Alcoholic beverages
Michelle Gisin of Switzerland celebrates winning the gold medal during the medal ceremony for the women's combined at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Gisin wins back-to-back Olympic combined, Shiffrin out again

By Daniella Matar Feb. 17, 2022 02:18 AM EST

Volunteers wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus hold a social distancing sign as they gather in-line to watch the final round of the men's golf event at the 2020 Summer Olympics on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Kawagoe, Japan. Japan is playing host to the Tokyo Olympics. But the capital, as well as other populous areas, are in the middle of a government-declared "state of emergency" to curb surging COVID-19 infections. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
EXPLAINER: What Olympic host Japan’s COVID ‘emergency’ means

By Yuri Kageyama Aug. 05, 2021 12:18 AM EDT

People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk across a shopping alley near Ueno Station in Tokyo Friday, July 30, 2021. Japan is set to expand the coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo to neighboring areas and the western city of Osaka on Friday in the wake of a record-breaking surge in infections while the capital hosts the Olympics. (AP Photo/Kantaro Komiya)
EXPLAINER: Detailing Japan's new COVID state of emergency

By Yuri Kageyama Jul. 30, 2021 03:25 AM EDT

A man and a woman wearing face masks visit the rooftop park of a commercial building across from Tokyo Station, right, in Tokyo on Thursday, July 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Cases surge to 6-month high in Tokyo a week before Olympics

By Mari Yamaguchi Jul. 15, 2021 06:07 AM EDT

People eat and drink at a restaurant in the evening in Tokyo on July 9, 2021. A state of emergency began Monday, July 12, 2021, in Tokyo, as the number of new cases is climbing fast and hospital beds are starting to fill just 11 days ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Explainer: How will the virus emergency affect the Olympics?

By Mari Yamaguchi Jul. 12, 2021 04:38 AM EDT

Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto looks on after the five-party meeting in Tokyo, Thursday, July 8, 2021. (Behrouz Mehri/Pool Photo via AP)
Japan bans fans at Tokyo-area Olympics venues due to virus

By Mari Yamaguchi And Stephen Wade Jul. 08, 2021 02:11 AM EDT

People wearing face masks walk past the Olympics Rings statue in Tokyo, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Japan is set to place Tokyo under a state of emergency starting next week and lasting through the Olympics, with COVID-19 cases surging and feared to multiply during the Games. (Shinji Kita/Kyodo News via AP)
Japan to declare virus emergency lasting through Olympics

By Mari Yamaguchi Jul. 07, 2021 10:42 PM EDT

Patrons dine at City Winery Thursday, June 24, 2021, in New York. Customers wanting to wine, dine and unwind to live music at the City Winery's flagship restaurant in New York must show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination to get in. But that's not required at most other dining establishments in the city. And it's not necessary at other City Winery sites around the U.S. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
States hesitant to adopt digital COVID vaccine verification

By David A. Lieb Jun. 26, 2021 11:34 AM EDT

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference, Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
New York to let COVID-19 state of emergency expire

By Marina Villeneuve Jun. 23, 2021 02:58 PM EDT

FILE - In this March 25, 2021, file photo, the celebration cauldron is seen lit on the first day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay in Naraha, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan. The Tokyo Olympics are not looking like much fun: Not for athletes. Not for fans. And not for the Japanese public, who are caught between concerns about the coronavirus at a time when few are vaccinated on one side and politicians and the International Olympic Committee who are pressing ahead on the other. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Tokyo shapes up to be No-Fun Olympics with many rules, tests

By Stephen Wade Jun. 23, 2021 12:05 AM EDT

This photo provided by Heaven Hill Distillery on Friday, June 18, 2021 shows the Heaven Hill Distillery opened a $19 million tourist center this week In Bardstown, Ky. The new center, called the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience, is the latest investment by a Kentucky bourbon producer to promote the state’s tourism tourism.
Bourbon tourism shaking off pandemic slump in Kentucky

By Bruce Schreiner Jun. 18, 2021 01:30 PM EDT

Registered nurse Sarvnaz Michel stands for a photo Friday, June 11, 2021, in Lake Forest, Calif. Death is part of the job for Michel, an intensive care nurse at Providence St. Jude Hospital in the Orange County city of Fullerton. But usually patients have family and friends with them for comfort. The coronavirus stopped that, forcing Michel to care for their emotional as well as physical needs. "Just seeing people dying by themselves, it was hard. It was very, very hard," she said. "Now COVID is better, but I see all the doctors and nurses, they are still suffering from all the stuff that happened." (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
4 California lives changed by coronavirus pandemic

By Adam Beam, Janie Har, Amy Taxin And Julie Watson Jun. 14, 2021 04:07 PM EDT

This image provided by Craftsman shows a 57-piece tool kit. If Dad discovered the joys of home improvement during the pandemic, Craftsman has a 57-piece tool kit with pliers, socket wrenches, screwdrivers and measuring tape in a sturdy case. (Craftsman via AP)
Father’s Day gifts that celebrate interests old and new

By Kim Cook Jun. 14, 2021 10:41 AM EDT

In this Monday, June 7, 2021, photo Rep Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., left, talks with distiller Sherry Brockenbrough, during a tour of the Hilltop distillery in Maidens, Va. Spanberger held a roundtable discussion with distillers to discuss COVID-19 reopening challenges experienced by small businesses & regulatory issues facing central Virginia distilleries. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Sales pitch summer? Dems aim to showcase virus relief effort

By Steven Sloan Jun. 10, 2021 12:17 AM EDT

FILE - In this photo taken Dec. 7, 2015, a worker cleans a display case at the Ganja Goddess Cannabis Store in Seattle. On Monday, June 7, 2021, Washington state officials announced that the state's nearly 500 licensed marijuana retailers could begin hosting COVID-19 vaccine clinics and offering a single, free pre-rolled marijuana cigarette to any adult over 21 who receives a shot on-site, but due to federal law and other complications, it's not clear if any of the state's legal pot shops will participate. A current manager at Ganja Goddess said that they would not be participating because they do not have space to host a clinic. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Washington's 'joints for jabs' vaccine program falling flat

By Gene Johnson Jun. 09, 2021 08:41 PM EDT

Get shot, drink beer: SC breweries offer vaccine incentive

Jun. 05, 2021 11:06 AM EDT
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — People who get vaccinated against COVID-19 at South Carolina breweries this month will receive a free beer as part of an effort to get...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom prepares to speak at a news conference about relief for restaurants as San Francisco Mayor London Breed laughs and looks on outside Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco, on Thursday, June 3, 2021. The governor offered his support for the extension and expansion of outdoor dining and takeout cocktails. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
California to allow sale of to-go cocktails through 2021

By Olga R. Rodriguez And Kathleen Ronayne Jun. 03, 2021 05:55 PM EDT

Oregon Legislature makes cocktails to-go permanent

Jun. 02, 2021 08:30 AM EDT
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers have passed a bill allowing the sale of cocktails to-go to continue after the COVID-19 pandemic. The...

More Cambodians die from tainted rice wine despite crackdown

By Sopheng Cheang May. 26, 2021 09:52 AM EDT
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Twelve more people have died in Cambodia from drinking cheap adulterated rice wine, a perennial problem especially in rural areas,...

FILE - In this Thursday, April 15, 2021, file photo, Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey speaks during a bill signing in Phoenix. Come fall, Arizona residents who want to have their favorite restaurant deliver a meal to their home may also be able to get a cocktail delivered. Credit the coronavirus pandemic, which prompted Republican Gov. Doug Ducey to issue an executive order last May allowing the practice. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
Ducey signs bill letting restaurants sell cocktails to go

By Bob Christie May. 21, 2021 03:25 PM EDT