U.S./World category, Page 832
New York is latest state to legalize recreational marijuana
New Yorkers over the age of 21 can now possess and use up to 3 ounces of cannabis in public under a legalization bill signed Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, while sales of recreational-use marijuana won’t become legal for an estimated 18 months until the state draws up regulations. Advocates...
Ohio’s lieutenant governor digs in heels on ‘Wuhan virus’ tweet
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s lieutenant governor dug in his heels Wednesday on a tweet in which he referred to covid-19 as the “Wuhan virus,” even as advocates warn such rhetoric is a driving force behind violence against Asian Americans, including the recent attacks in Georgia and New York. Republican Lt....
Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down governor’s mask mandate
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate Wednesday, stripping the governor of one of his last remaining tools to curb large-scale spread of covid-19 as the state stands on the precipice of another surge in infections. The conservative-leaning court ruled 4-3...
Holy days arrive for the faithful as pandemic eases in U.S.
For Christians across the United States, Easter services on Sunday will reflect an extra measure of joy as the nation experiences rising optimism after a year of pandemic. Even if still observing restrictions, many churches may draw the largest numbers of in-person worshippers in months. It’s a season of major...
Suspect in attack on Asian American woman in NYC is arrested
NEW YORK — A parolee convicted of killing his mother nearly two decades ago was arrested on charges, including felony assault as a hate crime, in an attack on an Asian American woman in New York City, police said early Wednesday. Police said Brandon Elliot, 38, is the man seen...
Some Capitol riot suspects apologize as consequences sink in
PHOENIX — The helmet-wearing Idaho man photographed dangling by one hand from the Senate’s balcony during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol turned himself in six days later. While buckled in the vehicle delivering him to the Boise jail, Josiah Colt made a video apologizing and expressing shame...
Murrysville-Export club join international Rotary effort to ‘End Plastic Soup’Video
After growing up in Ireland, Noreen Hill-Olszewski was surprised to find how comparatively little recycling was happening in the United States. “We’re used to separating our trash, our different types of recyclables, our ‘compostibles,’” Hill-Olszewski said. Local recycling has taken a step back in recent years, with several regional haulers...
Virginia governor seeks to accelerate marijuana legalization
RICHMOND, Va. — Adults in Virginia could legally possess and grow small amounts of marijuana beginning in July, about three years sooner than initially envisioned, under changes the governor proposed Wednesday to legislation passed earlier this year. “Our Commonwealth is committed to legalizing marijuana in an equitable way,” Democratic Gov....
NCAA, former athletes head to Supreme Court over how football, basketball players are rewarded
WASHINGTON — The NCAA and former college athletes are getting ready to play ball at the Supreme Court. With the March Madness basketball tournament ongoing, the high court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case about how colleges can reward athletes who play Division I basketball and football. The NCAA...
G. Gordon Liddy, unrepentant Watergate burglar who became talk show host, dies at 90
G. Gordon Liddy, the tough-guy Watergate operative who went to prison rather than testify and later turned his Nixon-era infamy into a successful television and talk show career, has died at age 90. Liddy died Tuesday at his daugher’s house in Virginia, his son Thomas P. Liddy told The Washington...
‘Major’ pain: Biden’s dog involved in 2nd biting incident
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s younger dog Major this week was involved in his second biting incident of the month, the White House said Tuesday. The dog “nipped someone while on a walk” on Monday, said Michael LaRosa, press secretary to first lady Jill Biden, adding that the dog “is...
Pittsburgh man, Boston man arrested after fatal Hawaii vacation rental fight
HONOLULU — Two visitors from the East Coast were under arrest for manslaughter as a result of a deadly fight at a Hawaii vacation rental, police said. Big Island police were dispatched to Kailua-Kona rental early Monday where a 30-year-old man wasn’t breathing. A preliminary investigation found that an argument...
Garland orders Justice Department to examine ‘disturbing trend’ in hate crimesVideo
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland directed Justice Department employees to give priority to investigating and prosecuting hate crimes and incidents, especially a recent outbreak of violence against Asian Americans. In a memo Tuesday to all department employees, Garland ordered a review to be completed in a month to determine...
Video shows vicious attack of Asian American woman in New YorkVideo
NEW YORK — A vicious attack on an Asian American woman near New York City’s Times Square is drawing widespread condemnation and raising alarms about the failure of bystanders to intervene amid a rash of anti-Asian violence across the country. A lone assailant was seen on surveillance video Monday kicking...
Lawyer: FBI enlisted Proud Boys leader to inform on antifa
FBI agents recruited a Proud Boys leader to provide them with information about antifa networks months before he was charged with storming the U.S. Capitol with other members of the far-right extremist group, a defense attorney says. Proud Boys “thought leader” and organizer Joseph Biggs agreed to provide the FBI...
Over 4,000 migrants, many kids, crowded into Texas facility
DONNA, Texas — The Biden administration for the first time Tuesday allowed journalists inside its main border detention facility for migrant children, revealing a severely overcrowded tent structure where more than 4,000 migrants, including children and families, were crammed into pods and the youngest kept in a large play pen...
Witnesses: Onlooker anger increased as George Floyd stopped movingVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Onlookers grew increasingly angry as they begged Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin to take his knee off George Floyd’s neck, but Chauvin would not let up, and another officer forced back members of the crowd who tried to intervene, witnesses testified Tuesday at Chauvin’s murder trial. Witness after witness...
WHO team urges patience after 1st look for origin of virus
GENEVA — An international team that drew up a long-awaited study of the possible origins of covid-19 with Chinese colleagues on Tuesday called it a “first start,” appealing for patience and noting all hypotheses — including a possible laboratory leak — cannot be fully ruled out. Team leader Peter Ben...
Service honors Colorado police officer killed in mass shootingVideo
LAFAYETTE, Colo. — A slain Colorado police officer credited with preventing more deaths in a mass shooting at a supermarket was being honored at a memorial service before he is laid to rest Tuesday. More than 500 law enforcement vehicles took part in a procession that escorted the hearse carrying...
Court lets woman’s defamation suit vs. Trump proceed again
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump could face questioning under oath about a former “Apprentice” contestant’s sexual assault allegations against him, following a ruling from New York’s highest court Tuesday. Evidence-gathering has been on hold in Summer Zervos’ defamation lawsuit since Trump asked the high court last year to...
SpaceX launches test rocket, breaks apart before landing
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX chalked up another failed landing Tuesday for its futuristic, bullet-shaped Starship, as the prototype Mars rocket broke apart right before touchdown. A camera on the rocket froze not quite six minutes into the test flight, and dense fog in South Texas obscured views of the...
Biden announces diverse 1st slate of judicial nominees
President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled his first slate of judicial nominees, a racially diverse and mostly female field that is a sharp departure from the largely white and male picks during President Donald Trump’s administration. Biden’s list puts three Black women on federal courts of appeals, a pathway to...
‘That lady is drunk!’ Court weighs citizen tip validity
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The legal authority of a shouted tip to a state trooper about an impaired driver — “That lady is drunk!” — is before the Ohio Supreme Court in a question over constitutional protections from illegal search and seizure. At issue is the 2017 arrest of a woman...
Prosecutor: Woman in Slender Man stabbing still dangerous
WAUKESHA, Wis. — A judge should deny a request to be released by a Wisconsin woman convicted of stabbing a classmate to please the internet horror character Slender Man because she remains a danger to others, a prosecutor argued in response to the petition for conditional release. Earlier this month,...
With ship now freed, a probe into Suez Canal blockage begins
SUEZ, Egypt — Experts boarded the massive container ship Tuesday that had blocked Egypt’s vital Suez Canal and disrupted global trade for nearly a week, seeking answers to a single question that could have billions of dollars in legal repercussions: What went wrong? As convoys of ships again began traveling...
