated and uncertain ahead of Brexit
LONDON — Hundreds of stranded truck drivers hoped to get the green light to leave Britain on Tuesday as the country found itself increasingly isolated and its trade bottled up, cut off by neighbors afraid of a new strain of the coronavirus circulating in England. More than 1,500 trucks snaked...
2 killed when plane crashes along Texas service road
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — Two people were killed when a small plane crashed along a highway service road in North Texas shortly after taking off, authorities said. The Federal Aviation Administration said the single-engine Wheeler Express CT crashed Monday afternoon about 1 mile west of the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport,...
Biden to address covid bill, holiday pandemic precautions
WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden will speak Tuesday as the nation deals with a covid-19 surge that’s casting a shadow over the Christmas holiday this week. Biden will deliver remarks in Wilmington, Delaware on Tuesday afternoon, where he’s expected to speak on the $900 billion coronavirus aid bill passed...
Senator says Treasury Dept. email accounts compromised in hack
WASHINGTON — Dozens of email accounts at the Treasury Department were compromised in a massive breach of U.S. government agencies being blamed on Russia, with hackers breaking into systems used by the department’s highest-ranking officials. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., provided new details of the hack following a briefing to Senate...
Air Force says Black people more often investigated, punished
WASHINGTON — Black service members in the Air Force are far more likely to be investigated, arrested, face disciplinary actions and be discharged for misconduct, according to a new report that looked at racial disparities across the service. The report by the Air Force inspector general, released Monday, said Black...
More than 70 West Point cadets accused of cheating on exam
WEST POINT, N.Y. — More than 70 cadets training at the U.S. Military Academy to be Army officers have been accused of cheating on a math exam taken online when they were studying remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic. Lt. Col. Christopher Ophardt, spokesman for the academy at West Point,...
Sacked data scientist Rebekah Jones sues Florida over police raid on home
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Rebekah Jones, a fired covid-19 data manager for the state of Florida, is suing the Florida Department of Law Enforcement over a police raid on her house. Jones’ lawsuit alleges that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement violated her constitutional rights, as well as state law,...
James Harden mum on future with Rockets as NBA season approachesVideo
James Harden remains a Houston Rocket with the start of the NBA’s regular season a day away. How he feels about that is unclear, with the superstar refusing to discuss his future or answer any questions about consistent reports he wants to be traded. Harden reported late to camp as...
Tensions rise inside and outside of Oregon’s CapitolVideo
SALEM, Ore. — State police declared an unlawful assembly Monday morning at Oregon’s Capitol building as protesters opposed to covid-19 restrictions attempted to force their way in during the third special legislative session. Lawmakers are at the Capitol to consider measures that would provide $800 million in relief to people...
Acrobats hurt in circus accident reach $52.5M settlement
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Eight acrobats severely injured when the rigging suspending them by their hair plummeted to the floor during a circus performance in Rhode Island in 2014 have reached a $52.5 million settlement with the ownership and management of the arena where the circus was held, their lawyer confirmed...
Man dressed as Santa rescued from power lines in California
RIO LINDA, Calif. — Santa found himself a little more tied up than usual this time of year. A Northern California man impersonating Santa Claus and flying on a powered parachute was rescued Sunday after he became entangled in power lines, authorities said. The incident happened shortly after the man...
Volcano erupts on Hawaii’s Big Island, draws crowds to park
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano on the Big Island erupted and shot a steam and ash cloud into the atmosphere that lasted about an hour, an official with the National Weather Service said early Monday. The eruption began late Sunday within Kilauea’s summit crater, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The crater, named...
Ontario to go on province-wide shutdown Dec. 26
TORONTO — Ontario on Monday announced a province-wide shutdown because of a second wave of covid-19 in Canada’s most populous province. The lockdown will be put in place for southern Ontario from Dec. 26 until Jan. 23, but will lift for northern Ontario on Jan. 9. One top infectious disease...
Virginia’s Lee statue has been removed from U.S. Capitol
WASHINGTON — A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years has been removed. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said in a statement that workers removed the statue from the National Statuary Hall Collection early Monday morning. Northam had requested the...
Explosion in gunpowder factory in Italy kills 3 people
ROME — An explosion in a gunpowder processing factory in a town in south-central Italy on Monday killed three people, Italian media said. The ANSA news agency quoted Casalbordino Mayor Filippo Marinucci at the scene as providing the death toll. Italian firefighters were called to help at the site of...
Justice Dept. charges bombmaker in 1988 Pan Am explosion
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Monday unsealed charges accusing a Libyan bomb expert in the 1988 explosion of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, an attack that killed 259 people in the air and an additional 11 on the ground. The charges were announced on the 32nd anniversary...
Britain hit with travel bans over new coronavirus strain
LONDON — Trucks waiting to get out of Britain backed up for miles and people were left stranded at airports Monday as countries around the world slapped tough travel restrictions on the U.K. because of a new and seemingly more contagious strain of the coronavirus in England. A growing number...
German court convicts man of murder over synagogue attack
BERLIN — A German court on Monday convicted a right-wing extremist of murder and attempted murder and sentenced him to life in prison for his attack on a synagogue last year on Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day. He killed two people after he failed to gain entry to the building....
Kilauea volcano erupts on Hawaii’s Big Island
HONOLULU, Hawaii — The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island has erupted, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The eruption began late Sunday within the within Halema’uma’u crater. The volcano is located within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. A magnitude 4.4 earthquake hit about an hour after the volcano began erupting. The...
Pope tells Vatican bureaucrats to stop gossipy conflicts
ROME — Pope Francis urged Vatican bureaucrats on Monday to stop their gossipy, self-absorbed conflicts, issuing another tough-love Christmas message at the end of a year marked by the coronavirus pandemic and a financial scandal at the Holy See. Francis gathered his cardinals, bishops and Vatican prelates for his annual...
