Stories by Associated Press
Pfizer Says 3 COVID Shots Protect Children Under 5
| Associated Press
The news comes after months of anxious waiting by parents desperate to vaccinate their babies, toddlers and preschoolers, especially as COVID-19 cases once again are rising.
Breach Exposed Data of Half-Million Chicago Students, Staff
| Associated Press
The data breach occurred Dec. 1 and technology vendor Battelle for Kids notified CPS on April 26, the district said Friday. A server used to store student and staff information was breached and four years' worth of records were accessed, CPS said.
New Maps Create Challenge for Women Seeking Reelection
| Associated Press
In Illinois, which lost a seat in redistricting because of its shrinking population, the state's two first-term female representatives — one Democrat, one Republican — were among the 18-member delegation's biggest losers in the state's remapping.
Trump Pays $110K Fine, Must Submit Paperwork to End Contempt of Court
| Associated Press
A Manhattan judge declared Trump in contempt of court on April 25 and fined him $10,000 per day for not complying with a subpoena in New York’s long-running investigation into his business practices.
Here’s How Abortion Clinics Are Preparing for Roe to Fall
| Associated Press
Leaders of a Tennessee abortion clinic calculated driving distances and studied passenger rail routes as they scanned the map for another place to offer services. They chose Carbondale in Illinois — a state that has easy abortion access but is surrounded by more restrictive states in the Midwest and South.
McDonald’s Era in Russia Coming to a Close, Restaurants Sold
| Associated Press
The Chicago burger giant said its existing licensee Alexander Govor, who operates 25 restaurants in Siberia, has agreed to buy McDonald’s 850 Russian restaurants and operate them under a new name. McDonald’s did not disclose the terms of the sale.
EXPLAINER: White ‘Replacement Theory’ Fuels Racist Attacks
| Associated Press
Ideas from the “great replacement theory” filled a racist screed supposedly posted online by the white 18-year-old accused of targeting Black people in Saturday’s rampage. Authorities were still working to confirm its authenticity.
Nearly 43,000 People Died on US Roads Last Year, Marking Highest Number in 16 Years
| Associated Press
The 10.5% jump over 2020 numbers was the largest percentage increase since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began its fatality data collection system in 1975. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said America faces a crisis on its roads.
FDA Clears COVID Booster Shot for Healthy Kids Ages 5 to 11; CDC Scheduled to Consider Thursday
| Associated Press
The Food and Drug Administration’s authorization now opens a third shot to elementary-age kids, too — at least five months after their last dose. There is one more hurdle: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must decide whether to formally recommend the booster for this age group.
Brittney Griner’s Extended Detention in Russia Disappointing to Her WNBA Family
| Associated Press
Brittney Griner, 31, faces drug smuggling charges that carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The two-time Olympic gold medalist who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, was detained at a Moscow airport in February after vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis were allegedly found in her luggage.
US Deaths From COVID Hit 1 Million, Less Than 2 1/2 Years In
| Associated Press
The confirmed number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 336 days. It is roughly equal to how many Americans died in the Civil War and World War II combined. It’s as if Boston and Pittsburgh were wiped out.
Biden Offers Logistics Support to Ease Formula Shortage
| Associated Press
The White House said it is working with all major formula producers to boost production, including reaching out to their suppliers to encourage them to prioritize production and delivery of formula ingredients.
Chicago Reader Survives Column Clash, Going Nonprofit
| Associated Press
The Chicago Reader, the city’s famed alt-weekly, is expected to become a nonprofit this month after the sale was nearly derailed over a co-owner’s column opposing COVID-19 vaccine requirements for children. Critics including former and current Reader staff blasted his take, arguing that Goodman relied on sources repeatedly fact-checked by media and infectious-disease experts.
16-Year-Old Boy Shot, Killed in Millennium Park Saturday Evening
| Associated Press
A 16-year-old boy was fatally shot near “The Bean” sculpture in Millennium Park, authorities said. Police said the teen was shot in the chest at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday near the popular tourist attraction. At least two suspects were taken in for questioning and at least two weapons were recovered, authorities said.
Show of Support for Abortion Rights Expected at US Rallies
| Associated Press
Saturday’s rallies were being held three days after the Senate failed to muster enough votes to codify Roe v. Wade. Sponsors included the Women’s March, Move On, Planned Parenthood, UltraViolet, MoveOn, SEIU and other organizations.
EXPLAINER: What’s Behind the Baby Formula Shortage?
| Associated Press
The problems began last year as the COVID-19 pandemic led to disruptions in labor, transportation and raw materials — economy-wide issues that didn’t spare the formula industry. Inventory was further squeezed by parents stockpiling during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Biden Marks ‘Tragic Milestone’ of 1 Million COVID Deaths in US
| Associated Press
The coronavirus has killed more than 999,000 people in the U.S. and at least 6.2 million people globally since it emerged in late 2019, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Other counts, including by the American Hospital Association, American Medical Association and American Nurses Association, have the toll at 1 million.
Parents Hunting for Baby Formula as Shortage Spans US
| Associated Press
Months of spot shortages at pharmacies and supermarkets have been exacerbated by the recall at Abbott, which was forced to shutter its largest U.S. formula manufacturing plant in February due to contamination concerns.
US Overdose Deaths Hit Record 107,000 Last Year, CDC Says
| Associated Press
The provisional 2021 total translates to roughly one U.S. overdose death every 5 minutes. It marked a 15% increase from the previous record, set the year before. The CDC reviews death certificates and then makes an estimate to account for delayed and incomplete reporting.
Face-Scanner Clearview Agrees to Limits in Court Settlement
| Associated Press
The company in a legal filing Monday agreed to permanently stop selling access to its face database to private businesses or individuals around the U.S., putting a limit on what it can do with its ever-growing trove of billions of images pulled from social media and elsewhere on the internet.
Pandemic Gets Tougher to Track as COVID Testing Plunges
| Associated Press
Experts say testing has dropped by 70 to 90% worldwide from the first to the second quarter of this year — the opposite of what they say should be happening with new omicron variants on the rise in places such as the United States and South Africa.
Condition of Some US Dams Kept Secret in National Database
| Associated Press
For much of the past couple of decades, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declined to reveal the conditions of dams in the National Inventory of Dams — which it maintains — citing security concerns stemming from the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
New Reparations Focus: Black Enclaves Lost to Development
| Associated Press
The approach builds off the blueprint in Evanston, a Chicago suburb that became the first in the nation to begin paying reparations last year with a program providing Black residents grants for mortgage payments and home repairs, in acknowledgement of the historic discrimination Black people endured when trying to buy homes.
COVID Coverage for All Dries up Even as Hospital Costs Rise
| Associated Press
Things are reverting to the way they were as federal money for COVID care of the uninsured dries up, creating a potential barrier to timely access. But the virus is not contained, even if it’s better controlled. And safety-net hospitals and clinics are seeing sharply higher costs for salaries and other basic operating expenses.
How Higher Fed Rates Stand to Affect Americans’ Finances
| Associated Press
The substantial half-point hike in its benchmark short-term rate that the Federal Reserve announced Wednesday won’t, by itself, have much immediate effect on most Americans’ finances. But additional large hikes are expected to be announced at the Fed’s next two meetings, in June and July, and economists and investors foresee the fastest pace of rate increases since 1989.
Boeing Will Move its Headquarters to DC Area From Chicago
| Associated Press
A move to Arlington, Virginia, would put Boeing executives close to officials for their key customer, the Pentagon, and the Federal Aviation Administration, which certifies Boeing passenger planes.
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