Associated Press stories, Page 1456
Iowa teens charged with killing teacher remain jailed
DES MOINES, Iowa — Two Iowa teenagers charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of their high school Spanish teacher will remain in jail after a judge opted to keep their bail bond at $1 million cash only in a decision released Friday. Attorneys for...
Belarus mother imprisoned for ‘unsanctioned mass gatherings’
A Belarus court on Friday sentenced a neighborhood activist to four years in prison for creating an “extremist group” on the messaging app Telegram, the country’s top rights group, Viasna, reported. Volha Zalatar, a 38-year old mother of five children, has been held in custody since March. She was arrested...
Vatican takes in 12 migrants as pope denounces indifference
NICOSIA, Cyprus — Pope Francis on Friday denounced the “culture of indifference” that the West shows migrants as the Vatican confirmed that at least a dozen asylum-seekers would be transferred from Cyprus to Italy in a gesture of solidarity with European countries that have received a disproportionate share of would-be...
Judge won’t dismiss 25 murder counts against Ohio doctor
A judge Friday refused to dismiss the 25-count murder indictment against an Ohio doctor accused of ordering excessive painkillers for hospital patients, meaning one of the biggest cases of its kind ever brought against a U.S. health care professional will proceed toward trial. William Husel, 46, has pleaded not guilty....
Study suggests past covid infection may not fend off omicron
South African scientists are warning that reinfections among people who’ve already battled covid-19 appear to be more likely with the new omicron variant than with earlier coronavirus mutants. A research group has been tracking reinfections in South Africa and reported a jump with the arrival of omicron that they hadn’t...
Parents of Michigan boy charged in Oxford school shooting
PONTIAC, Mich. — A prosecutor filed involuntary manslaughter charges Friday against the parents of a teen accused of killing four students at a Michigan high school, saying they failed to intervene on the day of the tragedy despite being confronted with a drawing and chilling message — “blood everywhere” —...
Columbia University grad student fatally stabbed, 2nd man wounded in NYC
NEW YORK — A Columbia University graduate student was fatally stabbed and another man was wounded in separate attacks near the university’s upper Manhattan campus, authorities said Friday. The stabbing suspect was arrested in Central Park while menacing a man with a knife, police said in a news release. The...
Pakistan police: Mob kills Sri Lankan over alleged blasphemy
LAHORE, Pakistan — A Muslim mob descended on a sports equipment factory in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province on Friday, killing a Sri Lankan man and burning his body publicly over allegations of blasphemy, police said. Armagan Gondal, a police chief in the district of Sialkot, where the killing occurred, said...
Biden says he caught a cold from young grandson
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has at least one thing in common with thousands of parents and grandparents this winter: He’s picked up a cold from his young grandson. The president has had an unusually low, scratchy voice and an occasional cough all week, prompting questions from the press about...
DNA inside conch shell leads to suspect in 2001 homicide
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — DNA recovered from the interior of a conch shell thought to have been used as a weapon in the 2001 killing of a Massachusetts woman has led to the indictment on a murder charge of the victim’s half-brother, prosecutors said. David Reed, 53, formerly of Acushnet...
Omicron may be driving South Africa’s surge; wary world watches
JOHANNESBURG — Dr. Sikhulile Moyo was analyzing covid-19 samples in his lab in Botswana last week when he noticed they looked startlingly different from others. Within days, the world was ablaze with the news that the coronavirus had a new variant of concern, which appears to be driving a dramatic...
Honda recalls SUVs and pickups because hoods can fly open
DETROIT — Honda is recalling nearly 725,000 SUVs and pickup trucks because the hoods can open while the vehicles are moving. The recall covers certain 2019 Passports, 2016 through 2019 Pilots and 2017 through 2020 Ridgeline pickups. Honda says in documents posted Friday by U.S. safety regulators that the hood...
U.S. jobless rate sinks to 4.2% as many more people find jobs
WASHINGTON — America’s employers slowed the pace of their hiring in November, adding 210,000 jobs, the lowest monthly gain in nearly a year. But Friday’s report from the Labor Department also showed that the nation’s unemployment rate tumbled from 4.6% to 4.2%, evidence that many more people reported that they...
Notre Dame promotes Marcus Freeman, 35, to replace Brian Kelly as coach
Notre Dame promoted defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to head coach of the Fighting Irish on Friday to replace Brian Kelly. Freeman, 35, takes over less than a week after Kelly’s surprising and abrupt departure for LSU with the Irish still in contention for the College Football Playoff spot. Kelly hired...
Fuel in tap water alarms Pearl Harbor military families
HONOLULU — Cheri Burness’ dog was the first to signal something was wrong with their tap water. He stopped drinking it two weeks ago. Then Burness started feeling stomach cramps. Her 12-year-old daughter was nauseous. “It was just getting worse every day,” said Burness, whose husband is in the Navy....
Unvaccinated Nevada state workers to pay insurance surcharge
CARSON CITY, Nev. — Nevada will be the first state to charge state workers enrolled in public employee health insurance plans a surcharge if they aren’t vaccinated. The state Public Employees’ Benefit Program Board voted on Thursday to charge unvaccinated workers up to $55 per month to offset the costs...
Defense lifts Cowboys to victory over sinking SaintsVideo
NEW ORLEANS — CeeDee Lamb had 122 yards from scrimmage, Tony Pollard had a 58-yard touchdown run and the Dallas defense produced timely sacks and turnovers in the Cowboys’ 27-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night. The Cowboys intercepted Saints quarterback Taysom Hill three times in the...
Rich? Want to be a U.S. senator? Welcome to Pennsylvania!
Rich, Republican and want to be a U.S. senator? Pennsylvania might as well hang a welcome sign. The presidential battleground state’s high-stakes race for an open Senate seat is seeing candidates with big bank accounts and big-time connections exchanging their blue-state mansions for decidedly purple Pennsylvania, and pursuing an opportunity...
Sheriff: Georgia teen killed as brother sells homemade gun
ATLANTA — A 14-year-old Georgia girl was killed when her younger brother was trying to sell a homemade gun, and he fired a shot at people who took the weapon without paying, a sheriff said. The shot struck Kyra Scott, and she died as her mother was trying to take...
Winter of waiting: Baseball fans hope MLB lockout fleetingVideo
PHOENIX — The only hint of activity outside of Chase Field on Thursday afternoon was the low humming noise from a construction crew, which was busy hanging some signs for an upcoming college football bowl game. Otherwise, the home of MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks was quiet, almost serene. That’s fine —...
Rory McIlroy part of 3-way tie for lead in Hero World ChallengeVideo
NASSAU, Bahamas — Rory McIlroy has gone from tears at the Ryder Cup to some of his best golf of the year, and right now his only complaint is the calendar. “I wish it was the end of March,” McIlroy said Thursday after a 6-under-par 66 to share the lead...
Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall stepping down after bowl gameVideo
Bronco Mendenhall said the thought that it was time to do something else first came to him the day after his team’s dispiriting loss to Virginia Tech. In the ensuing days, Virginia’s coach considered other solutions, but as the week progressed he felt more clarity. He announced Thursday he’s stepping...
Lawyers allied with Trump ordered to pay $175K in sanctions
LANSING, Mich. — Nine lawyers allied with former President Donald Trump were ordered Thursday to pay Detroit and Michigan a total of $175,000 in sanctions for abusing the court system with a sham lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results. The money, which must be paid within 30 days, will cover...
Iowa vs. Michigan is the Big Ten title game almost no one expectedVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Iowa opened this season as the trendy pick to finish second in the Big Ten West. Michigan was unranked in the preseason poll and wasn’t even supposed to contend for the East Division title. So much for predictions. Two of the conference’s traditional powers will play Saturday in...
Senate passes stopgap funding bill, avoiding shutdown
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill Thursday that avoids a short-term shutdown and funds the federal government through Feb. 18 after leaders defused a partisan standoff over federal vaccine mandates. The measure now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Earlier in the day,...
