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Rain early…then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 33F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..
Rain early…then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 33F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Updated: December 15, 2022 @ 8:14 pm
An Ethiopian woman and her child visit the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
Palestinians visit the decorated Manger Square ahead of Christmas, outside to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
A Palestinian craftsman carves a figurine of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, at the beginning of the Christmas season, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
A Christmas tree decorates Manger Square, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
Tourists walk by a section of Israel’s separation barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
ourists take pictures with the Christmas tree in Manger Square, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
Tourists visit a gift shop in Manger Square, outside the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
People take pictures of the Christmas tree and nativity scene in Manger Square, outside to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
Tourists visit the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
Palestinian vendors wait for clients next to the Christmas tree in Manger Square, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
An Ethiopian woman and her child visit the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
Palestinians visit the decorated Manger Square ahead of Christmas, outside to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
A Palestinian craftsman carves a figurine of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, at the beginning of the Christmas season, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
A Christmas tree decorates Manger Square, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
Tourists walk by a section of Israel’s separation barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
ourists take pictures with the Christmas tree in Manger Square, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
Tourists visit a gift shop in Manger Square, outside the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
People take pictures of the Christmas tree and nativity scene in Manger Square, outside to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
Tourists visit the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
Palestinian vendors wait for clients next to the Christmas tree in Manger Square, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Business in Bethlehem is looking up this Christmas as the traditional birthplace of Jesus recovers from a two-year downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. Streets are already bustling with visitors, stores and hotels are fully booked and a recent jump in Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Business is bouncing back in Bethlehem after two years in the doldrums during the coronavirus pandemic, lifting spirits in the traditional birthplace of Jesus ahead of the Christmas holiday.
Streets are bustling with tour groups. Hotels are fully booked, and months of deadly Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.
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Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Panama’s government has ordered the local subsidiary of a Canadian mining company to cease operations at its huge open pit copper mine after it failed to sign a new contract outlining substantially higher payments to the government. Minera Panama is a subsidiary of Canada’s First Quantum Minerals Ltd. It is the largest private investment in the history of Panama, employs thousands and accounts directly and indirectly for some 3% of Panama’s gross domestic product. A government statement says President Laurentino Cortizo’s Cabinet voted Thursday to order the mine to stop operations. The Labor Ministry was instructed to take steps that will guarantee employment and labor protections for the mine’s workers.
Thursday, Dec. 15
Thursday, Dec. 15
California air regulators approve roadmap to dramatically slash fossil fuel demand, reach carbon neutrality by 2045.
Peruvian judge approves 18-month detention for ousted President Castillo as officials build case he incited rebellion.
Alaska state Rep. David Eastman has testified that anyone who broke the law during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, should be prosecuted. However, he stopped short of calling out the far-right group Oath Keepers by name. Eastman is accused of violating the Alaska state Constitution’s disloyalty clause over his lifetime membership in the Oath Keepers. The constitution states anyone who is a member of a group that advocates the overthrow of the U.S. government should be disqualified from holding office. The presiding judge in the case declined to dismiss the case against Eastman after the plaintiff’s attorney rested his case.
A Malaysia fire department official says some 50 people are feared buried after a landslide hit a campsite outside Kuala Lumpur early Friday. Local media cited police as saying initial information indicated that some 100 people may have been at the campsite in Batang Kali, 25 miles north of Kuala Lumpur, when the incident occurred. A fire department official told The Associated Press that rescuers are searching for an estimated 50 missing people. He provided no further details.
MASON, Ohio–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec 15, 2022–
PITTSBURGH — The strange midweek quarterback competition at Steelers headquarters this week might not be a competition after all. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada might have tipped the hand of the coaching staff when he met with reporters Thursday morning.
Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields grew up as a fan of Michael Vick. He’s closing in on a feat accomplished only by Vick and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. Fields needs 95 yards rushing to become the third NFL quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. The Bears face the Philadelphia Eagles and their intimidating pass rush on Sunday. The Bears have talked about cutting back on planned running plays by Fields. But he’s always a threat to scramble under pressure. His off-script runs have helped the Bears rank sixth in the NFL in third-down conversion rate.
Trust has Applied to OTCQX®
A bill to rescind the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military and provide nearly $858 billion for national defense has passed the Senate and now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The bill approved Thursday night authorizes about $45 billion more for defense programs than Biden requested and roughly 10% more than last year’s bill. Lawmakers are trying to account for inflation and boost the nation’s military competitiveness with China and Russia. It includes a 4.6% pay raise for servicemembers and the Defense Department’s civilian workforce.
50 people feared buried after Malaysian landslide hits campsite, says fire department.
A California sex offender who kidnapped, raped and killed four women, some of them while wearing a GPS tracker, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Prosecutors say 36-year-old Franc Cano was sentenced Thursday in Orange County after pleading guilty to murder and other charges. Cano acknowledged killing a woman whose nude body was found at an Anaheim recycling center in 2014. He also acknowledged killing three others whose bodies were never found. Prosecutors say Cano committed the crimes with his best friend, another sex offender named Steven Gordon, who was convicted in 2016 and sentenced to death.
Oysters harvested in Texas are possibly contaminated with norovirus, sickening dozens of people across several states, authorities say.
PHILADELPHIA — The Central Bucks school board is advancing a policy that would ban staff members from advocating to students about “partisan, political or social policy issues,” a proposal critics said would have a chilling effect on teachers.
Senate OKs defense policy bill raising pay for troops, rescinding vaccine mandate; now goes to Biden for signature.
DENVER — Mayor Michael Hancock issued an emergency declaration for the city and county of Denver on Thursday in response to the surge of migrants who have arrived over the past 10 days.
Prosecutors say a Northern California toddler fatally struck by a stray bullet while sleeping in his car seat last year was the victim of a rolling gun battle between rival gangs on a freeway. The 1-year-old boy, Jasper Wu, was killed Nov. 6, 2021, on Interstate 880 in Oakland when his mother’s car got caught in the crossfire. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office filed murder charges Thursday against Trevor Green, Ivory Bivins and Johnny Jackson. A fourth suspect, Keison Lee, was killed in a separate shooting last month. It was not immediately clear whether the suspects had attorneys who could speak on their behalf.
Two people were injured when a single-engine plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Lihue Airport on Kauai Island in Hawaii. The Federal Aviation Administration says there were two people on board the plane Beechcraft BE77 which crashed around noon Thursday. The Kauai Fire Department says the injured were taken to a medical center in stable but serious condition. The state Department of Transportation says the plane went down off Lihue Airport property and the crash didn’t affect commercial flights. Firefighters, police officers and paramedics responded to the crash.
The first cold snap of the season is blowing into Green Bay just in time for the Packers to welcome the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night. Monday’s forecast calls for a high of 19 degrees and a low of 12. Meeting in the middle for a kickoff temperature of 15 degrees would be rare air for the Rams. According to Pro Football Reference, the Rams have played five games with a kickoff temperature of 15 or colder. Their previous 15-or-colder game came in Green Bay in 1992. Rams coach Sean McVay was 6. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was three years from being born.
A woman who accused a former top adviser to New York Attorney General Letitia James of unwanted kissing, hastening his Dec. 2 exit, filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging that James and her office enabled the man’s behavior by ignoring previous warnings about him. Sofia Quintanar, a political consultant and former deputy press secretary in James’ office, alleges former Chief of Staff Ibrahim Khan thrust his face in front of hers and forced his tongue down her throat as they were chatting outside a political fundraiser at a Brooklyn bar in November 2021. Khan has denied wrongdoing. James’ office said in a statement that it “took the allegations brought to our office seriously and engaged in decisive, prompt, and appropriate action.”
R. Kelly’s team told police in February that hundreds of the singer’s master recordings had been stolen from a storage facility in Illinois, according to TMZ, possibly shining some light on how a “new” Kelly album made it to market.
Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons isn’t wasting time getting people talking about the Philadelphia rivalry again. The teams don’t meet for the second time in 2022 until next week. But Parsons’ exchange with Von Miller on “The Voncast” grabbed national attention. Parsons posed the question of whether quarterback Jalen Hurts or the team was more responsible for the Eagles’ NFL-leading 12-1 record. Parsons and Miller both said it was the QB and the team. Parsons says he wasn’t disrespecting Hurts. Parsons has said before he believes defensive players should be a bigger part of MVP conversations.
San Francisco QB Brock Purdy is active and expected to start for the 49ers against Seattle despite being listed as questionable with an oblique injury. Purdy suffered the injury early in last Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay and played through the discomfort. He was limited in the brief practice time the 49ers had this week. Seattle will be without starting defensive lineman Al Woods because of an Achilles injury suffered last Sunday against Carolina. Backup running back DeeJay Dallas is missing his second straight game because of an ankle sprain, but rookie RB Kenneth Walker III is back after missing the loss to the Panthers with an ankle injury.
A 2024 running mate? New Twitter posts? Nope and nope.
Netherlands forward Vivianne Miedema has sustained a knee injury while playing for Arsenal in a women’s Champion’s League match against Lyon. The Dutch forward went down under no contact in the first half after landing awkwardly as she challenged for a loose ball. She was taken off the field on a stretcher. The team advanced to the quarterfinals despite losing 1-0 at Emirates Stadium. Manager Jonas Eidevall says he’s “very concerned” about Miedema’s injury. He hadn’t spoken to team doctors and had no other update.
Deshaun Watson experienced a storm the last time he started a game in Cleveland. He created the one he’s in now. Watson will finally make his home debut on Saturday with the Browns, who didn’t have him for 11 games while he served an NFL suspension for alleged sexual misconduct. This will be Watson’s third game since returning from the ban, which altered Cleveland’s season. Two years ago, Watson played in gusting winds, hail and rain when he visited with the Houston Texans. The Ravens, who are tied with Cincinnati atop the AFC North, will be without star quarterback Lamar Jackson because of a knee injury.
An Illinois House committee is conducting hearings on a wide-ranging gun legislation that includes a ban on semi-automatic weapons. Researchers and community activists told lawmakers Thursday that having fewer firearms in communities will help stop bloodshed. But they said it must be followed by programs to change attitudes and give people alternatives. Critics told the committee it would do little to curb violence and likely would be unconstitutional. The proposed law would ban semi-automatic weapons, restrict gun possession by those younger than 21 and toughen so-called “red flag” laws. It’s sponsored by Rep. Bob Morgan, who was at this summer’s mass shooting at a July Fourth parade in suburban Chicago.
ATLANTA — Technical difficulties at the Fulton County courthouse delayed Thursday’s motions hearing for hours ahead of next month’s trial involving the alleged gang YSL. Once proceedings finally began, someone on Zoom barged in with some full frontal commentary.
HAMILTON, Bermuda–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec 15, 2022–
Authorities in El Paso, Texas, are describing a humanitarian crisis as they grapple with the daily release of roughly 1,600 migrants to local shelters and the streets of the border city in freezing temperatures. They also say they are prepared for even larger immigration flows if Trump-era asylum restrictions end next week as scheduled. El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said Thursday that the city is offering overnight hotel rooms to migrants, whose numbers are exceeding the capacity of local shelters. The Department of Homeland Security is indicating it may release more migrants into the U.S. when Trump-era aslyum restrictions end next week.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Metallica brings its Helping Hands benefit concert to Los Angeles for the first time on Friday, and while it might be tough to find a ticket for the intimate, sold out show at the Microsoft Theatre, anyone can connect with the band through the online auction that accompanie…
The E.W. Scripps Company has announced the launch of a sports division as it looks to acquire local and national rights for teams and leagues. Scripps has stations in 61 markets and is the nation’s fourth-largest local TV broadcaster. It also purchased ION Media last year, which has the fifth-largest national broadcast viewership. Scripps sports could serve as an alternative or additional outlet for teams looking beyond regional sports networks, which have encountered financial difficulties in recent years.
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Officials say a pilot had safely ejected from a plane after a failed landing at a North Texas military base. Video that captured the crash shows the Marine Corps variant of a fighter jet, known as a F-35B, took a nose dive and spiraled after its wheels briefly touched down on the shared runway at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth. Video taken by people who were watching the plane come in show it slowly descending in a straight line as smoke appears in the rear of the aircraft before the nose digs into the runway and the jet spins to a stop. The F-35B has special modifications that allow it to take off and land vertically like a helicopter.
Alex Yannis, who chronicled Pelé’s career and the rise of soccer interest in the United States during three decades with The New York Times, has died. He was 84. Yannis died Wednesday at a residential hospice in New City, New York, of interstitial lung disease. That’s according to his son, John. Born in Kartharitsi, Greece, Yannis worked in Paris selling papers for the International Herald Tribune, then co-owned by the Times. He moved to the U.S. with his wife and young son in around 1967. He covered three World Cups for the paper.
The Los Angeles Chargers will look to contain Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry on Sunday in Los Angeles. Henry will play in his 100th regular-season game. He is second in the league with 1,199 yards rushing and needs only 4 yards to reach 8,000 for his career. The Chargers have given up 147 rushing yards per game, the fifth-highest total in the league. They have allowed four runs of at least 50 yards, which is tied with Seattle for the most. Both teams are 7-6 and in the thick of the AFC playoff race.
LOS ANGELES — In his first interview since suffering major burns from a car fire while working in his garage, Jay Leno shared graphic details about the incident.
Randy Gregory’s knee is healthy and he’s eager to return after missing more than two months. The Denver Broncos pass rusher returns to a defense that’s one of the tops in the league, but to a team eliminated from playoff contention. Gregory was asked why he doesn’t just shut it down for the season and prepare for next season. He said he’s shut it down enough already. Gregory is hoping to be activated off injured reserve and play Sunday against Arizona. He has two sacks and seven quarterback hits this season after signing a five-year, $70 million deal with the Broncos.
