Son, father appear in court for hearing in 1996 disappearance of Kristin Smart
LOS ANGELES — A former California college student charged with murder in the 1996 disappearance of classmate Kristin Smart and the defendant’s father, who is accused of helping hide the young woman’s body, made their first court appearance Thursday but did not enter pleas. Paul Flores, 44, was charged with...
Google Earth adds time lapse video to depict climate change
The Google Earth app is adding a new video feature that draws upon nearly four decades of satellite imagery to vividly illustrate how climate change has affected glaciers, beaches, forests and other places around the world. The tool unveiled Thursday is rolling out in what is being billed as the...
Canadian lawmaker caught naked during video conference
OTTAWA, Ontario — A Canadian Parliament member was caught stark naked in a virtual meeting of the House of Commons. William Amos, who has represented the Quebec district of Pontiac since 2015, appeared on the screens of his fellow lawmakers completely naked Wednesday. The pandemic has meant many Canadian lawmakers...
Colorful coffins lighten mood at New Zealand funerals
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — When the pallbearers brought Phil McLean’s coffin into the chapel, there were gasps before a wave of laughter rippled through the hundreds of mourners. The coffin was a giant cream donut. “It overshadowed the sadness and the hard times in the last few weeks,” said his...
Coronavirus hug image named World Press Photo of the Year
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A photo symbolizing “love and compassion” of an 85-year-old Brazilian woman getting her first embrace in five months from a nurse through a transparent “hug curtain” was named the World Press Photo of the Year on Thursday. The choice of a winning photo portraying the global...
Ex-Minnesota cop faces hearing in shooting of Daunte Wright
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — Black community leaders and family members of Daunte Wright were calling for more serious charges against a white police officer in Wright’s death, comparing her case to the murder charge brought against a Black officer who killed a white woman in nearby Minneapolis. Former Brooklyn Center...
Covid hospitalizations continue to be a concern in Allegheny, Westmoreland
A day after a data dump by a lab in Allegheny County led to more than 1,300 additional covid cases being reported, the county saw 403 cases on Thursday. The abnormally high number of cases Wednesday was attributed to GS Lab’s delayed return of data to the state and county....
Carpool Cinema, guided tours resume at Carrie Blast Furnaces
Rivers of Steel is ramping up activities at Carrie Blast Furnaces, with this weekend’s return of Carrie Carpool Cinema and the resumption of guided tours May 1. Activities also are scheduled to resume at two other National Historic Landmark managed by Rivers of Steel. The drive-in-style film series kicks off...
Chauvin won’t testify at murder trial in George Floyd’s death
MINNEAPOLIS — The defense at the murder trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd rested its case Thursday without putting Chauvin on the stand, presenting a total of two days of testimony to the prosecution’s two weeks. Closing arguments are set to begin Monday morning,...
U.S. expels Russian diplomats, imposes sanctions for hackingVideo
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced Thursday the U.S. is expelling 10 Russian diplomats and imposing sanctions against dozens of companies and other people, holding the Kremlin accountable for interference in last year’s presidential election and the hacking of federal agencies. The sweeping measures are meant to punish Russia for...
Blinken in Afghanistan to sell Biden troop withdrawal
KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Thursday to sell Afghan leaders and a wary public on President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw all American troops from the country and end America’s longest war. Blinken sought to assure senior Afghan politicians...
Senior royals to skip uniforms at Prince Philip’s funeral
LONDON — Senior royals must wear civilian clothes to Prince Philip’s funeral, defusing potential tensions over who would be allowed to don military uniforms. Queen Elizabeth II’s decision means Prince Harry won’t risk being the only member of the royal family not in uniform during Saturday’s funeral for his grandfather,...
Sydney man finds snake in lettuce bought at Australian Aldi
CANBERRA, Australia — Alex White thought he was watching a huge worm writhing in plastic-wrapped lettuce he’d just brought home from a Sydney supermarket — until a snake tongue flicked. “I kind of completely freaked out when I saw this little tongue come out of its mouth and start flicking...
French lawmakers OK security bill increasing police powers
PARIS — France’s parliament passed a security bill Thursday to extend police powers despite criticism from civil rights activists who fear it threatens efforts to denounce police abuse. The bill was approved by 75 votes for and 33 against at the National Assembly, where French President Emmanuel Macron’s party, which...
Months after hack, U.S. poised to announce sanctions on Russia
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is preparing to announce sanctions in response to a massive Russian hacking campaign that breached vital federal agencies, as well as for election interference, a senior administration official said Wednesday night. The sanctions, foreshadowed for weeks by the administration, would represent the first retaliatory action...
South Carolina soldier charged after video of confrontation with Black man
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A white non-commissioned Army officer depicted in a viral video accosting and shoving a Black man in a South Carolina neighborhood has been charged with third-degree assault. Jonathan Pentland, 42, was charged Wednesday and listed as detained in the Richland County jail and issued a personal recognizance...
J&J vaccine to remain in limbo while officials seek evidenceVideo
Johnson & Johnson’s covid-19 vaccine will remain in limbo for a while longer after government health advisers declared Wednesday that they need more evidence to decide if a handful of unusual blood clots were linked to the shot — and if so, how big the risk really is. The reports...
Ivanka Trump receives 1st dose of Pfizer vaccine
WASHINGTON — Ivanka Trump has received her first covid-19 shot and is encouraging others to get vaccinated as quickly as they can. Two people familiar with Ivanka Trump’s plans say she was eligible to get vaccinated along with other White House staff when she worked as a senior adviser, but...
Stinging report raises new questions about Capitol securityVideo
WASHINGTON — Shields that shattered upon impact. Weapons too old to use. Missed intelligence in which future insurrectionists warned, “We get our president or we die.” As Congress pushes for a return to normalcy months after the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, a damning internal report about the deadly...
No. 2 House Republican says GOP would act against Rep. Matt GaetzVideo
WASHINGTON — The No. 2 House Republican leader said Wednesday that party leaders would “take action” against Rep. Matt Gaetz if the Justice Department formally moves against the Florida lawmaker, who is under federal investigation for alleged sex trafficking. The remarks by Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana made him the...
Pa. courts warn of phone scam seeking money by threatening to list people as sex offenders
The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts in Harrisburg is warning state residents of a new phone scam in which callers threaten to place victims on the state’s sexual offender registry if they don’t immediately forward unpaid court fines or fees. “We wanted to get the word out there as soon...
Unaccompanied children from border arrive in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — About 150 unaccompanied children found at the southern border of the U.S. have arrived in northwestern Pennsylvania and will be housed at a dormitory at the Pennsylvania International Academy. The children landed Tuesday night at Erie International Airport and were screened by a physician, dentist and nurse, the...
Biden to detail pullout plans for last troops in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is about to announce his plans to withdraw remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan, declaring that the Sept. 11 attacks “cannot explain” why American forces should still be there 20 years after the deadliest terror assault on the United States. His plan is to pull out...
Prosecutors: No charges for officer in fatal Capitol riot shooting
WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors will not charge a police officer who shot and killed a woman as she climbed through the broken part of a door during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Authorities had considered for months whether criminal charges were appropriate for the Capitol Police...
Missouri town decides to keep ‘Savages’ mascot, ditch logo
SAVANNAH, Mo. — Leaders of a nearly all-white northwest Missouri school district have narrowly voted to keep the high school’s “Savages” nickname but will phase out the use of Native American imagery. The Savannah R-3 Board of Education’s 4-3 vote on Tuesday night came after months of dueling petitions and...
