Say WOW

Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

 
MLB’s testing sweep brings some success but...
PHOENIX (AP) — Major League Baseball’s COVID-19 testing sweep appears to be having some success even as large swaths of the United States continue to struggle with containing the fast-spreading virus. MLB and the players’ union released statistics Friday saying six of 10,548 samples were new positives in the week ending Thursday, a rate of 0.05%. In addition to five players, one staff member tested positive. That’s fairly good news for a sport that’s trying to begin its abbreviated...

Read More

DC-area swimming pools reopen with restrictions
Miss lounging by the pool and sipping a frosty drink this summer? You may still get the chance, while observing coronavirus restrictions. Here’s what you need to know. Many local government facilities had some closures or limited access due to stay-at-home orders and states of emergency, leading to the closures of recreation centers, parks, playground, swimming pools and others earlier during the season. But as restrictions are eased, swimming pools and water attractions are starting to reopen. Here are...

Read More

The Latest: Atlanta major questions timing of...
ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sued the city of Atlanta over its face-mask requirement just after President Donald Trump arrived in the city without wearing a mask, says Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. In an interview on CBS “This Morning,” Bottoms questioned the timing of the lawsuit filed shortly after Trump’s visit on Wednesday. “I pointed out that Donald Trump violated that order when he landed at our airport and did not wear a mask,” said Bottoms, who was...

Read More

 
The Latest: Australia tries to contain outbreak...
MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia’s Victoria state has reported a daily record of 428 new COVID-19 cases as authorities move to increase testing in the state to monitor for any spread of the coronavirus from the Melbourne area. Most of the new cases and three deaths reported Friday were in Melbourne. Melbourne and neighboring semi-rural Mitchell Shire have been locked down since last week and authorities hope the restrictions will soon bring a plateauing of infections. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews...

Read More

Finau leads Memorial at 65 as Woods...
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Tiger Woods was back on the PGA Tour for the first time in five months Thursday and saw Muirfield Village like never before. It was practically empty. Woods opened with a 10-foot birdie and there was silence. He finished with a 15-foot birdie for a 1-under 71, leaving him five shots behind Tony Finau in the Memorial, and he walked to the side of the green and stood with Rory McIlroy, chatting briefly before they...

Read More

How to help your pet with their...
This content is sponsored by Rocky Gorge Animal Hospital. If you are like us, you absolutely HATE seeing your fur-kid shake in terror the moment that first firework or thunder boom hits. Or maybe you just haven’t noticed the fear that your pet exhibits because you’re not really sure what it looks like! We’re going to go through some common signs of fear and anxiety and discuss why addressing that fear and helping to manage it is often an overlooked...

Read More

 
Los Angeles in ‘dangerous phase’ as virus...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Coronavirus cases have surged to record levels in the Los Angeles area, putting the nation’s largest county in “an alarming and dangerous phase” that if not reversed could overwhelm intensive care units and usher in more sweeping closures, health officials said Wednesday. The situation is so uncertain organizers of the 2021 Rose Parade in Pasadena canceled the New Year’s Day tradition for the first time in 75 years out of concern that even six months...

Read More

Despite coronavirus, 1 musical is holding auditions,...
NEW YORK (AP) — Most theaters in America may be closed, but one musical isn’t letting the coronavirus pandemic stop it from getting prepared to put on a show. “KPOP,” a musical exploring the world of Korean pop, is conducting a video-based global casting call in hopes of being ready whenever live performances resume. “We want to polish the jets so that it’s ready to take off,” said Jason Kim, the show’s playwright. “We really hope as soon as...

Read More

Virus concerns spur renewed efforts to fight...
LONDON (AP) — Britain and France announced Tuesday they will require people to wear face masks in public indoor spaces and an Australian state threatened to jail anyone caught violating quarantines, amid rising global fears about a resurgence of the pandemic. “We are not out of the woods yet, so let us all do our utmost to keep this virus cornered and enjoy summer safely,” British Health Secretary Matt Hancock told lawmakers in the House of Commons. British officials...

Read More

 
US grapples with pandemic as its origins...
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) — The United States was grappling with the worst coronavirus outbreak in the world on Monday, as Florida shattered the national record for a state’s largest single-day increase in new confirmed cases and the World Health Organization warned that the pandemic is worsening globally and that “there will be no return to the old normal for the foreseeable future.” The WHO director-general said that while numerous countries have now brought their previously explosive outbreaks under...

Read More

The Latest: WHO warns that pandemic is...
LONDON — The head of the World Health Organization has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening globally and things won’t return to “the old normal” for some time. At a press briefing Monday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “there will be no return to the old normal for the foreseeable future.” Tedros said that while numerous countries, especially in Europe and Asia, have brought outbreaks under control, too many others are seeing virus trends move in the wrong...

Read More

21 injured in fire aboard ship at...
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Twenty-one people suffered minor injuries in an explosion and fire Sunday on board a ship at Naval Base San Diego, military officials said. The blaze was reported shortly before 9 a.m. on USS Bonhomme Richard, said Mike Raney, a spokesman for Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Seventeen sailors and four civilians were hospitalized with “non-life threatening injuries,” Raney said in a brief statement. He didn’t provide additional details. Previously, officials said at least one...

Read More

 
The Latest: Party prompts new mask rules...
PARIS — After images of thousands of people dancing provoked renewed debate in France over social distancing, the mayor of the Mediterranean resort of Nice announced Sunday that face masks will be obligatory at all of the city’s events from now on. Video of dense crowds dancing at a DJ’s outdoor set on Saturday night drew hundreds of thousands of views and criticism that many partygoers didn’t wear masks or stay apart. The crowd’s behavior fueled concerns of growing...

Read More

Virus spread, not politics should guide schools,...
As the Trump administration pushes full steam ahead to force schools to resume in-person education, public health experts warn that a one-size-fits-all reopening could drive infection and death rates even higher. They’re urging a more cautious approach, which many local governments and school districts are already pursuing. There are too many uncertainties and variables, they say, for back-to-school to be back-to-normal. Where is the virus spreading rapidly? Do students live with aged grandparents? Do teachers have high-risk health conditions...

Read More

Okinawa governor wants tougher action as 61...
TOKYO (AP) — The governor of Japan’s Okinawa island demanded a top U.S. military commander take tougher prevention measures and more transparency hours after officials were told that more than 60 Marines at two bases have been infected with the coronavirus over the past few days. Okinawan officials on Sunday reported a total of 61 cases — 38 of them at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which is at the center of a relocation dispute, and another 23 at...

Read More