Michigan professor who made vulgar video quit, settles for $95K
DETROIT — A Michigan professor who was suspended in January for making a profanity-filled video to welcome students settled his legal dispute with a university by accepting $95,000 and agreeing to a three-year gag order. As part of the deal, Barry Mehler retired from Ferris State University rather than face...
Woman gets 2.5 years in police car fires amid 2020 protest
PHILADELPHIA — A woman who pleaded guilty to setting fire to police cars amid the 2020 racial justice protests in Philadelphia has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that since 35-year-old Lore-Elizabeth Blumenthal of Jenkintown has been in custody since her arrest two...
Biden administration challenges GOP to get burn pits bill passedVideo
WASHINGTON — Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough expressed confidence the Senate has enough votes to pass a bill to provide health care and benefits to 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, even after Republicans stalled the legislation. Forty-one Republican senators switched tactics and moved to force a debate...
Infrastructure damage hampers flood recovery in KentuckyVideo
HINDMAN, Ky. — Damage to critical infrastructure and the arrival of more heavy rains hampered efforts Sunday to help Kentucky residents hit by recent massive flooding, Gov. Andy Beshear said. As residents in Appalachia tried to slowly piece their lives back together, flash flood warnings were issued for at least...
Vulnerable House Democrats see abortion as winning campaign theme
A rare Democrat in a deeply Republican state, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas is one of the most vulnerable incumbents seeking reelection this year. In the final months of her congressional campaign, she is focusing on Republicans’ strict opposition to abortion rights. An online ad she released last week...
Winning lottery jackpot is lucky for some, tragic for others
Dave and Erica Harrig stayed true to their values when they won a lottery jackpot of more than $61 million in 2013. It made all the difference. The couple from Gretna, Nebraska, a community on the outskirts of Omaha where Dave Harrig now is a volunteer firefighter, allowed themselves to...
Drone explosion hits Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters
A small explosive device carried by a makeshift drone blew up Sunday at the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet on the Crimean Peninsula, wounding six people and prompting the cancellation of ceremonies honoring Russia’s navy, authorities said. Meanwhile, one of Ukraine’s richest men, a grain merchant, was killed in...
Biden tests positive for covid-19, returns to isolation
President Joe Biden tested positive for covid-19 again Saturday, slightly more than three days after he was cleared to exit coronavirus isolation, the White House said, in a rare case of “rebound” following treatment with an anti-viral drug. White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor said in a letter that Biden...
‘A very lonely place to be’: Take covid-19 seriously, long-haulers warn
ORLANDO, Fla. — On the rare occasions when Vero Beach resident Neil Passmore goes out in public, he’s often the only one in a mask. When Passmore caught covid-19 in June 2020, the virus hit him hard: He shook with chills, struggled to breathe, his heart raced and he had...
Democrats seem headed, finally, toward triumph on climate, health
It’s been more than a year in the making and has seen plenty of ups and downs. Now, a Democratic economic package focused on climate and health care faces hurdles but seems headed toward party-line passage by Congress next month. Approval would let President Joe Biden and his party claim...
Iraqi protesters storm parliament in Baghdad, set up sit-in
Thousands of followers of an influential Shiite cleric breached Iraq’s parliament on Saturday, for the second time this week, protesting government formation efforts lead by his rivals, an alliance of Iran-backed groups. The alliance called for counter-protests, raising the specter of civil strife. Iraqi security forces initially used tear gas...
Fetterman harnesses power of social media in Senate campaign
In one of this year’s most competitive U.S. Senate races, the biggest moments aren’t playing out on the campaign trail. They’re unfolding on social media. For one stunt, Democrat John Fetterman of Pennsylvania rolled out an online petition to get his Republican rival, celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, enshrined...
Navy expedites waterborne drones to close gap with China
Facing a growing threat from China, the Navy envisions drone ships keeping an electronic eye on enemy forces across the vast Pacific Ocean, extending the reach of firepower, and keeping sailors out of harm’s way. The Navy is speeding development of those robotic ships as an affordable way to keep...
House passes semi-automatic gun ban after 18-year lapse
The House passed legislation Friday to revive a ban on semi-automatic guns, the first vote of its kind in years and a direct response to the firearms often used in the crush of mass shootings ripping through communities nationwide. Once banned in the U.S., the high-powered firearms are now widely...
Isolation complication? U.S. finds it’s hard to shun Russia
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration likes to say Russia has become isolated internationally because of its invasion of Ukraine. Yet Moscow’s top officials have hardly been cloistered in the Kremlin. And now, even the U.S. is talking to them. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been meeting with world leaders, including...
States hope for revenue boost with Mega Millions craze
A bump in college scholarships for New Mexico students. A new bike trail nestled in the western slope of Colorado. More homeless shelters in Arizona. When lottery sales soar, those holding the golden ticket aren’t the only ones who win. Across the U.S., state lottery systems use that revenue to...
States reach deal over marketing, safety of generic opioids
HARRISBURG — A former opioid manufacturer has agreed in principle to pay up to $2.4 billion in a deal with a dozen states over its marketing and product safety practices, state attorneys general announced Friday. The company, Allergan, is now part of AbbVie but sold its generics division Actavis, including...
‘Very hot’ — heat duration records could fall in Northwest
Extreme heat is forecast to stretch through the weekend in the Pacific Northwest and authorities are investigating whether triple-digit temperatures were to blame for the deaths of at least four people. The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office said at least three people have died from suspected hyperthermia during the heat...
Doug Mastriano’s Gab page removed, candidate responds to criticism of social media platform
Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano has been criticized by elected officials and anti-hate speech groups for his association with Gab, a far-right social media platform that was favored by the accused Tree of Life shooter. He has responded to the criticism and his Gab account was apparently removed recently. Mastriano...
Blinken presses Griner, Whelan deal in call with top Russian
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov by phone on Friday and urged Moscow to accept a U.S. offer to release WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detainee, Paul Whelan It was Blinken’s first talk with his Russian counterpart since...
Russia, Ukraine trade blame for deadly attack on POW prison
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia and Ukraine accused each other Friday of shelling a prison in a separatist region of eastern Ukraine, an attack that reportedly killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war captured after the fall of Mariupol, the city where troops famously held out against a monthslong Russian siege....
Wounded Knee artifacts highlight slow pace of repatriations
BARRE, Mass. — One by one, items purportedly taken from Native Americans massacred at Wounded Knee Creek emerged from the dark, cluttered display cases where they’ve sat for more than a century in a museum in rural Massachusetts. Moccasins, necklaces, clothing, ceremonial pipes, tools and other objects were carefully laid...
9 common questions about genetic testing for cancer
Your genes play a role in nearly all areas of your health. A gene is like an instruction manual for your body that tells your body how to function, develop and stay healthy. People have about 20,000 genes in their bodies. Many health conditions have a genetic link. Genetic testing...
Zelenskyy visits port as Ukraine prepares to ship out grain
ODESA, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited a Black Sea port Friday as crews prepared terminals to export grain trapped by Russia’s five-month-old war, work that was inching forward a week after a deal was struck to allow critical food supplies to flow to millions of impoverished people facing...
Kentucky governor: Death toll from flooding rises to 25
Kentucky’s governor said it could take weeks to find all the victims of flash flooding that killed at least 25 people when torrential rains swamped towns across Appalachia. Gov. Andy Beshear said Saturday that the numbers of victims would likely rise significantly as a result of record flash flooding over...
