Tropic storm Isaias whips up eastern U.S., killing at least 6Video
WINDSOR, N.C. — At least six people were killed as Tropical Storm Isaias spawned tornadoes and dumped rain Tuesday along the East Coast after making landfall as a hurricane in North Carolina, where it caused floods and fires that displaced dozens of people. Two people died when Isaias spun off...
U.S. envoys drawing ire from Iceland to Britain
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — In Iceland, a nation so safe its president runs errands on a bicycle, U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Ross Gunter has left locals aghast with his request to hire armed bodyguards. Gunter has also enraged lawmakers by casually and groundlessly hitching Iceland to President Donald Trump’s controversial “China virus”...
Colorado police apologize after girls handcuffed in stolen car mixupVideo
AURORA, Colo. — Police in suburban Denver have apologized after a group of Black girls was detained, and at least two handcuffed during a weekend investigation of a stolen car. Officers later determined that the vehicle they were seeking had the same license plate number but was from out-of-state. A...
House panel calls new postal chief Louis DeJoy to explain mail delays
WASHINGTON — The House Oversight Committee has invited the new postmaster general to appear at a September hearing to examine operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service that are causing delays in mail deliveries across the country. The plan imposed by Louis DeJoy, a Republican fundraiser who took over the...
State unveils grant program for college reopening
Colleges and universities struggling to reopen will be able to tap a portion of $28 million in federal CARES Act grants, state officials set aside to help them underwrite public health and safety plans. Gov. Tom Wolf announced the availability of grants as colleges wrestle with last minute decisions on...
Trump criticizes Dr. Birx for her comments about coronavirus resurgenceVideo
President Donald Trump took aim at the coronavirus task force’s coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, on Monday, slamming her as “pathetic” for raising alarm about coronavirus resurgences sweeping across most parts of the country. In a tweet, Trump suggested Birx is only voicing concern about the new outbreaks because House Speaker...
Trump fires Tennessee Valley Authority chair, cites hiring of foreign workersVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that he had fired the chair of the Tennessee Valley Authority, criticizing the federal-owned corporation for hiring foreign workers. Trump told reporters at the White House that he was formally removing chair Skip Thompson and another member of the board, and he threatened...
Hersheypark to close Tuesday because of Tropical Storm Isaias concerns
Hersheypark has announced it will close on Tuesday because of “heavy rain expected” from Tropical Storm Isaias. According to a note on the park’s website, the park will reopen on Wednesday. Weather update for Tuesday, August 4. Guests may modify an existing reservation here - pic.twitter.com/aHHAnIyXTI— Hersheypark (@Hersheypark) August...
Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in North CarolinaVideo
RALEIGH, N.C. — Hurricane Isaias has made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane made landfall just after 11 p.m. on Monday with maximum sustained wind of 85 mph. Coastal shops and restaurants closed early, power began to flicker at oceanfront hotels...
Prosecutor seeking Trump’s taxes cites probe of his business for possible fraudVideo
NEW YORK — A Manhattan prosecutor trying to get President Donald Trump’s tax returns told a judge Monday that he was justified in demanding them, citing public reports of “extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization.” Trump’s lawyers last month said the grand jury subpoena for the tax...
Captain, owners of New York illegal party cruise arrested
NEW YORK — A New York City party cruise with more than 170 people on board was met by police when it returned to shore over the weekend, leading to the arrest of the captain and two owners. The Saturday evening boat cruise violated social distancing orders, the New York...
Outbreak hits Norway cruise ship, could spread along coast
A Norwegian cruise ship line halted all trips and apologized Monday for procedural errors after a coronavirus outbreak on one ship infected at least 5 passengers and 36 crew. Health authorities fear the ship also could have spread the virus to dozens of towns and villages along Norway’s western coast....
Spain’s former king leaving country amid financial scandal
LISBON — Spain’s former monarch, Juan Carlos I, is leaving Spain to live in another, unspecified, country amid a financial scandal, according to a letter published on the royal family’s website Monday. The letter from Juan Carlos to his son, King Felipe VI, said: “I am informing you of my...
Virus relief bill remains up in air as negotiations resume
WASHINGTON — Slow, grinding negotiations on a huge covid-19 relief bill are set to resume Monday afternoon, but the path forward promises to be challenging and time is already growing short. Republicans are griping that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi won’t drop her expansive wish list even as concerns are mounting...
For 1st time since March, Pennsylvania reports no new covid-19 deaths
For the first time since March 23, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced no new deaths from covid-19 on Monday. The news is a stark and welcome contrast to the state’s recent numbers, which has seen 560 coronavirus-related deaths since July 1. “Sometimes after weekends, you may see a small...
Sorry, boomers: millennials and younger are new U.S. majority
ORLANDO, Fla. — Sorry, boomers. Millennials and their younger siblings and children now make up a majority of the U.S. population. A new analysis by the Brookings Institution shows that 50.7% of U.S. residents were under age 40, as of July 2019. The Brookings’ analysis of population estimates released this...
U.S. Marines ID all 9 people killed in sea-tank sinking
SAN DIEGO — The U.S. Marine Corps has identified all nine people killed when a Marine landing craft sank in hundreds of feet of water off the Southern California coast. Only one of their bodies was found, despite an intense days-long search involving helicopters and boats ranging from inflatables to...
With loan money gone, restaurants are at mercy of virusVideo
NEW YORK — The check has arrived and beleaguered restaurant owners across America are looking down on their empty wallets. Government coronavirus loans in the spring helped eating establishments rehire laid-off employees and ride out the pandemic’s initial surge and wave of shutdown orders. But that Paycheck Protection Program money...
Microsoft confirms talks seeking to buy U.S. arm of TikTok
NEW YORK — Microsoft confirmed Sunday it is in talks with Chinese company ByteDance to acquire the U.S. arm of its popular video app TikTok and has discussed with President Donald Trump his concerns about security and censorship surrounding such an acquisition. In a statement, Microsoft said Microsoft and ByteDance...
Coronavirus outbreaks on mink farms in Europe studied
MADRID — Coronavirus outbreaks at mink farms in Spain and the Netherlands have scientists digging into how the animals got infected and whether they can spread it to people. In the meantime, authorities have killed more than 1 million minks at breeding farms in both countries as a precaution. The...
Debate begins over who’s first in line for covid-19 vaccine
Who gets to be first in line for a covid-19 vaccine? U.S. health authorities hope by late next month to have some draft guidance on how to ration initial doses, but it’s a vexing decision. “Not everybody’s going to like the answer,” Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes...
Annual Sturgis rally expecting 250K, stirring virus concerns
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Sturgis is on. The message has been broadcast across social media as South Dakota, which has seen an uptick in coronavirus infections in recent weeks, braces to host hundreds of thousands of bikers for the 80th edition of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. More than 250,000 people...
Florida sheriff: Burger King worker shot, killed in waiting dispute
ORLANDO, Fla. — Authorities in Florida say a Burger King worker was fatally shot after a dispute over a delay in a food order. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office identified the shooter in a news release Sunday as 37-year-old Kelvis Rodriguez Tormes. Authorities said he is charged with first-degree murder...
Portland police declare unlawful assembly amid continued protests
The Portland Police Bureau declared an unlawful assembly Saturday night when people gathered outside a police precinct in Oregon’s largest city and threw bottles toward officers, police said. Up to that point, federal, state and local law enforcement had been seemingly absent from protests Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The demonstrations,...
Indiana student, school staff member test positive for coronavirus just after reopening
INDIANAPOLIS — Just days after public schools around the state reopened their doors for the first time since March, at least one student and one school staff member have tested positive for the coronavirus. In the Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation, 20 miles east of Indianapolis, a student tested positive for...
