U.S./World category, Page 1037
Foreign ski workers stranded by virus get helping hand
MARSHFIELD, Vt. — They were far away from home — young adults from Latin America, working seasonally at U.S. ski resorts. Then the coronavirus arrived, even before the snows departed. Though some made it home, others were stranded. But they were not abandoned. The resorts have stepped up to support...
10 years after BP spill: Oil drilled deeper; rules relaxed
NEW ORLEANS — Ten years after an oil rig explosion killed 11 workers and unleashed an environmental nightmare in the Gulf of Mexico, companies are drilling in deeper and deeper waters, where payoffs can be huge but risks are greater than ever. Industry leaders and government officials say they’re determined...
Former Treasury Secretary, Alcoa head Paul O’Neill dies at Pittsburgh home at age 84
Paul O’Neill wasn’t the type to put on airs. The plain-speaking former Treasury secretary and retired head of aluminum giant Alcoa was as comfortable in a corporate board room as he was donning blue jeans and hiking several blocks from his home in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood to have breakfast with...
Detroit mayor says essential workers will be tested for the coronavirus regardless of symptomsVideo
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Friday that the city will offer covid-19 tests to employees in the city who work at essential businesses like grocery stores and banks. According to the Detroit Free Press, Duggan wants to be the first city in the United States to ensure that key members...
Coronavirus infections could be much more widespread than believed, California study suggests
In the weeks since the coronavirus outbreak has squelched daily life in America, researchers have struggled to assess the true spread of the virus. But initial results from a Northern California study on coronavirus antibodies suggest it has circulated much more widely than previously thought, according to a report released...
Judge: Tennessee can’t prevent abortions during coronavirus
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A federal judge Friday night ruled that Tennessee has to continue allowing abortions amid a temporary ban on nonessential medical procedures that’s aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman said the defendants didn’t show that any appreciable amount of personal protective equipment,...
Racial toll of virus grows even starker as more data emerges
As a clearer picture emerges of COVID-19’s decidedly deadly toll on black Americans, leaders are demanding a reckoning of the systemic policies they say have made many African Americans far more vulnerable to the virus, including inequity in access to health care and economic opportunity. A growing chorus of medical...
‘Live Free or Die:’ Protesters march against California stay-at-home rules in Huntington Beach
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — A group of more than 100 protesters converged on Huntington Beach on Friday in a demonstration against California’s coronavirus stay-at-home rules, part of a series of national demonstration organized by conservative groups. The protesters — some with Trump banners and American flags — mostly were not...
Judge extends deadline for zookeeper ‘Joe Exotic’ to challenge convictions
OKLAHOMA CITY — A former Oklahoma zookeeper who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for a murder-for-hire plot and federal wildlife violations has been granted an extra month to argue why his lawsuit challenging the convictions shouldn’t be dismissed. Joseph Maldonado-Passage, also known as “Joe Exotic,” filed a federal...
Trump consults faith leaders on phased-in reopening
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump held a call with faith leaders on Friday that included discussion about a phased-in return to broader in-person worship after weeks of religious services largely shifting online in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump’s call with faith leaders came one day after the White...
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz attracts attention over office spending
WASHINGTON — Rep. Matt Gaetz might be subject to even more scrutiny by the House Ethics Committee after a Politico report disclosed that he has paid more than $184,000 in office rent to a friend, who is also a donor, legal client and adviser, a revelation that could trigger an...
Sheriff: Off-duty officer shot 14-year-old outside Louisiana home
METAIRIE, La. — An off-duty Louisiana police officer shot and wounded a 14-year-old boy after he found several people in his front yard early Friday morning, authorities said. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said the boy was hospitalized in critical condition Friday afternoon, news outlets reported. Lopinto said the officer...
More questions over China’s virus response as Wuhan death tally revised sharply upward
WASHINGTON — The United States, Germany and France have questioned Beijing’s response to the coronavirus as Chinese authorities announced a large jump in the official number of fatalities in Wuhan, the original epicenter of the outbreak. Earlier on Friday, China revised the number of virus-related fatalities in the central city...
Georgia high school students expelled after posting racist video
CARROLLTON, Ga. — Two high school students in Georgia have been expelled after they posted a racist video on a social media site. Carrollton City Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Albertus, in a statement Friday, said the students “behavior was unacceptable and is not representative of the district’s respect for all...
Florida governor gives some beaches green light to reopen
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s governor on Friday gave the green light for some beaches and parks to reopen if it can be done safely, and north Florida beaches became among the first to allow people to return since closures because of the coronavirus. Mayor Lenny Curry said Duval County beaches...
Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to serve out prison sentence at home
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and longtime fixer Michael Cohen will be released from federal prison to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement because of the coronavirus pandemic. Cohen is currently locked up at FCI Otisville in New York after pleading guilty to numerous charges,...
Lockdown weighs heavily on Orthodox Christians during Easter
ATHENS, Greece — For Orthodox Christians, this is normally a time of reflection and mourning followed by joyful release, of centuries-old ceremonies steeped in symbolism and tradition. But this year, Easter — by far the most significant religious holiday for the world’s roughly 300 million Orthodox — has essentially been...
France finds more than 1,000 coronavirus cases on aircraft carrier
PARIS — The French navy is investigating how the coronavirus infected more than 1,000 sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, amid growing pressure on government leaders to explain how it could have happened. The ship, France’s biggest carrier and the flagship of its navy, is undergoing a lengthy...
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice orders virus testing in nursing homes across state
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Friday ordered that residents and staffers of all nursing homes in the state immediately be tested for the coronavirus. The Republican governor said his executive order comes after some testing discrepancies when outbreaks have cropped up in nursing homes. The state...
NASA, SpaceX tab May 27 for first astronaut launch in US since 2011
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA and SpaceX have picked May 27 for resuming astronaut launches from the U.S. after nine years of complete Russian dependence. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced the launch date Friday. Astronauts haven’t launched into orbit from the U.S. since NASA’s last space shuttle flight in 2011....
Fort Bragg soldiers make masks to fight coronavirus pandemic
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — It’s become a competition for the soldiers of 647th Quartermaster Company to see who can crank out the most face masks during a shift to protect against the coronavirus. The parachute rigging unit is essential to Airborne operations at Fort Bragg. On any given day, their...
Florida man encases self in concrete at governor’s mansion
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida man encased himself in concrete Friday outside the Governor’s Mansion in the state capital apparently to protest prison conditions related to the coronavirus. Tallahassee police spokesman Kevin Bradshaw said the man, identified as 28-year-old Jordan Mazurek, put PVC pipes horizontally into two 55-gallon plastic drums...
Comic-Con canceled over coronavirus, plans 2021 return
LOS ANGELES — This year’s San Diego Comic-Con has been canceled due to coronavirus-related restrictions around large gatherings. Organizers say they are planning for the festival to return in July 2021. The annual confab was scheduled to take place July 23-26 in and around the San Diego Convention Center. California...
‘Heartbreaking’ report shows virus ravaging N.Y. nursing homes
ALBANY, N.Y. — The despair wrought on nursing homes by the coronavirus was laid bare Friday in a state survey identifying numerous New York facilities where multiple patients died over the past few weeks. Nineteen of the state’s nursing homes reported 20 or more deaths linked to the pandemic, the...
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo slams feds for ‘passing the buck’ on coronavirus
NEW YORK — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo slammed the federal government for “passing the buck” amid the coronavirus crisis — and President Donald Trump wasted no time in hitting him back for “complaining.” Cuomo accused Congress and President Donald Trump of ignoring the financial needs of hard-hit state governments...
