Ingested Articles

Foreigners flock to Serbia to get coronavirus vaccine shots

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of vaccine-seekers from countries neighboring Serbia flocked to Belgrade on Saturday after Serbian authorities offered foreigners free coronavirus jabs if they showed up over the weekend. Long lines of Bosnians, Montenegrins and Macedonians — often…

No prison time for transgender ex-neo-Nazi in threat case

A federal judge declined to impose prison time on a member of a neo-Nazi ring that threatened journalists. The judge found that the 21-year-old, who concealed his transgender identity from his co-conspirators, had already suffered enough. Taylor Parker-Dipeppe of Spring Hill, Florida, was arrested in early 2020 along with other members of the Atomwaffen Division after they sent posters threatening journalists in Florida, Arizona and Washington. His attorney said prison would be devastating for Parker-Dipeppe, who suffered abuse from an unaccepting father and from an alcoholic stepfather. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle agreed Wednesday and sentenced him to time served.

Paul Simon sells song catalog to Sony Music Publishing

NEW YORK (AP) — Paul Simon is the latest icon to sell his rich catalog of songs. Sony Music Publishing announced Wednesday that it has acquired Simon's catalog, which includes six decades of music, from his time in Simon &…

Few's mind and body approach puts Gonzaga on cusp of history

Mark Few has created an offensive juggernaut in the same mold as his other favorite pursuit: fly fishing. The Gonzaga coach has put the Zags on the cusp of history by getting his players to believe in their abilities and make good decisions on the court. Gonzaga enters the Final Four this weekend needing two wins to become the first team to finish an undefeated season since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. The Zags have dominated opponents through the first 30 games, winning a Division I-record 27 straight games by double digits.

Amazon to bring workers back to offices by fall

Amazon plans to have its employees return to the office by fall as the tech giant transitions away from the remote work it implemented for many workers because of the coronavirus pandemic. The company had previously given its return-to-office date as June 30, but questions remained as to whether the company would allow some of its 60,000 Seattle-area office employees to continue working from home part time. The Seattle Times reports the company told employees Tuesday it is planning a “return to an office-centric culture as our baseline.” Amazon and Microsoft were among the first large companies to mostly shutter their main offices in the Seattle area during the first COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020.

A closer look at Biden's infrastructure and tax proposals

President Joe Biden says his proposal for an aggressive series of infrastructure investments would require $2.3 trillion in spending over eight years but could create millions of jobs. It would be funded by higher corporate taxes. Among the plan's projected spending is $115 billion to modernize the bridges, highways and roads that are in the worst shape. The White House estimates 20,000 miles of roadways would be repaired, while economically significant bridges and 10,000 smaller bridges would get fixed. Another $80 billion would go to modernize Amtrak’s heavily trafficked Northeast Corridor line, address its repair backlog and improve freight rail.

On eve of openers, Manfred hopes full capacity by midsummer

Fans return to major league stadiums for openers on Thursday amid pandemic attendance restrictions in most places. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred can envision filled ballparks by midseason. Capacity is limited to about 12% at the season’s start in Boston and Washington. Twelve teams are at 20%, Colorado at about 43% and Houston at 50%. The only team higher is Texas, at 100%. “I hope by midsummer that we have ballparks that are unrestricted and we have full fan access,” Manfred said during an interview with The Associated Press. Manfred thinks most players could be vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-May. 

Man's Ebola relapse spawned dozens of new cases in Africa

Researchers say a man in Africa who recovered from Ebola suffered a relapse nearly six months later that led to 91 new cases before he died. The report adds to evidence that the deadly virus can lurk in the body long after symptoms end, and that survivors need monitoring for their own welfare and to prevent spread. Relapses like this one from an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo are thought to be rare. This is the first one clearly shown to have spawned a large cluster of new cases. The New England Journal of Medicine published details on Wednesday.

Blackhawks' Bowman named as GM of 2022 US Olympic men's team

Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman has been selected to oversee building the U.S. men's national hockey team for the 2022 Beijing Games. Bowman will serve as general manager and be assisted by Minnesota Wild GM and three-time U.S. Olympian Bill Guerin. USA Hockey's announcement comes with the NHL anticipating its players' return to the Olympics, pending negotiations with the International Olympic Committee scheduled for this summer. Bowman will draw from what he considers the deepest pool of American-born talent ever assembled. The potential list of first-time American-born Olympians include Toronto's Auston Matthews, Buffalo's Jack Eichel and New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox.

2 views of Floyd onlookers: Desperate to help, or angry mob

To the prosecution, the witnesses who watched George Floyd’s body go still were regular people going about their daily lives when they happened upon the ghastly scene of an officer kneeling on a man’s neck. Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell has called them “a veritable bouquet of humanity.” But some of those people are being portrayed at trial as unruly, angry, even threatening by Eric Nelson, the attorney for former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin. Nelson has talked about the hostility the officers faced, how they were distracted and perhaps frightened by people at the scene. Chauvin is charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death.

New York is latest state to legalize recreational marijuana

New Yorkers can now possess up to 3 ounces of cannabis under a legalization bill signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Criminal justice reform advocates hope the legislation signed Wednesday will help redress the inequities of a system that has locked up people of color for marijuana offenses at disproportionate rates. The legislation provides protections for cannabis users in the workplace, housing, family court and in schools, colleges and universities, and sets a target of providing half of marijuana licenses to individuals from underrepresented communities. Sales of recreational-use marijuana won’t become legal for an estimated 18 months until the state draws up regulations.

Utah tour bus that crashed and killed 4 had previous problem

New investigative documents reveal that a tour bus that crashed and killed four Chinese tourists near a national park in Utah in 2019 had problems earlier that day with the engine starting. Documents released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board show the driver of the bus had to do a video call with his boss, who told him to crawl under the bus and give the starter “two good hits.” That worked, and the bus started. Soon after, the driver of the bus who was making his first run for a new company lost control and veered off the road when he tried to correct course on the Sept. 20, 2019 crash near Bryce Canyon National Park. 

Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down governor's mask mandate

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has struck down Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate, ruling that the Democratic governor exceeded his authority by unilaterally extending the mandate for months through multiple emergency orders. The 4-3 ruling Wednesday by the conservative-controlled court is the latest legal blow to attempts by Evers to control the coronavirus. It comes after Republicans in the Legislature voted to repeal the mask mandate, only to see Evers quickly re-issue it. The court ruled that any public health emergency issued by Evers is valid for just 60 days and can’t be extended without approval of the Legislature. Evers says he used science to guide his decisions. He promises to keep working to get people vaccinated and urges people to continue to wear masks.

Trans teenagers fear Alabama push to outlaw gender treatment

Transgender youth and their parents are speaking out against an Alabama bill that would criminalize medical professionals who prescribe hormone treatments to transgender minors. Republican lawmakers in 16 other states have introduced similar measures. The proposed bill in Alabama would make it a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, for a doctor to prescribe puberty-blockers or hormones or perform surgery to aid the transition of people younger than 19 years old. Trace Trice is among the parents who have spoken out against the bill, saying it will be deadly. She said her child is a boy whether lawmakers believe it or not. 

ICC judges uphold acquittal of former Ivory Coast president

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — International Criminal Court appeals judges on Wednesday upheld the acquittals of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo and former minister Charles Ble Goude on charges of involvement in deadly post-election violence. Both were acquitted in…

EU says 'no evidence' to restrict use of AstraZeneca vaccine

BERLIN (AP) — The head of the European Medicines Agency said Wednesday that there is “no evidence” that would support restricting the use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine in any population, as Germany has now done amid concerns over rare blood…

Injuries, opt-outs and underdogs: UCLA's ride to Final Four

UCLA coach Mick Cronin was asked whether he thought the Bruins had the team to make a Final Four run. He said no after a series of challenges this season. Yet the fifth No. 11 seed ever to make the Final Four is ready for more. Up next for UCLA is overall No. 1 seed Gonzaga on Saturday night in the national semifinals. The winner goes to the national championship game.

Biden administration quietly ramping up aid to Palestinians

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is quietly ramping up assistance to the Palestinians after former President Donald Trump cut off nearly all aid. Since taking office with a pledge to reverse many of Trump's Israeli-Palestinian decisions, the administration has…

On tap in California: Another drought four years after last

California’s hopes for a wet “March miracle” did not materialize and a dousing of April showers may be a mirage at this point. When the state takes its snow survey on Thursday it's likely to confirm that California's winter snowfall fell far short of normal levels. According to federal statistics, about 90% of California already is experiencing drought conditions. It's been four years since then-Gov. Jerry Brown declared an end to a drought emergency after a punishing five-year dry spell. Most cities have plenty of water storage to weather a drought this year, but farmers will likely idle land and rural wells could run dry. More months of dry conditions also will raise wildfire risks. 

France to close schools, ban domestic travel as virus surges

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a three-week nationwide school closure and a month-long domestic travel ban in an effort to fight the rapid spread of the virus. In a televised address to the nation Wednesday night, Macron said efforts are needed as “the epidemic is accelerating.” The move is a departure from the government’s policy in recent months, which has focused on regionalized restrictions. School closures in particular had been seen as a very last resort.

Looie the Lookout costume back with Tennessee baseball team

A minor league baseball team in Tennessee has its mascot back a day after it was reported stolen from a ballpark. The Chattanooga Lookouts announced Wednesday on Twitter that the costume for Looie the Lookout has been returned home safe. A police spokeswoman says an employee of a nearby aquarium found the costume near the team's stadium. The team told authorities that the mascot’s costume was stolen from an office at AT&T Field on Tuesday, along with hundreds of dollars in merchandise and equipment were also stolen. Police say they are seeking tips about the missing property as well as information that could help identity suspects.  

Emmert promises WBCA he will work to fix 'stark' inequities

NCAA President Mark Emmert has promised the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association he will work with coaches to fix the “stark difference” between the Division I men’s and women’s tournaments. Emmert says nobody likes the results of trying to hold the tournaments in the same formats during a pandemic and nobody wants to see similar issues crop up in other sports in coming months. He and the NCAA’s heads of basketball discussed the conditions in San Antonio on Wednesday with the WBCA. Two of the Final Four coaches in UConn’s Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley of South Carolina also took part in the 70-minute call. Questions covered the use of March Madness, courts, staffing and budgets. 

Biden to hold first Cabinet meeting amid infrastructure push

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden will convene his first Cabinet meeting on Thursday, a presidential rite of passage that will be used to promote his new infrastructure plan. The gathering will look very different from those held by his predecessor.…