Author: Julia Harte
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New York eases COVID-19 rules, Mass. to drop school mask mandate
NEW YORK • The governors of New York and Massachusetts announced Wednesday that they would end certain mask mandates in their states, joining a growing list of U.S. state leaders planning to lift face-covering rules as the latest COVID-19 surge eases. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said her state would stop requiring people to wear…
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1875 almanac, other books found in capsule from Robert E. Lee statue pedestal
WASHINGTON • An 1875 almanac and other documents were discovered on Wednesday inside a time capsule that was encased in the pedestal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that formerly stood in Richmond, Virginia’s capital. Conservators in a laboratory at the state’s Department of Historic Resources opened the lead box after hours…
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Chauvin pleads guilty to violating Floyd’s rights
MINNEAPOLIS • Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pleaded guilty on Wednesday in a federal court to charges he violated George Floyd’s civil rights, likely extending his prison sentence by several years after his earlier conviction for the Black man’s murder. Chauvin, 45, appeared in the U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minn., in an…
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Judge vacates convictions of two men for 1965 murder of Malcolm X
NEW YORK • Two men who spent decades in prison for the murder of Black activist and civil rights advocate Malcolm X in 1965 were exonerated Thursday after the Manhattan district attorney apologized for what he called “violations of the law and the public trust.” Applause broke out in the courtroom as New York State…
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Texas governor moves state sharply to the right ahead of 2022 election
AUSTIN, TEXAS • Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to bar private companies from enforcing COVID-19 vaccine mandates is the latest sign he is betting the state’s electorate remains solidly Republican ahead of his reelection bid next year. In recent months, Abbott has backed measures that have pulled Texas sharply to the right, including the country’s…
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Judge dismisses Ga. lawsuit alleging fraud in 2020 election
ATLANTA (Reuters) – A state judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit by Georgia voters and self-described election integrity activists who alleged that officials in Atlanta’s Fulton County had counted fraudulent ballots in the November 2020 election. Henry County Superior Court Judge Brian Amero in McDonough just southeast of Atlanta, who oversaw the case, ruled that…
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Texas governor signs Republican-backed voting law
AUSTIN, TEXAS • Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday made Texas the latest U.S. state to impose Republican-backed voting restrictions, signing a law that was challenged in court and criticized by President Joe Biden as part of an “all-out assault” on American democracy. Abbott, a Republican, said during a signing ceremony in the East Texas city…