Judge blocks Kansas rule limiting religious gatherings amid outbreak
TOPEKA, Kan. — A federal judge signaled he believes there’s a good chance Kansas is violating religious freedom and free speech rights with a coronavirus-inspired 10-person limit on in-person attendance at religious services or activities, and he blocked its enforcement against two churches that sued over it. The ruling Saturday...
Biden wins mail-in Wyoming Democratic caucus
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Joe Biden has won Wyoming’s Democratic presidential caucus, which had been postponed for two weeks and scaled back to only mail-in ballots because of the coronavirus pandemic, state party officials said Sunday. The results were announced less than two weeks after Bernie Sanders dropped out and endorsed...
Photo of protesters at Ohio statehouse compared to zombie movie
A photo of protesters outside the Ohio Statehouse from this week has draw comparisons to a scene from a zombie movie. The photo taken by Joshua A. Bickel of The Columbus Dispatch on Monday shows protesters outside the Ohio Statehouse Atrium where reporters were listening to the state’s coronavirus response...
Evolving aid package offers billions for hospitals, testing
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration and Congress are nearing an agreement as early as Sunday on an aid package of up to $450 billion to boost a small-business loan program that has run out of money and add funds for hospitals and covid-19 testing. With small business owners reeling during...
Coronavirus accelerates decline of coal industry
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Travis Deti has been working the phones to try to get government support for the U.S. coal industry during the coronavirus pandemic. Between recent calls, the head of the Wyoming Mining Association tried to unclog a sink at home. But unlike Deti’s sink, which eventually started flowing...
Chief: Man ambushed 3 Texas officers in home, killing 1
SAN MARCOS, Texas — A man who killed one Texas police officer and wounded two before killing himself was wearing body armor and waiting to ambush them when they arrived at his home in response to a domestic violence call, authorities said Sunday. The attack Saturday in San Marcos, a...
Coronavirus deaths down in N.Y., but officials urge vigilance
NEW YORK — New York’s daily toll of coronavirus deaths has hit its lowest point in more than two weeks, but officials still warn New York City and the rest of the state aren’t ready to ease up on shutdowns of schools, businesses and gatherings. Mayor Bill de Blasio warned...
Storms rake Deep South, 1 week after deadly tornado outbreak
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Strong wind, hail and thunderstorms pounded parts of the Deep South on Sunday as forecasters warned residents to brace for possible tornadoes and flooding across a region still reeling from a deadly storm outbreak a week earlier. Tornado watches ranged across parts of Louisiana and Mississippi into...
Video tribute honors Oklahoma bombing victims amid outbreakVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Survivors and loved ones of the 168 people who were killed in the Oklahoma City bombing were not able to gather Sunday to mark the 25th anniversary of the attack, but that did not stop them from remembering. Because the annual remembrance ceremony was canceled due to...
Battleground power plays rage as everyday politics go quiet
DES MOINES, Iowa — Door-knocking? Over. Local party activity? Some Facebook traffic, if that. Across an arc of vital swing states, the coronavirus has put politics on an uneasy pause. Instead, political fights among state leaders from Iowa to Pennsylvania over the handling of the pandemic’s impact are raging as...
Gov. Andrew Cuomo set to allow video weddings in New York
NEW YORK —For those in New York looking for something to celebrate amid the coronavirus pandemic, the state is untangling some red tape around tying the knot: New Yorkers will be able to get marriage licenses online and wed via video during the crisis. Many marriage bureaus have been closed...
Orthodox churches empty for Easter amid pandemic
KYIV, Ukraine — Orthodox priests in much of Europe held Easter services in churches empty of parishoners because of restrictions imposed to block the spread of coronavirus. In Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kyiv, priests at the services that began late Saturday night wore the elaborate robes that characterize Orthodoxy’s most...
Experts worry politics might guide voters’ virus precautions
WASHINGTON — Laura Herd says she sleeps better because her state’s governor, Michigan Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, imposed one of the nation’s strictest stay-at-home orders to combat the coronavirus pandemic. President Donald Trump’s actions are another story, in her mind. “His goal is to get the economy back up so he...
US-Canada border to remain closed for another 30 days, Trudeau says
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that Canada and the United States had agreed to keep their border closed for all nonessential travel for another 30 days. “Canada and the United States have agreed to extend by another 30 days the border measures that are currently in place,” Trudeau...
‘Holy Fire’ ceremony held in empty Jerusalem church
JERUSALEM — A small group of Christian clerics celebrated the Holy Fire ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on Saturday as the coronavirus pandemic prevented worshippers from taking part in the ancient ritual. They entered the Edicule, a chamber built on the site where Christians believe...
Hong Kong police arrest at least 14 opposition activists
Hong Kong police arrested at least 14 opposition activists Saturday for allegedly holding unlawful protests last year, the South China Morning Post reported. Former lawmakers Martin Lee, Albert Ho and Leung Kwok-hung were among those arrested, the newspaper
reported, citing unidentified legal sources. Police also arrested media tycoon Jimmy Lai,...
Florida restaurant finds NY man’s wedding ring 3 years later
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Three years ago, a New York couple was enjoying a meal by the water at a South Florida restaurant when the man’s wedding ring slipped off his finger, through the wooden floorboards, apparently lost forever. Recently, Coconuts restaurant manager Ryan Krivoy decided to replace the wooden...
With no school, child abuse in the home can too often go unreported
HELENA, Mont. — With schools closed and teachers unable to report suspected cases of abuse and neglect, child welfare agencies have lost some of their best eyes and ears during a stressful time for families who have lost jobs and are locked down together during the coronavirus pandemic. April is...
Walk, run or surf — but don’t sunbathe on Florida beaches
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Kevin Sweeny took his 2-year-old daughter on St. Augustine Beach on Saturday for the first time in weeks. It was something that used to be routine. He lives a short bike ride from the shore, and he and his family like to enjoy it as often as...
Vice President Mike Pence delivers Air Force Academy commencement address
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — In a symbolic show of normalcy, Vice President Mike Pence delivered a commencement address to the U.S. Air Force Academy’s 2020 graduating class on Saturday — a trip aimed at showing the country is on course to gradually reopening after weeks of the coronavirus shutdown. Making...
New N.Y. virus deaths below 550 for first time since April 1
NEW YORK — New York’s daily toll of coronavirus deaths hit its lowest point in more than two weeks, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Saturday that the state isn’t ready to ease up on shutdowns of schools, businesses and gatherings. As the closings take a growing toll on residents’ lives...
Governors feel heat to reopen from protesters, president
Stores in Texas can begin selling merchandise with curbside service, and hospitals can resume nonessential surgeries. In Florida, people are returning to beaches and parks. And protesters are clamoring for more. Governors eager to rescue their economies and feeling heat from demonstrators and President Donald Trump are moving to ease...
Foreign ski workers stranded by virus get helping hand
MARSHFIELD, Vt. — They were far away from home — young adults from Latin America, working seasonally at U.S. ski resorts. Then the coronavirus arrived, even before the snows departed. Though some made it home, others were stranded. But they were not abandoned. The resorts have stepped up to support...
Former Treasury Secretary, Alcoa head Paul O’Neill dies at Pittsburgh home at age 84
Paul O’Neill wasn’t the type to put on airs. The plain-speaking former Treasury secretary and retired head of aluminum giant Alcoa was as comfortable in a corporate board room as he was donning blue jeans and hiking several blocks from his home in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood to have breakfast with...
Detroit mayor says essential workers will be tested for the coronavirus regardless of symptomsVideo
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Friday that the city will offer covid-19 tests to employees in the city who work at essential businesses like grocery stores and banks. According to the Detroit Free Press, Duggan wants to be the first city in the United States to ensure that key members...
