U.S. approves updated covid vaccines to rev up protection this fall
WASHINGTON — The U.S. approved updated covid-19 vaccines Monday, hoping to rev up protection against the latest coronavirus strains and blunt any surge this fall and winter. The Food and Drug Administration decision opens the newest shots from Moderna and Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to most Americans even if...
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano alert level is downgraded after latest eruption
HONOLULU — The alert level on Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, was downgraded Monday with no infrastructure threatened and no threat of significant ash emission into the atmosphere outside a limited area within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The downgrade came one day after the volcano...
Explosion and fire injures 9 workers at Illinois soybean processing plant
DECATUR, Ill. — An explosion and fire at a soybean processing facility in Illinois injured eight employees over the weekend and sent a tower of smoke into the air, officials said Monday. The explosion occurred at the east plant in the Archer Daniels Midland processing complex shortly after 7 p.m....
‘Stop Cop City’ petition campaign in limbo as Atlanta officials refuse to process signatures
ATLANTA — Atlanta officials refused to verify tens of thousands of signatures submitted on Monday by activists trying to stop the construction of a police and firefighter training center, the latest setback for organizers who have accused the city of trying to illegitimately push the project forward. The activists had...
Trial begins over Texas voter laws that sparked 38-day walkout by Democrats in 2021
SAN ANTONIO — A trial began Monday over a sweeping Texas voting law that sparked a 38-day walkout by Democrats in 2021, part of Republican efforts across the U.S. to pass new voting restrictions following President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election. The lawsuit was brought by a...
Ian Wilmut, a British scientist who led the team that cloned Dolly the Sheep, dies at age 79
LONDON — Ian Wilmut, the cloning pioneer whose work was critical to the creation of Dolly the Sheep in 1996, has died, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland said Monday. He was 79. Wilmut set off a global discussion about the ethics of cloning when he announced that his team...
Flooding in eastern Libya after weekend storm leaves 2,000 people feared dead
CAIRO — Mediterranean storm Daniel caused devastating floods in Libya that broke dams and swept away entire neighborhoods in multiple coastal towns in the east of the North African nation. As many as 2,000 people were feared dead, one of the country’s leaders said Monday. The destruction appeared greatest in...
JetBlue is stepping up a campaign to save its plan to buy Spirit Airlines for $3.8 billion
NEW YORK — JetBlue Airways said Monday it has reached an agreement to turn over Spirit Airlines’ operations at airports in Boston and Newark, New Jersey, as JetBlue ramps up its effort to win regulatory or court approval to buy Spirit. JetBlue CEO Robin Hays said the announcement “is aimed...
Pa. Republicans have the candidate they want for U.S. Senate. They just need him to run
HARRISBURG — Republicans trying to recapture the U.S. Senate majority have the candidate they want in Pennsylvania. Now they just need David McCormick to run. Almost since the moment he lost last year’s Senate GOP primary, McCormick has floated the possibility that he would again seek the party’s nomination for...
Bells toll as the U.S. marks 22 years since 9/11, from ground zero to Alaska
NEW YORK — With tolling bells, personal tributes and tears, Americans looked back Monday on 9/11 at anniversary observances that stretched from ground zero to small towns. People gathered at memorials, firehouses, city halls, campuses and elsewhere to observe the 22nd anniversary of the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil....
Hurricane Lee unleashes heavy swell on northern Caribbean as it charges through open watersVideo
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Hurricane Lee barreled Sunday through open waters just northeast of the Caribbean, unleashing heavy swell on several islands. The Category 2 storm is not forecast to make landfall and is expected to stay over open waters through Friday. On Sunday morning, it was centered about...
Escaped murderer still at large slips out of search area, changes appearance, tries to contact ex-co-workers
PHOENIXVILLE — Authorities searched Monday for an escaped murderer who has eluded capture since breaking out of a southeastern Pennsylvania prison a week and a half ago after they said over the weekend he slipped out of the search area, changed his appearance, stole a dairy delivery van and tried...
Aftershock rattles Morocco as rescuers seek survivors from the earthquake that killed over 2,100
AMIZMIZ, Morocco —An aftershock rattled Moroccans on Sunday as they mourned victims of the nation’s strongest earthquake in more than a century and sought to rescue survivors while soldiers and aid workers raced to reach ruined mountain villages. The disaster killed more than 2,100 people — a number that is...
Biden says Vietnam deal is about global stability, not containing China
HANOI — President Joe Biden insisted Sunday that he is not trying to start a “cold war” with China as he made his first visit to Vietnam, saying his goal is to provide stability around the world by building U.S. ties with Vietnam and other Asian countries. “We have an...
Terrorism suspect who escaped from London prison is captured while riding a bike
LONDON — A former British soldier facing terrorism charges who snuck out of a London prison on a food delivery truck was captured Saturday, police said. Daniel Abed Khalife was nabbed while riding a bicycle along a canal path west of London after a four-day manhunt. Khalife escaped from the...
Hurricane Lee is charting a new course in weather and could signal more monster storms
ATLANTA — Hurricane Lee is rewriting old rules of meteorology, leaving experts astonished at how rapidly it grew into a goliath Category 5 hurricane. Lee — which just as quickly dropped to a still-dangerous Category 3 and held that strength Saturday — could still be a harbinger as ocean temperatures...
Police announce 2 more confirmed sightings of escaped murderer on the run in Pennsylvania
WEST CHESTER, Pa. — Police on Saturday reported two more confirmed sightings of an escaped murderer on the run for more than a week in southeast Pennsylvania amid a search by hundreds of law enforcement officers. Danelo Souza Cavalcante, 34, escaped from the Chester County Prison while awaiting transfer to...
Powerful quake in Morocco kills more than 1,300 people and damages historic buildings in Marrakech
MARRAKECH, Morocco — A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco, sending people racing from their beds into the streets and toppling buildings in mountainous villages and ancient cities not built to withstand such force. More than 1,300 people were killed, and the toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled Saturday...
Morocco struggles after rare, powerful earthquake kills and injures scores of people
ALGIERS, Algeria — Algeria has offered humanitarian aid to neighboring Morocco after a powerful earthquake in the kingdom on Friday night left more than 1,000 people dead. In an exceptional move, Algeria offered to open its airspace to allow eventual humanitarian aid or medical evacuation flights to travel to and...
Teen’s death leads to outpouring of concern over spicy chip challenge as sales are halted
WORCESTER, Mass. — The death of a Massachusetts teenager after his family said he ate an extremely spicy tortilla chip has led to an outpouring of concern about the social media challenge and prompted retailers to pull the product from their shelves at the manufacturer’s request. The family of Harris...
The number of people missing following devastating Maui wildfires has dropped to 66, governor says
HONOLULU — The number of people still missing following wildfires that destroyed the historic community of Lahaina a month ago has dropped to 66, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Friday, while the number of confirmed deaths remained at 115. The tally of the missing is now significantly lower than a...
Bedford County turnpike plaza to close gas pumps for eight-week maintenance project Monday
The gas pumps at the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s westbound North Midway Service Plaza in Bedford County will close on Monday. The pumps will be unavailable for about eight weeks while the fuel provider, 7-Eleven, replaces the underground fuel tanks, lines and dispensers, spokesperson Crispin Havener said in a statement. While there...
Latest sighting of fugitive killer in Pennsylvania spurs closure of popular botanical garden
WEST CHESTER, Pa. — One of the country’s top botanical gardens has been closed indefinitely after reports that an escaped murderer on the run in southeast Pennsylvania may have once again been spotted on the property. When Longwood Gardens closed Thursday night, people who remained on the property were told...
Pelosi says she’ll run for reelection in 2024 as Democrats try to win back House majority
WASHINGTON — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday she will run for reelection to another term in Congress as Democrats work to win back the majority in 2024. Pelosi, 83, made the announcement before labor allies in the San Francisco area district she has represented for more than 35...
Special grand jury recommended charges against Sen. Graham, 2 ex-senators, Michael Flynn
ATLANTA — A special grand jury that aided a Georgia election subversion probe that ultimately ended up indicting Donald Trump and 18 others had recommended charging many more people, including South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, two former senators from Georgia and Michael Flynn, according to a report released Friday. Parts...
