Author: Associated Press

Navy launches ship named for gay rights leader Harvey Milk

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Navy ship named for slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk has been launched in San Diego Bay. The replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk slid down the shipyard ways after a bottle of champagne was smashed…

Mo: TikTok star helps girl’s dream come true

(CNN Newsource) --- The organization of a social media influencer is fulfilling the wishes of a Missouri girl. The ten year old is battling a rare nerve condition. Robert Townsend has…

Today in History: Sunday, Nov. 7

(AP) --- Today is Sunday, Nov. 7, the 311th day of 2021. There are 54 days left in the year. Here are some of the notable events occurring on this date throughout history. In 1967, Carl Stokes was elected the…

Appeals court stays vaccine mandate on larger businesses

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court has temporarily halted the Biden administration’s vaccine requirement for businesses with 100 or more workers. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Saturday granted an emergency stay of the requirement by…

Rutherford County schools to offer $1,000 bonuses to staff

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — Rutherford County officials say they will offer bonuses up to $1,000 to help retain school employees who have shouldered additional tasks assigned to them amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a news release, school district employees…

Tennessee grocery store to reopen after shooting

COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Officials say a Tennessee grocery store will soon reopen after being closed for nearly six weeks after a man fatally shot one person and wounded 14 others. Kroger spokesperson Teresa Dickerson told news outlets Friday that…

Rodgers sought treatments instead of COVID-19 vaccine

(AP) --- Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he sought alternative treatments instead of the NFL-endorsed COVID-19 vaccinations because he is allergic to an ingredient in two of the FDA-approved shots. The 37-year-old Rodgers did not say what ingredient…

No toilet for returning SpaceX crew, stuck using diapers

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The astronauts who will depart the International Space Station on Sunday will be stuck using diapers on the way home. That's because the toilet in their SpaceX capsule is broken. NASA astronaut Megan McArthur says…

Florida considers ousting mockingbird from honorary perch

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — After nearly a century on its lofty perch, the northern mockingbird may be singing its last melodies as the state bird of Florida. An effort is taking flight to replace the far-ranging musical mockingbird with…

Gladys Knight’s son gets prison over restaurant taxes

ATLANTA (AP) — The son of R&B legend Gladys Knight has been sentenced to serve two years in prison for failing to withhold payroll taxes for the restaurants that bore his mother’s name. Shanga Hankerson opened his first restaurant, Gladys…

Biden hails infrastructure win as ‘monumental step forward’

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is hailing Congress’ passage of his $1 trillion infrastructure package as a “monumental step forward for the nation." This, after fractious fellow Democrats resolved a months-long standoff in their ranks to finally seal the…

Tennessee gov puts 2 on new board overseeing Ford plant site

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has selected two people for a new government panel that oversees the site where Ford plans to establish a massive electric vehicle and battery complex. The Republican's office says Tipton County Mayor…

Scott Hamilton & Friends skating event to battle cancer

(AP) ---- Scott Hamilton always will be known as an Olympic gold medalist. Another part of his legacy is establishing a place for figure skaters to earn a living after their competitive careers when he created the Stars on Ice…

Oil tanker explodes in Sierra Leone, killing at least 92

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Authorities say at least 92 people are dead and 30 others critically wounded after an oil tanker exploded near Sierra Leone's capital. Large crowds had gathered to collect fuel that was leaking from the tanker…

Crowd surge kills at least 8 at Houston music festival

HOUSTON (AP) — Authorities say at least eight people are dead and many others hurt after the crowd at a Houston music festival surged toward the stage, triggering a panic. The chaos happened Friday night during a performance by rapper…

Game on: 9-foot video game joystick on record as largest

HANOVER, N.H. (AP) — A 9-foot-tall video game joystick made of wood, rubber and steel has made it into the Guinness World Records 2022. Dartmouth College professor and artist Mary Flanagan created the giant controller in 2006 to celebrate her…

Dems end deadlock, House sends Biden infrastructure bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has approved a $1 trillion package of road and other infrastructure projects after Democrats resolved a months-long standoff between progressives and moderates. The vote late Friday notches a victory that President Joe Biden and his…

Japan game maker Nintendo sees no quick fix for chips crunch

TOKYO (AP) — The president of Japanese video game maker Nintendo says the shortage in computer chips needed to make its Switch machine is a serious problem unlikely to be fixed soon. Shuntaro Furukawa said Friday that the Switch sales…

Tennessee governor extends school mask opt-out order again

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has again extended an executive order letting parents opt students out of school COVID-19 mask requirements that federal judges have blocked from applying in three counties. The Republican’s decision Friday maintains the…

State leaders push back on employer vaccine mandate

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Republican governors, lawmakers and attorneys general are forming a wall of opposition to President Joe Biden's plan to require vaccinations or COVID-19 testing at all private employers of 100 workers or more. They have adopted…

Analyst who aided Trump-Russia dossier charged with lying

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Russian analyst who provided information for a dossier of research used during the Trump-Russia investigation has been charged with lying to the FBI when questioned about his work. A grand jury indictment issued in federal court…

2 dead in dramatic shootout near upscale Mexican resorts

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A commando of drug gang gunmen stormed ashore at a beach on Mexico’s Caribbean coast in front of luxury hotels and executed two drug dealers from a rival gang. The dramatic shooting attack Thursday sent tourists…

Remains found thought to be German hiker missing since 1983

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. (AP) — Skeletal remains found in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park are believed to be those of a 27-year-old man from West Germany who disappeared during a mountaineering trip nearly 40 years ago. Park officials…

Groups sue Tennessee over law against trans school athletes

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Two civil rights groups have filed a federal court challenge against a Tennessee law that bars transgender athletes from playing public high school or middle school sports aligned with their gender identity. …

Tennessee prisons add body scanners aimed at contraband

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee officials say they have begun installing new body scanners at state correctional facilities to fight against contraband. The Tennessee Department of Correction says the new machines will supplement current security procedures when someone enters a…

Tennessee man accused of Capitol violence arrested

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Federal officials say a Tennessee man is accused of being violent during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. A statement from the Justice Department says the charges against 40-year-old Joshua John Portlock of Smyrna…

US mandates vaccines or tests for big companies by Jan. 4

(AP) -- Tens of millions of Americans who work at companies with 100 or more employees will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested for the virus weekly. The new government rules were issued Thursday.…

House dems reach agreement to lower prescription drug costs

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats in the House say that paid family and medical leave will be placed back into their $1.75 trillion social and environmental spending bill. Democrats also say they have sealed a deal to lower pharmaceutical drug costs…

Feds seek tougher sentences for veterans who stormed Capitol

(AP) -- Federal judges have a thorny question to consider when they sentence military veterans who stormed the U.S. Capitol in January. Do they deserve leniency because they served their country or tougher punishment because they swore an oath to…

US gives final clearance to COVID-19 shots for kids 5 to 11

US health officials have given the final OK to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 5. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the go-ahead Tuesday night. The announcement came only hours after a…

American Music Awards get Cardi B to host the show this year

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cardi B has won five American Music Awards and performed on the telecast during her career so far. Next step: hosting the show. The rapper behind such hits as “Bodak Yellow” and “Money” has been tapped…

Supreme Court won’t hear case involving transgender rights

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is declining to wade into a case involving transgender rights and leaving in place a lower court decision against a Catholic hospital that wouldn’t allow a transgender man to have a hysterectomy there. The…

Facebook to shut down face-recognition system, delete data

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Facebook said it will shut down its face-recognition system and delete faceprints of more than 1 billion people. The unexpected announcement, delivered with little fanfare in a blog post published Tuesday, represents an abrupt about-face for…

Prosecutor says Rittenhouse instigated Kenosha bloodshed

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Opening statements have begun in the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot three people during a protest against racial injustice on the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year. Rittenhouse was 17 when he traveled from…

A look at what’s in Tennessee’s far-reaching COVID-19 bill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The sprawling legislation against COVID-19 prevention measures that awaits Gov. Bill Lee’s signature takes on vaccine requirements, mask mandates, unemployment for COVID-19 shot holdouts and more. Republican lawmakers passed the final bill during the dead of…

Supreme Court questions controversial Texas abortion law

WASHINGTON (AP) — A majority of the Supreme Court are signaling that they would allow abortion providers to pursue a court challenge to a Texas law that has virtually ended abortion in the nation’s second-largest state after six weeks of…

Wrong-way crash leaves 4 dead, 1 injured in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Police say four people were killed and one was injured in a wrong-way crash on a street in Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis police tweeted early Monday that a vehicle traveling west in the eastbound lanes struck two…

COVID-19 worldwide death toll: 5 million lost in under 2 years

(AP) -- The global death toll from COVID-19 has topped 5 million, nearly two years into a crisis that has not only devastated poor countries but also humbled wealthy ones with first-rate health care systems. Together, the United States, the…

Construction worker charged with murder of supervisor at work site

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Prosecutors say a construction worker has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his supervisor at a Tennessee work site. The district attorney's office in Shelby County said Friday that Marcus D. Williams…

Sen. Hagerty names Sullivan as new state director

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty's office has named Michael Sullivan as his new state director, replacing longtime public official Jim Henry. The Republican senator's office says Henry plans to retire after a long career that included stints…

’19 Kids and Counting’ father running for Arkansas Senate

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (AP) — Jim Bob Duggar, whose large family was featured in the TLC reality show “19 Kids and Counting,” has announced he’s running for a seat in the Arkansas Senate. Duggar, who previously served in the Arkansas House,…

Police: 1 killed, 9 wounded at Halloween party in Texas

TEXARKANA, Texas (AP) — Police in eastern Texas say a shooting at a Halloween party left one man dead and nine other people wounded. Texarkana police say in a news release that the shooting happened late Saturday at an event…

Dad bod FTW, amirite? Dictionary adds hundreds of new words

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Merriam-Webster has added 455 new words to its venerable dictionary. The list includes a number of abbreviations and slang terms that have become ubiquitous on social media. Among them are dad bod, amirite, TBH and FTW.…

Beautiful Day for a Neighbor: Mister Rogers has a sculpture

WINTER PARK, Fla. (AP) — A little rain didn’t stop it from being a beautiful day at Rollins College in Florida this week as a bronze sculpture to beloved children’s TV host Mister Rogers was unveiled. School officials held up…

WEB EXTRA: Tortoise chows down on pumpkin

(CBS Newspath) ---PUMPKIN SNACK: Dozer the African spurred tortoise was chowing down on a pumpkin at the Oregon Zoo last week. The zoo says Dozer likes to eat pumpkin, and it's a…