By JENNIFER KAY and GARY FINEOUT , Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — A tropical weather system that rapidly strengthened into Hurricane Michael on Monday is likely to keep growing stronger ahead of an expected strike on Florida’s Panhandle by midweek, forecasters said. Michael could strengthen into a major hurricane with winds topping 111 mph (178…
PORT-DE-PAIX, Haiti (AP) — The death toll from a 5.9 earthquake that hit Haiti over the weekend rose to at least 15 people with 333 injured, according to updated figures released Monday by authorities, as rescue crews worked to help victims spooked by strong aftershocks. Haiti’s civil protection agency said in a statement that it…
SCHOHARIE, NY (AP) — The supersized limousine involved in a crash that killed 20 people outside a country store failed a recent safety inspection and shouldn’t have been on the road, and the driver wasn’t properly licensed, New York’s governor said Monday. The state ordered the owner, Prestige Limousine, shut down while an investigation continues…
HILLSBORO, MO (AP) — A missing blind man is safe, thanks to the nose of a 3-year-old black lab mix who sniffed him out. Ruby was part of a weekend search team looking for the man in Hillsboro, Missouri, 40 miles southwest of St. Louis. The man, who has epilepsy in addition to blindness, was…
JEFFERSON CITY, MO (AP) — The Missouri Sheriffs’ Association is accusing state Auditor Nicole Galloway of a rush to judgment in her report that raised troubling concerns about oversight of sex offenders. The report released last week found nearly 1,300 sex offenders unaccounted for, including hundreds who fall into the most dangerous category. Sex offenders…
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities scrambled to contain a public relations mess over the disappearance of the former Interpol president during his trip home to China, saying Monday that he was being lawfully investigated for bribery and other crimes. But the government’s announcement did little to address concerns raised about the risks of appointing Chinese…
STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Nobel prize in economics was awarded Monday to one American who has studied the economics of climate change — and to another whose research on technological innovation has raised hopes that human beings are creative enough to do something about it. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the $1 million…
BOLIVAR, MO (AP) — A replica World War I era biplane crashed and overturned on landing at an airport in southwest Missouri, leaving the 67-year-old pilot trapped but unhurt. The Springfield News-Leader reports that the crash happened Sunday evening at the Bolivar Municipal Airport, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Springfield. Police said in a…
CARBONDALE, IL (AP) — Documents show that the former Southern Illinois University president might have hindered student recruitment efforts for its Carbondale campus by not approving a mailing list purchase. The Southern Illinoisan reports emails show then-President Randy Dunn didn’t take action during his final two months in office on spending $499,000 to buy contact information…
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE and BARBARA ORTUTAY , AP Technology Writers SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook is launching the first electronic device to bear its brand, a screen and camera-equipped gadget intended to make video calls easier and more intuitive. But it’s unclear if people will open their homes to an internet-connected camera sold by a company…