How to see the planet Uranus without a telescope
For the next few nights Uranus, one of the most distant planets in our solar system, will be visible to the naked eye. It will appear over the eastern horizon at 11:30 p.m. and then rise from about a third of the way up into the night sky gradually moving...
Ohio absentee ballot order halted to allow expedited appeal
COLUMBUS, Ohio — An appeals court halted a judge’s order directing Ohio’s elections chief to allow voters to apply for absentee ballots for the November presidential election by electronic means, something sought by Democrats in the pivotal swing state. The appeals court Friday halted the preliminary injunction issued earlier that...
Charlottesville removes Confederate statue near rally site
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A crowd cheered Saturday as workers in Charlottesville removed a Confederate statue near the site of a violent white nationalist rally three years ago. The removal of a bronze figure of a Confederate soldier known as “At Ready” is seen in Charlottesville as a milestone in eliminating...
AstraZeneca, Oxford University to resume trials of virus vaccine
LONDON — Oxford University says trials of a coronavirus vaccine its developing with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca will resume, days after pausing due to a reported side effect in a patient in Britain. The university says in large trials “it is expected that some participants will become unwell and every case...
Dakotas lead U.S. in virus growth as both reject mask rules
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Coronavirus infections in the Dakotas are growing faster than anywhere else in the nation, fueling impassioned debates over masks and personal freedom after months in which the two states avoided the worst of the pandemic. The argument over masks raged this week in Brookings, South Dakota,...
Pennsylvania reports 920 additional coronavirus cases, 25 new deaths
Pennsylvania on Saturday reported 920 additional coronavirus cases and 25 new deaths, according to the state Department of Health. York County added 129 positive cases of covid-19, the state said. In all, there have been 143,805 coronavirus cases recorded in the state. With the 25 additional deaths, the state’s death...
Better weather aids battle against deadly Western U.S. wildfires
SALEM, Ore. — Diminishing winds and rising humidity helped firefighters battling deadly blazes in Oregon and California, but with dozens of people still missing, authorities in both states feared that the receding flames could reveal many more dead across the blackened landscape. Oregon’s emergency management director said officials were preparing...
Pa. lawmakers take record before voters under new election rules
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania voters will soon issue their verdict on the legislature’s response to the covid-19 pandemic by either extending the gains Democrats made two years ago or further tightening Republicans’ longstanding grip on both chambers. The GOP-majority General Assembly has been in hybrid mode this year, after senators and...
Prosecutors: Chauvin used neck restraints in past arrests
MINNEAPOLIS — A white police officer accused in the death of George Floyd had used neck or head and upper body restraints seven times before, including four incidents in which prosecutors say he went too far, according to prosecution documents released Friday in the case against four former Minneapolis officers...
‘There was no fighting this fire,’ California survivor says
BERRY CREEK, Calif. — John Sykes built his life around his cabin in the dense woods of Northern California. He raised his two children there, expanded it and improved it over time and made it resilient to all kinds of disaster except fire. So when the winds started howling Tuesday...
Lawyer: Utah boy ‘lucky to be alive’ after police shooting
SALT LAKE CITY — A 13-year-old autistic boy who was shot by police in Salt Lake City last week is “lucky to be alive” and will likely experience lifelong injuries, the family’s lawyer said Friday. Linden, whom the family wants referred to only by his first name, remains hospitalized with...
Despite barbs, Trump family and Chicago mayor can be nice
CHICAGO — The barbs that have flown between President Donald Trump and his family and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot haven’t prevented either side from engaging in occasional niceties. Lightfoot in May called Eric Trump to express her support, according to text messages obtained by the Chicago Tribune through a Freedom...
Challenger to QAnon supporter bows out of race in Georgia
ATLANTA — The Democratic candidate for a U.S. House seat in Georgia dropped out of the race Friday, clearing a near-certain path to victory for a QAnon-supporting Republican contender who has been criticized for her incendiary comments. Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal bowed out of the race for “personal and family...
Judges: Florida felons can’t vote until they pay fines, fees
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida felons must pay all fines, restitution and legal fees before they can regain their right to vote, a federal appellate court ruled Friday in a case that could have broad implications for the November elections. Reversing a lower court judge’s decision that gave Florida felons...
Attorneys deny racial motive in Ahmaud Arbery slaying
ATLANTA — Attorneys for a white father and son charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery say their clients weren’t motivated by race when they armed themselves, chased after the young Black man and shot him in the street after a confrontation, according to interviews published Friday. Gregory and Travis McMichael have...
Bahrain becomes latest Arab nation to recognize Israel
WASHINGTON — Bahrain has become the latest Arab nation to agree to normalize ties with Israel as part of a broader diplomatic push by President Donald Trump and his administration to fully integrate the Jewish state into the Middle East. Trump announced the agreement on Friday, following a three-way phone...
Parking deck collapse in Atlanta leaves 5 workers injured
A parking deck under construction in Atlanta partially collapsed on Friday, officials said, injuring five workers. Video from news helicopters showed an injured worker lowered by crane from the collapsed section of the deck. Four construction workers were injured but managed to walk away from the collapse site. One was...
Florida man gets death penalty for raping, killing girl
TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida man was sentenced to death on Friday for raping and killing a 9-year-old girl. Hillsborough County Circuit Court Judge Michelle Sisco affirmed a jury’s unanimous death penalty recommendation for Granville Ritchie, the Tampa Bay Times reported. He was found guilty last year of first-degree murder,...
Prosecutors: Similar charges warrant 1 trial in George Floyd death
MINNEAPOLIS — Prosecutors in the case of four former Minneapolis officers charged in the death of George Floyd told a judge Friday that the men should face trial together because the evidence and charges against them are similar, and multiple trials could traumatize witnesses and Floyd’s family. But defense attorneys...
No move to remote learning, as Penn State adds 272 covid cases since last update
A week after Penn State President Eric Barron said he would consider moving the university to remote learning, he announced Friday that such a move was not yet necessary. The announcement came on the heels of Friday’s updated COVID-19 dashboard, which showed 272 new cases of the coronavirus at University...
Michael Cohen launches podcast; Rosie O’Donnell is 1st guest
For nearly a decade, Michael Cohen was at odds with Rosie O’Donnell in part because his boss — President Donald Trump — was engaged in a long feud with the comedian and talk-show host. On Monday, Cohen is launching a podcast, titled “Mea Culpa,” with O’Donnell as his first guest....
Pennsylvania reports 1,008 new coronavirus cases, 17 new deaths
Pennsylvania on Friday added 1,008 new cases of covid-19 to bring the state’s total to 142,885 cases. The new cases were part of a record-high number of daily test results reported: 30,855, according to the Department of Health. Pa. coronavirus by dayInfogram Daily case reports have exceeded 900 on five...
Images of 9/11 attack, porn interrupt voting machine hearing in Georgia
ATLANTA — A federal hearing on a challenge to Georgia’s voting machines was interrupted Friday when someone began posting video and symbols, including images from the Sept. 11 attacks, a swastika and pornography. Before the interruption, there were roughly 100 people signed in as participants and observers to the high-profile...
Man shot during Kenosha, Wis., protest still remembers screams
MILWAUKEE — A Wisconsin man who was shot during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha last month says he still remembers the screams that night and he’s in constant pain. Prosecutors say 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse of Antioch, Ill., shot and killed two men during a chaotic protest Aug. 25....
Scrap those face shields: Study says layered masks work better against covid-19
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — They’re more comfortable, but they don’t work too well. Plastic face shields, neck gaiters and masks with valves — three of the creative approaches to face coverings since covid-19 hit the United States — are not very effective in curbing the spread of coronavirus particles, according...
