April 2021

Expert says Floyd died from a lack of oxygen

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — George Floyd died of a lack of oxygen from being pinned facedown on the pavement with his hands cuffed behind him, a medical expert testified Thursday at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial.

Students lead US push for fuller black history education

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Ebele Azikiwe was in the sixth grade last year when February came and it was time to learn about Black history again. She was, by then, familiar with the curriculum: Rosa Parks, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and a discussion on slavery. Just like the year before, she said, and the year before that.

Nations give varying advice on AstraZeneca shot

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A patchwork of advice is emerging from governments across Europe and farther afield, a day after the European Union’s drug regulator said there was a “possible link” between the AstraZeneca vaccine and a rare clotting disorder.

Texas, Louisiana sue US government over deportation holds

DALLAS (AP) — Texas and Louisiana sued the federal government Tuesday alleging immigration authorities have declined to take custody of people who have been convicted of crimes and could be subject to deportation.

La.’s biggest barrier island restoration yet, $167M

TRINITY-EAST ISLAND, La. (AP) — Dredges, pumps and bulldozers are at work on Louisiana’s biggest barrier island restoration yet, a $167 million project using BP oil spill money. Pipelines are pumping sand 15 miles to build 1,100 acres of marsh, dune and beach on three barrier islands and a headland, The Courier reports. Work began in summer 2019 and is expected to be complete in January.

Decision strikes key parts of Native American adoptions law

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Parts of a federal law giving Native American families preference in the adoption of Native American children were effectively struck down Tuesday by a sharply divided federal appeals court, a defeat for tribal leaders who said the 1978 law was important to protecting their families and culture.

Pandemic slows renovations to New Orleans Superdome

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Plans for $450 million in upgrades to New Orleans’ iconic Superdome have been disrupted because of financial troubles caused by the pandemic, the stadium’s manager told state lawmakers during a budget hearing Wednesday.

Expert: Chauvin never took knee off Floyd’s neck

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Officer Derek Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd’s neck — and was bearing down with most of his weight — the entire 9 1/2 minutes the Black man lay facedown with his hands cuffed behind his back, a use-of-force expert testified Wednesday at Chauvin’s murder trial.

Six charged in New Hampshire youth detention center sex abuse probe

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Six former staffers at New Hampshire’s state-run youth detention center were arrested Wednesday in connection with the abuse of 11 children over the course of a decade, including one who continued working with children for nearly 20 years after he is accused of holding a boy down while colleagues raped him.