BEIJING (AP) — Almost 11 million students began taking China’s university entrance exam Tuesday after a delay as the country worked to bring down coronavirus infections. The grueling four-day exam known as “gaokao” can be a key determinant of a student’s future and was pushed back ...

SAGINAW (AP) — It was difficult to celebrate America in Saginaw this year. The deadly coronavirus had torn through the county. Unemployment had surged five-fold. Weeks of protest over racial inequality left many debating what should be hallowed and what must be changed. But Tom Roy had ...

By GEOFF MULVIHILL and CAMILLE FASSETT Associated Press The personal protective gear that was in dangerously short supply during the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. is running low again as the virus resumes its rapid spread and the number of hospitalized patients ...

LANSING (AP) — A company owned by a Michigan legislative leader and one run by a U.S. Senate candidate each received between $1 million and $2 million from a federal rescue program that was created to preserve jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. Jackson-based Orbitform, which was founded ...

DETROIT (AP) — Michigan schools already face a lack of substitute teachers, but officials expect a greater need for them amid the pandemic. In preparing for fall instruction, educators must focus on ramping up the number of available subs, the Detroit Free Press reported. Randy Liepa, ...

MARQUETTE — The Michigan Strategic Fund on Tuesday approved a $100 million program that will provide grants to small businesses around the state working to recover from the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 virus, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced. The Michigan Strategic ...

By COLLIN BINKLEY AP Education Writer President Donald Trump on Tuesday launched an all-out effort pressing state and local officials to reopen schools this fall, arguing that some are keeping schools closed not because of the risks from the coronavirus pandemic but for political ...

LONDON (AP) — More than 200 scientists have called for the World Health Organization and others to acknowledge that the coronavirus can spread in the air — a change that could alter some of the current measures being taken to stop the pandemic. In a letter published this week in the ...

TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has turned down a White House invitation to celebrate the new regional free trade agreement in Washington with U.S President Donald Trump and Mexican President AndrÈs Manuel Lopez Obrador. Trump and Lopez Obrador are due to meet Wednesday ...

By BILAL HUSSEIN Associated Press BAALBEK, Lebanon— For the first time ever, Lebanon on Sunday hosted its annual music festival in the ancient northeastern city of Baalbek without an audience, a move organizers dubbed “an act of cultural resilience”î to the global coronavirus ...

LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said this week that she was closing indoor seating in bars in parts of the state, including a college town where one brewpub has been linked to about 140 infections. Whitmer also signed a bill allowing bars and restaurants to sell to-go cocktails in an effort ...

MARQUETTE — The OutBack Art Fair, as with many major summer events such as Art on the Rocks and the Marquette County Fair, will not take place for the same reason: the COVID-19 pandemic. The OutBack Air Fair had been scheduled for July 25-26 at Shiras Park near Picnic Rocks in ...

MARQUETTE — The Upper Peninsula State Fair, which was scheduled for Aug. 17-23 in Escanaba, will be postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was made by the U.P. State Fair Authority, which cited current crowd-size restrictions as a major reason for the ...

MARQUETTE — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday released the MI Safe Schools Return to School Roadmap, a comprehensive document to help districts create local plans for in-person learning in the fall. It outlines a number of safety protocols for schools to implement in each phase of the ...

By CARLEY PETESCH Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal — Leaders from the five countries of West Africa’s Sahel region — Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger — are meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Mauritania’s capital ...

(AP) — Flying can increase your risk of exposure to infection, but airlines are taking some precautions and you can too. Air travel means spending time in security lines and airport terminals, which puts you into close contact with other people. As travel slowly recovers, planes are ...

ROME (AP) — The world surpassed two sobering coronavirus milestones Sunday -- 500,000 confirmed deaths, 10 million confirmed cases -- and hit another high mark for daily new infections as governments that attempted reopenings continued to backtrack and warn that worse news could be yet to ...

After practicing social distancing for three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are getting back to shaking hands and even hugging, with hand sanitizer nearby. As a result, mayors and community leaders throughout the Midwest agree that while the decision to do so depends on the ...

With the Fourth of July less than a week away, there is an extra emphasis on outdoor activities in the age of COVID-19 due to the open air as well as the ability to easily social distance. As such, a number of state parks have already opened while others plan to do so later this week, just in ...

MARQUETTE — Outdoor recreation opportunities were curtailed in the region during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but are starting to reopen. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reported it has received questions from customers of camping sites, overnight lodging facilities and ...