INSIDER
Maui Invitational returns to the island a year after wildfires. UConn highlights the field
Read full article: Maui Invitational returns to the island a year after wildfires. UConn highlights the fieldTwo-time defending national champion UConn will highlight the Maui Invitational, which is returning to the Lahaina Civic Center a year after fatal wildfires forced a move to Honolulu.
Simone Biles shows she’s still in form during pre-Olympic gymnastics showcase
Read full article: Simone Biles shows she’s still in form during pre-Olympic gymnastics showcaseBiles is trying to make her third Olympic team and is looking for redemption after she pulled out of multiple events at the Tokyo Olympics due to mental health struggles.
Simone Biles shines in return while Gabby Douglas scratches after a shaky start at the U.S. Classic
Read full article: Simone Biles shines in return while Gabby Douglas scratches after a shaky start at the U.S. ClassicSimone Biles certainly looks ready for Paris with more than two months to go before the Olympic games begin.
Connecticut lawmakers take first steps to pass bill calling for cameras at absentee ballot boxes
Read full article: Connecticut lawmakers take first steps to pass bill calling for cameras at absentee ballot boxesConnecticut lawmakers are taking their first steps toward tightening absentee ballot laws since video last year captured people stuffing reams of ballots into collection boxes in Bridgeport, the state's most populous city.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers
Read full article: Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customersThe health insurer Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit over whether its fertility treatment coverage discriminates against LGBTQ+ patients.
Connecticut Senate passes wide-ranging bill to regulate AI. But its fate remains uncertain
Read full article: Connecticut Senate passes wide-ranging bill to regulate AI. But its fate remains uncertainThe Connecticut Senate has passed one of the first major legislative proposals in the U.S. to rein in bias in artificial intelligence decision-making and protect people from harm.
Former Michigan police chief accused of dealing drugs takes plea deal
Read full article: Former Michigan police chief accused of dealing drugs takes plea dealShe was forced to surrender her Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards license and can never be employed as a police officer in the state again.
Back to back! UConn fans gather to celebrate another basketball championship
Read full article: Back to back! UConn fans gather to celebrate another basketball championshipThousands of fans lined the streets of Hartford, Connecticut, to celebrate the UConn men’s basketball team following its second-straight NCAA championship and sixth in the last 25 years.
Not just for killing James Bond, helicopters with sawblades trim Michigan trees
Read full article: Not just for killing James Bond, helicopters with sawblades trim Michigan treesHelicopters will used for routine maintenance to remove branches near power lines, reports of a British secret agent in the area are unsubstantiated.
UConn, Purdue stay atop AP Top 25 while chaos ensues as Duke, Wisconsin, Iowa State make big jumps
Read full article: UConn, Purdue stay atop AP Top 25 while chaos ensues as Duke, Wisconsin, Iowa State make big jumpsUConn remained No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll as the top five stayed the same from last week.
'Gone Mom' prosecutors show shirt, bra, zip ties they say link defendant to woman's disappearance
Read full article: 'Gone Mom' prosecutors show shirt, bra, zip ties they say link defendant to woman's disappearanceProsecutors attempting to link a Connecticut woman to the disappearance of her boyfriend’s estranged wife say items from Hartford trash receptacles show the connection between defendant Michelle Troconis and the victim.
Newton leads five players in double figures in No. 6 UConn's 107-67 rout of Stonehill College
Read full article: Newton leads five players in double figures in No. 6 UConn's 107-67 rout of Stonehill CollegeTristen Newton scored 22 points Saturday to lead No. 6 UConn to a 107-67 rout of Stonehill College.
Officials file more charges, but not hate crimes, against man accused of attacking Muslim lawmaker
Read full article: Officials file more charges, but not hate crimes, against man accused of attacking Muslim lawmakerA prosecutor has added felony charges, including sexual assault, against a man accused of attacking Connecticut’s first Muslim state representative after a prayer service.
Connecticut lawmaker attacked after Muslim service says Hartford police downplayed assault
Read full article: Connecticut lawmaker attacked after Muslim service says Hartford police downplayed assaultA Connecticut state lawmaker attacked as she left a Muslim prayer service is accusing local police of downplaying what happened to her.
Former Hartford police chief accused of stealing and selling prescription drugs
Read full article: Former Hartford police chief accused of stealing and selling prescription drugsThe former Hartford police chief is facing felony charges after she was accused of stealing and selling prescription drugs.
Retired Hartford police chief charged with 9 separate counts, 8 felonies, 1 misdemeanor
Read full article: Retired Hartford police chief charged with 9 separate counts, 8 felonies, 1 misdemeanorRetired Hartford police Chief Tressa Beltran, 57, has been charged with nine separate counts relating to alleged conduct as chief, including eight felony counts and one misdemeanor.
South Carolina's Staley defends team after Auriemma comments
Read full article: South Carolina's Staley defends team after Auriemma commentsSouth Carolina coach Dawn Staley has strongly defended her team in response to comments by UConn coach Geno Auriemma after the top-ranked Gamecocks' 81-77 victory over the Huskies on Sunday.
Democratic-backed Connecticut bill would ban 'Latinx' term
Read full article: Democratic-backed Connecticut bill would ban 'Latinx' termA group of Hispanic lawmakers in Connecticut has proposed that the state follow Arkansas’ lead and ban the term “Latinx” from official government documents, calling it offensive to Spanish speakers.
Fudd leads No. 5 UConn to 91-69 win over No. 10 NC State
Read full article: Fudd leads No. 5 UConn to 91-69 win over No. 10 NC StateAzzi Fudd scored 32 points and No. 5 UConn beat 10th-ranked North Carolina State 91-69 on Sunday in a game that started with a scary moment when longtime Huskies associate head coach Chris Dailey fainted after the national anthem.
Steinbeck's tender letter to son sells for more than $32,000
Read full article: Steinbeck's tender letter to son sells for more than $32,000A heartfelt letter written by author John Steinbeck offering paternal advice to his teenage son who was experiencing love for the first time has sold at auction for more than $32,000.
Report: WWE boss McMahon's hush cash bill over $12 million
Read full article: Report: WWE boss McMahon's hush cash bill over $12 millionA report says World Wrestling Entertainment impresario Vince McMahon agreed to pay more than $12 million over the past 16 years to suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity.
NCAA women's basketball tournament expands to 68 teams
Read full article: NCAA women's basketball tournament expands to 68 teamsThe NCAA women’s basketball tournament is expanding to 68 teams beginning with the current season, giving it an equal number of participants as the men’s tournament as part of a concerted effort at gender parity.
Fully vaccinated people can gather without masks, CDC says
Read full article: Fully vaccinated people can gather without masks, CDC says(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)NEW YORK – Fully vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing, according to long-awaited guidance from federal health officials. The CDC is continuing to recommend that fully vaccinated people still wear well-fitted masks, avoid large gatherings, and physically distance themselves from others when out in public. The CDC guidance did not speak to people who may have gained some level of immunity from being infected, and recovering from, the coronavirus. AdOfficials say a person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last required dose of vaccine. But some people who are fully vaccinated were pleased by Monday's news.
The Latest: Penn Relays canceled for second straight year
Read full article: The Latest: Penn Relays canceled for second straight yearThe Penn Relays also is aiming to host a meet for open and professional athletes and a scholastic meet in the coming months prior to U.S. Olympic qualifying deadlines. The number of fans will increase monthly if it's safe to do so, the Royals said in a news release. Team officials have worked for months with Kansas City health officials and the Jackson County Sports Authority to ensure fans will have a safe experience, the team said. Following approval by local health officials, attendance will be limited to 2,500 for the women’s tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and to 8,000 for the men’s tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Fans will be required to wear facemasks at the venues except for when they are actively consuming food or drink.
States rapidly expanding vaccine access as supplies surge
Read full article: States rapidly expanding vaccine access as supplies surgeGiving the vaccine to teachers and other school staff “will help protect our communities," Pennsylvania Gov. The Department of Health and Human Services has ordered all states to make teachers, school staff, bus drivers and child care workers eligible for shots. In Wisconsin, teachers will get priority when the state receives its first shipment of about 48,000 doses of the J&J vaccine, health authorities said. In Texas, where teachers have been battling to gain access to shots, state officials on Wednesday ordered vaccine providers to begin administering shots to school workers. “The more people we can get the safe and effective vaccine, the faster we can return to a sense of normalcy,” Michigan Gov.
Connecticut probing Amazon's e-book deals with publishers
Read full article: Connecticut probing Amazon's e-book deals with publishers(AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut authorities are investigating whether Amazon's e-book deals with certain publishers are anticompetitive and violate antitrust laws, state Attorney General William Tong said Thursday. He said the state attorney general's office has previous taken action against Apple and e-book publishers to protect competition in the marketplace. Amazon has become the dominant force in print book sales and e-book sales in the U.S. Tong's office issued a subpoena to Amazon in 2019 requesting documents about the company's dealings with five book publishers: HarperCollins Publishers, Hachette Book Group, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan. The publishers all settled and signed consent decrees prohibiting them from restricting e-book retailers’ ability to set prices.
US vaccinations ramp up as feds weigh 2nd COVID-19 shot
Read full article: US vaccinations ramp up as feds weigh 2nd COVID-19 shotThe Food and Drug Administration is set to publish its analysis of a second rigorously studied COVID-19 vaccine, which could soon join Pfizer-BioNTech’s in the fight against the pandemic. A second vaccine can’t come soon enough as the country’s daily death count continues to top 2,400 amid over 210,000 new daily cases, based on weekly averages of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Since March, he’s transported critically ill COVID-19 patients by jet from smaller hospitals around the state to the university medical center. Because the vaccine requires two rounds, the people getting injections now will need a second shot in about three weeks. Vaccinations were also expected to kick off Tuesday in New Jersey, which is dividing some 76,000 doses among health workers and nursing home residents.
'Healing is coming': US health workers start getting vaccine
Read full article: 'Healing is coming': US health workers start getting vaccine“Relieved,” proclaimed critical care nurse Sandra Lindsay after becoming one of the first to be inoculated at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York. “I feel like healing is coming.”With a countdown of “3-2-1,” workers at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center gave initial injections to applause. It just represents a moral failing,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, a public health researcher at Johns Hopkins. Getting vaccinated is “a privilege,” said Dr. Leonardo Seoane, chief academic officer at Ochsner Health in suburban New Orleans, after getting his dose. And later this week, the FDA will decide whether to green-light the world’s second rigorously studied COVID-19 vaccine, made by Moderna Inc.
Will long Labor Day weekend mean another coronavirus spike?
Read full article: Will long Labor Day weekend mean another coronavirus spike?I look upon the Labor Day weekend really as a critical point," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the governments top infectious-disease expert. And a few states are heading into the holiday with less room in hospitals than they had over Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. More beaches will be open on Labor Day than on Memorial Day, but Fauci said that is not cause in itself for concern, as long as people keep their distance. I would rather see someone on a beach, being physically separated enough, than someone crowded in an indoor bar, he said. Cases of COVID-19, which spiked from about 20,000 per day to around 70,000 during the summertime surge in the South, are now down to about 40,000.
Budgets put limits on social distancing options for schools
Read full article: Budgets put limits on social distancing options for schoolsThe vast majority of American school districts have yet to announce when they will resume in-person instruction. As schools reopen it will cost the average school district about $1.8 million to make social distancing possible, according to an estimate published by AASA, the School Superintendents Association, and the Association of School Business Officials International. You have a significant increase in costs for school districts at a time when school districts are going to have less money. Based on the demands of social distancing and precautions, there will not be enough money to have the old system back in a fully functional way, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said. To keep up social distancing when buildings reopen, Superintendent Toni Jones has said the district could use media centers, cafeterias and other spaces for classrooms to spread out staff.
To help distance learning absentees, educators go sleuthing
Read full article: To help distance learning absentees, educators go sleuthingI want to make sure youre still learning, OK?Nearly a third of her students at Rawson Elementary School in Hartford, Connecticut, have been unplugged from distance learning. It will be another if distance learning resumes in the fall, when the stakes are raised by the return of formal grading and attendance tracking. Across the Hartford school system, roughly 80% of students are at least partially active in distance learning. I just want to know if they are safe.Many districts report engagement has improved since the scramble of the March transition to distance learning, but it's nowhere near full participation. Don't let that stop you, Batchelor told the third-grader's parents, assuring them the technical issue could be figured out later.
A tough call: Minor league umps squeezed as lost year looms
Read full article: A tough call: Minor league umps squeezed as lost year loomsMinor league players look as if they'll have no season most hitters and pitchers, many of whom seem destined to get released, will need to put together their own practice sessions. For minor league umpires, it's a double-whammy in a lost year: no income and no real way to improve their craft. Saluga lives around Youngstown, Ohio, and has heard some Division I teams nearby might start workouts. And no doubt, for some of the 236 minor league umps, a lost year will mean the end of a career. Weve discussed that, said former big league ump Dusty Dellinger, the director of umpire development for minor league baseball.