CHICAGO (AP) — An Illinois judge who made sexist comments about an attorney during a conversation in his courtroom that he did not realize was being broadcast live on YouTube has been removed from the bench, officials announced Wednesday.

NEW YORK (AP) — Why is it better to wear an N95 than a cloth mask right now?

Starbucks is no longer requiring its U.S. workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, reversing a plan it announced earlier this month.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Emergency management officials on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota have a new building, but they have been operating out of an old jail that's set to be torn down.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia's new Republican governor was facing pushback from Democratic lawmakers, school districts and a group of parents who sued him Tuesday over an executive order that aims to create an opt-out for classroom mask mandates.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A health official who has helped lead central Florida's response to the pandemic has been put on administrative leave as state officials investigate whether he tried to compel employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in violation of state law.

DETROIT (AP) — A Michigan professor who was suspended after making a profanity-filled video for his students is threatening to file a lawsuit if Ferris State University doesn't quickly lift the sanction.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 2022 Grammy Awards will shift to an April show in Las Vegas after recently postponing the ceremony due to rising COVID-19 cases because the omicron variant.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 22-year Los Angles Fire Department veteran was nominated Tuesday to become the first woman to lead the department.

The fast-moving omicron variant may cause less severe disease on average, but COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are climbing and modelers forecast 50,000 to 300,000 more Americans could die by the time the wave subsides in mid-March.

BALTIMORE (AP) — A lawyer for Baltimore's top prosecutor has outlined her defense against federal criminal charges stemming from her purchase of two Florida vacation homes.

Bloomberg Philanthropies is supporting the innovative solutions of 15 cities to try to get others to use them as blueprints to battle the world’s urban problems.

Dallas Goldtooth, known for his role in the hit FX television series “Reservation Dogs,” slowly swivels in his chair to face the camera in a recent TikTok video. As he looks at the audience, a voice-over announcer says, “When people refuse to get vaccinated but also talk about protecting fut…

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Novak Djokovic returned home Monday after being thwarted from defending his Australian Open title only to face a new predicament: He could be barred from the French Open this year, too, if he’s still not vaccinated against COVID-19.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — China is showing no signs of slowing its demand for American lobster this year despite disruption to the supply chain and international trade caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Australia sent Novak Djokovic home, but opinion remains divided worldwide on the No. 1 men's tennis player and whether he should have been allowed to compete in the Australian Open despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19.

Biltmore United Methodist Church of Asheville, North Carolina, is for sale.

NEW YORK (AP) — In just two weeks, the cost of pecans for the pies at Peggy Jean’s Pies in Columbia, Missouri, has surged nearly 40%, perplexing co-owner Rebecca Miller and adding to the cost of doing business. Miller will soon have to bump up the price of her Southern Pecan, Chocolate Bourb…

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s president called on Novak Djokovic to return to his native country on Sunday hours after the top-ranked tennis player lost his court battle to play at the Australian Open and was deported.

COVID-19 infections are soaring again at U.S. nursing homes because of the omicron wave, and deaths are climbing too, leading to new restrictions on family visits and a renewed push to get more residents and staff members vaccinated and boosted.

Novak Djokovic’s attempt to play in the Australian Open despite being unvaccinated against COVID-19 came to an end when a court upheld a government minister's rejection of his visa.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Striking a tone of bipartisanship and optimism, Virginia’s new governor, Glenn Youngkin, pledged to “restore trust in government and to restore power to the people” after he was sworn in to office Saturday.

Detroit's mayor believes tens of thousands of residents in the majority-Black city were missed in the 2020 census. Somerton, Arizona, leaders are incredulous the Census Bureau says they lost residents during a decade when the overwhelmingly Hispanic community grew enough to warrant a new hig…

To his critics, Novak Djokovic has been cavalier and reckless in the face of a deadly pandemic. But students of the tennis star’s game note that bending reality has been a secret to his success, until now.

Athletes will need to be vaccinated — or face a long quarantine — take tests daily and wear masks when not competing or training. Clapping is OK to cheer on teammates, not chanting. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 will be sent into isolation and unable to compete until cleared for discharge.

For companies that were waiting to hear from the U.S. Supreme Court before deciding whether to require vaccinations or regular coronavirus testing for workers, the next move is up to them.

When April Schneider’s children returned to in-person classrooms this year, she thought they were leaving behind the struggles from more than a year of remote learning. No more problems with borrowed tablets. No more days of missed lessons because her kids couldn’t connect to their virtual s…

Get ready to learn more Greek letters. Scientists warn that omicron’s whirlwind advance practically ensures it won’t be the last version of the coronavirus to worry the world.

CHICAGO (AP) — Hundreds of Chicago students staged a walkout Friday, saying there weren't enough precautions in place to protect them from COVID-19 despite an agreement between the teachers union and school district to return to classrooms.

Novak Djokovic's attempt to stave off deportation and be allowed to play in the Australian Open despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19 is headed for a legal hearing the day before he is scheduled to begin his title defense at a Grand Slam tournament he's won a record nine times.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The omicron variant is sickening so many sanitation workers around the U.S. that some cities have had to delay or suspend garbage or recycling pickup, angering residents shocked that governments can’t perform this most basic of functions.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Friday encouraged more Americans to wear the kind of N95 or KN95 masks used by health-care workers to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Critics of vaccine requirements are misrepresenting policy changes taken by Make-A-Wish Foundation and a Ronald McDonald House Charities facility to protect the children and families they serve from coronavirus.