National News
NYC pandemic restrictions eased as problems spread upstate
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Restrictions in some New York City pandemic hotspots will be rolled back, even as the state prepares to combat virus flare-ups upstate, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday. The governor said he's considering imposing additional social distancing restrictions in "microcluster" ...
FDA panel urges rejection of experimental Alzheimer’s drug
WASHINGTON (AP) — Government health advisers sharply criticized a closely watched Alzheimer's drug on Friday, concluding there wasn't enough evidence that the experimental drug slowed the brain-destroying disease. The panel of outside experts for the Food and Drug Administration agreed that ...
Paul Shanley, priest at center of sex scandal, dead at 89
WARE, Mass. (AP) — A former Roman Catholic street priest who played a pivotal role in the sexual abuse scandal that rocked the Archdiocese of Boston has died, authorities said Friday. Paul Shanley was 89. Police in Ware, a town in west-central Massachusetts where Shanley was living since his ...
Michigan couple with 14 sons welcome their first daughter
LAKEVIEW, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan couple whose large family attracted attention by growing to include 14 sons has welcomed their first daughter nearly three decades after the birth of their first child. Kateri Schwandt gave birth Thursday to Maggie Jayne, who weighed in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces ...
Johnny Depp exits ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise
NEW YORK (AP) — Johnny Depp has exited the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise following his failed libel case against The Sun tabloid newspaper for a 2018 article that labeled him a "wife beater." Depp said Friday in a letter posted on Instagram that he would depart the role of the dark wizard ...
Hiring held last month but signs of caution as virus worsens
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defying fears of another slowdown, U.S. businesses kept hiring at a solid pace in October, yet there are signs they remain cautious about the economy's future as the pandemic worsens. The Labor Department said Friday that employers added 638,000 jobs and the unemployment ...
Perdue, Ossoff head to Georgia US Senate runoff
ATLANTA (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff will face off in a Jan. 5 runoff in Georgia for Perdue's Senate seat, one of two high-profile contests in the state that could determine which party controls the upper chamber. Libertarian candidate Shane Hazel was able ...
Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails set for Rock Hall induction
NEW YORK (AP) — Years after their deaths, Whitney Houston, the Notorious B.I.G. and T. Rex's Marc Bolan will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Joining them as part of the hall's 2020 class are Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode and the Doobie Brothers. Houston, T. Rex, B.I.G. and ...
Without Ginsburg, high court support for health law in doubt
WASHINGTON (AP) — Until six weeks ago, defenders of the Affordable Care Act could take comfort in some simple math. Five Supreme Court justices who had twice preserved the Obama-era health care law remained on the bench and seemed unlikely votes to dismantle it. But Justice Ruth Bader ...
COVID cold: Restaurants try to keep customers through winter
APPLETON, Wis. (AP) — Jeff Drake headed out one recent cold, drizzly day bundled up in a heavy coat with a stadium blanket under his arm. The Appleton resident and his wife, Kathi, weren't preparing to go to a Green Bay Packers game — we all know that's not a thing right now — or to have ...