More U.S. counties lack a clear racial majority — and people are getting along pretty well, experts say
Some booming suburbs, many of them in the Sun Belt, are becoming as racially diverse as major coastal cities — and often with less racial conflict. Sixty-nine counties, mostly in the South and West, had clear racial majorities in 2010 but lost them by last year, according to a Stateline...
Judge unseals docs in Colorado gay bar shooting suspect’s past case
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A judge unsealed a dropped bomb threat case Thursday against the Colorado gay bar shooting suspect who threatened to become the “next mass killer” over a year before allegedly killing five people and wounding 17 others at the LGBTQ enclave Club Q. Judge Robin Chittum said...
Putin vows to persist with strikes in Ukraine, ignoring West
KYIV, Ukraine — The Kremlin said Thursday it’s up to Ukraine’s president to end the military conflict in the country, suggesting terms that Kyiv has repeatedly rejected, while Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to press on with the fighting despite Western criticism. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “(Ukrainian President...
131 civilians killed by M23 rebels in eastern Congo, says UN
BENI, Congo — Arbitrarily shooting, stabbing, raping and abducting people, rebels in eastern Congo have killed at least 131 people and inflicted “unspeakable violence” against civilians, says a new U.N. report. The M23 rebel group killed men, women and children in two villages in Congo’s Rutshuru territory in North Kivu...
Taliban official: 27 people lashed in public in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD — Twenty-seven people were lashed in public on Thursday in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan as punishment for alleged adultery, theft, drug offenses and other crimes, according to a court official. Afghanistan’s new authorities have implemented hard-line policies since they took over the country in August 2021 that have underlined their interpretation...
Brittney Griner back home in U.S. after Russian prisoner swap
WASHINGTON — American basketball star Brittney Griner returned to the United States early Friday after being freed in a high-profile prisoner exchange following nearly 10 months in detention in Russia. The deal, which saw her swapped for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, secured the release of the most prominent American...
Police: 2 firefighters die in house fire; body found outside
TAMAQUA, Pa. — Two firefighters died responding to a house fire Wednesday in rural eastern Pennsylvania where a man’s body was found outside, state police said. The New Tripoli Fire Company members who lost their lives were identified as Assistant Fire Chief Zachary Paris, 36, and Marvin Gruber, 59, Pennsylvania...
‘Monstrous’ storm to slam Midwest with everything from tornadoes to blizzardsVideo
A major storm will slam the Midwest with everything from tornadoes to blizzards next week, meteorologists said Wednesday. That “could wreak havoc on cross-country travel as well as pose a significant threat to lives and property,” AccuWeather meteorologists warned. “The stage is being set for extreme weather conditions over the...
Ex-Border Patrol agent convicted of killing 4 women in Texas
SAN ANTONIO — A former Border Patrol agent who confessed to killing four sex workers in 2018 was convicted Wednesday of capital murder, after jurors heard recordings of him telling investigators he was trying to “clean up the streets” of his South Texas hometown. Juan David Ortiz, 39, receives an...
‘Don’t Say Gay’ Florida lawmaker indicted on fraud charges
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida lawmaker who sponsored the controversial law critics call “Don’t Say Gay” has been indicted on charges of defrauding a federal coronavirus loan program for small businesses, officials said Wednesday. Federal prosecutors said Rep. Joe Harding, 35, illegally obtained or tried to obtain more than $150,000 from...
Elizabeth Holmes’ former partner gets nearly 13 years in Theranos caseVideo
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A judge on Wednesday sentenced former Theranos executive Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani to nearly 13 years in prison for his role in the company’s blood-testing hoax — a sentence slightly longer than that given to the CEO, who was his lover and accomplice in one of Silicon...
Elon Musk’s ‘Twitter Files’ stir controversy on social media
Drama surrounding billionaire Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter continues to escalate as a series of tweets deemed “The Twitter Files” showcases the social media giant’s internal struggle over the 2020 story about the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop. Hunter Biden is the son of President Joe Biden, who was a...
Hawaii remembrance draws handful of Pearl Harbor survivors
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — A handful of centenarian survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor joined about 2,500 members of the public at the scene of the Japanese bombing on Wednesday to commemorate those who perished 81 years ago. The audience sat quietly during a moment of silence at 7:55...
Oldest DNA reveals life in Greenland 2 million years ago
NEW YORK — Scientists discovered the oldest known DNA and used it to reveal what life was like 2 million years ago in the northern tip of Greenland. Today, it’s a barren Arctic desert, but back then it was a lush landscape of trees and vegetation with an array of...
Report: Classified items found at Trump storage unit in FloridaVideo
WASHINGTON — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump found at least two items marked as classified during a recent search of a storage unit in West Palm Beach, Fla., and have provided them to the FBI, according to a published report Wednesday. The Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, reported that...
Democrats move to take power with narrow Pa. House majority
HARRISBURG — Democrats who barely won back a majority of seats in the Pennsylvania House in November moved to take control of the chamber Wednesday and replace one of their incumbents who died and two others who won higher office. Shortly after Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia was quietly...
Putin calls nuclear weapons a tool of deterrence in Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hailed the annexation of Ukrainian territories as a major achievement and said his country’s nuclear weapons serve as a tool of deterrence in the war that the Kremlin calls a “special military operation.” Speaking with members of the presidential Human Rights...
Suspected German coup plot spawns dozens of arrestsVideo
BERLIN — German police seized dozens of people including a self-styled prince, a retired paratrooper and a former judge on Wednesday, accusing the suspects of discussing the violent overthrow of the government but leaving unclear how concrete the plans were. A German official and a lawmaker said that investigators may...
FBI: Polygamous leader had 20 wives, many of them minors
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The leader of a small polygamous group near the Arizona-Utah border had taken at least 20 wives, most of them minors, and punished followers who did not treat him as a prophet, newly filed federal court documents show. Samuel Bateman was a former member of the Fundamentalist...
Penn scientists made a universal flu vaccine using mRNA, and they plan to test it in humans
For years, scientists have tried, and failed, to make a one-and-done vaccine that would provide at least partial protection against all types of the flu. A University of Pennsylvania scientist now thinks he has cracked the case, using the same technology that was the basis for the Pfizer and Moderna...
Indonesia releases bombmaker in Bali attacks on parole
JAKARTA, Indonesia — A bombmaker in the 2002 Bali attacks that killed 202 people was released from an Indonesian prison on parole Wednesday after serving half his 20-year sentence, despite the opposition of Australia’s prime minister, who described him as “abhorrent.” Umar Patek was a leading member of the al-Qaida-linked...
Zelenskyy and ‘spirit of Ukraine’ named Time person of year
LONDON — Time magazine on Wednesday named Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy its person of the year, awarding him the accolade “for proving that courage can be as contagious as fear.” Editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal said the choice of Zelenskyy — alongside “the spirit of Ukraine” — was “the most clear-cut in...
Extinctions, shrinking habitat spur ‘rewilding’ in cities
DETROIT — In a bustling metro area of 4.3 million people, Yale University wildlife biologist Nyeema Harris ventures into isolated thickets to study Detroit’s most elusive residents — coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks among them. Harris and colleagues have placed trail cameras in woodsy sections of 25 city parks for...
Database spotlights those who died at Pearl Harbor
JOHNSTOWN — The stories of the more than 2,300 American service members who died at Pearl Harbor, including Cambria County Military Hall of Fame member Navy Petty Officer 1st Class John Lipple, from Ashville, have been chronicled by Stories Behind the Stars. The nonprofit is working to compile brief bios...
USS Arizona survivor: Honor those killed at Pearl Harbor
HONOLULU — USS Arizona sailor Lou Conter lived through the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor even though his battleship exploded and sank after being pierced by aerial bombs. That makes the 101-year-old somewhat of a celebrity, especially on the anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941, assault. Many call him and...
