US & World News

Man Pulls Gun on McDonald’s Employee After Being Denied Egg McMuffin

(REUTERS) (FOX NEWS) – Police in Ohio are currently looking for a man who pulled a gun on a McDonlad’s employee after she told him he couldn’t order an Egg McMuffin. According to police, the man pulled up to the drive-thru of a McDonald’s located in Warren at approximately 3:40 a.m. on Wednesday morning, WKBN reports. He was driving a…

Settlement Pending in Ventura’s Case Against ‘Sniper’ Author

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura and the estate of “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle are apparently working toward a settlement in a yearslong defamation case. A court docket entry on Thursday says an upcoming conference and deadline for written statements were cancelled based on a “pending settlement.” Attorneys for both sides didn’t comment when asked for details…

Farm Family Sues Dakota Access Over Farmland Damage

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – A South Dakota farming family has sued the Dakota Access pipeline company, alleging it reneged on promises to restore farmland damaged during the oil pipeline’s construction. Slack Family Properties accuses Dakota Access LLC of fraud, deceit, breach of contract, and taking property without authorization. The Argus Leader reports the Harrisburg-area family says five parcels of…

GOP Tax Plan Would Slash Corporate Rates, Help Wealthiest

MARCY GORDON & ANDREW TAYLOR - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) – House Republicans on Thursday unveiled a tax cut plan that would slash the corporate rate and lower the personal taxes of most Americans but also limit a cherished deduction for homeowners, as President Donald Trump and the GOP seek to deliver on the first tax revamp in three decades. The proposal would add $1.5 trillion to the…

3 Killed in Colorado Walmart Shooting, Suspect in Custody

Police guard the front entrance to Walmart where a shooting occurred inside, Wed. Nov. 1, 2017 (AP) THORNTON, Colo. (AP) — A man suspected of walking into a suburban Denver Walmart and immediately opening fire with a handgun, killing two men and a woman, was arrested Thursday, about 14 hours after fleeing the store. Police used surveillance video to identify…

Truck Attack Suspect is Charged with Terrorism Offenses

Undated photo provided by the St. Charles County Department of Corrections in St. Charles, Mo. of Sayfullo Saipov (St. Charles County, Mo. Department of Corrections/KMOV via AP) NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors brought terrorism charges Wednesday against the Uzbek immigrant accused in the truck rampage that left eight people dead, saying he carried out the attack in response to…

Lawmakers Release Russia-Linked Facebook Ads

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers on Wednesday released a trove of Facebook ads linked to a Russian effort to disrupt the American political process and whip up tensions around sensitive social issues such as Islam, race and gun control. The ads were released as representatives from Facebook, Google and Twitter faced criticism on Capitol Hill about why they hadn’t done more…

ACA Enrollment Starts Today: Here’s What to Look For

A new deadline, rising prices and fewer options for help will greet health insurance shoppers as the Affordable Care Act’s main enrollment window opens Wednesday. Also in store: Befuddlement. “Confusion seems to be one of the key words to describe what we’re facing now,” said Nicolas Moriello, a Delaware-based broker. Among the things Moriello has found he needs to clear…

Police: Truck Attack Suspect ‘Did This in the Name of ISIS’

COLLEEN LONG & MATT SENDENSKY - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bicycles and debris lay on a bike path at the crime scene where investigators work. Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017 (AP) NEW YORK (AP) – The Uzbek immigrant accused of using a truck to mow people down along a bike path, killing eight, did it in the name of the Islamic State group, police said Wednesday. Investigators, meanwhile, were at the…

Manhattan Truck Crash Leaves At Least 8 Dead, One in Custody

Being investigated as an act of terrorism

  NEW YORK (CNN) – The driver of a rental truck drove down a busy bicycle path in Manhattan near the World Trade Center, killing eight people and injuring about a dozen others in what officials said was an “act of terror.” After crashing the truck into a school bus, the suspect exited the vehicle while displaying imitation firearms and…

DC Court Bars Trump from Reversing Transgender Troops Policy

WASHINGTON (AP) – A federal court in Washington is barring President Donald Trump from changing the government’s policy on military service by transgender people. Trump announced in an August memo that he intended to reverse course on a 2016 policy that allowed troops to serve openly as transgender individuals. He said he would order a return to the policy prior…

New York Woman Missing Since ’75 Found Alive in Massachusetts

Flora Harris, 78, poses with Sullivan County detectives Ed Sullivan, left, and Rich Morgan. (Sullivan Co Sheriff’s Office) MONTICELLO, N.Y. (AP) — A woman who disappeared from upstate New York after being dropped off for a doctor’s appointment 42 years ago has been found suffering from dementia and living in an assisted-living facility in Massachusetts, authorities said. The sheriff’s office…

Parents Charged in Death of Infant Found Rotting in Swing

Cheyanne Harris (left) and Zachary Koehn (right) (Photos via Chickasaw Co Sheriff) ALTA VISTA, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have charged an Iowa couple with murder in the death of their 4-month-old son, whose maggot-infested body was found in a baby swing in the family’s home. Twenty-year-old Cheyanne Harris and 28-year-old Zachary Koehn were arrested Wednesday on charges of child endangerment…

Trump’s Refugee Ban Ends, New Screening Rules Coming

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s four-month worldwide ban on refugees ended Tuesday, officials said, as his administration prepared to unveil tougher new screening procedures. Under an executive order Trump signed earlier this year, the United States had temporarily halted admissions for refugees from all countries with some exceptions. The end-date written into the order came and went Tuesday with…

Judge Overturns Record Verdict in Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Trial

(CNN) – Judges in two separate cases have ruled in favor of pharma giant Johnson & Johnson, overturning large financial judgments awarded to plaintiffs who believe the company’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower powder products caused their ovarian cancer. One award was to a California woman for $417 million, and another was to an Alabama woman for $72 million. In the California case,…

Future of King Salmon Uncertain in Great Lakes

DETROIT (AP) – King salmon has helped create a multibillion dollar sport fishery in the Great Lakes, but ripple effects of invasive species have left the fish’s future less certain. The Detroit Free Press reports that the king, or chinook, salmon was first transplanted into the Great Lakes about 50 years ago. The species led a turnaround in the area’s…

Budget Deficit Hits $666B, an $80B Spike for the Year

WASHINGTON (AP) – The federal budget deficit rose to $666 billion in the just-completed fiscal year, a spike that comes as Republicans are moving to draft a tax code rewrite that promises to add up to $15 trillion to the national debt over the coming decade. The sobering deficit numbers, released Friday by the Treasury Department and the White House…

Trump’s Health Subsidy Shutdown Could Lead to Free Insurance

WASHINGTON (AP) – If President Donald Trump prevails in shutting down a major “Obamacare” health insurance subsidy, it would have the unintended consequence of making free basic coverage available to more people, and making upper-tier plans more affordable. The unexpected assessment comes from consultants, policy experts, and state officials trying to discern the potential fallout from a Washington health care…

Wisconsin Prison Head Says More Space Needed

The Oshkosh Correctional Institution, seen June 2, 2017 after lockdown went in effect the day before. (WLUK)MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The head of Wisconsin’s prison system is telling lawmakers that additional capacity is needed to deal with an aging and growing inmate population. Department of Corrections Secretary Jon Litscher tells a Senate committee Thursday that since he took over in…

Raw Sewage Contaminating Waters in Puerto Rico After Maria

21 out of 51 sewage treatment plants are still out of service on the island

Raw sewage is pouring into the rivers and reservoirs of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of the Hurricane Maria. (AP – Oct. 12., 2017) CAGUAS, Puerto Rico (AP) — Raw sewage is pouring into the rivers and reservoirs of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. People without running water bathe and wash their clothes in contaminated streams, and…

Crews Continue to Battle California Wildfires

At least 40 people dead

A set of salvaged china that Karen Curzon, background center, inherited from her grandmother lie on the foundation ofher home that was destroyed by a wildfire in the Coffey Park neighborhood Sun., Oct. 15 in Santa Rosa. SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters kept gaining on the California wildfires Monday with help from lighter winds that made it easier to…

North Dakota Senator Introduces Savanna’s Act

THE LEGISLATION WOULD IMPROVE TRIBAL ACCESS TO CERTAIN FEDERAL CRIME DATABASES

WASHINGTON (KVRR) – Federal legislation aimed at protecting Native American women and girls from violence, abduction, and human trafficking is named for Savanna Greywind, the pregnant Fargo woman who was murdered and her baby taken. U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp introduced Savanna’s Act Thursday in Washington. The legislation would help improve tribal access to certain federal crime information databases. Heitkamp says…

Trump Justice Department Ends Transgender Workplace Protections

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal civil rights law does not protect transgender people from discrimination at work, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a memo released Thursday that rescinds guidance issued under the Obama administration. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars workplace discrimination between men and women but does not extend to gender identity, Sessions said….

Las Vegas Shooter’s Father had Ties to Superior

Lived in Superior After He Was Born in Wisconsin

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) – While investigators in Las Vegas work to find out what motivated a one-time accountant with no known criminal history to inflict so much pain in a mass shooting, others digging into his past know his father was a notorious bank robber with ties to Wisconsin. Stephen Paddock’s father, Benjamin Hoskins Paddock, was born in Sheboygan in…

One Minnesotan Dead, Another Critically Injured in Vegas Shooting

Steve Berger (left), Phil Aurich (right) LAS VEGAS – One Minnesota man is dead and another critically wounded after a gunman opened fire at a country music festival in Las Vegas. The incident killed 59 people and injured 527 others; it was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Minnesota native, Philip Aurich, living in Las Vegas was among…

Trump: Puerto Rico Put Budget ‘Out of Whack’ But Lives Saved

President Trump and first lady Melania take a walking tour with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello, left, and his wife Beatriz Areizaga, to survey hurricane damage and recovery efforts in a neighborhood in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — President Donald Trump highlighted Puerto Rico’s relatively low death toll compared with “a real…

Rock Superstar Tom Petty Dies at Age 66 After Suffering Cardiac Arrest

Tom Petty of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performs during their 40th Anniversary Tour at Bridgestone Arena on April 25, 2017 in Nashville, TN. (Photo by Rick Diamond) LOS ANGELES (AP) – Rock superstar Tom Petty has died at age 66. Spokeswoman Carla Sacks says Petty died Monday night at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles after he suffered cardiac…

Equifax: 2.5 Million More Americans May Be Affected by Hack

(AP) NEW YORK (AP) — Credit report company Equifax said Monday that an additional 2.5 million Americans may have been affected by the massive security breach of its systems, bringing the total to 145.5 million people who had their personal information accessed or stolen. Equifax said the company it hired to investigate the breach, Mandiant, has concluded its investigation and…

UPDATE: More than 50 Dead After Gunfire Rings Out at Las Vegas Music Festival

Officials Say the Gunman Killed Himself

LAS VEGAS – LAS VEGAS (AP) — A gunman perched on the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas casino unleashed a hail of bullets on an outdoor country music festival below, killing at least 50 people as tens of thousands of concertgoers screamed and ran for their lives, officials said Monday. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S….

Trump Says Supplies Streaming into Storm-Tossed Puerto Rico

Downed power lines and debris are seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Sept. 26. (AP) WASHINGTON (AP) — Under pressure to do more for hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, President Donald Trump on Thursday waived federal restrictions on foreign ships’ transportation of cargo to the island. He tweeted that relief supplies are getting through. “The electric…

Playboy Magazine Founder, Hugh Hefner, Dies at 91

April 5, 2007 AP File Photo LOS ANGELES (AP) – Playboy magazine founder and sexual revolution symbol Hugh Hefner has died. He was 91. The magazine released a statement saying Hefner died at his home of natural causes Wednesday night surrounded by family. Founding the magazine in 1953, Hefner built a brand that defined the sexual culture of the second half…

Cause of Ohio Man’s Death in North Korea May Never be Known

FILE: In this Feb. 29, 2016, file photo, American student Otto Warmbier speaks as he is presented to reporters in Pyongyang, North Korea. More than 15 months after he gave a staged confession in North Korea. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon, File) CINCINNATI (AP) — A coroner said Wednesday her office could not determine what led to the fatal brain damage…

Aid Lags in Hurricane-Torn Puerto Rico

MONTEBELLO, Puerto Rico (AP) — Relatives helped Maribel Valentin Espino find shelter when Hurricane Maria roared through her community in northern Puerto Rico. Neighbors formed volunteer brigades to cut fallen trees and clear twisty mountain roads after the storm had passed. Now, friends and a local cattle ranch provide the water they need to survive in the tropical heat. Valentin…

Trump, GOP Tax Plan Would Cut Rates for Many Americans

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are proposing a far-reaching, $5 trillion plan Wednesday that would cut taxes for corporations and potentially for individuals, simplify the tax system and nearly double the standard deduction used by most Americans. The plan is sweeping in scope but omits critical, controversial details that are likely to take months to work…

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Hit Another High in US

NEW YORK (AP) – Health officials are reporting another record increase in infections from three sexually transmitted diseases. More than 2 million new cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were reported in the United States last year – the most ever. The diseases are treatable with antibiotics. Rates for all three have been rising for several years. Health officials have…