Thousands of US health care workers go on strike in multiple states

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Some 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers walked off the job Wednesday in multiple states, kicking off a major health care strike in an extraordinary year for U.S. labor organizing and work stoppages. Kaiser Permanente is one of the country’s larger insurers and health care system operators, serving nearly 13 million people. The nonprofit company, based in Oakland, California, said its 39 hospitals, including emergency rooms, will remain open during the picketing, though appointments and non-urgent procedures could be delayed.

New York City moves to suspend ‘right to shelter’ as migrant influx continues

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York City is challenging a unique legal agreement that requires it to provide emergency housing to anyone who asks for it, as the city’s shelter system strains under a large influx of international migrants who have arrived since last year. The city filed a request late Tuesday asking a court to allow it to suspend the requirement when there is a state of emergency where the shelter population of single adults increases at a rapid rate. The filing came as Mayor Eric Adams embarks on a four-day trip through Latin America, starting Wednesday in Mexico, where he said he will discourage people from coming to New York, telling them the city’s shelter system is at capacity and its resources are overwhelmed.

Pilot accused of stalking New York woman via small airplane

BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A New Hampshire man is accused of stalking an upstate New York woman by using his small plane, which he had been flying out of a southern Vermont airport. Michael Arnold, 65, made an initial appearance in court Wednesday in Bennington, Vermont. He was arrested Tuesday as he was driving into the William H. Morse State Airport in town. Police said his single-engine Cessna 180 was at the airport and he had been flying from there.

Uber is now offering to return parcels for a fee

(AP) — Uber is adding a new task to its list of services: mailing consumers’ return packages. The ride-hailing and delivery company said Wednesday that its drivers will collect up to five prepaid and sealed packages and drop them off at a local post office or at UPS or FedEx stores. Uber will charge a flat fee of $5 for the service or $3 for its Uber One members. The San Francisco-based company said the service will be available in nearly 5,000 U.S. cities to start.

‘Tiger King’ animal trainer ‘Doc’ Antle gets suspended sentence for wildlife trafficking

WINCHESTER, Va. (AP) — An animal trainer featured in the popular Netflix series “Tiger King” has received a suspended two-year sentence after being convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia, the state attorney general’s office announced. Bhagavan “Doc” Antle also was banned from owning and dealing in exotic wild animals in the state for five years, Attorney General Jason Miyares said Tuesday in a statement. Antle was accused of illegally buying endangered lion cubs in Frederick County, Virginia, for display and profit at his South Carolina zoo. A jury convicted him in June of two felony counts each of wildlife trafficking and conspiring to wildlife traffic. He had faced up to 20 years in prison.