December 27, 2019 3:32 pm
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) – One of the largest school districts in the United States will allow students one excused absence per school year to participate in civic activities such as protests. News outlets report Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia plans to start the process Jan. 27, 2020. School officials say students in seventh through 12th grades can use the day for civic engagement activities such as attending marches or meeting with lawmakers. Some experts say skipping school to attend protests tends to favor liberal causes. Students must give two days notice before they take the day off and need permission from a parent or guardian.
December 27, 2019 1:16 pm
CINCINNATI (AP) – Police say a shopping mall in suburban Cincinnati was temporarily shut down on the busy day after Christmas when large groups of teenagers showed up and fighting broke out in a food court. Colerain Township police Sgt. Jim Love says the teens apparently responded to a social media post urging them to gather at the Northgate Mall on Thursday evening. Police estimate more than 200 teens arrived unsupervised. The chaos scared employees and customers, who took cover and began calling police.áWKRC-TV reports at least 10 people were arrested on charges such as disorderly conduct. No serious injuries were reported.
December 27, 2019 1:16 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Uber is increasing its footprint in the Pittsburgh area with the purchase of a $9.5 million parcel to be used as a new test track for self-driving cars. Uber spokeswoman Sarah Abboud has confirmed the purchase to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review but says she can’t yet share details of the plan. The San Francisco ride-hailing giant bought the nearly 600-acre parcel in Findlay Township from a developer through an Uber affiliate. The headquarters for Uber’s autonomous vehicles branch is in the city’s Strip District. But the company has been looking for a new location for the test track.
December 27, 2019 7:38 am
A fire at a western Pennsylvania apartment complex has left two people injured and displaced more than a dozen residents. The blaze broke out early Friday at the Versailles Castle Apartments in North Versailles, causing thick smoke to pour out of windows and doorways. It caused heavy damage to one building, and at least two people were briefly trapped on a back porch there before emergency responders were able to rescue them. Both are expected to survive. The fire displaced about 15 people overall, and many of them were receiving help from the American Red Cross. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
December 27, 2019 6:39 am
HONOLULU (AP) – The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a tour helicopter with seven people aboard in Hawaii. A news release says the owner of the tour helicopter contacted the Coast Guard around 45 minutes after it was due back from a tour of Kauai’s Na PaliáCoast on Thursday evening. The release says two of the passengers were believed to be minors. The helicopter has an electronic locators, but no signals had been received as of late Thursday night, local time. A Coast Guard officer described weather conditions for the search as “challenging.” Further details weren’t immediately available.
December 27, 2019 6:19 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Tony Award-winning composer who wrote the cheerful, good-natured music and lyrics for such classic shows as “Mame,” “Hello, Dolly!” and “La Cage aux Folles,” has died. Jerry Herman was 88. The creator of 10 Broadway shows and contributor to several more, Herman won two Tony Awards for best musical: “Hello, Dolly!” in 1964 and “La Cage aux Folles” in 1983. He also won two Grammys – for the “Mame” cast album and “Hello, Dolly!” as song of the year – and was a Kennedy Center honoree. Herman wrote in the Rodgers and Hammerstein tradition, an optimistic composer at a time when others in his profession were exploring darker feelings and material.
December 27, 2019 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Newseum – a private museum dedicated to exploring modern history as told through the eyes of journalists – is closing its doors after 11 years. The Newseum will close for good Tuesday. Administrators say they are proud of their work but found it difficult to compete with a city full of free museums while charging $25 for an adult ticket. The Freedom Forum, an educational foundation that runs the museum, says it will find other ways to continue its work, like smaller travelling exhibits in airports and regional museums around the country.
December 27, 2019 4:17 am
NEW YORK (AP) – More people did their shopping online this year in one of the shortest holiday shopping seasons in years and that pushed overall sales higher. Early data from Mastercard SpendingPulse shows that retail sales in the US rose 3.4% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 compared with last year. However, that’s slower growth than in the previous year, when sales grew 5.1%. Online sales rose at a faster pace, up 18.8% from last year.
December 27, 2019 4:16 am
ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) – Authorities suspended some flights in Kazakhstan after a jetliner carrying 98 people crashed shortly after takeoff. At least 12 people were killed and 54 hospitalized Friday in the accident. The aircraft hit a concrete wall and a two-story building soon after leaving Almaty International Airport for a flight to Nur-Sultan, the country’s capital formerly known as Astana. All Bek Air and Fokker 100 flights were suspended while the investigation got underway. Kazakhstan’s president also ordered an inspection of all airlines in the former Soviet republic. A survivor says the plane started shaking soon after departure.
December 27, 2019 4:15 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A winter storm has brought a deluge of rain and snow to Southern California. Snow has shut down the vital Interstate 5 in Tejon Pass through the mountains north of Los Angeles and dozens of miles of Interstate 15 from Baker, California, to Primm, Nevada. A trucker found in a rig stopped on Tejon Pass was pronounced dead. It was not known if the death was weather-related. Authorities say a woman passenger was killed Thursday when a car skated off a snowy road in San Diego County. Officials also say a small tornado hopped across Ventura Harbor on Wednesday night. Damage was minor.
