U.S./World category, Page 775
Gunman who killed 1, injured 3 at San Diego-area synagogue gets life in prison
SAN DIEGO — With victims and their families watching in a crowded San Diego courtroom, the gunman who opened fire at a Poway synagogue in 2019, killing one worshipper and injuring three others, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without parole. It was the expected sentence for John T....
Military suicides rise 15% as senior leaders call for action
WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. military suicides jumped by 15% last year, fueled by significant increases in the Army and Marine Corps that senior leaders called troubling. They urged more effort to reverse the trend. According to data released Thursday, there were 580 suicides last year compared with 504...
Man stuck in Arizona storm drain saved after he waves arm
GLENDALE, Ariz. — A man who got stuck inside a metro Phoenix storm drain was rescued on Thursday after people passing by saw the man waving his arm from the drain, officials said. The people stopped to see if the man needed help, Glendale Fire Department spokeswoman Ashley Losch said,...
United says some workers facing termination got vaccinated
DALLAS — United Airlines says the number of employees facing termination for refusing to get vaccinated against covid-19 has dropped nearly by half, to 320, as more workers provide evidence of vaccination. An airline spokeswoman said Thursday that the declining number of potential firings shows that the company’s policy of...
Baltimore argues Catholic group’s rally could bring violence
A conservative Roman Catholic media outlet seeking to stage a rally during a U.S. bishops’ meeting in Baltimore claims city officials canceled the event because they disapprove of its religious message. The city says the gathering poses a threat to public safety, claiming the fringe group cheered on rioters who...
Boy shot, wounded at Tennessee school; juvenile sought
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A boy was shot and wounded Thursday at a school in Memphis, Tenn., authorities said. The shooting was reported at Cummings School, Memphis police said in a statement. The school includes grades kindergarten through eighth, according to its website. The boy was taken to a hospital in...
Taliban order fighters out of Afghan homes they took over
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban on Thursday ordered their fighters to leave private homes they had taken over during last month’s blitz when the group seized control of Afghanistan, an apparent effort to impose order among Taliban ranks. Meanwhile, in the capital of Kabul, the Taliban fired shots to disperse...
Powerball jackpot rises to $620 million, 6th largest largest ever
DES MOINES, Iowa — After nearly four months without a big winner, the Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $620 million, making it the sixth largest ever for the lottery game ahead of Saturday night’s drawing. There have been 39 drawings in a row without a Powerball grand prize...
Woman who survived 1918 flu, world war succumbs to covid
She lived a life of adventure that spanned two continents. She fell in love with a World War II fighter pilot, barely escaped Europe ahead of Benito Mussolini’s fascists, ground steel for the U.S. war effort and advocated for her disabled daughter in a far less enlightened time. She was,...
It’s flu vaccine time, even if you’ve had your covid shots
Amid all the focus on covid-19 vaccinations, U.S. health experts have another plea: Don’t skip your flu shot. Flu cases have dropped to historically low levels during the pandemic. The U.S. and Europe experienced hardly any flu last winter, and the Southern Hemisphere just ended its second flu season of...
3 firefighters critical, 5 other people injured in explosion at Dallas apartment buildingVideo
DALLAS — An explosion tore apart an apartment building Wednesday morning in south Dallas, injuring at least eight people. Dallas Fire-Rescue was called about a gas leak at the Highland Hills Apartments in the Oak Cliff area about 10:20 a.m. When firefighters arrived, they could smell gas near one of...
House panel subpoenas organizers of Jan. 6 Trump rally
WASHINGTON — A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has subpoenaed 11 officials who were involved in planning rallies in support of former President Donald Trump ahead of the violent attack, including one the day of the siege at which the president told his supporters to “fight like...
Postal Service changes may slow some deliveries, boost first-class prices for holidays
Folks dropping letters in the mail starting Friday may want to add a few extra days for transit if their missives are going cross-country. Likewise, anyone sending packages and cards around the holiday season will want to have a smidge of extra cash on hand to pay the postage piper....
Hurricane Sam bringing a rough surf weekend to East Coast
MIAMI — Beachgoers along the east coast of the United States should beware of life-threatening surf and rip currents this weekend as Hurricane Sam turns northward, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday. Forecasters expect the Category 4 hurricane to remain at sea, but with top wind of 130 mph, it’s...
Friends from Ohio get 45 days in jail for Capitol riot
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Federal prosecutors assert that everybody who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 should be evaluated individually when deciding whether a prison sentence is warranted. On Wednesday, a judge accepted the Justice Department’s assessment that two friends from Ohio fall into a category of rioters who...
U.S. general: Afghan collapse rooted in 2020 deal with Taliban
WASHINGTON — Senior Pentagon officials said Wednesday the collapse of the Afghan government and its security forces in August could be traced to a 2020 U.S. agreement with the Taliban that promised a complete U.S. troop withdrawal. Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of Central Command, told the House Armed Services...
North Korea says hypersonic missile made 1st test flight
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Wednesday that it successfully tested a new hypersonic missile it implied was being developed as nuclear capable, as it continues to expand its military capabilities and pressure Washington and Seoul over long-stalled negotiations over its nuclear weapons. The missile test early Tuesday was...
Hurricane Ida devastation lingers in Louisiana 1 month later
IRONTON, La. — The land on which Audrey Trufant Salvant’s home sits in the small Louisiana town of Ironton has become an island in a sea of mud and snake-infested marsh grass. Nearby houses are disconnected from their foundations, a refrigerator is lodged sideways in a tree, and dozens of...
U.S. says ivory-billed woodpecker, 22 other species extinct
BILLINGS, Mont. — Death’s come knocking a last time for the splendid ivory-billed woodpecker and 22 more birds, fish and other species: The U.S. government is declaring them extinct. It’s a rare move for wildlife officials to give up hope on a plant or animal, but government scientists say they’ve...
U.K. officer accused of citing covid to detain slaying victim
LONDON — A prosecutor argued Wednesday that a serving London police officer handcuffed a woman on the pretext of breaking covid-19 lockdown rules before he kidnapped and killed her. Wayne Couzens, 48, appeared at London’s Central Criminal Court charged with the kidnap, rape and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who...
6 arrested at Greek school protest backed by far-right group
THESSALONIKI, Greece — Police in northern Greece have arrested six people and detained at least 40 others following clashes involving youths backed by an extreme right-wing political group. The youths entered a vocational high school and hurled gasoline bombs, flares and rocks at a rival gathering organized by left-wing university...
Gang clash at Ecuador prison kills 30 inmates and injures 47
QUITO, Ecuador — A battle between prison gangs in the coastal city of Guayaquil killed 30 inmates and injured 47, according to Ecuadorian officials. Police Commander Fabian Bustos told reporters that a police and military operation had regained control of the prison after five hours. He said several weapons had...
London honors Princes Diana with blue plaque at former home
LONDON — London finally honored the late Princess Diana on Wednesday with a blue plaque at the place she called home in the two years before she married Prince Charles and her life in the goldfish bowl began. For Diana, 60 Coleherne Court, an apartment near London’s fashionable King’s Road,...
Capitol Police chief sees rising threats
WASHINGTON — The newly installed chief of the U.S. Capitol Police says the force, still struggling six months after an insurrection that left its officers battled, bloodied and bruised, “cannot afford to be complacent.” The risk to lawmakers is higher than ever. And the threat from lone-wolf attackers is only...
Washington state man who sexually exploited teens sentenced to 20 years
RIDGEFIELD, Wash. — A southwest Washington man who pleaded guilty in a scheme in which he enticed and pressured teens into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Joshua Punt, of Ridgefield, pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in...
