LENOX, Mass. — The union for Boston Symphony Orchestra musicians authorized the first strike in the ensemble’s 145-year history on Saturday. The Boston Musicians’ Association issued a statement ahead of the expiration of the union’s three-year contract at 11:59 p.m. Sunday. The orchestra and management have had strained relations since BSO decided in March to…
HONOLULU — Tropical Storm Moke advanced toward Hawaii Saturday, likely bringing more heavy rainfall and strong gusts to the Big Island, where residents are still dealing with the aftermath of heavy flooding and damaging winds from Hurricane Lala. Moke, which formed Friday in the Pacific Ocean, was located about 470 miles (755 kilometers) southeast of…
WASHINGTON — Instead of adding new roses, President Donald Trump’s White House Rose Garden is growing statues. Trump put statues of some of America’s founders in the garden just off the Oval Office after he replaced its plush lawn with a white stone patio, turning the historic outdoor space into a look-alike of the one…
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government has notified Congress of its plans to pay $850 million of the several billion it owes to the United Nations, the largest payment the Trump administration would make to the world body since it demanded sweeping reforms in exchange for continued support as its largest donor. The State Department laid…
AUSTIN, Texas — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is still under orders to pay more than $1 billion over his false claims surrounding the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre despite a Texas court reducing some of the money awarded to families. For the bombastic Infowars founder, the ruling that saves him more than $40 million…
LOS ANGELES — In between morning feedings, the gibbons begin to sing — loudly. Ranging from the sound of emergency sirens and birds screeching to low grunts and guttural hoots, their vocalizations reverberate from a sanctuary in the hot, dry hills of the Santa Clarita Valley, north of Los Angeles. Over the past 50 years,…
PORTLAND, Maine — Damon Sacco had never seen anything like the fish he and fellow anglers fought for hours in the waters off Massachusetts. As it rose from the depths, it looked like a glimmering blue spaceship. Sacco, a longtime Massachusetts charter fishing boat captain, saw the giant fin break the surface, and at first…
SAN FRANCISCO — California workplace safety officials have fined a guide company that was leading backcountry skiers down a mountain in February when an avalanche was triggered, killing nine members of the group in the deadliest avalanche in the state’s modern history. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, issued $151,300 in…
WASHINGTON — More U.S. troops are reporting unwanted sexual contact to authorities, according to a Pentagon report released Friday, but even as more service members are willing to come forward, the prevalence of such incidents still went down overall last year. An estimated 33% of active duty personnel who said they experienced unwanted sexual contact…
NEW YORK — Philanthropist Nancy Kissinger, onetime foreign policy researcher and wife of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, has died. She was 92. She died Thursday at her home in Kent, Connecticut, Robert Johnson, manager of the property, told The Associated Press. The cause of her death was not disclosed. Johnson said she will…