Biden pushed to speak out more as U.S. democracy concerns grow
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has gotten the same troubling questions from worried world leaders, ones that he never thought he would hear. “Is America going to be all right?” they ask. “What about democracy in America?” While Biden has tried to offer America’s allies assurances, he has only occasionally...
How will pandemic end? Omicron clouds forecasts for endgame
Pandemics do eventually end, even if omicron is complicating the question of when this one will. But it won’t be like flipping a light switch: The world will have to learn to coexist with a virus that’s not going away. The ultra-contagious omicron mutant is pushing cases to all-time highs...
Crews rescue 21 people on stuck tram cars in New Mexico
New Mexico search and rescue crews used ropes and helicopters Saturday to rescue 21 people who were stranded overnight in two tram cars after an iced-over cable caused the cars to get stuck high up in the Sandia Mountains overlooking Albuquerque. Lt. Robert Arguelles a Bernalillo County Fire Department spokesperson,...
In nation at war with itself, one town tries cup of civility
LOVETTSVILLE, Va. — When Maureen Donnelly Morris came from nearby Leesburg to open her café in Lovettsville, she got a warm welcome. Neighbors rallied to her aid. Divisions ripping at their town and their country were set aside. America’s thunderous rage felt distant. They sank posts for her parking signs....
Vomit-fumed ‘Bradford’ pear tree lands on Pa. noxious weeds list, with sales to be banned
As an urban landscaping option, a certain ornamental, flowering pear tree might be nice and compact — even with a bit of an odorous downside. After some unfortunate cross-breeding between varieties, however, it now finds itself in the crosshairs of Pennsylvania horticulture officials. Callery pear, scientifically known as Pyrus calleryana...
Twitter bans Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene account for covid-19 misinfo
SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter on Sunday banned the personal account of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for multiple violations of its covid-19 misinformation policy, according to a statement from the company. The Georgia Republican’s account was permanently suspended under the “strike” system Twitter launched in March, which uses artificial intelligence to...
Fauci: CDC mulling covid test requirement for asymptomatic
WASHINGTON — As the covid-19 omicron variant surges across the United States, top federal health officials are looking to add a negative test along with its five-day isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who catch the coronavirus, the White House’s top medical adviser said Sunday. Dr. Anthony Fauci said the Centers...
Capitol rioters’ tears, remorse don’t spare them from jail
WASHINGTON — Florida business owner Robert Palmer cheered on the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 before he joined the fray. Screaming obscenities, he hurled a wooden plank and a fire extinguisher at police officers trying to ward off the mob. Nearly a year later, Palmer fought back...
Police struggle to deter rising catalytic converter thefts
RICHMOND, Va. — In the tiny town of Lawrenceville, Virginia, a van owned by Poplar Mount Baptist Church was knocked out of commission for weeks after thieves cut the catalytic converter out of its exhaust system. Several months later, across town, a catalytic converter was ripped from a van owned...
Pope on new year: Pandemic is hard, but focus on the good
VATICAN CITY — In his New Year’s wishes to the world, Pope Francis encouraged people Saturday to focus on the good which unites them and decried violence against women while acknowledging that the coronavirus pandemic has left many scared and struggling amid economic inequality. “We are still living in uncertain...
Kentucky storm brings flooding, lost power, possible tornado
HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency Saturday as powerful storms ripped through the state causing flash floods, power outages and property damage, including from a possible tornado in Hopkinsville. There were no immediate reports of any injuries or deaths. The storms come just three...
Official: Nearly 1K homes destroyed in Colorado wildfire
SUPERIOR, Colo. — A Colorado official says nearly 1,000 homes were destroyed, hundreds more were damaged, and that three people are missing after a wildfire charred numerous neighborhoods in a suburban area at the base of the Rocky Mountains northwest of Denver. Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle also said Saturday...
Austrian Holocaust survivor ‘Mrs. Gertrude’ dies at 94
The Holocaust survivor Gertrude Pressburger, who became famous during Austria’s 2016 presidential campaign with a video message in which “Mrs. Gertrude” warned of hatred and exclusion triggered by the far right, has died at 94. Pressburger died Friday after a long illness, her family told the Austrian press agency APA...
New year brings more canceled flights for air travelers
For air travelers, the new year picked up where the old one left off — with lots of frustration. By late morning Saturday on the East Coast, more than 2,400 U.S. flights and nearly 4,200 worldwide had been canceled, according to tracking service FlightAware. That is the highest single-day toll...
New Year’s Eve fireworks kill men in Germany, Austria
Exploding fireworks killed two men on New Year’s Eve, one in Germany and the other in Austria, local media reported Saturday. A 37-year-old man died in Hennef near Germany’s western city of Bonn. A 39-year-old was severely injured in the same incident and taken to the hospital. In Austria, a...
Conspiracy theories paint fraudulent reality of Jan. 6 riot
Millions of Americans watched the events in Washington last Jan. 6 unfold on live television. Police officers testified to the violence and mayhem. Criminal proceedings in open court detailed what happened. Yet the hoaxes, conspiracy theories and attempts to rewrite history persist, muddying the public’s understanding of what actually occurred...
Germany shuts down half of its 6 remaining nuclear plants
Germany on Friday shut down half of the six nuclear plants it still has in operation, a year before the country draws the final curtain on its decades-long use of atomic power. The decision to phase out nuclear power and shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy was first taken...
Betty White dead at age 99
Betty White, whose saucy, up-for-anything charm made her a television mainstay for more than 60 years, whether as a man-crazy TV hostess on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” or the loopy housemate on “The Golden Girls,” has died. She was 99. People and the Washington Post reported White’s death. She...
1 in 15 people in London likely has covid
LONDON — New figures from Britain’s official statistics body estimate that about 1 in 25 people in private households in England had covid-19 in the week before Christmas, as the highly transmissible omicron variant spread rapidly across the country. The figure was even higher in London, the British capital, where...
‘Pooh,’ ‘Sun Also Rises’ among works going public in 2022
WASHINGTON — “Winnie the Pooh” and “The Sun Also Rises” are going public. A.A. Milne’s beloved children’s book and Ernest Hemingway’s classic novel, along with films starring Buster Keaton and Greta Garbo are among the works from 1926 whose copyrights will expire Saturday, putting them in the public domain as...
Over 65 shots fired on busy Philadelphia street; 6 wounded
PHILADELPHIA — Two gunmen fired more than 65 rounds on a Philadelphia street, sending nighttime pedestrians on a busy block teeming with markets and restaurants scrambling for cover and injuring six people, at least one of them critically, police said Friday. Police responded around 11:30 p.m. Thursday in the Germantown...
‘Wait, what?’ quip tops school’s annual banished words list
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — The judges of a Michigan university’s cheeky annual “Banished Words List” have a message for texting and tweeting Americans: Your “wait, what?” joke is lame. The phrase topped Lake Superior State University in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula lighthearted list of 10 “winners” chosen from among more...
Photos of the year 2021
It was a year of starting again. Giving it another try. The coronavirus continued to invade our homes and communities in 2021 but we learned how to rise above it. We got our children back in classrooms and engaged in after-school activities. Restaurants and theaters welcomed patrons in greater numbers....
Yemen officials: Saudi airstrike kills 12 troops by mistake
SANAA, Yemen — An airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition has mistakenly hit a camp of allied Yemeni pro-government forces, killing at least 12 troops, Yemeni military officials said Friday. The strike, which took place on Thursday in the province of Shabwa, also wounded at least eight Yemeni troops, the officials...
Penn State announces in-person spring semester classes despite omicron
Despite covid-19 surging throughout the country, and with health experts warning of challenging weeks ahead, Penn State announced Thursday night that it will start the spring semester in person, as planned, because it feels it can do so “safely but carefully.” Still, according to the university, conditions around University Park...
