1of3In this March 2021 photo provided by Pfizer, vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared for packaging at the company's facility in Puurs, Belgium. On Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, the company said it started the application process for U.S. approval of a booster dose of its two-shot COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 16 and older. (Pfizer via AP)APShow MoreShow Less 2of3FILE - In this July 7, 2021 file photo, people wait after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, in a vaccination center of Lyon, central France.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/EU-agency-says-to-focus-on-vaccines-first-not-16430271.php

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1of9Matthias Schmale, UNRWA's director in Gaza, speaks during a news conference in front of the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City, Wednesday, May 19, 2021.Adel Hana/APShow MoreShow Less 2of9Matthias Schmale, UNRWA's director in Gaza, speaks during a news conference in front of the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City, Wednesday, May 19, 2021.Adel Hana/APShow MoreShow Less 4of9A bag of foodstuffs provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) sits on the back of a pull cart as Palestinians collect food aid following a cease-fire reached after an 11-day war between Gaza's Hamas rulers and Israel, in Gaza City, Saturday, May 22, 2021.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/UN-agency-withdraws-director-from-Gaza-after-16224150.php

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Federal Reserve official says the outlook for the U.S. economy is bright but the recent jobs report is a reminder that the path of the recovery is likely to be uneven and difficult to predict.Lael Brainard, a member of the Fed's board, said Tuesday in a virtual conference sponsored by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, that employment and inflation remain far from the Fed's goals. The Fed has said it will not start raising interest rates until it has achieved maximum employment and annual prices gains that have not only hit the Fed's 2% target, but exceeded that target for a period of time.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/Top-Fed-official-says-Fed-far-from-achieving-its-16168778.php

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The indicted superintendent of the Florida school district where a massacre happened three years ago will leave his job under a $740,000 severance package approved by a divided board Tuesday.Broward County Superintendent Robert Runcie's tenure will end no later than Aug. 10, but it could be sooner if an interim replacement is chosen by the board. If that happens, he will remain as a consultant until August. The agreement was approved by a 5-4 board vote, with opponents arguing it was too generous.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/Indicted-Florida-school-superintendent-gets-740K-16168782.php

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Southern Mississippi, left, and UAB face off at the line of scrimmage during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Hattiesburg, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. (Dominic Gwinn/Hattiesburg American via AP)Dominic Gwinn/APSouthern Mississippi accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference on Friday, dealing another blow to Conference USA, which already had six members announce their departures from the league earlier this week.Two people familiar with the decision told The Associated Press that Southern Miss had agreed to leave a conference it helped found in 1995 and join the Sun Belt at a date to be determined.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/sports/article/AP-sources-Southern-Miss-accepts-invite-to-join-16555940.php

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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — About 70,000 students across southeast Louisiana remain out of school because of Hurricane Ida's destruction to classroom buildings a month ago, state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley told lawmakers Tuesday.That's nearly 1 in 10 of Louisiana's K-12 students — largely in Terrebonne, Lafourche, Jefferson, St. John the Baptist and St. Charles parishes — who remain idled by the Category 4 storm, which wrecked several parishes when it struck Aug. 29. More than 300,000 students were forced out of school immediately after Ida, but many have returned to class as power and water were restored across the region.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/Thousands-of-Louisiana-students-out-of-school-16493803.php

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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A Chinese Australian writer tried in Beijing for alleged espionage said he pleaded to a judge to reject evidence of what he had said while being tortured by interrogators.Yang Hengjun faced a closed trial last Thursday and the court deferred its verdict to a later date. The Australian government on Friday labeled his incarceration since he arrived in China in January 2019 arbitrary detention. The Associated Press on Monday saw the crime novelist and blogger's account of the legal proceedings circulated among his supporters over the weekend.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/Man-urges-Chinese-judge-to-reject-torture-tainted-16214354.php

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This June 2, 2021 photo shows an American Airlines aircraft at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. American Airlines is cutting flights to protect its network from getting overloaded as summer travel season arrives. American scrubbed more than 130 flights by Tuesday, June 22 according to tracking service FlightAware.Jenny Kane/APDALLAS (AP) — American Airlines will cut hundreds of flights over the next three weeks to avoid overloading its operation as demand for summer air travel rises faster than once expected.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/American-Airlines-cutting-flights-as-summer-16265884.php

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1of9Manchester City's Jack Grealish celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Norwich City at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021.Rui Vieira/APShow MoreShow Less 2of9Manchester City's Jack Grealish in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Norwich City at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021.Rui Vieira/APShow MoreShow Less 4of9Manchester City's Jack Grealish walks off after being substituted during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Norwich City at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Aug.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/sports/article/Grealish-nets-1st-goal-for-5-star-City-Liverpool-16402826.php

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MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wants to leave questions of human rights and democracy to the United Nations, as part of his continuing criticisms of the Organization of American States.López Obrador spoke Saturday at the meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC, which includes almost all countries in the region except Brazil. Unlike the OAS, the U.S. and Canada don't belong to CELAC. The summit took up questions plaguing the region, like mass migration and the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/Latin-American-leaders-divided-on-OAS-at-regional-16469665.php

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1of15Protesters hold placards reading in Hungarian 'we will not be a colony', left, and 'no Fudan' as they gather in downtown Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 5, 2021. Thousands of people gathered opposing the Hungarian government's plan of building a campus for China's Fudan University in Budapest.Laszlo Balogh/APShow MoreShow Less 2of15Protesters chant slogans as they rally in downtown Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 5, 2021. Thousands of people gathered opposing the Hungarian government's plan of building a campus for China's Fudan University in Budapest.

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1of8Sri Lankan man, Kindston Jayalath fishes on a polluted beach filled with plastic pellets washed ashore from the fire-damaged container ship MV X-Press Pearl in Kapungoda, on the out skirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, June 4, 2021. Authorities were trying to head off a potential environmental disaster as the Singapore flagged ship that had been carrying chemicals was sinking off of the country's main port.Eranga Jayawardena/APShow MoreShow Less 2of8Unidentified foreign investigators inspect debris washed ashore on the beach from the fire-damaged container ship MV X-Press Pearl in Kapungoda, on the out skirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, June 4, 2021.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/Data-recovered-as-ship-with-chemicals-sinking-off-16228082.php

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1of9Ali Momeni, a 37-year-old accountant, speaks with The Associated Press about a presidential election that many fear will only underscore their powerlessness to shape the country's fate, at Tehran Mall shopping center, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, June 9, 2021. 'Rouhani's administration was full of disappointment and incompetence. I deal with finances because of my job and have witnessed the adversity facing our citizens everyday,' said Momeni.Vahid Salemi/APShow MoreShow Less 2of9Sasan Ghafouri, a 29-year-old who studied to become a lab technician but is now grinding out a living selling clothes, speaks with The Associated Press about the upcoming presidential election, at Tehran Mall shopping center, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, June 9, 2021.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/Voices-of-Iranians-ahead-of-the-presidential-16245511.php

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1of6North Macedonia's Goran Pandev reacts after missing a chance to score during the Euro 2020 soccer championship group C match between Austria and Northern Macedonia at the National Arena stadium in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, June 13, 2021.Vadim Ghirda/APShow MoreShow Less 2of6North Macedonia's Goran Pandev reacts during the Euro 2020 soccer championship group C match between Austria and North Macedonia at the National Arena stadium in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (Marko Djurica/Pool via AP)Marko Djurica/APShow MoreShow Less 4of6North Macedonia's Goran Pandev celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Euro 2020 soccer championship group C match between Austria and Northern Macedonia at the National Arena stadium in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, June 13, 2021.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/sports/article/Goran-Pandev-to-retire-from-national-team-after-16260777.php

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1of5Flowers, flags and notes cover a patrol car and bike outside Arvada City Hall during a memorial for Arvada Police Officer Gordon Beesley on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in Arvada, Colo. Officer Beesley was killed during a shooting in Olde Town Arvada. (RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via AP)RJ Sangosti/APShow MoreShow Less 2of5Austin Welch, 11, rode his scooter from his home in Arvada to place flowers on a memorial for Arvada Police Officer Gordon Beesley on June 22, 2021 in Arvada, Colo. Flowers, flags and notes cover a patrol car and bike outside Arvada City Hall after Beesley was killed during a shooting in Olde Town Arvada.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/Witness-Man-confronted-gunman-who-ambushed-16269647.php

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BERLIN (AP) — Thomas Müller and Mats Hummels were recalled by Germany coach Joachim Löw on Wednesday for the European Championship.Löw had dropped both players as part of his shakeup following the disappointing early exit from the 2018 World Cup, but the team failed to shine in their absence and the coach hopes their return will provide a boost for Euro 2020. The 31-year-old Müller, who hasn't played for Germany since Nov. 19, 2018, scored 11 goals and set up 21 more to help Bayern Munich win its ninth straight Bundesliga title this season.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/sports/article/Germany-recalls-Muller-and-Hummels-for-Euro-2020-16187615.php

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FILE - In this July 17, 2019 file photo of a courtroom sketch, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, second from right, listens to his sentence via interpreter while surrounded by U.S. Marshals and flanked by his defense attorney Marc Fernich, during his sentencing in federal court in New York. Lawyers for the Mexican drug kingpin, who was convicted in February 2019 on multiple conspiracy counts in an epic drug-trafficking case and was sentenced to life behind bars in a U.S. prison, are appealing on Oct. 25, 2021 in hopes of overturning his life sentence.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/Appeals-court-hears-claims-of-jury-bias-at-El-16562568.php

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SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador President Nayib Bukele announced in a recorded message played at a Bitcoin conference in Miami Saturday that next week he will send proposed legislation to the country's congress that would make the cryptocurrency legal tender in the Central American nation.The 39-year-old president, who has maintained approval ratings above 90% and made Twitter his preferred way of communicating, characterized it as an idea that could help El Salvador move forward. 'Next week I will send to Congress a bill that will make Bitcoin a legal tender in El Salvador," Bukele said.

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The U.S. leveled sanctions Thursday against a Yemeni network that the U.S. government claims was cooperating with Iran's Revolutionary Guards to illicitly transfer tens of millions of dollars to Yemen's Iran-allied Houthi rebels.The Biden administration also announced it was lifting sanctions on three former Iranian officials and two companies that it said had been involved in banned petroleum sales, saying the U.S. had 'verified a change in status or behavior" on their part. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced both moves in a statement.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/US-hits-alleged-financing-ring-linking-Yemen-s-16239188.php

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1of5First lady Jill Biden turns around to show the word "love" on the back of her jacket as she speaks with reporters after visiting with Carrie Johnson, wife of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, ahead of the G-7 summit, Thursday, June 10, 2021, in Carbis Bay, England.Patrick Semansky/APShow MoreShow Less 2of5FILE - In this June 21, 2018 file photo, first lady Melania Trump arrives at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. wearing a Zara jacket that reads, "I don't really care. Do U?" after visiting the Upbring New Hope Children Center run by the Lutheran Social Services of the South in McAllen, Texas.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/Message-in-a-jacket-Jill-Biden-offers-love-16239059.php

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Helicopters fly over the field before the MLS All-Star soccer match Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, in Los Angeles.Ashley Landis/APLOS ANGELES (AP) — If ever there was a great time for Major League Soccer to be going into negotiations for its next television contract, it definitely is now.The league goes into the final two months of the regular season with ratings not only up significantly over last season but 2019 as well. 'The growth we are seeing is excellent. To come out of COVID and maintain growth not only from last year to two years ago is really important,' said Seth Bacon, MLS' Senior Vice President, Media.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/sports/article/MLS-ratings-seeing-significant-growth-over-past-2-16412763.php

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — After two years of lobbying to lower prescription drug costs for Floridians, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he's waiting for final approval from the Biden administration to import drugs from Canada, which he said would save tens of millions of dollars.The Republican governor signed a bill in 2019 allowing prescription drugs to be imported from the neighboring country, but the plan required federal approval. State health officials have been working behind the scenes to meet federal guidelines.

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1of17Covid-19 patient Marhamat Asadi which is in medically induced coma is tended by nurses Fatemeh Najmeh Sadeghi, left, and Fereshteh Babakhanlou at the COVID-19 ICU ward of Amir Al-Momenin hospital in the city of Qom, some 80 miles (125 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021.Vahid Salemi/APShow MoreShow Less 2of17Afghan citizen Zamen Mousavi, a Covid-19 patient breathes with oxygen mask at the COVID-19 ICU ward of Amir Al-Momenin hospital in the city of Qom, some 80 miles (125 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Sept.

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April 30, 2021Updated: April 30, 2021 11:20 a.m. 1of5Celeste Taylor chants as she leads demonstrators on Halstead Avenue in Elizabeth City, N.C., Thursday, April 29, 2021. This is the ninth day of demonstrations in the wake of Andrew Brown Jr.'s death at the hands of Pasquotank County deputies. (Robert Willett/The News & Observer via AP)Robert Willett/APShow MoreShow Less 2of5Elizabeth City Councilman Gabriel Adkins, second from right wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt, helps lead demonstrators on a march through Andrew Brown Jr.

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DETROIT (AP) — Sam Gagner scored to end an eight-round shootout and Thomas Greiss stopped 33 shots, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.The defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning were in control all afternoon, but it didn't show up on the scoreboard in regulation or overtime. In the shootout, both teams scored with their first two shooters before four in a row were denied. Greiss stopped just enough shots in the shootout to help his rebuilding and banged-up team beat one of the best in the league.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/sports/article/Red-Wings-outlast-Lightning-for-1-0-victory-in-16144647.php

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New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) shoots against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, May 4, 2021. The Pelicans won 108-103.Gerald Herbert/APNEW YORK (AP) — The NBA fined David Griffin of the New Orleans Pelicans $50,000 on Sunday for publicly criticizing officiating and making comments the league considered detrimental.The decision came two days after Griffin, the Pelicans' executive vice president of basketball operations, spoke out strongly about his concerns over the amount of contact NBA referees allow New Orleans forward Zion Williamson to endure.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/sports/article/NBA-fines-Pelicans-Griffin-50-000-for-16163599.php

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1of3Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers search around rows of luggage carts as screens block off an area of the sidewalk after a shooting outside the international departures terminal at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, British Columbia, Sunday, May 9, 2021. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)DARRYL DYCK/APShow MoreShow Less 2of3A Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer works at the scene as screens block off an area of the sidewalk after a shooting outside the international departures terminal at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, British Columbia, Sunday, May 9, 2021.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/Man-shot-to-death-at-Vancouver-s-airport-in-gang-16164185.php

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1of5Colorado Rockies' Trevor Story is congratulated after his walkoff, solo home run off Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Stefan Crichton in the ninth inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 23, 2021, in Denver. The Rockies won 4-3.David Zalubowski/APShow MoreShow Less 2of5Colorado Rockies' Trevor Story follows the flight of his walkoff, solo home run off Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Stefan Crichton in the ninth inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 23, 2021, in Denver. The Rockies won 4-3.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/sports/article/Rockies-place-Story-on-injured-list-with-sore-16212416.php

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NEW YORK (AP) — Group reunions on Zoom have rarely become the fuel for good art. But one has created a musical — actually 10, to be precise.Grammy Award-winner Lisa Loeb was inspired to capture the weirdness, wonder and horror of 2020 during a Brown University online reunion. So she tapped dozens of her fellow alumni to help create 'Together Apart,' a collection of 10 mini-musicals that explore moments during the year. There are also songs by Grammy-winner Gordon Chambers. There are stories about speed-dating during the pandemic, elementary school taught through Zoom, a pair of divorcees forced to become roommates, moms struggling through quarantine and a family game night that spins out of control.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/Lisa-Loeb-and-fellow-Brown-University-alumni-16369579.php

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's longest-governing political party appeared set to reclaim the premiership it lost in a shock 2018 election result, with its lawmakers summoned to the palace Thursday to verify their candidate has enough support to take office.The choice of former Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob would essentially restore the ruling alliance of Muhyiddin Yassin, who resigned as prime minister on Monday after infighting in the coalition cost him majority support. Ismail's appointment would also see the return of the United Malays National Organization, which ruled Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957 before it was ousted in 2018 over a major financial scandal.

https://www.theridgefieldpress.com/news/article/Malaysia-s-longest-ruling-party-seems-set-to-16396768.php

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