Charlton Heston, 1979
AP Photo/Bill Foley Charlton Heston inside the Cairo Museum on Sept. 9, 1979.
Today in History
On Sept. 9, 1971, prisoners seized control of the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York, taking 42 staff members hostage and demanding improvements to inmate treatment and living conditions. Also on this date: In 1776, the second Continental Congress formally adopted the name “United States of America,” replacing the “United Colonies of North America.” In 1850, California was admitted as the 31st U.S. state. In 1919, about 1,100 members of Boston’s 1,500-member police force went on strike. The strike was broken by Massachusetts Gov. Calvin ...
Americans’ satisfaction with schools is at a low point, new Gallup poll shows
Americans’ satisfaction with the quality of K-12 education in the country has hit a low point, driven by a growing political divide and concerns that schools are not preparing children for college and future jobs. Just 32% of American adults say they are “completely” or “somewhat” satisfied with the U.S. school system, according to an August poll published Tuesday by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation and shared exclusively with The Associated Press. That’s an 11-point drop over the past two years and the lowest since Gallup began polling on the subject 27 years ...
TSA brings back gate access for some people without plane tickets 25 years after 9/11
LAS VEGAS (AP) — For decades, the airport security checkpoint has marked the end of the road for friends and relatives seeing off a traveler. That is changing for some travelers. The Transportation Security Administration has launched a new program at some U.S. airports allowing eligible ...
Storm creates huge waves and dangerous currents at southern California beaches
Hurricane Marie, well out in the Pacific, created flooding and dangerous conditions at some southern California beaches over Labor Day weekend, with strong currents and huge waves presenting a threat to swimmers and surfers. Rose Schoenfeld, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said Sunday that Marie stirred up “life-threatening” conditions as it churned in the ocean hundreds of miles off California’s Pacific coast. Some south-facing beaches have seen surf up to 10 feet (3 meters) high, she said. “We’re getting reports from lifeguards that the surf conditions are very ...
Nepal holds a day of mourning after floods kill at least 1,300 people
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepal held a day of mourning Monday to remember those killed in the Aug. 26 floods, with flags lowered at government offices and families concluding mourning rituals. Monday was the 13th day since the flooding which killed more than 1,300 people in Nepal and Tibet and left some 5,000 missing, including foreigners, according to Nepal’s disaster management agency. In predominantly Hindu Nepal, mourning periods last 13 days, during which close family members stay home and relatives visit to pay their respects. Rituals are held on the final day to pray for the ...