COVID-19 vaccines finally are headed for more kids as U. S. regulators on Monday expanded use of Pfizer's shot to those as young as 12, sparking a race to protect middle and high school students before they head back to class in the fall. Shots could begin as soon as a federal vaccine advisory committee issues recommendations for using the two-dose vaccine in 12- to 15-year-olds, expected Wednesday. Vaccinating children of all ages will be critical to a return to normalcy. Most COVID-19 out is...

WASHINGTON (AP) ??" House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy set a Wednesday vote for removing Rep. Liz Cheney from her Republican leadership post in the chamber, saying it was clear that he and his GOP colleagues "need to make a change. "McCarthy, R-Calif. , made the remarks Monday in a letter to Republican lawmakers that did not mention Cheney, R-Wyo. , or former President Donald Trump by name. Cheney seems all but certain to be tossed from the No. 3 House GOP job after repeatedly challenging 6...

FRANKLIN GROVE, Ill. (AP) ??" A team of Illinois researchers is using dogs to track down a threatened species of turtle. Researchers believe ornate box turtles, once living in half of Illinois' 102 counties, are found in less than 10. One known home for the species is in Lee County, and a team from the Chicago Zoological Society and the University of Illinois spent Friday surveying the 3,800-acre (1,500-hectare) Nachusa Grasslands. A team paced through the grasses trying to spot the small by a...