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NY Mayor Adams not reinstating indoor face mask mandate despite Health Department recommendation
NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams is not reinstating the city’s indoor face mask mandate despite a recommendation from the city Health Department to do so in light of a recent uptick in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.
Guidance from the Health Department recommends that the government moves to “require face masks in all public ...Read more

Mother charged after 7-year-old took gun to school, classmate grazed
CHICAGO — The mother of a Chicago elementary school student who took a gun to school in a backpack — which “accidentally discharged in the backpack while inside a classroom” — appeared in bond court Wednesday where Cook County Judge Michael Hogan Jr. ordered her held on a $10,000 bond.
Tatanina Kelly, 28, faces three misdemeanor ...Read more

Democrats renew push for green cards for 'documented Dreamers'
WASHINGTON — Democrats renewed their push Wednesday to provide a path to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of so-called documented Dreamers who grew up legally in the U.S. but risk deportation when they turn 21 years old.
At a news conference, Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California touted his bill to permanently protect roughly 250,...Read more

COVID-19 cases jump 18% in Massachusetts; hospital numbers are highest in months
BOSTON — State health officials continue to see a rapid rise in new COVID-19 cases, as virus hospitalizations surpassed 800 patients for the first time in three months this week.
The Bay State reported reported more than 3,400 new infections on Tuesday. The state Department of Public Health tallied 3,425 COVID-19 cases, an 18% increase from 2...Read more

Detroit-area health agencies recommend masks in indoor public settings
DETROIT — Health departments in Detroit, Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Washtenaw counties are recommending all residents wear masks in indoor public settings because the COVID-19 infection rate has risen.
All of Metro Detroit has increased from a “medium” to “high” community-level of transmission, indicating that residents are more ...Read more

Homeowners sue SoCal Edison, claiming faulty equipment sparked Coastal fire
LOS ANGELES — A group of homeowners is suing Southern California Edison, claiming that its equipment was to blame for a blaze that destroyed more than 20 homes in Laguna Niguel last week.
The fire swept through an upscale neighborhood on May 11, spurred by robust coastal winds and dry brush starved of moisture due to a drought gripping the ...Read more
Missouri women plead guilty in Capitol riot case. One said they stole Pelosi's beer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two Missouri women accused of breaching the Capitol on Jan. 6 — one who allegedly bragged on Facebook that they stole House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s beer — each pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to one misdemeanor.
Cara Hentschel and Mahailya Pryer, of Springfield, entered guilty pleas to parading, demonstrating...Read more

Vast swath of US is at risk of summer blackouts, regulator warns
A vast swath of North America from the Great Lakes to the West Coast is at risk of blackouts this summer as heat, drought, shuttered power plants and supply chain woes strain the electric grid. Power supplies in much of the U.S. and part of Canada will be stretched, with demand growing again after two years of pandemic disruptions, according to ...Read more

Time running out on the 'one opportunity' for a climate bill
WASHINGTON — When President Joe Biden went to Capitol Hill in October to arm-twist for his signature environmental and economic legislation, many Democrats remained hopeful the bill’s climate provisions would survive.
But Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Calif., was worried. If the bill failed, Congress might not get another shot for years.
“We’...Read more

FEMA turned down California county's request for wildfire aid. Residents beg Biden for help
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tobi Magdison wants President Joe Biden to “keep to your promise” to the wildfire victims of El Dorado County. Candace Tyler wants to know why she and other fire victims have been overlooked by the federal government.
El Dorado County government officials released a five-minute video Tuesday in which residents plead ...Read more

As Musk tweets, advisers labor to keep Twitter deal on track
In public, Elon Musk’s erratic tweets have sent Twitter Inc.’s shares flailing, as traders bet that the billionaire is preparing to walk away from or re-negotiate his $44 billion takeover of the social-media company. Behind the scenes, it’s more like business as usual, as advisers on both sides plug away at the day-to-day work of closing a...Read more

A California State University official was accused of harassment. Women question why he wasn't disciplined
LOS ANGELES — Two women who alleged inappropriate behavior by a Cal State vice president said they were dismayed he did not face any discipline or undergo corrective action by Sonoma State President Judy Sakaki after an investigation concluded he engaged in inappropriate touching and made unwanted sexual comments to women while working at ...Read more

Woman serving life in California prison led $2 million unemployment fraud scheme, prosecutors say
LOS ANGELES — Federal authorities charged 13 people and arrested five in connection with a California unemployment insurance benefits scheme they believe netted at least $2 million under the direction of a state prison inmate.
Natalie Le DeMola, a 37-year-old serving a life sentence for first-degree murder, was named as the ringleader, the U....Read more

85% of California fast-food workers have experienced wage theft, study finds
When Alicia Lara picked up a second job and started working at the Jack in the Box in North Highlands, California in 2018, she regularly found herself forced to work through legally mandated breaks.
“When I needed a break I’d go to the manager but they wouldn’t give me any of my paid breaks,” Lara said through a translator. “We were ...Read more

California shooting highlights growing tensions between Taiwan and China
TAIPEI, Taiwan — The man accused of opening fire inside a Taiwanese church in Laguna Woods, California, on Sunday is believed to have been driven by hatred for Taiwanese people and the political belief that Taiwan is a part of China, highlighting the increasingly fraught geopolitical situation in the Taiwan Strait.
David Wenwei Chou, a 68-...Read more
Why Laguna Woods? Mysteries still loom in Taiwanese church shooting
LOS ANGELES — While the suspect in the Laguna Woods church shooting has been charged with multiple felony counts, some key mysteries remain about the attack on a Taiwanese church that left one dead and five wounded.
The attack has left the south Orange County suburb reeling and has also become an international incident because investigators ...Read more

Dispute over oversight is at heart of Senate's Ukraine aid delay
WASHINGTON — To many observers on Capitol Hill and in foreign aid circles, Sen. Rand Paul’s lonely opposition to swift passage of a $40 billion package of military, economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine is nothing new. The Kentucky Republican has a well-known penchant for spending hawkishness mixed with dovishness when it comes to global ...Read more
Ex-MPD officer Thomas Lane pleads guilty to manslaughter charge for role in George Floyd's murder
MINNEAPOLIS — Ex-Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane pled guilty Wednesday to aiding and abetting manslaughter in the murder of George Floyd two years ago on a south Minneapolis street, avoiding another trial next month in Hennepin County District Court.
Lane entered the plea in front of Judge Peter Cahill early Wednesday in the same ...Read more

Mother charged after 7-year-old took gun to school, classmate grazed
CHICAGO — The mother of an elementary school student who took a gun to school in a backpack — which “accidentally discharged in the backpack while inside a classroom,” and grazed another student in the stomach — has been charged and will appear in court Wednesday, Chicago police said.
Tatanina Kelly, 28, faces three misdemeanor counts...Read more

Hacker finds way to unlock Tesla models, start cars
Tesla Inc. customers might love the carmakers’ nifty keyless entry system, but one cybersecurity researcher has demonstrated how the same technology could allow thieves to drive off with certain models of the electric vehicles.
A hack effective on the Tesla Model 3 and Y cars would allow a thief to unlock a vehicle, start it and speed away, ...Read more
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