Wolf: More than 112K Pa. teachers and staff vaccinated in 3 weeks
More than 112,500 teachers and school staffers across Pennsylvania received a covid-19 vaccine in less than a month, leading Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday to declare his aggressive vaccination plan for educators a victory. “This is a great success,” Wolf declared during a trip to Luzerne County. “We know that...
MMA fighter has finger severed in Philly match; doctors reattach it
A mixed martial arts fighter had his finger severed during a match in Philadelphia, but doctors were eventually able to reattach it. Khetag Pliev was injured Thursday night during the second round of his fight, which was stopped when the referee noticed Pliev was missing his left ring finger. “In...
Many still hesitate to get covid vaccine, but reluctance is easing
So few people came for covid-19 vaccinations in one county in North Carolina that hospitals there now allow anyone 16 or older to get a shot, regardless of where they live. Get a shot, get a free doughnut, the governor said. Alabama, with the country’s lowest vaccination rate, launched a...
Big effort aims to elect candidates with science backgrounds
RALEIGH, N.C. — An advocacy group plans to spend millions next year to elect more doctors, scientists and other professionals to office, arguing the pandemic and Donald Trump’s handling of it have powerfully underscored a need to bring people with scientific backgrounds into policymaking. 314 Action, a nonprofit organization with...
Russia fines Twitter for not taking down calls to protest
A court in Moscow on Friday fined Twitter for not taking down calls encouraging minors to take part in unauthorized rallies, the latest in a series of moves against the social media giant that has been used to amplify dissent in Russia. The court found Twitter guilty on three counts...
Prosecutors examine possible payments for sex in Gaetz probe
Federal prosecutors are examining whether Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and a political ally who is facing sex trafficking allegations may have paid underage girls or offered them gifts in exchange for sex, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday. The scrutiny of Gaetz stemmed from...
Florida Gov. DeSantis issues order banning ‘vaccine passports’
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order Friday banning businesses from requiring customers to show proof they have been vaccinated against covid-19 in order to get service. The Republican governor had previously announced his intent to issue an order banning so-called “vaccine passports.” His action also...
Man rams car into 2 Capitol police; 1 officer, driver killed
WASHINGTON — A Capitol Police officer was killed Friday after a man rammed a car into two officers at a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol and then emerged wielding a knife. It was the second line-of-duty death this year for a department still struggling to heal from the Jan. 6...
Pennsylvania’s covid cases remain elevated
Pennsylvania on Friday reported more than 4,000 new cases of coronavirus — the seventh time in two weeks the state has eclipsed that threshold. The state added 4,656 newly reported cases, raising the total case count to 1,033,406. The seven-day average, at 4,034, has been above 4,000 cases for the...
Fully vaccinated can travel again, says new CDC guidance
NEW YORK — Add travel to the activities vaccinated Americans can enjoy again, according to new U.S. guidance issued Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S. without getting tested for the coronavirus or going into quarantine...
Lieutenant: Kneeling on Floyd’s neck ‘totally unnecessary’
MINNEAPOLIS — Kneeling on George Floyd ‘s neck while he was handcuffed and in the prone position was “top-tier, deadly force” and “totally unnecessary,” the head of the Minneapolis Police Department’s homicide division testified Friday. “If your knee is on a person’s neck, that can kill him,” said Lt. Richard...
In ghostly border video, dangers for migrant kids revealed
PHOENIX — A border wall. Smugglers. Small children being dropped into America in the darkness. A grainy video released Wednesday by authorities — its figures visible only in ghostly white outline, its stark storyline dramatic and obvious — captures, in mere seconds, the dangers for migrant children at the southern...
Officials: Elementary teacher solicited sex with 2-year-old
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Florida elementary school teacher is facing charges alleging he solicited online to have sex with a 2-year-old and traveled to meet the child. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Xavier Donte Alexander, 28, was arrested Thursday on felony...
Buy a piece of movie, TV history during Latrobe gallery saleVideo
“Mindhunter” fans can own a piece of the Netflix thriller series. Furniture, lamps, a typewriter, curtains and even a vacuum cleaner used in the show’s Pittsburgh-area filming are on sale at Spring Street Gallery in Latrobe. Those pieces are part of owner Adam Dunhoff’s vast collection of vintage and antique...
Republicans trod well-worn path to court to sue Biden
WASHINGTON — These are busy days for Republican state attorneys general, filing repeated lawsuits that claim President Joe Biden and his administration are overstepping their authority on immigration, climate change, the environment and taxes. Most of the action is in federal courts where former President Donald Trump was able to...
U.K. bans travel from 4 more nations over virus; 39 in all
LONDON — The British government is gearing up to ban international arrivals from four more countries — Bangladesh, Kenya, Pakistan and the Philippines — amid concerns over new virus variants but opted against including France and other European nations that are facing a resurgence of the virus. The Department for...
Myanmar cuts wireless internet service amid coup protests
YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar’s wireless broadband internet services were shut down on Friday by order of the military, local providers said, as protesters continued to defy the threat of lethal violence to oppose the junta’s takeover. A directive from the Ministry of Transport and Communications on Thursday instructed that “all...
AP-NORC poll: Majority in U.S. back easier voter registration
WASHINGTON — Democrats’ proposals to overhaul voting in the U.S. won solid — although not overwhelming — support from Americans in a new survey measuring the popularity of major pieces of the sweeping legislation in Congress. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found about half of Americans...
U.S., Iran say they’ll begin indirect talks on nuclear program
The United States and Iran said Friday that they would begin negotiations through intermediaries next week to try to get both countries back into an accord limiting Iran’s nuclear program, nearly three years after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal. The announcement marked the first major...
Train hits truck that slid onto track in Taiwan, killing 51
TAIPEI, Taiwan — A train barreled into an unmanned truck that had rolled onto the track Friday in Taiwan, leaving at least 51 people dead and dozens injured in the island’s deadliest rail disaster. Many passengers were crushed, while some survivors were forced to climb out of windows and walk...
Colorado latest to weigh ban on Native American mascots
DENVER — Colorado lawmakers are considering a proposal that would ban Native American mascots in public schools and colleges amid a nationwide push for racial justice that gained new momentum last year following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and the NFL team in Washington changing its name. The measure, which...
Biden’s infrastructure bill will face uphill battle in Congress
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden this week passed the baton on his massive infrastructure plan to Democrats on Capitol Hill, who are already making demands on what the plan should include. It marks the start of what is likely to be a four-month grueling marathon to get the package through...
Eastern Caribbean dollar goes digital, a help for unbanked
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Eastern Caribbean has created its own form of digital currency meant to help speed transactions and serve people without bank accounts. The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank said its “DCash” is the first such blockchain-based currency introduced by any of the world’s currency unions, though...
Ohio to begin vaccinating students on college campuses
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In an effort to outrun the coronavirus, Ohio will begin to ramp up vaccination numbers by meeting people where they are: college campuses, workplaces and churches. But requiring vaccinations remains off the table, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday. Beginning next week, the state will work with...
Explainer: Witnesses relive trauma, guilt over Floyd’s death
The first days of testimony at the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death have been dominated by witnesses to his arrest and countless videos that forced them to relive the trauma of it all over again. One man who shouted “You can’t win!” at...
