CDC study finds 2 masks are better than 1 vs. covid-19
NEW YORK — U.S. government researchers found that two masks are better than one in slowing coronavirus spread, but health officials stopped short of recommending that everyone double up. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday reported the results of a lab experiment that spaced two artificial heads...
Top Michigan Republican stands by Capitol ‘hoax’ comments
LANSING, Mich. — One of Michigan’s highest-ranking Republicans on Wednesday stood by his false claims that it is a “hoax” to blame supporters of then-President Donald Trump for the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol. Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, in a private conversation with Democratic Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist...
What is Clubhouse, the buzzy new audio chat app?
Clubhouse, an invitation-only audio chat app launched less than a year ago, has caught the attention of tech industry bigshots like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg — not to mention the Chinese government, which has already blocked it in the country. What is Clubhouse, you ask?...
Pennsylvania adds 3,378 covid cases; Fayette County surpasses 10,000 cases
Fayette County became the 27th county in Pennsylvania to surpass 10,000 coronavirus cases on Wednesday. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 29 additional cases to bring Fayette’s total to 10,022. In the region, Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland have already surpassed that mark. Overall in the state, 3,378 additional...
Sheetz announces pay increases, plan to give new moms time off with pay
Altoona-based Sheetz today said it will invest $28.5 million in employee wage increases and give new mothers 12 weeks off with full pay. Sheetz said the pay increases will be effective Feb. 12 for “the majority” of its 18,000 employees. Sheetz did not elaborate on how much the wage increases...
WHO expert group recommends use of AstraZeneca vaccine
GENEVA — Independent experts advising the World Health Organization on Wednesday recommended the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine even in countries that turned up worrying coronavirus variants in their populations. There had been doubts about the vaccine’s effectiveness against a variant that emerged in South Africa. The advice is used by...
Chinese spacecraft enters Mars’ orbit, joining Arab ship
A Chinese spacecraft went into orbit around Mars on Wednesday on an expedition to land a rover on the surface and scout for signs of ancient life, authorities announced in a landmark step in the country’s most ambitious deep-space mission yet. The arrival of Tianwen-1 after a journey of seven...
Georgia prosecutor investigates election after Trump callVideo
ATLANTA — A Georgia prosecutor said Wednesday that she has opened a criminal investigation into “attempts to influence” last year’s general election, including a call in which President Donald Trump asked a top official to find enough votes to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the state. In a Jan. 2...
Police report: Gunman had made prior threats against Minnesota clinic
BUFFALO, Minn. — A man who opened fire at a Minnesota health clinic, killing one staff member and wounding four others, previously threatened to carry out a mass shooting at the facility, according to a police report. Gregory Paul Ulrich, 67, was arrested in Tuesday’s attack at an Allina clinic...
Finns in snowshoes create temporary artwork on golf course
An ephemeral artwork made with thousands of footsteps in the snow has captured attention near Finland’s capital of Helsinki. Under the guidance of local resident and amateur artist Janne Pyykko, 11 snowshoe-clad volunteers stamped a series of complex geometric patterns on a golf course. Together, the designs resemble a huge...
Russia wants Navalny ally arrested abroad; Lithuania refuses
MOSCOW — A Moscow court on Wednesday ordered the arrest of an exiled ally of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, but Lithuania, where the associate lives, bluntly rejected the demand to take him into custody. The action against Leonid Volkov by the Basmanny District Court was seen as part of...
Wisconsin Supreme Court asked to block statewide mask order
MADISON, Wis. — A new legal challenge to Gov. Tony Evers’ latest mask mandate is before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, filed less than a week after the Legislature struck down a previous order and the governor quickly issued a new one. Prominent Republican donor Jere Fabick asked the court late...
Senators to hear opening arguments as Trump fumes over trial
WASHINGTON — Opening arguments begin Wednesday in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial after an emotional first day that wrenched senators and the nation back to the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump’s attorneys sought to halt the trial on constitutional grounds, but lost that bid on Tuesday. Their...
Poll: A third of U.S. adults skeptical of covid shots
NEW YORK — About 1 in 3 Americans say they definitely or probably won’t get the covid-19 vaccine, according to a new poll that some experts say is discouraging news if the U.S. hopes to achieve herd immunity and vanquish the outbreak. The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for...
Police beg for help, senators flee in Trump trial video
WASHINGTON — Prosecutors unveiled chilling new security video in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial Wednesday, showing the mob of rioters breaking into the Capitol, smashing windows and doors and searching menacingly for Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as overwhelmed police begged on their radios for help. In...
Trump fumes, GOP senators baffled by legal team’s debutVideo
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump fumed that his attorneys’ performance on the opening day of his second impeachment trial was a disaster, as allies and Republican senators questioned the strategy and some called for yet another shakeup to his legal team. Trump, who was watching the proceedings in Washington...
Attorney-at-paw? Filter makes lawyer look like cat in courtVideo
ALPINE, Texas — A West Texas judge has a word of caution to those attending court hearings via Zoom: Always check for filters before logging on. Judge Roy Ferguson’s warning comes after an attorney accidentally joined a Tuesday video conference of a civil forfeiture court hearing while using a Zoom...
Michigan GOP Leader Mike Shirkey calls Capitol riot a ‘hoax from day one’Video
LANSING, Mich. — A Republican legislative leader in Michigan apologized Tuesday after falsely claiming supporters of President Donald Trump were not involved in the deadly attack at the U.S. Capitol, having called it a “hoax.” Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, of Clarklake, made the remarks last Wednesday while meeting with...
Senate agrees to hear Trump case, rejecting GOP argumentsVideo
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial opened Tuesday with graphic video showing the former president whipping up a rally crowd to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell” against his reelection defeat, followed by images of the deadly attack on Congress that came soon after. In an...
Colorado cops fired over photos tied to Elijah McClain not reinstated
DENVER — Three suburban Denver officers fired over photos reenacting a neckhold like the one police used on Elijah McClain before the Black man died in 2019 won’t get their jobs back, officials said Tuesday. The Aurora Civil Service Commission issued a decision Tuesday upholding the firings of Officers Erica...
Pennsylvania tool lets you know when it’s your turn to get covid vaccine
The Pennsylvania Department of Health launched another new online tool to help with covid-19 vaccine information, and residents now can sign up for alerts as to when they’re eligible. The website, called Your Turn, first will determine whether a person is eligible for the vaccine and, if they aren’t, give...
Ohio officer charged in Andre Hill’s death posts bail, is freedVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The fired Ohio police officer charged with fatally shooting Andre Hill posted bail and was released from jail Tuesday hours to an audience of protesters after a judge reduced his bond from $3 million to a third of that. Former Columbus police Officer Adam Coy was freed...
Black farmers unconvinced by Tom Vilsack’s ‘root out’ racism vow
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. — President Joe Biden’s nomination of Tom Vilsack to lead the Agriculture Department received a chilly reaction from many Black farmers who contend he didn’t do enough to help them the last time he had the job. Vilsack, a former Iowa governor who served eight years as...
Jill Biden promises free access to community college
WASHINGTON — Jill Biden is promising free access to community college and training programs, saying the schools will be an important part of Biden administration efforts to rebuild the economy. A longtime community college professor and advocate, the first lady said people struggling to get by during the coronavirus-induced economic...
Skier survived avalanche by clinging to tree before saving 2
SALT LAKE CITY — A skier caught in an avalanche that killed four people in Utah survived by clinging to a tree through the onslaught of rushing snow and later helped save two people, a forecaster investigating the slide said Tuesday. The avalanche on Saturday initially buried six skiers from...
