A new genetic analysis of animals in the Wuhan market in 2019 may help find COVID-19’s origin

A new genetic analysis of animals in the Wuhan market in 2019 may help find COVID-19’s origin

LONDON — Scientists searching for the origins of COVID-19 have zeroed in on a short list of animals that possibly helped spread it to people, an effort they hope could allow them to trace the outbreak back to its source. Researchers analyzed genetic material gathered from the Chinese market where the first outbreak was detected … Read more

Happy 50th ‘SNL!’ Here’s a look back at the show’s very first cast

Happy 50th ‘SNL!’ Here’s a look back at the show’s very first cast

NEW YORK — Live from New York! It’s 50 seasons later for “SNL.” The landmark NBC sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” premiered Oct. 11, 1975, with drop-dead dark humor and pratfalls, George Carlin as host and not one but two musical guests: Billy Preston and Janis Ian. On Saturday nights, in those early years, … Read more

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell is selling his house to seek more privacy

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell is selling his house to seek more privacy

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. — Lions coach Dan Campbell is selling his suburban Detroit home to get more privacy. “There’s plenty of space, it’s on two acres, the home is beautiful,” Campbell told Crain’s Detroit Business. “It’s just that people figured out where we lived when we lost.” He didn’t elaborate. Campbell and wife Holly listed … Read more

Vermont caps emergency motel housing for homeless, forcing many to leave this month

Vermont caps emergency motel housing for homeless, forcing many to leave this month

BERLIN, Vt. — This fall, hundreds of the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness in Vermont must leave state-funded motel rooms where they’ve been living as the state winds down its pandemic-era motel voucher program. The move is prompting outcry from municipal leaders and advocates who say many don’t have a place to go. The biggest … Read more

Jimmy Carter receives Holbrooke award from Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation

Jimmy Carter receives Holbrooke award from Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation

NEW YORK — Less than two weeks before his 100th birthday, former President Jimmy Carter is receiving a lifetime achievement award from the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation, which has set aside its longstanding rule that the winner accept the honor in person. The Ohio-based foundation announced Thursday that Carter was this year’s winner of … Read more

Why is Congo struggling to contain mpox?

Why is Congo struggling to contain mpox?

KAVUMU, Congo — Health authorities have struggled to contain outbreaks of mpox in Congo, a huge central African country where a myriad of existing problems makes stemming the spread particularly hard. Last month, the World Health Organization declared the outbreaks in Congo and about a dozen other African countries a global health emergency. And in … Read more

The Thai zoo home to baby hippo and internet sensation Moo Deng is patenting the pygmy

The Thai zoo home to baby hippo and internet sensation Moo Deng is patenting the pygmy

CHONBURI, Thailand — Only a month after Thailand’s adorable baby hippo Moo Deng was unveiled on Facebook, her fame became unstoppable both domestically and internationally. Zookeeper Atthapon Nundee has been posting cute moments of the animals in his care for about five years. He never imagined Khao Kheow Open Zoo’s newborn pygmy hippo would become … Read more

Jean Smart, Ariana Grande, Michael Keaton among hosts for ‘SNL’ season 50

Jean Smart, Ariana Grande, Michael Keaton among hosts for ‘SNL’ season 50

NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Fresh off her Emmys win, Jean Smart is taking her comedy to a new audience — she’ll kick off “Saturday Night Live’s” landmark 50th season. NBC on Thursday announced the lineup of hosts for the season, which premieres Sept. 28. Joining Smart on the first show will be … Read more

A gold mining town in Congo has become an mpox hot spot as a new strain spreads

A gold mining town in Congo has become an mpox hot spot as a new strain spreads

KAMITUGA, Congo — Slumped on the ground over a mound of dirt, Divine Wisoba pulled weeds from her daughter’s grave. The 1-month-old died from mpox in eastern Congo in August, but Wisoba, 21, was too traumatized to attend the funeral. In her first visit to the cemetery, she wept into her shirt for the child … Read more

Los Angeles area sees more dengue fever in people bitten by local mosquitoes

Los Angeles area sees more dengue fever in people bitten by local mosquitoes

LOS ANGELES — Health officials warned Wednesday that the Los Angeles area is seeing more dengue fever cases in people who have not traveled outside the U.S. mainland, a year after the first such case was reported in California. Public health officials said at least three people apparently became ill with dengue this month after … Read more