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NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials are cutting isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who test positive for the coronavirus and shortening the time that close contacts have to quarantine. People with the virus can leave isolation after five days, down from 10 days. People exposed to the virus can also leave quarantine after five…
CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — The number of new COVID-19 cases is rising sharply in Missouri’s largest county, and officials warn that case counts will almost certainly rise over the next couple of weeks as the omicron variant takes hold. St. Louis County officials said Monday that the county of about 1 million residents averaged 619 new…
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A St. Louis man is charged with second-degree murder in the mid-December death of a 3-year-old boy. KMOV-TV reports that 33-year-old Timothy Robinson also is charged with abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death in connection with the death of 3-year-old Emmanuel Ware. Officers called to a south St.…
NEW YORK (AP) — Airlines canceled hundreds of flights Saturday as staffing issues tied to COVID-19 disrupted holiday celebrations during one of the busiest travel times of the year. FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, notes 875 flights entering, leaving or inside the U.S. canceled Saturday, up from 689 Friday. About 200 more flights were already canceled…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois attorney general’s office has released an updated guide of benefits for Illinois veterans and their families. The “Benefits for Illinois Veterans” guide was put together by the attorney general’s Military and Veterans Rights Bureau. It provides veterans and family members with information regarding help offered by state and federal…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she confused her handgun for her Taser was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Daunte Wright. The verdicts at Kim Potter’s trial Thursday prompted tears from the young Black man’s parents and a jubilant celebration by supporters outside the courthouse who chanted “Guilty, guilty,…
CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — St. Louis-area health officials said Thursday that the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus appears to be fueling a surge in cases. The St. Louis County health department said Thursday in a news release that “the community is not as safe as it was a month ago.” Officials urged the…
CHESTER, Vt. (AP) — An animal tranquilizer is turning up in drug overdoses across the country. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says xylazine was involved in fatal drug overdoses in 23 states in 2019, with a highest rate — 67% — happening in the Northeast. Officials say the the animal…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Federal authorities argue that new state law forbidding local police from enforcing federal gun laws is hampering efforts to protect the public. A blistering court brief filed Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Justice outlines multiple examples. The brief said that after an Independence police officer was killed in a…
The U.S. Secret Service says nearly $100 billion has been stolen from COVID-19 relief programs set up to help businesses and people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. The staggering sum represents but a small percentage, less than 3%, of pandemic benefits program funds. The estimate is based on Secret Service cases and…