Associated Press stories, Page 1962
Judge refuses to block ban on Michigan indoor dining
DETROIT — Bars and restaurants lost a challenge Wednesday to Michigan’s ban on indoor dining and immediately warned about business failures and deep job losses if the restriction linked to the coronavirus is extended past next week. U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney turned down a request for an injunction with...
Fed reports slowing economic activity because of coronavirus surge
WASHINGTON — A Federal Reserve survey of business conditions around the country found that economic activity in several regions slowed in November as coronavirus cases surged. The Fed report released Wednesday said that overall, the Fed’s 12 regional banks characterized the economic expansion as “modest or moderate.” But it noted...
Restaurant jaunts create credibility issue for politiciansVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — Their messaging has been clear: wear a mask, stay 6 feet apart from others, and most importantly: stay home! But their actions aren’t living up to the rhetoric, creating a real political problem for some of the most vocal leaders in California’s fight to contain the coronavirus....
Goodell: NFL committed to finishing regular season on time
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday the league remains committed to finishing the regular season as scheduled. Goodell also said on a conference call that while the NFL is considering a bubble format for the playoffs, it wouldn’t necessarily resemble what the NHL and NBA used in successfully in completing...
San Francisco bans smoking inside apartments; pot smoking OK
City officials in San Francisco have banned all tobacco smoking inside apartments, citing concerns about secondhand smoke. But lighting up a joint inside? That’s still allowed. The Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 Tuesday to approve the ordinance making San Francisco the largest city in the country to ban tobacco smoking...
Rafer Johnson, 1960 Olympic decathlon champion, dies at 86
LOS ANGELES — Rafer Johnson, who won the decathlon at the 1960 Rome Olympics and helped subdue Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin in 1968, died Wednesday. He was 86. He died at his home in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles, according to family friend Michael Roth. No cause of...
‘My God, we’re scared’: Serial attacks put Boston suburb on edge
WALTHAM, Mass. — The attacks come after dark, without warning, usually from behind. The victims, all men, are hit so hard on the head with some sort of blunt object that they are often knocked to the ground and require medical attention. The apparently random string of at least 10...
UN agency removes cannabis from strictest drug category
The U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs voted Wednesday to remove cannabis and cannabis resin from a category of the world’s most dangerous drugs, which could impact the global medical marijuana industry. The Vienna-based U.N. agency said in a statement that it had voted 27-25, with one abstention, to remove cannabis...
Stay home for the holidays or get tested twice, CDC urges
Don’t travel over the upcoming holidays. But if you must, consider getting coronavirus tests before and after, U.S. health officials urged Wednesday. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the best way to stay safe and protect others is to stay home. The agency also announced new...
NYC bar owner who defied coronavirus restrictions arrested
An owner of a New York City bar that was providing indoor service in defiance of coronavirus restrictions was arrested after a sting in which plainclothes officers went inside and ordered food and beverages, the city sheriff’s office said. Protesters shouted as deputies arrested Danny Presti, the co-owner of Mac’s...
Putin orders ‘large-scale’ vaccination of doctors, teachers
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered the start of a “large-scale” covid-19 vaccination of doctors and teachers late next week with the Sputnik V shot, which has yet to complete advanced studies needed to ensure its effectiveness and safety. Putin’s statement comes hours after Britain, which became...
Pakistani court declares ex-PM Sharif fugitive from justice
ISLAMABAD — A top Pakistani court on Wednesday declared the country’s ailing former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who lives in exile in London, a fugitive from justice after he failed to return home to face additional corruption charges. The move by the Islamabad High Court comes months after Sharif was...
Transportation Department tightens definition of service animals allowed on planes
The days of pets flying with their owners in airplane cabins for free are coming to an end. The Transportation Department issued a final rule Wednesday covering animals on airlines. It decided that only dogs can fly as service animals, and companions that passengers use for emotional support don’t count....
All Mariah Carey wants is you to enjoy her Christmas special
Christmas is still a few weeks away, but Mariah Carey is already orchestrating her dinner menu. “I do my father’s linguini with white clam sauce every Christmas Eve,” says the legendary songstress. “Then we do that traditional, more of a Southern-style Christmas dinner.” But is the woman known for her...
Man pleads guilty to killing woman after remains found
LANCASTER, Ky. — A Kentucky man has pleaded guilty to killing a woman whose remains were found six months after she disappeared, according to court records. David Sparks, 25, entered the plea Monday in Garrard County Circuit Court, news outlets reported, citing court records. He was indicted last year on...
U.S. lawmakers unveil anti-slavery constitutional amendment
NEW YORK — National lawmakers are expected on Wednesday to introduce a joint resolution aimed at striking language from the U.S. Constitution that enshrines a form of slavery in America’s foundational documents. The resolution, spearheaded and supported by Democratic members of the House and Senate, would amend the 13th Amendment’s...
Lawmakers bristle after Trump threatens defense bill veto
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is closing out his relationship with Congress with one more power jab, threatening to veto a hugely popular defense bill unless lawmakers clamp down on big tech companies he claims were biased against him during the election. Trump is demanding that Congress repeal so-called Section...
GOP objects to Biden nominees, a sign of what’s to come
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet picks are quickly running into the political reality of a narrowly controlled Senate that will leave the new Democratic administration dependent on rival Republicans to get anything done. Under leader Mitch McConnell, the Republican senators will hold great sway in confirming Biden’s nominees regardless...
People magazine reveals its ‘2020 People of the Year’
People magazine has named George Clooney, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Selena Gomez and Regina King as the “2020 People of the Year.” The magazine revealed its list Wednesday morning as part of a year-end double issue with four covers. The four will be celebrated for their positive impact in the world...
EU pushes for ‘right to disconnect’ from work at home
BRUSSELS — European Union lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favor of a “right to disconnect” from the internet and email, with around one third of people now working from home across the 27-nation bloc due in large part to coronavirus restrictions. In a resolution, the parliamentarians argue that disconnecting from...
Police in Pa., N.J. seek man who attempted to abduct women
CHERRY HILL, N.J. — Police in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are seeking a man who they believe attempted to abduct women on three occasions in the past month. Lower Merion Township police in Pennsylvania said the suspect pressed an object into a woman’s back at the Royal Athena Apartment Complex...
Brazilian bank robbers seize another city, sow chaos, death
RIO DE JANEIRO — Heavily armed bank robbers invaded the Brazilian city of Cameta just one day after criminals struck another mid-sized city on the opposite side of the country, taking residents hostage as they looted a bank. Para state’s public security secretariat said in a statement that more than...
U.K. authorizes Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for emergency use
British officials authorized a covid-19 vaccine for emergency use on Wednesday, greenlighting the world’s first shot against the virus that’s backed by rigorous science and taking a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic. The go-ahead for the vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech comes as the...
This Date in Sports History: Dec. 2
1907 — Tommy Burns defends his world heavyweight title by knocking out Gunner Moir in the 10th round at London. 1944 — Ohio State quarterback Leslie Horvath wins the Heisman Trophy. 1947 — Notre Dame quarterback Johnny Lujack wins the Heisman Trophy. 1952 — Oklahoma halfback Billy Vessels is named...
Alabama soldier arrested after girlfriend’s son forced out of car, killed by vehicle
FORT MITCHELL, Ala. — An Alabama soldier was charged with reckless murder after allegedly forcing his girlfriend’s unruly 5-year-old son to get out of a car at night along a road where the boy was hit and killed by another vehicle, authorities said. Army Sgt. Bryan Starr, 35, surrendered to...
