Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Five climate activists who planned a protest to cause gridlock and block traffic over four days on a major highway circling London have been sentenced to as much as five years in prison. Judge Christopher Hehir on Thursday gave Just Stop Oil co-founder Roger Hallam the longest sentence and four-year
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — Some 3.3 million steam cleaners are being recalled across North America due to a burn hazard that has resulted in consumers reporting more than 150 injuries. Select models of Bissell-branded “Steam Shot Handheld Steam Cleaners” can spew hot water or steam while the products are in use or being heated up,
Continue ReadingHUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — The founder and owner of the iconic West Virginia chain Gino’s Pizza and Spaghetti House has died. William “Kenney” Grant was 94. That is according to his obituary. He died Wednesday. A native of Huntington, Grant founded Gino’s in 1961. He gradually expanded the business, which currently has around 40 locations
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The 20-year-old Pennsylvania man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump had photos on his phone of the former Republican president, President Joe Biden and other officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Chris Wray, according to two people familiar with the matter. Investigators searching Thomas Matthew Crooks’ devices
Continue ReadingANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Prosecutors say a federal judge in Alaska who resigned after a scathing investigation found he had engaged in inappropriate conduct with staff and attorneys did not disclose conflicts of interest in 23 criminal cases before him. The Anchorage Daily News reports Alaska Federal Defender Jamie McGrady said her office will conduct
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON The Biden administration is cancelling an additional $1.2 billion in student loans for borrowers who work in public service through changes to an existing forgiveness program. The relief for roughly 35,000 borrowers was announced Thursday by the Education Department and made through changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which benefits workers such
Continue ReadingAP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials on Thursday authorized sales of the best-selling e-cigarette in the U.S., Vuse Alto, allowing manufacturer Reynolds American to keep the vaping brand on the market for years to come. The Food and Drug Administration decision only applies to several tobacco-flavored versions of the reusable product, which
Continue ReadingAssociated Press CHILLICOTHE, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court has cleared the way for the release of a Missouri woman whose murder conviction was overturned after she served 43 years in prison, but she still remained in custody as of Thursday evening. A circuit court judge ruled last month that Sandra Hemme’s attorneys showed
Continue ReadingROME (AP) — The Vatican is insisting at the close of a trial in London that it was the victim of a years-long fraud over its investment in a London property. The Vatican submitted a final concluding statement on Thursday at the close of the trial brought by British-Italian broker Raffaele Mincione. Mincione is seeking
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey has decided to move let a proposal for a backup power plant at one of the country’s largest sewage treatment facilities move forward. Newark residents have put up a hard fight against it, and they’re angry about the decision. The existing plant dumped some 840 million gallons
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. government says $325 million in federal funds will be available for solar and battery storage installations across Puerto Rico as the U.S. territory struggles with chronic power outages. The U.S. Department of Energy program will target community centers and healthcare facilities, as well as common
Continue ReadingAssociated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that Mississippi legislators, not the courts, must decide whether to change the state’s practice of stripping voting rights from people convicted of certain felonies. The list of disenfranchising crimes includes nonviolent crimes such as forgery and timber theft. In Thursday’s ruling, a majority
Continue ReadingAP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — A horrific crash that killed six high school girls in Oklahoma two years ago has the head of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board urging parents to warn teenagers about the risk of driving after using marijuana. Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy made the appeal to parents Thursday as her agency
Continue ReadingCOLOGNE, Germany (AP) — Two Amur tiger cubs have had their first public outing at Cologne Zoo in Germany, one of several zoos that have sought to help keep up the numbers of the rare big cats. The cubs — a female named Tochka and a male named Timur — were born in mid-April and
Continue ReadingAssociated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Kyiv official says Ukraine’s army has pulled out from a village in the eastern Donetsk region, surrendering another front-line position as Russian forces blast Ukrainian defenses in a relentless onslaught. The official said Thursday the village of Urozhaine was reduced to rubble and rendered indefensible. Russia seized Urozhaine
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PARIS (AP) — France’s divided National Assembly has kept a centrist member of President Emmanuel Macron’s party as speaker. Speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet has been the speaker of the National Assembly since 2022 and retained her post Thursday after three rounds of vote in the lower house of parliament. The 53-year-old Braun-Pivet received the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Authorities say an Illinois sheriff’s deputy charged with murder in the death of a Black woman shot her in the face during a tense moment over a pot of water in her home. The details were in a court document filed Thursday in support of keeping Sean Grayson in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press From opposite ends of the world, the uncomfortable conditions Shamim Ahamed and Purvi Tiwari experienced doing separate Ph.D. research inside greenhouses inspired them to study the heat in the indoor structures. Tiwari, a researcher at Indira Gandhi Agricultural University in India, realized the heat-amplifying effect of greenhouses is a big concern that should
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says apps that allow workers to access their paychecks in advance, often for a fee, are providing loans and therefore subject to the Truth in Lending Act. If enacted, a rule proposed by the agency could provide clarity to a fast-growing industry known as
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — One of the few moments of levity in “Longlegs” — the Neon horror film in theaters now about a Satanist serial killer — happens when Maika Monroe’s character, Lee Harker, meets her co-worker’s young daughter. It’s obvious the analytical FBI agent doesn’t spend a lot of time around kids.
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