Deep-frying turkey sparks fire that leaves 27 people homeless on Thanksgiving
A Thanksgiving morning fire — sparked by efforts to deep-fry a turkey — spread through three New Bedford, Mass., buildings and displaced more than two dozen people and inured at least one on Thursday. The New Bedford Fire Department said on its Facebook page that it responded to the blaze...
New Jersey man charged in $1.7M theft of armored car outside casino
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Describing it as “something out of the 1930s,” authorities say a former guard and two others stole more than $1.7 million from an armored car parked outside an Atlantic City casino earlier this month. Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner said Tuesday that Dante McCluney of Newark...
Trump says he’ll leave White House if Electoral College seats BidenVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will leave the White House if the Electoral College formalizes President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory — even as he insisted such a decision would be a “mistake” — as he spent his Thanksgiving renewing baseless claims that “massive fraud” and crooked officials...
Justice Department makes last-ditch bid to derail Trump rape accuser case
NEW YORK — The U.S. government put forth a last-ditch attempt to derail a defamation lawsuit filed against President Donald Trump by a New York advice columnist who claims he raped her two decades go. The Justice Department is fighting to replace Trump as the defendant in the suit brought...
Former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell files election suits in ‘DISTRCOICT’ court
A lawyer who was dropped from President Donald Trump’s legal team filed typo-strewn lawsuits in Michigan and Georgia alleging massive election fraud. Sidney Powell, who has pushed some of the most extreme conspiracy theories around the election of Joe Biden, filed the lawsuits late Wednesday, according to a post on...
Fauci expects role in Biden’s coronavirus response, would consider Cabinet position
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, expects a role in the incoming administration and would serve in a senior position if called upon by President-elect Joe Biden. In an interview with McClatchy, Fauci said he assumes he will stay in his job as director of...
AstraZeneca likely to run fresh global vaccine trial, CEO says
AstraZeneca Plc. is likely to conduct an additional global trial to assess the efficacy of its covid-19 vaccine, according to the company’s chief executive officer, after current studies raised questions over its level of protection. The new trial would be run instead of adding an arm to an ongoing U.S....
More than 1 million U.S. air travelers screened on day before Thanksgiving
Travelers screened at U.S. airports on Thanksgiving Eve were the highest since coronavirus shutdowns began in mid-March, as many Americans bucked warnings by health officials. More than 1.07 million people went through airport screening on Wednesday, according to data from the Transportation Security Administration. That’s still only about 40% of...
Archbishop Gregory stood up to Trump; now he’s about to be 1st Black cardinal in U.S.
WASHINGTON — Few of his parishioners were surprised when Washington, D.C., Archbishop Wilton Gregory took on President Donald Trump. Gregory isn’t known to speak out often about issues specifically facing Black Americans. But when he does, it is unambiguous and forceful — in words unusually strong for a man of...
They’re baaack: Trump and allies still refuse election lossVideo
WASHINGTON — Monday seemed like the end of President Donald Trump’s relentless challenges to the election, after the federal government acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden was the “apparent winner” and Trump cleared the way for cooperation on a transition of power. But his baseless claims have a way of coming back....
Holiday trends to watch: Adult Play-Doh; stores that ship
NEW YORK — The pandemic is turning this into a holiday shopping season like no other. Toy companies are targeting stuck-at-home grown-ups with latte-smelling Play-Doh and Legos that turn into Warhols. Those who added a puppy to their family during the pandemic will see tons of gift options for their...
High court blocks N.Y. coronavirus limits on houses of worship
WASHINGTON — As coronavirus cases surge again nationwide, the Supreme Court late Wednesday barred New York from enforcing certain limits on attendance at churches and synagogues in areas designated as hard hit by the virus. The justices split 5-4 with new Justice Amy Coney Barrett in the majority. It was...
Woman who had sex with 15-year-old violates parole, gets sent to state prison
Sex offender Bonnie Rohn got a break when she was sentenced last year to Northampton County Prison rather than state prison, according to prosecutors. But after violating parole by getting kicked out of sex offender treatment, the 37-year-old Hellertown woman is now headed to state prison. Northampton County Judge Anthony...
Food for thought: Your Turkey Day menu, by the numbersVideo
A trip around the Thanksgiving menu is like a trip around the United States, as American farmers produce much of what we savor on this national holiday, according to USAFacts.org. Below are some facts and figures about some of the popular foods to be shared today, with figures from 2019....
Trump doubles down on allegations of election fraud in Pennsylvania as Biden begins transition
President Trump doubled down on unfounded allegations of widespread voter fraud in Pennsylvania in a phone call from the Oval Office, broadcast to Wednesday’s state Senate Republican postmortem hearing on the Nov. 3 election. “This election was rigged and we can’t let that happen for our country and we’ve got...
Pa. sending covid-19 alerts on cell phones
The first covid-19 alert sent via the national Wireless Emergency Alert system landed on cellphones Wednesday, interrupting a live briefing by Allegheny County officials on the local rise in covid-19 cases. “In PA, covid-19 rates are rising and hospitals could soon be at capacity,” the alert read. “Stay home if...
Black Lives Matter flag becomes issue in Florida community
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — As demonstrations against police brutality roiled the country earlier this year, Antoine Mickle began noticing the flags going up in his Jacksonville neighborhood declaring “Blue Lives Matter.” For months, those flags hung from his neighbors’ homes. But when Mickle decided to hang a flag of his own...
Trump pardons Michael Flynn, taking direct aim at Russia probe
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn on Wednesday, taking direct aim in the final days of his administration at a Russia investigation that he has long insisted was motivated by political bias. “It is my Great Honor to announce that General Michael T. Flynn...
Joe Biden appeals for unity in Thanksgiving-eve address
WILMINGTON, Del. — In a time of plague and raw division, President-elect Joe Biden appealed for unity Wednesday in a Thanksgiving-eve address to the nation asking Americans to “steel our spines” for a fight against the coronavirus that he predicted would continue for months. But even as he implored Americans...
Commonwealth Court orders pause to further certification of Pa. election results
A Pennsylvania judge on Wednesday ordered a pause to any election certification proceedings still pending in the state as part of a lawsuit brought by a number of Republican candidates and legislators, including Rep. Mike Kelly and candidate Sean Parnell. The judge’s action does not affect the outcome of the...
Wiping down groceries? Experts say keep risk in perspective
NEW YORK — Cleaning wipes are harder to find on store shelves, and businesses are reassuring customers with stepped up sanitation measures. In New York, the subway system is shut down nightly for disinfecting. To avoid any traces of the coronavirus that might be lurking on surfaces, Americans have been...
Tweet on spare change generates big money for virus aid
SALT LAKE CITY — Andy Larsen is a sports writer, but with so many games scratched during the pandemic he has spent a lot of time digging into coronavirus data and its sobering implications. Then on Monday, while he was sorting his spare change — some from a childhood piggy...
Trump administration denies permit for divisive Alaska mine
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Trump administration on Wednesday denied a permit for a controversial gold and copper mine near the headwaters of the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery in southwest Alaska. The Army Corps of Engineers said in a statement that the permit application to build the Pebble Mine was...
Pennsylvania surpasses 10,000 covid-related deaths
With 144 new covid-related deaths added Wednesday, Pennsylvania became the eighth state to reach 10,000 fatalities related to the coronavirus. The additions bring the death toll to 10,095, according to the Department of Health. Of the deaths reported Wednesday, 142 are from November and two are from October. Officials report...
EU says first virus vaccinations possible by Christmas
BRUSSELS — Vaccinations against the coronavirus could start in the 27 European Union nations by Christmas and member countries must urgently prepare their logistical chains to cope with the rollout of hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccines, according to a top EU official. Hailing the likelihood that “there’s...
