Desmond Tutu, South Africa's Foe Of Apartheid, Dies At 90
Desmond Tutu, South Africaβs Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for racial justice, has died at 90.
US Lifted Omicron-Linked Travel Ban On Southern Africa
The U.S. has lifted the travel restrictions on eight southern African countries. The restrictions were imposed to try to blunt the spread of the COVID omicron variant.
Flight Cancellations Continue Due To Bad Weather, Sick Crews
Flight cancellations that disrupted holiday travel stretched into Monday, with major U.S. airlines each canceling dozens of flights.
New Year's Eve In Times Square Still On, With Smaller Crowd
Revelers will still ring in the new year in New Yorkβs Times Square next week, there just wonβt be as many as usual under new COVID-19 restrictions.
Kim Potter Guilty Of Manslaughter In Daunte Wright Death
Jurors have convicted a suburban Minneapolis police officer of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Black motorist Daunte Wright. The jury deliberated for about four days before finding Kim Potter guilty of both counts on Thursday.
U.S. Adds Merck Pill As 2nd Easy-To-Use Drug Against COVID-19
U.S. regulators have authorized a second pill against COVID-19, an antiviral drug from Merck that may help blunt the wave of infections driven by the omicron variant.
Pause On Student Loan Payments Is Extended Through May 1st
Payments on federal student loans will remain paused through May 1st, the Biden administration announced Wednesday.
Secret Service: Nearly $100B Stolen In Pandemic Relief Funds
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.
AP Source: NHL To Withdraw From Olympics After COVID Surge
NHL players will not take part in the Winter Olympics after all. A person with direct knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press the league is going to withdraw from the Beijing Olympics after its regular-season schedule was disrupted by coronavirus outbreaks.
Airbnb Imposes Additional Restrictions In Plan To Crack Down On New Year's Eve Parties In Charlotte
Airbnb announced on Tuesday it will be imposing additional safety restrictions in an effort to crack down on unauthorized and disruptive New Year's Eve parties in Charlotte and across the country.Β
Biden To Pledge 500M Free COVID-19 Tests To Counter Omicron
President Joe Biden plans to deliver 500 million free COVID-19 tests to Americans, increase support for hospitals and expand the availability of vaccines to confront a winter surge of coronavirus cases driven by the fast-spreading omicron variant.
Mecklenburg County Increases Covid Testing Kit Capacity As Omicron Spread Continues
The Omicron variant now accounts for about 73% of Covid positive tests in the country.Β
Omicron Sweeps Across Nation, Accounts For 73% of US COVID-19 Cases
Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S. Federal health officials said Monday that omicron accounted for an estimated 73% of new infections last week.
βSpider-Man' Swings Even Higher At North American Box Office
βSpider-Man: No Way Homeβ now holds the title for the second-biggest opening weekend ever, behind only βAvengers: Endgame.β
Moderna: Initial Booster Data Shows Good Results On Omicron
Moderna said Monday that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine should offer protection against the rapidly spreading omicron variant.
Johnny Isakson, Former Georgia Republican U.S. Senator, Dies
Former Georgia Republican U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson has died. He was 76.
Omicron May Sideline Two Leading Drugs Against COVID-19
Antibody drugs from Regeneron and Eli Lilly have been the go-to drugs to keep patients out of the hospital. But the drugmakers have warned that their infused medications are far less potent against the latest variant.
Sen. Joe Manchin Says No To $2T Bill: "I Can't Vote For It"
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says he canβt back a $2 trillion social safety net bill, and his opposition is dealing a potentially fatal blow to President Joe Bidenβs signature legislation.
OSHA Vaccine Mandate Penalties To Start January 10th
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration says it will not issue citations tied to its coronavirus vaccination mandate before Jan. 10. This will give companies time to adjust to and implement the requirements.
N.C. Health Experts Urge Booster Shots As Omicron Variant SpreadsΒ
Health experts are urging North Carolinians to get vaccinated and their booster shots as soon as possible, as they predict a surge in COVID-19 infections due to the presence of the Omicron variant.
