West Virginia native works with legends at Kennedy Center

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — On a busy holiday afternoon at the Capitol Market, Kanawha County native Kevin Struthers was trying not to sound too excited about his job, but sometimes it’s near impossible for him not to gush. “I’m the Kennedy Center’s Director of Programming...

Japan's Kishida says virus measures, defense top priorities

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told parliament on Monday that fighting the pandemic and strengthening defense are his government's top priorities. Kishida delivered a speech opening this year's parliamentary session hours after North Korea test-fired two...

Pandemic stress drives some Colorado teachers from classroom

DENVER (AP) — Diane Santorico was a year shy of completing her third decade as a teacher when the profession that once gave her so much joy nearly stole all of it. She was sick – physically sick – and tired. The first few weeks of school had demanded that she teach in a...

University of Michigan removes Schlissel as school president

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Mark Schlissel has been removed as president of the University of Michigan due to an alleged "inappropriate relationship with a university employee," the school said Saturday on its website. The removal was effective “immediately,” the University of...

Univ. of Michigan: Mark Schlissel removed as school president due to alleged "inappropriate relationship" with employee

Democrats try to stamp out school closures as omicron surges

When Chicago teachers voted to work remotely last week to protest COVID-19 safety protections in the nation’s third-largest school district, Democratic Party officials leapt into action. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker pushed for a quick end to the job action and helped secure rapid...

Sweden orders cafes, eateries to close at 11 p.m.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden’s prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, on Monday ordered cafes, bars and restaurants to close no later than 11 p.m., urged people to work from home when possible and said distance learning was an option in higher education to try to combat rising levels of...

Ready for change: Couples go all in on small-town life

BATTLE LAKE, Minn. (AP) — Katrina and James Ball were living and working in the Cayman Islands when the coronavirus pandemic hit. They packed their bags and flew to Minnesota with two young children, heading to Battle Lake, a small town in west-central Minnesota where Katrina’s...

Women-focused carpentry class makes skillset more accessible

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — As Dallas Conyers walked through her neighborhood near Greenville, South Carolina, she thought about the personal animal rescue she inherited from her father earlier in 2021. Some of the dog houses, which currently shelter 12 dogs, would need to be entirely...

US unemployment sinks to 3.9% as many more people find jobs

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's unemployment rate fell in December to a healthy 3.9% — a pandemic low — even as employers added a modest 199,000 jobs, evidence that they are struggling to fill jobs with many Americans reluctant to return to the workforce. The drop in the jobless...