U.S./World category, Page 427
As death toll from Maui wildfire reaches 93, effort to find and identify the dead is just beginning
LAHAINA, Hawaii — As the death toll from a wildfire that razed a historic Maui town climbed to 93, authorities warned that the effort to find and identify the dead was still in its early stages. The blaze is already the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. Crews...
Starting next year, child influencers can sue if earnings aren’t set aside, says new Illinois law
CHICAGO — Illinois is the first state in the U.S. to ensure child social media influencers are compensated for their work, according to Sen. David Koehler, of Peoria, who sponsored a bill that was signed into law and will go into effect on July 1, 2024. “The rise of social...
70-year-old woman who used knife stored in cane to kill man turns herself in, says police
A 70-year-old Philadelphia woman charged with the murder of a man her son previously punched turned herself in to police this week, according to officials. Renee DiPietro is facing charges of third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and possession of an instrument of crime for stabbing 31-year-old Michael Sides to death earlier...
A historic banyan tree burned in Maui’s wildfires still stands, but can it survive?
In 1873, an exotic banyan tree was planted in the port town of Lahaina, a major hub for the then-Kingdom of Hawaii. At the time it was only 8 feet tall. Today, its branches extend over 60 feet high and stretch even wider, providing shade to nearly two-thirds of an...
6 dead, over 50 rescued from capsized migrant boat in the English Channel
LONDON — An overloaded boat carrying migrants capsized before dawn Saturday in the English Channel, killing at least six people and leaving more than 50 others to be rescued, according to French authorities. About 65 people were estimated to have boarded the boat and two people may still be lost...
Death toll rises to 80 in Maui wildfires as survivors begin returning to communities in ruins
LAHAINA, Hawaii — The death toll has risen to 80 as a result of the wildfires that decimated parts of the island of Maui this past week, officials in Hawaii said Friday. The number of confirmed fatalities in the 9 p.m. announcement by the County of Maui increased from the...
Russia downs 20 drones over Crimea following a spate of attacks on Moscow
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia thwarted an attack by 20 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow-annexed Crimea overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday. Fourteen drones were shot down by Russian air defenses and a further six were jammed electronically, the ministry said in a Telegram post. No casualties or damage were reported....
Men attacked Alabama boat co-captain for ‘just doing my job,’ he says
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — An Alabama boat co-captain was hanging on “for dear life” as men punched and tackled him on the capital city’s riverfront, he told police after video of the brawl circulated widely online. Dameion Pickett, a crew member of the Harriott II in Montgomery, described the brawl in...
Court dismisses challenge to Biden’s restoration of Utah monuments shrunk by Trump
A judge Friday dismissed a lawsuit from the state of Utah challenging President Joe Biden’s restoration of two sprawling national monuments in the state that were downsized by President Donald Trump. U.S. District Judge David Nuffer said Biden acted within his authority when he issued proclamations restoring Bears Ears and...
Pittsburgh area couple shares escape from ‘hellacious’ Maui wildfires
An immigrant cook building a new life. A widow preparing to say goodbye. And a couple taking their vows. All were caught in the crossfire, forced to flee as flames swallowed parts of Maui, that drop in the Pacific where roads wind past waterfalls, turtles glide through gem-blue waters and...
Former Tennessee state senator gets 21-month prison sentence for campaign finance cash scheme
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A former Tennessee state senator on Friday was sentenced to 21 months in prison after he unsuccessfully tried to take back his guilty plea on federal campaign finance charges. Former Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey received his sentence in U.S. District Court in Nashville in the case centering...
Judge sends FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried to jail, says crypto mogul tampered with witnesses
NEW YORK — FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried left a federal courtroom in handcuffs Friday after a judge revoked his bail after concluding that the fallen cryptocurrency wiz had repeatedly tried to influence witnesses against him. Bankman-Fried looked down at his hands as Judge Lewis A. Kaplan explained at length why...
Highmark among insurers that won’t cover new Alzheimer’s treatment for some customers
Some private insurers are balking at paying for the first drug fully approved to slow mental decline in Alzheimer’s patients. Insurers selling coverage in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York, among other states, told The Associated Press they won’t cover Leqembi with insurance offered on the individual market and through...
U.S. suicides hit all-time high in 2022
NEW YORK — About 49,500 people took their own lives last year in the U.S., the highest number ever, according to new government data posted Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which posted the numbers, has not yet calculated a suicide rate for the year, but available data...
More evacuations considered in Norway where swollen rivers continue to rise
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Authorities were on standby to evacuate more people in southeastern Norway Friday, where huge amounts of water, littered with broken trees, debris and trash, were thundering down the usually serene rivers after days of torrential rain. The level of water in swollen rivers and lakes continued to...
Death toll rises to 67 in Maui wildfires
LAHAINA, Hawaii — Incinerated cars crushed by downed telephone poles. Charred elevator shafts standing as testaments to the burned-down apartment buildings they once served. Pools filled with charcoal-colored water. Trampolines and children’s scooters mangled by the extreme heat. Residents of Lahaina were being allowed back home Friday for the first...
Jakarta is the world’s most polluted city. Blame the dry season and vehicles for the gray skies
JAKARTA, Indonesia — The dry season and and motorized vehicles are the main causes of the air pollution in Jakarta, Indonesian authorities said Friday, after a Swiss air quality technology company named the city as the most polluted in the world. Thick smoke and gray skies have appeared every morning...
Florida education commissioner skips forum on criticized Black history standards
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Hundreds of lawmakers, teachers, school board members and parents crowded into a South Florida church Thursday evening for a forum on Florida’s new standards for teaching Black history, which have drawn harsh criticism for requiring teachers to instruct middle-school students that enslaved people “developed skills which,...
How to help or donate in response to the deadly wildfire in Maui
While rescue and emergency operations continued Thursday at the deadly wildfires that swept across the Hawaiian island of Maui, many people are already looking for ways to support the response and provide relief to those affected. The full extent of the damage and the recovery needs may not be known...
Maui fire deaths surge to 53 and likely to go higher, governor says; over 1,000 structures burned
LAHAINA, Hawaii — A search of the wildfire devastation on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Thursday revealed a wasteland of obliterated neighborhoods and landmarks charred beyond recognition, as the death toll rose to at least 53 and survivors told harrowing tales of narrow escapes with only the clothes on...
6 Western nations demand Russia return 2 regions it took from neighboring Georgia 15 years ago
UNITED NATIONS — Six Western nations marked the 15th anniversary of Russia’s takeover of 20% of Georgia’s territory by demanding on Thursday that Moscow return the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions. A joint statement by the six members of the U.N. Security Council — the United States, United Kingdom, France,...
Rocket with a lunar landing blasts off on Russia’s 1st moon mission in nearly 50 years
LONDON — A rocket carrying a lunar landing craft blasted off Friday on Russia’s first moon mission in nearly 50 years, racing to land on Earth’s satellite ahead of an Indian spacecraft. The launch from Russia’s Vostochny spaceport in the Far East of the Luna-25 craft to the moon is...
Western officials: Niger junta warned they’d kill deposed president after any military intervention
NIAMEY, Niger — Niger’s junta told a top U.S. diplomat that they would kill deposed President Mohamed Bazoum if neighboring countries attempted any military intervention to restore his rule, two Western officials told The Associated Press. They spoke to the AP shortly before the West African bloc ECOWAS said it...
Anti-corruption presidential candidate assassinated in Ecuador as country reels from violence
QUITO, Ecuador — An Ecuadorian presidential candidate who recently pledged to root out corruption and lock up the country’s “thieves” was fatally shot at a political rally in the capital as the South American country reels from drug-related crime and violence. Fernando Villavicencio, 59, who was known for speaking up...
Russia’s military push on eastern front prompts Ukraine to evacuate thousands of civilians
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation Thursday of nearly 12,000 civilians from 37 towns and villages in the eastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces reportedly are making a concerted effort to punch through the front line. The local military administration in Kharkiv’s Kupiansk district said residents must...
