Associated Press stories, Page 2166

Students at three Pennsylvania schools were told to stay home Thursday amid concerns over lead and asbestos contamination, as Pennsylvania State Police investigate what former district officials did to address problems with tainted water. One day after Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled a $1.1 billion plan to help Pennsylvania’s public schools...

BEIJING — The World Health Organization declared the outbreak sparked by a new virus in China that has been exported to more than a dozen countries as a global emergency Thursday after the number of cases spiked tenfold in a week. The U.N. health agency defines an international emergency as...

SAN FRANCISCO — A House subcommittee is investigating popular dating services such as Tinder and Bumble for allegedly allowing minors and sex offenders to use their services. Bumble, Grindr, The Meet Group and the Match Group, which owns such popular services as Tinder, Match.com and OkCupid, are the current targets...

WASHINGTON — The United States has asked Iraq for permission to put Patriot missile systems at bases hosting U.S. troops to improve defenses against attacks like the Jan. 8 Iranian missile strike that caused brain injuries to more than 50 U.S. troops, Pentagon officials said Thursday. “That is one of...

MIAMI — Jennifer Lopez and Shakira said Thursday their upcoming Super Bowl halftime show will pay homage to Latin culture, promising a joint performance that has an empowering message and also one that “spreads love.” “It’s a lot of energy. It’s very entertaining. There’s heartfelt moments. I think we run...

NEW YORK — Health officials Thursday reported the first U.S. case of person-to-person spread of the new virus from China. The man is married to the Chicago woman who got sick from the virus after she returned from a trip to Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak. There have...

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee declared late Thursday he will oppose calling more witnesses in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, all but dashing Democratic efforts to hear more testimony and boosting chances the Senate will vote quickly to acquit the president. The retiring senator announced his decision...

NEW YORK — Life expectancy in the United States is up for the first time in four years. The increase is small — just a month — but marks at least a temporary halt to a downward trend. The rise is due to lower death rates for cancer and drug...

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints maintain their behind-the-scenes public relations work on the area’s Roman Catholic sexual abuse crisis was “minimal,” but attorneys suing the church allege hundreds of confidential Saints emails show the team actively helping to shape a list of credibly accused clergy that appears...

Vanessa Bryant made her first public comment Wednesday since the helicopter crash that killed husband Kobe Bryant, one of their daughters and seven other people, taking to Instagram to thank people for the global outpouring of support since the tragedy. She also announced the formation of a fund to help...

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania wants to be a player in the presidential primary, instead of an afterthought. The state Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would move up Pennsylvania’s primary elections in presidential election years by five weeks, starting in 2024, in a state where critics say its presidential...