AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The red-cockaded woodpecker, an iconic bird in southeastern forests, has recovered enough of its population to be downlisted from an endangered species to a threatened one. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the status change on Thursday. At one point in the 1970s, the red-cockaded woodpecker population had
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — In a rare move, the Pentagon is strongly pushing back against misinformation spread on social media that falsely suggests U.S. troops have been authorized to use force against American citizens during the election. The falsehood suggests that a Defense Department policy revision released in late September was timed to interfere
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Louisville police officer who used a battering ram to smash through Breonna Taylor’s front door testified in federal court Thursday. Detective Mike Nobles says the gunshots that went off shortly after were the loudest he’s ever heard. Police gunfire killed Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, who had been
Continue ReadingCOVINGTON, La. (AP) — It’s taken 38 years, but Louisiana authorities have finally identified a woman whose body was found floating in Lake Pontchartrain. The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said the homicide victim’s body was found June 19, 1986, near the Interstate 10 Twin Span bridges close to Slidell. For years, she was known
Continue ReadingSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnian police say a minor broke into a police station in northwest Bosnia on Thursday and killed one officer with a knife and injured another. The incident happened around 9p.m. on Thursday in the town of Bosanska Krupa. A spokesman said the attacker, born in 2009, went into the local police
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The owner and manager of the cargo ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse have agreed to pay more than $100 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department. Officials said in a news release Thursday that the settlement does not include any damages for rebuilding the bridge.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The most far-reaching of Ohio’s laws restricting abortion was struck down on Thursday by a county judge who said last year’s voter-approved amendment enshrining reproductive rights renders the so-called heartbeat law unconstitutional. Enforcement of the 2019 law banning most abortions once cardiac activity is detected — as early as
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Environmentalists accuse New York, New Jersey and Delaware in federal lawsuits of improperly allowing Atlantic sturgeon to be killed by commercial fishing operations even as the prehistoric fish is on the brink of disappearing. The three lawsuits from the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and Hudson Riverkeeper were filed Thursday and accuse the states of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The death of a famous grizzly bear on a highway in western Wyoming has made an orphan of its cub, leading many to wonder about his fate. Grizzly No. 399 died in a vehicle strike Tuesday. Since then, what will become of the grizzly’s cub has been a big
Continue ReadingMEXICO CITY (AP) — Hurricane Kristy has strengthened into a Category 5 storm. Forecasters say the major hurricane is expected to remain far from land as it churns in the Pacific Ocean and rapidly weakens over the coming days. The Miami-based National Hurricane Center says the hurricane was centered Thursday 970 miles southwest of the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press A California-based produce company was the source of fresh onions linked to a deadly E. coli food poisoning outbreak at McDonald’s, officials with the restaurant chain said Thursday. Meanwhile, other fast-food restaurants — including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King — pulled onions from some menus. McDonald’s officials said that Taylor
Continue ReadingBIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The former finance director for a city in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, has pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $1 million. Al.com reports that Robert Winston Burgett entered the plea Wednesday to three counts of wire fraud in federal court in Birmingham. Burgett worked for the City of Homewood for 13
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The White House says President Joe Biden will apologize on behalf of the U.S. government Friday for its 150-year campaign to break up Native American culture, language and identity by forcing children into abusive Indian boarding schools. More than 900 children died at the government-funded schools, the last of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DETROIT (AP) — A Michigan man has been released from prison after 22 years after Detroit-area prosecutors acknowledged that his murder conviction was tainted by the key testimony of a rogue police officer. The officer turned out to be a serial bank robber. Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy says no one knew the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Since going on strike last month, Boeing factory workers repeated one theme from their picket lines: They want their pensions back. Boeing froze its traditional pension plan when union members narrowly agreed to the move in exchange for keeping production of the company’s airline planes in the Seattle area. Like other large employers,
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is seeking information about the state of competition in air travel. The Justice Department and the Transportation Department announced the public inquiry on Thursday. The administration says it wants to learn more about the effect of mergers and joint ventures between airlines, and what it calls anticompetitive behavior by
Continue ReadingLOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors in Los Angeles are set to announce their decision on whether to call for resentencing Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were convicted of killing their parents in 1989 and are serving life without the possibility of parole. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has said there’s no doubt the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court in New York says a recent Supreme Court decision does not alter its conclusion that New York can enforce laws banning firearms in sensitive locations. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan wrote Thursday that it had reviewed its December 2023 decision in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press CLARKSTON, Ga. (AP) — Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama lent their star power to Kamala Harris’ quest for the presidency on Thursday, as the vice president implored Georgia voters to consider the “brutally serious” consequences if Donald Trump wins a second term in the White House. Harris asked voters to imagine who’ll be
Continue ReadingLAS VEGAS (AP) — A jury in Nevada has delivered a $5.2 billion award in the latest large-sum lawsuit against a former Las Vegas-based bottled water company that was found responsible for causing liver damage in customers before it was recalled from store shelves in 2021. A 12-day trial ended with the verdict Wednesday in
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