St. Croix reports island-wide power outage forcing officials to close schools and offices

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. Virgin Islands reported an island-wide power outage on St. Croix on Monday that forced officials to close schools and government offices.

The islands’ Water and Power Authority said in a statement that there was a loss of power generation at the Estate Richmond power plant around dawn.

Officials updated their statement in the afternoon to say that generation was lost again as crews worked to fix the problem.

Island-wide power outages have become increasingly common in St


US Rep. Larry Bucshon of Indiana won’t seek reelection to 8th term, will retire from Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon of Indiana announced Monday that he will not seek reelection this year to an eighth term and will retire from Congress after 14 years.

Bucshon did not explain his decision not to seek reelection to the southern and western Indiana’s 8th District but said in a statement that he reached his decision to retire during the Christmas holiday.

“Scripture teaches us, ‘For everything there is a season,’ and it became clear to me over the


CES 2024 is upon us. Here’s what to expect from this year’s annual show of all-things tech

LAS VEGAS (AP) — CES, the Consumer Technology Association’s annual trade show of all-things tech, is kicking off in Las Vegas this week.

The multi-day event, as the Consumer Electronics Show, is set to feature swaths of the industry’s latest advances and gadgets across personal tech, transportation, health care and more — with burgeoning uses of artificial intelligence almost everywhere you look.

The Consumer Technology Association bills CES as the world’s largest audited tech event held in-person.


Woman fears pregnant sister-in-law won’t qualify for family program to escape Gaza

An Ontario woman fears her brother’s death in Gaza will disqualify his pregnant wife from a forthcoming program to help extended family escape to safety.

Shaymaa Ziara was elated last Spring, shortly after giving birth to her own child, when her brother called to tell her that he was about to become a father.

Omar Ziara and his wife, Safaa Mousa, had been trying to get pregnant since they got married in March 2021. The couple met a year earlier as colleagues and fell in love.

Omar


Michigan cosmetology school agrees to $2.8M settlement in an unpaid labor dispute

DETROIT (AP) — A judge has approved a $2.8 million settlement in a dispute over unpaid work performed by aspiring hair stylists at a Michigan cosmetology school.

Roughly 1,500 people will get some compensation for cleaning floors, washing towels and stocking shelves when they were students at Douglas J Aveda Institute, attorney John Philo said Monday.

The Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice filed a class-action lawsuit, alleging violations of federal labor law. Philo said the work performed by students was


Clock ticking for Haslam family to sell stake in Pilot truck stops to Berkshire Hathaway this year

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Following the settlement of a lawsuit pitting Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam against fellow billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, the clock is ticking for the Haslam family to decide whether to sell its remaining stake in the Pilot truck stop chain to Berkshire.

Attorneys told a Delaware judge last week that they were prepared for a two-day trial starting Monday in a high-stakes dispute over accounting practices at Pilot Travel Centers LLC. Late Saturday, however, the judge entered an order indicating


Accused in Montreal fatal New Year’s hit-and-run detained, case put off until Feb. 14

MONTREAL — The family of one of the men killed in an alleged hit-and-run on New Year’s Day in Montreal attended a court appearance on Monday for the accused, saying they wanted to make sure justice is served.

Just after 1 a.m. the morning of Jan. 1, Augustin Wesley Katimba, 30, and Michael Chintakis, 31, were struck by a car and killed. Katimba, a Namibian man, was walking home from church; Chintakis was heading to a friend


Police say dog may have been thrown to its death from downtown Vancouver hotel

VANCOUVER — Police are investigating whether a dog that fell to its death in downtown Vancouver may have been deliberately thrown from a window.

Vancouver Police said the SPCA has been notified and both agencies are conducting investigations in the case, which happened at the Molson Hotel at around 2 p.m. on Friday.

Sgt. Steve Addison said officers who responded to the call found the dead dog in the laneway beside the building, which is used as supportive housing for people at risk of homelessness in the Downtown Eastside.

“We


Iowa Legislature reconvenes with subdued start ahead of presidential caucuses

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — This year’s Iowa legislative session kicked off Monday with student protestors filling the Capitol rotunda to call for stricter gun laws just days after a , that left one dead and seven other people wounded.

High school and college students in the Des Moines area walked out of classes and came to the Iowa Capitol, where a couple hundred people rallied in response to about 40 miles (65 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines. Students were joined by parents, activists and Democratic legislators


Police arrest suspect in a killing that sent holiday shoppers scrambling in a Florida mall

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — Police arrested a 39-year-old man early Monday on a murder charge in what appeared to be a targeted shooting that also wounded a bystander and sent panicked last-minute Christmas shoppers scrambling for safety.

Acting on tips that poured in since the Dec. 23 shooting at Paddock Mall, officers surrounded a north Florida home around 1 a.m. Monday, Ocala police Chief Mike Balken said during a news conference. They negotiated with Albert Shell Jr. for about