Stories by Associated Press

World Health Organization Downgrades COVID Pandemic, Says It’s No Longer Emergency

The U.N. health agency’s officials said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasn’t ended, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

April Sees 253K Jobs Added, Reflecting a Still-Resilient US Job Market

The unemployment rate dipped to 3.4%, matching a 54-year low, the Labor Department said Friday. The jobless rate fell in part, though, because 43,000 people left the labor force, the first drop since November, and were no longer counted as unemployed.

Former Proud Boys Leader Found Guilty of Jan. 6 Seditious Conspiracy

It’s a significant milestone for the Justice Department, which has now secured seditious conspiracy convictions against the leaders of two major extremist groups prosecutors say were intent on keeping Democratic President Joe Biden out of the White House at all costs. The charge carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

United Plans to Hire 15,000 This Year, With 3,800 Jobs in Chicago

United said 3,800 of its new jobs this year will be in Chicago, where the company is headquartered and runs a big operation at O’Hare International Airport. 

Fed Raises Key Rate to Highest Level in 16 Years, Hints It May Pause Amid Bank Turmoil

The Fed's rate increases since March 2022 have more than doubled mortgage rates, elevated the costs of auto loans, credit card borrowing and business loans and heightened the risk of a recession.

Blinding Dust Storm on Interstate 55 Causes ‘Crash After Crash,’ Killing 7 and Injuring Dozens

More than 70 vehicles, including dozens of commercial vehicles and passenger cars, were involved in crashes late Monday morning along a 2-mile stretch of Interstate 55 in Montgomery County, 75 miles north of St. Louis.

Why Hollywood Writers Are Striking and the Immediate Impact

Streaming and its ripple effects are at the center of the dispute. The Writers Guild of America says that even as series budgets have increased, writers’ share of that money has consistently shrunk.

Chicago-Born Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens’ Private Papers Open to Public

Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who died in 2019, served on the court for nearly 35 years. In that time, the court decided cases on issues including abortion, affirmative action, presidential power, gun rights and the rights of prisoners held at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention center.

At Least 6 People Dead After Windstorm Leads to Massive Crash on Interstate 55

The crashes occurred late in the morning and involved 40 to 60 passenger cars and multiple tractor-trailers, two of which caught fire, Illinois State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick said. The highway was shut down in both directions in Montgomery County, 75 miles north of St. Louis.

Why Is There Shortage of Adderall, Ozempic and Other Meds?

In recent months, unexpected demand spikes, manufacturing problems and tight ingredient supplies have contributed to shortages that stress patients, parents and doctors.

Mississippi River Crests at Davenport, Testing Barriers

The peak water levels this spring will likely rank in the top 10 of all time in many places, but the National Weather Service said river levels will generally remain well below past records. 

150 Years Later, Dixon Bridge Tragedy That Killed 46 Among Nation’s Worst

Post-Civil War Dixon, 103 miles west of Chicago, was a growing city split by the formidable Rock River. On May 4, 1873, the 4-year-old bridge twisted, splintered and rolled over. Forty-six people perished, many immured by the unrelenting gridiron just below the water’s surface. 

EPA Allows Gasoline With Higher Ethanol Blend During Summer

The EPA framed its decision as a way to reduce gasoline prices at a time of market supply uncertainty because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The agency said its action also encourages U.S. energy independence and supports American agriculture and manufacturing.

Carolyn Bryant Donham, at Center of Emmett Till Death, Dies at 88

The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of making improper advances before he was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 has died in hospice care in Louisiana, a coroner's report shows.

Jerry Springer, Whose Chicago-Based Show Was Ratings Hit and Cultural Pariah, Dies at 79

At its peak, ”The Jerry Springer Show” was a ratings powerhouse and a U.S. cultural pariah, synonymous with lurid drama. Springer died peacefully at home in suburban Chicago after a brief illness. 

Mississippi River Flooding Prompts Evacuations, Sandbagging in Wisconsin and Iowa

A small number of people had to leave their homes in Wisconsin as the river kept rising. Others stacked sandbags in the small community of Buffalo, Iowa, in anticipation of flooding this weekend and early next week.

Immigrants Waiting 10 Years in US Just to Get a Court Date

The backlog stems from a change made two months after President Joe Biden took office, when Border Patrol agents began now-defunct practice of quickly releasing immigrants on parole. 

Quentin Fulks, Now a Top Biden Presidential Campaign Aide, Was Pritzker Operative

Anne Caprara, Pritzker’s chief of staff and former campaign manager, who hired Quentin Fulks as her 2018 deputy, described him as a “soft-spoken” but skilled operative who understands Democrats’ uneasy coalitions

President Joe Biden Announces 2024 Reelection Bid: ‘Let’s Finish This Job’

The announcement, in a three-minute video, comes on the four-year anniversary of when Biden declared for the White House in 2019, promising to heal the “soul of the nation” amid the turbulent presidency of Donald Trump — a goal that has remained elusive.

Iowa Lawmakers Considering Bill to Loosen Child Labor Laws

Supporters of the bill — mainly Republicans — said it would give children valuable opportunities to work and get paid, whereas opponents — largely Democrats — said it would harm children.

R. Kelly Moved to North Carolina Prison From Chicago

Robert Sylvester Kelly was transferred from the Metropolitan Correctional Center Chicago to the federal correctional institution in Butner, North Carolina, on April 19, Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson Benjamin O’Cone said Monday via email.

Supreme Court Preserves Access to Abortion Pill for Now

The justices granted emergency requests from the Biden administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, maker of the drug mifepristone. They are appealing a lower court ruling that would roll back Food and Drug Administration approval of mifepristone.

US Averaging 1 Mass Shooting Every 6.53 Days This Year, Setting a Record Pace

The carnage has taken 88 lives in 17 mass killings over 111 days. Each time, the killers wielded firearms. Only 2009 was marked by as many such tragedies in the same period of time.

An End to the Reading Wars? More US Schools Embrace Phonics

For decades, two schools of thought have clashed on how to best teach children to read, with passionate backers on each side of the so-called reading wars. 

Supreme Court Temporarily Extends Access to Abortion Pill

The justices are expected to issue an order on Wednesday in a fast-moving case from Texas in which abortion opponents are seeking to roll back Food and Drug Administration approval of the drug, mifepristone.

Sheriff: 1955 Arrest Warrant Moot for Kidnapping of Emmett Till

Till’s kidnapping and killing became a catalyst for the civil rights movement when his mother insisted on an open-casket funeral in their hometown of Chicago after his brutalized body was pulled from a river in Mississippi. Jet magazine published photos.
 

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