U.S./World category, Page 935
Better weather aids battle against deadly Western U.S. wildfires
SALEM, Ore. — Diminishing winds and rising humidity helped firefighters battling deadly blazes in Oregon and California, but with dozens of people still missing, authorities in both states feared that the receding flames could reveal many more dead across the blackened landscape. Oregon’s emergency management director said officials were preparing...
Prosecutors: Chauvin used neck restraints in past arrests
MINNEAPOLIS — A white police officer accused in the death of George Floyd had used neck or head and upper body restraints seven times before, including four incidents in which prosecutors say he went too far, according to prosecution documents released Friday in the case against four former Minneapolis officers...
‘There was no fighting this fire,’ California survivor says
BERRY CREEK, Calif. — John Sykes built his life around his cabin in the dense woods of Northern California. He raised his two children there, expanded it and improved it over time and made it resilient to all kinds of disaster except fire. So when the winds started howling Tuesday...
Lawyer: Utah boy ‘lucky to be alive’ after police shooting
SALT LAKE CITY — A 13-year-old autistic boy who was shot by police in Salt Lake City last week is “lucky to be alive” and will likely experience lifelong injuries, the family’s lawyer said Friday. Linden, whom the family wants referred to only by his first name, remains hospitalized with...
Challenger to QAnon supporter bows out of race in Georgia
ATLANTA — The Democratic candidate for a U.S. House seat in Georgia dropped out of the race Friday, clearing a near-certain path to victory for a QAnon-supporting Republican contender who has been criticized for her incendiary comments. Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal bowed out of the race for “personal and family...
Judges: Florida felons can’t vote until they pay fines, fees
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida felons must pay all fines, restitution and legal fees before they can regain their right to vote, a federal appellate court ruled Friday in a case that could have broad implications for the November elections. Reversing a lower court judge’s decision that gave Florida felons...
Attorneys deny racial motive in Ahmaud Arbery slaying
ATLANTA — Attorneys for a white father and son charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery say their clients weren’t motivated by race when they armed themselves, chased after the young Black man and shot him in the street after a confrontation, according to interviews published Friday. Gregory and Travis McMichael have...
Bahrain becomes latest Arab nation to recognize Israel
WASHINGTON — Bahrain has become the latest Arab nation to agree to normalize ties with Israel as part of a broader diplomatic push by President Donald Trump and his administration to fully integrate the Jewish state into the Middle East. Trump announced the agreement on Friday, following a three-way phone...
Parking deck collapse in Atlanta leaves 5 workers injured
A parking deck under construction in Atlanta partially collapsed on Friday, officials said, injuring five workers. Video from news helicopters showed an injured worker lowered by crane from the collapsed section of the deck. Four construction workers were injured but managed to walk away from the collapse site. One was...
Florida man gets death penalty for raping, killing girl
TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida man was sentenced to death on Friday for raping and killing a 9-year-old girl. Hillsborough County Circuit Court Judge Michelle Sisco affirmed a jury’s unanimous death penalty recommendation for Granville Ritchie, the Tampa Bay Times reported. He was found guilty last year of first-degree murder,...
Prosecutors: Similar charges warrant 1 trial in George Floyd death
MINNEAPOLIS — Prosecutors in the case of four former Minneapolis officers charged in the death of George Floyd told a judge Friday that the men should face trial together because the evidence and charges against them are similar, and multiple trials could traumatize witnesses and Floyd’s family. But defense attorneys...
Images of 9/11 attack, porn interrupt voting machine hearing in Georgia
ATLANTA — A federal hearing on a challenge to Georgia’s voting machines was interrupted Friday when someone began posting video and symbols, including images from the Sept. 11 attacks, a swastika and pornography. Before the interruption, there were roughly 100 people signed in as participants and observers to the high-profile...
Man shot during Kenosha, Wis., protest still remembers screams
MILWAUKEE — A Wisconsin man who was shot during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha last month says he still remembers the screams that night and he’s in constant pain. Prosecutors say 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse of Antioch, Ill., shot and killed two men during a chaotic protest Aug. 25....
U.S. marks 9/11 anniversary at tributes shadowed by virus
NEW YORK — Americans commemorated 9/11 Friday as another national crisis reconfigured memorial ceremonies, dividing some victims’ families over coronavirus safety precautions, and a presidential campaign carved a path through the observances. In New York, victims’ relatives gathered Friday morning for split-screen remembrances at the World Trade Center’s Sept. 11...
Ex-cops blame one another, seek own trials in George Floyd’s death
MINNEAPOLIS — Attorneys for four former Minneapolis officers charged in the death of George Floyd say that each client should get his own trial, as the officers try to diminish their roles in the Black man’s death by pointing fingers at one another. Prosecutors say all four officers should be...
10 dead in massive Northern California wildfireVideo
GRIDLEY, Calif. — A Northern California wildfire became the state’s deadliest of the year Thursday when authorities announced seven more deaths, bringing the total to 10 and there was the unnerving prospect the toll would climb as searchers looked for 16 missing people. Butte County sheriff’s deputies and detectives found...
Ukrainian church leader who said covid-19 was ‘God’s punishment’ for gay marriage tests positveVideo
A preeminent religious leader in Ukraine who blamed the coronavirus pandemic on same-sex marriage has tested positive for covid-19. Patriarch Filaret, leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kiev Patriarchate, was hospitalized and diagnosed with the disease last week, the church said. The church confirmed the Patriarch “showed a positive result...
Judges: Trump can’t exclude people from district drawings
NEW YORK — Saying the president had exceeded his authority, a panel of three federal judges on Thursday blocked an order from President Donald Trump that tried to exclude people in the country illegally from being counted when congressional districts are redrawn. The federal judges in New York, in granting...
Money for $300 unemployment boost to run out after 6 weeks
The temporary $300-a-week unemployment insurance boost implemented by President Donald Trump is about to end, with no extension in sight. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday in an email to The Associated Press that it has distributed $30 billion of the $44 billion it had set aside for the...
Connecticut police chief hit with federal charges of rigging his hiring
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — The police chief of Connecticut’s largest city was arrested Thursday on federal charges that he teamed with Bridgeport’s personnel director to rig the hiring process to make sure he would get his job. Federal prosecutors in New York and FBI officials in Connecticut announced the arrest of...
U.S. will end current health screening of some travelers
WASHINGTON — The United States plans to end enhanced health screening of travelers from certain countries next week, and those visitors will no longer be funneled through 15 large U.S. airports. Those requirements were imposed in January to prevent the spread of covid-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Lawsuit: EPA fails to enforce Chesapeake Bay pollution caps
NORFOLK, Va. — The Environmental Protection Agency has failed to ensure that Pennsylvania and New York are doing enough to reduce pollution that flows from farms and cities into the Chesapeake Bay, according to a lawsuit filed on Thursday. The federal suit was brought by the nonprofit Chesapeake Bay Foundation...
In a year of social distancing, coronavirus alters Sept. 11 remembrancesVideo
NEW YORK — In a year when the coronavirus pandemic has reshaped countless American rituals, even the commemoration of 9/11 could not escape unchanged. The 19th anniversary of the terror attacks will be marked by dueling ceremonies at the Sept. 11 memorial plaza and a corner near the World Trade...
Rarely have so many Californians been exposed to such gloomy, unhealthy air
PALO ALTO, Calif. — Shrouded in near darkness, beneath a gloomy, orange sky, Fabian Rios worked to repair a fire hydrant late Wednesday morning. Working alongside the headlights of his truck, the Bay Area utility employee said the lack of light wasn’t troubling him. “The real problem is the ash...
Ohio mother gets 25-year term for leaving her 2 dead babies in cars
TOLEDO, Ohio — The mother of two infants whose remains were left in separate abandoned cars was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Jenna Cisneros had pleaded no contest last month to charges of involuntary manslaughter, endangering children, tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice. Her husband is also charged...
