Beloved Penguin ambassador overcomes the odds at National Aviary
Dottie the African Penguin was just 7 months old when she joined the National Aviary’s penguin colony 11 years ago. She quickly formed a close bond with another penguin, Stanley, and the two became inseparable. This tightly bonded pair chose each other, and their bond is what helped see Dottie...
First lady announces youth art project on women’s suffrage
WASHINGTON — Melania Trump wants to use art to help children learn about women’s suffrage. The first lady on Monday announced a youth art project to coincide with the ratification nearly 100 years ago of the constitutional amendment that granted women the right to vote. The project, “Building the Movement:...
Grim blame game over virus deaths in besieged nursing homes
WASHINGTON — A grim blame game with partisan overtones is breaking out over covid-19 deaths among nursing home residents, a tiny slice of the population that represents a shockingly high proportion of Americans who have perished in the pandemic. The Trump administration has been pointing to a segment of the...
Japan to scrap costly land-based U.S. missile defense system
TOKYO — Japan’s Defense Ministry said Monday that it has decided to stop unpopular plans to deploy two costly land-based U.S. missile defense systems aimed at bolstering the country’s capability against threats from North Korea. Defense Minister Taro Kono told reporters that he decided to “stop the deployment process” of...
Europe’s borders reopen but long road for tourism to recoverVideo
BERLIN — Borders opened up across Europe on Monday after three months of coronavirus closures that began chaotically in March. But many restrictions persist, it’s unclear how keen Europeans will be to travel this summer and the continent is still closed to Americans, Asians and other international tourists. Border checks...
Reports: Chinese billionaire held hostage, rescued by police
BEIJING — The billionaire founder of the world’s biggest appliance manufacturer, Midea Group, was held hostage by intruders in his home in southern China but was rescued by police, news reports said Monday. Police received a call Sunday evening that intruders had broken into a home in Foshan, near Hong...
American sentenced to 16 years in Russia on spying charges
MOSCOW — A Russian court on Monday sentenced an American businessman to 16 years in prison on spying charges, a sentence that he and his brother rejected as being political. The Moscow City Court read out the conviction of Paul Whelan on charges of espionage and sentenced him to 16...
Pilot of U.S. Air Force jet that crashed in North Sea is dead
LONDON — The pilot of a fighter jet that crashed into the North Sea, off the coast of northern England, has been found dead, the U.S. Air Force said Monday. In a statement hours after the crash, it said “the pilot of the downed F-15C Eagle from the 48th Fighter...
Hank Williams Jr.’s 27-year-old daughter killed in accident
PARIS, Tenn. — The 27-year-old daughter of country singer Hank Williams Jr. was killed in a highway accident in Tennessee, police said. Katherine Williams-Dunning of Springville was the driver of an SUV that was towing a boat when it crossed the median and rolled over Saturday night on U.S. Route...
Elected officials call for independent investigation into hanging death of black man in California
LOS ANGELES — Two state officials have joined a Los Angeles County supervisor in calling on California Atty. Gen. Xavier Beccera to investigate the death of a young black man found hanging from a tree in a park near Palmdale City Hall. “”The attorney general, as the lead attorney and...
Fox News removes altered photos of Seattle protest zoneVideo
SEATTLE — Fox News has removed digitally altered photos from its website after the Seattle Times on Friday noted misleading images used in the network’s coverage about a Seattle neighborhood that’s become a protest center against police brutality and racial injustice. As of Saturday, Fox News included an editors note...
Florida coronavirus surge continues with more than 2,000 new infections reported SundayVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida reported another 2,016 coronavirus on cases on Sunday, continuing a statewide surge in infections. The state’s total since the beginning of the pandemic is now 75,568, the Department of Health said. It’s the second consecutive day of 2,000-plus cases and the 12th day with more...
Trump moved Tulsa rally date after learning about JuneteenthVideo
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — President Donald Trump didn’t know the significance to black Americans of the date and location he chose for his first campaign rally since the coronavirus pandemic more than three months ago, key Republican supporters of the president in Congress said Sunday. Trump had scheduled the rally for...
Minneapolis officers quit in wake of George Floyd protests
MINNEAPOLIS — At least seven Minneapolis police officers have quit and another seven are in the process of resigning, citing a lack of support from department and city leaders as protests over George Floyd’s death escalated. Current and former officers told The Minneapolis Star Tribune that officers are upset with...
Philadelphia mayor criticizes group ‘protecting’ Columbus statueVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A group of people gathered around a statue of Christopher Columbus in south Philadelphia over the weekend, saying they intended to protect it from vandals amid the recent protests — despite criticism from the mayor. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that about 100 people clustered around the statue of...
Pennsylvania reports 336 more covid-19 cases, 4 more deaths
Pennsylvania on Sunday reported four more covid-19 deaths and 336 additional cases, bringing the state’s total number of cases to 78,798, according to state health officials. A total of 6,215 people have died from the virus. There are 630 patients who have a positive serology test and either covid-19 symptoms...
Accuracy still unknown for many coronavirus tests rushed out
WASHINGTON — How accurate are the coronavirus tests used in the U.S.? Months into the outbreak, no one really knows how well many of the screening tests work, and experts at top medical centers say it is time to do the studies to find out. When the new virus began...
Virginia GOP congressman who officiated gay wedding loses primary
LYNCHBURG, Va. — A freshman Virginia GOP congressman who angered social conservatives in his district when he officiated a gay wedding lost his party’s nomination. U.S. Rep. Denver Riggleman lost a GOP convention Saturday that was done via drive-thru because of the coronavirus pandemic. He was defeated by Bob Good,...
Yankee go home: What does moving troops out of Germany mean?
BERLIN — After more than a year of thinly-veiled threats to start pulling U.S. troops out of Germany unless Berlin increases its defense spending, President Donald Trump appears to be proceeding with a hardball approach, planning to cut the U.S. military contingent by more than 25%. About 34,500 American troops...
U.S. base namesakes include slaveholders, failed generals
CINCINNATI — As much as President Donald Trump enjoys talking about winning and winners, the Confederate generals he vows will not have their names removed from U.S. military bases were not only on the losing side of rebellion against the United States, some weren’t even considered good generals. The 10...
Atlanta officer fired after fatal shooting of black manVideo
ATLANTA — An Atlanta police officer was fired following the fatal shooting of a black man and another officer was placed on administrative duty, the police department announced early Sunday. The moves follows the Saturday resignation of Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields, who stepped down as the Friday night killing...
Protesters in U.S. call attention to deaths of more black men
Protests initially ignited by the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police continued over the weekend, as anti-racism protesters in the United States sought to call attention to the deaths of two more black men and Black Lives Matter demonstrations unfolded in London and Paris....
China reports 57 new coronavirus cases, highest daily number in 2 months
BEIJING — China on Sunday reported its highest daily total of new coronavirus cases in two months after the capital’s biggest wholesale food market was shut down following a resurgence in local infections. There were 57 confirmed cases in the 24 hours through midnight Saturday, the National Health Commission reported....
3 injured in shooting during backyard party in Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood
A shooting about 7 p.m. Saturday during a backyard party in Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood injured three people, according to a report from WPXI. About 20 gunshots were fired in the area of Sedgwick and Liverpool streets, WPXI reports, and three people, including a woman and a juvenile female who were...
SpaceX launches another batch of Starlink satellites before sunrise
ORLANDO, Fla. — An hour before sunrise Saturday, SpaceX launched yet another batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral, continuing the company’s mission to build a constellation of satellites that can deliver high-speed internet to the entire planet. The launch, which went off as scheduled at 5:21 a.m. from Cape...
