U.S./World category, Page 832
Vatican excludes gay union blessing as God ‘can’t bless sin’
ROME — The Vatican decreed Monday that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions since God “cannot bless sin.” The Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy can bless gay unions. The answer, contained...
State TV: Iran inaugurates new underground missile facility
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard on Monday inaugurated a new underground facility designated for missile storage, the country’s state TV reported. The report quotes Guard commander Gen. Hossein Salami as saying that cruise and ballistic missiles will empower the force’s navy even more. The TV report showed footage...
Arrest warrant issued after woman rejects mask at Texas bank
GALVESTON, Texas — An arrest warrant was issued for a woman who refused to wear a mask at a Texas bank, saying to a police officer: “What are you going to do, arrest me?” Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Terry Wright, 65, of Grants Pass, Oregon....
Coworkers: Army reservist charged in Capitol riot had a Hitler mustache
WASHINGTON — An Army reservist charged with taking part in the attack on the U.S. Capitol was known as a Nazi sympathizer who wore a Hitler mustache, coworkers told federal investigators. Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, 30, was employed as a security contractor at a Navy base when he was alleged to have...
IRS online tool lets you track your stimulus money
Once again, the U.S. government is handing out money. And, once again, there’s a way to find out where your check is. A year ago, the IRS launched the online “Get My Payment” tool that let you check your payment status and confirm your payment type: direct deposit or check....
Winter storm closes roads in Wyoming, Colorado, NebraskaVideo
A powerful late winter snowstorm intensified over the central Rocky Mountains on Sunday with heavy snow and wind leading to airport and road closures, power outages and avalanche warnings in parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. The National Weather Service in Wyoming called it a “historic and crippling” winter storm...
London police under pressure over clashes at women’s vigil
LONDON — London’s Metropolitan Police force was under heavy pressure Sunday to explain its actions during a vigil for a woman whom one of the force’s own officers is accused of murdering. Hundreds defied coronavirus restrictions to gather and protest violence against women, but the event ended with clashes between...
2 killed, 13 wounded at party on Chicago’s South Side
CHICAGO — Gunfire erupted at a party on Chicago’s South Side early Sunday, killing two people and wounding 13 others, authorities said. Officers responded at around 4:40 a.m., police spokesman Jose Jara said in a statement. Those shot were between the ages of 20 to 44. Jara earlier said 12...
Democrats bank on relief aid to win back wary working class
JEANNETTE — When Joe Biden visited this corner of southwestern Pennsylvania in the final weeks before the election, his goal wasn’t to win it so much as to show the area’s overwhelmingly white working-class electorate that his party was at least willing to try. “A lot of white, working-class Democrats...
In Louisville, Breonna Taylor’s family honors her legacy
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — On the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s death, the slain Black woman’s family continued their call for justice as hundreds of demonstrators gathered in downtown Louisville on Saturday. “Eyes are on Louisville, Kentucky, today so let’s show America what community looks like,” said Taylor’s aunt, Bianca Austin,...
Miami Beach police disperse ‘unruly’ spring break crowd
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Police in Miami Beach kicked off what was expected to be a busy spring break weekend by shooting pepper balls in order to disperse a crowd that had gathered around officers who were making an arrest. The Miami Beach Police Department tweeted Friday night that two...
Calif. Gov. Newsom admits mistakes, says recall isn’t justified
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged mistakes in his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, but insists the recall effort against him has more to do with politics than the public health crisis. Newsom made his most direct comments yet about the push to unseat him during an interview...
U.S. air travel on the rebound despite pandemic
WASHINGTON — Commercial air travel appears to be on the upswing despite the coronavirus pandemic. The Transportation Security Administration said its agents screened more than 1.3 million passengers at airport security checkpoints nationwide on Friday. Spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said in a tweet that the last time the number was that...
How Cuomo investigation, possible impeachment could play out
NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo has urged New Yorkers to “wait for the facts.” Patience, though, has grown thin. The state’s two U.S. senators, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and most of the other 29 members of New York’s congressional delegation have called for his...
Spacewalkers take extra safety precautions for toxic ammonia
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Spacewalking astronauts had to take extra safety precautions Saturday after possibly getting toxic ammonia on their suits from the International Space Station’s external cooling system. Victor Glover and Mike Hopkins had no trouble removing and venting a couple of old jumper cables to remove any ammonia...
More than 1,000 Guard troops now leaving D.C.; others stay on
WASHINGTON — More than 1,000 National Guard members will be leaving Washington, D.C. over the next few days, but several thousand others will stay on for days or weeks, in the ongoing mission to provide security for the U.S. Capitol that has drawn criticism from lawmakers and reluctance from the...
Immigrant living in church for years wins temporary reprieve
BEDFORD, Mass. — A Guatemalan woman who has been living in a Massachusetts church for more than three years to avoid deportation has been granted a reprieve to remain in the country for now. Maria Macario was issued a one-year stay of her deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement...
Wyoming shelves hate crime law decades after Shepard’s death
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Lawmakers in Wyoming, where gay college student Matthew Shepard was killed more than 20 years ago, again decided not to adopt a hate crimes law. Wyoming is one of just three states that haven’t enacted hate crimes legislation since Shepard was beaten and left for dead in...
Governors applaud Biden’s vaccine timeline, but need supply
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Governors largely cheered President Joe Biden’s declaration that all adults should be eligible for coronavirus vaccinations by May 1, but the goal will require a shift for states that have been methodical in how they roll out the shots. The top health official in California said the...
IRS says new round of covid relief payments on the way
WASHINGTON — Along with daylight saving time, this weekend could bring Americans fatter bank balances. Officials at the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service said Friday that processing of the new round of stimulus payments has already begun, with the aim of having the first payments start showing up in...
Dutch inventor of audio cassette tape, Lou Ottens, dies at age 94
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Lou Ottens, the Dutch inventor of the cassette tape, the medium of choice for millions of bedroom mix tapes, has died, said Philips, the company where he also helped develop the compact disc. Ottens died Saturday at age 94, Philips confirmed. A structural engineer who trained...
Brazil reaches deal for 10 million shots of Russian vaccine
Brazil’s federal government said Friday it has reached a deal to purchase 10 million doses of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine against covid-19, though the shot is yet to be approved by the South American nation’s health agency. The Brazilian Health Ministry said on Twitter that the jabs will be...
Minneapolis reaches historic $27M settlement with George Floyd’s family
The city of Minneapolis on Friday agreed to pay $27 million to settle a civil lawsuit from George Floyd’s family over the Black man’s death in police custody, as jury selection continued in a former officer’s murder trial. Council members met privately to discuss the settlement, then returned to public...
UN says Ebola in Guinea may be linked to 2014 outbreak
A top official at the World Health Organization said that a genetic analysis of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Guinea suggests it may have been sparked by a survivor of the devastating West Africa epidemic that ended five years ago. At a press briefing in Geneva, WHO emergencies chief Dr....
Maskless, boozing JetBlue passenger faces $14,500 FAA fine
An airline passenger could wind up paying $14,500 for refusing to wear a face mask and drinking alcohol that he had brought on board. The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it proposed the civil penalty against a passenger on a Dec. 23 JetBlue Airways flight that left New York’s John...
