U.S./World category, Page 856
Arizona, 15th state with legal pot, sees recreational sales
Legal sales of recreational marijuana in Arizona started on Friday, a once-unthinkable step in the former conservative stronghold that joins 14 other states that have broadly legalized pot. The state Health Services Department on Friday announced it had approved 86 licenses in nine of the state’s 15 counties under provisions...
Florida governor walks back claim over 1 millionth shot
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had a made-for-TV moment: A 100-year-old World War II veteran getting a vaccine against the coronavirus. “An American hero,” the governor proclaimed Friday, would be the 1 millionth senior in his state to get a lifesaving shot in the arm. As it turned...
Key West wants to ban people from feeding roaming chickens
Feral chickens run free in Key West, just one of those things that keep the Southernmost City charmingly weird. But what’s delightful here and there becomes a nuisance when they’re everywhere. With the population getting out of hand, city commissioners are taking action — not by hunting down the fixings...
UK chief scientist says new virus variant may be more deadly
LONDON — There is some evidence that a new coronavirus variant first identified in southeast England carries a higher risk of death than the original strain, the British government’s chief scientific adviser said Friday — though he stressed that the data is uncertain. Patrick Vallance told a news conference that...
Biden orders review of domestic violent extremism threat
President Joe Biden has directed law enforcement and intelligence officials in his administration to study the threat of domestic violent extremism in the United States, an undertaking being launched weeks after a mob of insurgents loyal to Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol. The disclosure Friday by White House press...
Twitter bans suspect Iran account after post threatens Trump
Twitter said Friday it has permanently banned an account that some in Iran believe is linked to the office of the country’s supreme leader after a posting that seemed to threaten former President Donald Trump. In the image posted by the suspect account late Thursday, Trump is shown playing golf...
Dry January is moist for some at the rocky start of 2021
NEW YORK — A raging pandemic, tumultuous presidential election and deadly Capitol insurrection have combined to make the annual tradition of Dry January more moist than air-tight for some. Not Sarah Arvizo. She considers it her easiest yet. As much as the 32-year-old Manhattanite would love to partake in a...
Man pleads guilty to deaths of 36 people in California warehouse fire
OAKLAND, Calif. — The master tenant of a San Francisco Bay Area warehouse where 36 people perished when a fire ignited during a dance party in 2016 pleaded guilty Friday to the deaths, avoiding a second trial after the first ended in a hung jury. Derick Almena, 50, pleaded guilty...
Oklahoma lawmaker proposes ‘Bigfoot’ hunting season
OKLAHOMA CITY — A mythical, ape-like creature that has captured the imagination of adventurers for decades has now become the target of a state lawmaker in Oklahoma. A Republican House member has introduced a bill that would create a Bigfoot hunting season. Rep. Justin Humphrey’s district includes the heavily forested...
Nearly $1B Mega Millions prize because of long odds, slow sales
DES MOINES, Iowa — The jackpot for the Mega Millions lottery game has grown to nearly $1 billion ahead of Friday night’s drawing after more than four months without a winner thanks to bad luck, poor odds and reduced play partially blamed on the coronavirus pandemic. It’s only the third...
Google threatens to pull search engine in Australia
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Google on Friday threatened to make its search engine unavailable in Australia if the government went ahead with plans to make tech giants pay for news content. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison quickly hit back, saying “we don’t respond to threats.” “Australia makes our rules for...
Congress poised for quick action on Biden’s Pentagon nominee
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled Congress has easily passed legislation required to confirm retired Gen. Lloyd Austin as President Joe Biden’s secretary of defense, brushing aside concerns that his retirement occurred inside the seven-year window that safeguards civilian leadership of the military. It would be the first measure to be signed...
Amid cancellation talk, Tokyo Olympics ‘focused on hosting’
TOKYO — IOC President Thomas Bach and local organizers are pushing back against reports that the postponed Tokyo Olympics will be canceled. Now set to open July 23, the Tokyo Games were postponed 10 months ago at the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and now the event appears threatened again....
FBI: Michigan man with hockey stick assaulted Capitol cops during riot
DETROIT — A Michigan man carrying a hockey stick during the U.S. Capitol riot struck police officers who were outdoors trying to protect the building, the FBI said Thursday. Michael Foy of Wixom was charged with five crimes, including assault and obstruction of law enforcement, for his alleged role in...
5 killed in blaze at Indian producer of covid-19 vaccineVideo
PUNE, India — At least five people were killed in a fire that broke out Thursday at a building under construction at Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, officials said. The company said the blaze would not affect production of the covid-19 vaccine. Murlidhar Mohol, mayor of...
Texas doctor accused of taking damaged vial of covid-19 vaccine for family, friends
HOUSTON — A Houston area health department doctor accused by prosecutors of stealing nine doses of coronavirus vaccine from a damaged vial and administering them to family and friends insists he did nothing wrong and was only trying to ensure the vaccine was not wasted, his attorney said Thursday. Authorities...
Japanese government: Tokyo Olympics on thin ice because of covidVideo
Japan’s government has privately agreed that the Tokyo Olympics will have to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, The (London) Times reported on Friday, citing an unnamed senior member of the ruling coalition. The government’s focus is now securing the Games for Tokyo in the next available spot, 2032,...
Attorneys: Tennessee man in Capitol riot danger to community
NASHVILLE — Federal prosecutors said a Tennessee man who carried flexible plastic handcuffs around the U.S. Capitol during the recent raid by Trump supporters is a danger to his community and a serious flight risk, and are asking that he be detained until trial. In a court filing ahead of...
Priest punished for going to Trump rally before Capitol riot
LIMA, Ohio — An Orthodox priest in Ohio said he was suspended for attending President Donald Trump’s rally near the White House three weeks ago before a mob of supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Father Mark Hodges said he was told by a church leader that he was “guilty by...
Montana appliance store owner charged in U.S. Capitol breach
HELENA, Mont. — A Montana appliance store owner and supporter of former President Donald Trump was charged Thursday in connection with the breach of the U.S. Capitol while Congress was certifying the Electoral College vote. Videos taken inside the Capitol and social media posts led to the arrest of Henry...
Dog spends days outside Turkish hospital waiting for owner
A devoted dog has spent days waiting outside a hospital in northern Turkey where her sick owner was receiving treatment. The pet, Boncuk, which means bead, followed the ambulance that transported her owner, Cemal Senturk, to hospital in the Black Sea city of Trabzon on Jan. 14. She then made...
Judge denies request to delay cop’s trial in Floyd’s death
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota judge said he won’t reconsider his decision to hold a March trial for the former Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck for several minutes even though the Black man said he couldn’t breathe, according to a ruling made public Thursday. Hennepin County Judge...
Pope moves Down syndrome MD-advocate closer to sainthood
ROME — The French doctor who discovered the genetic basis of Down syndrome but spent his career advocating against abortion as a result of prenatal diagnosis has taken his first major step to possible sainthood. Pope Francis on Thursday approved the “heroic virtues” of Dr. Jerome Lejeune, who lived from...
Vermont bill would ban guns in government buildings, hospitals
MONTPELIER, Vt. — A state Senate committee is considering a bill that would ban the possession of guns in government buildings, hospitals and child care centers, following the siege of the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard nearly three hours of testimony Wednesday, the Bennington Banner...
World leaders laud U.S. return to climate fight under Biden
BERLIN — World leaders breathed an audible sigh of relief that the United States under President Joe Biden is rejoining the global effort to curb climate change, a cause that his predecessor had shunned. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron were among those welcoming Biden’s decision...
