Jet fuel

prices swing

(AP) — Air travelers are facing a new reality of higher fees, fewer flights and tough choices about whether a trip is worth the cost. The culprit is volatile oil and jet fuel prices that have been swinging since the war in the Middle East started and fighting near the Strait of Hormuz disrupted global oil shipments.

Airlines around the world are responding by trimming schedules and raising fees and fares. Experts say budget carriers and the customers who rely on them will feel the pinch first, but even business travelers and front-cabin passengers won’t escape higher costs.

Relief may not come quickly even if oil prices start to drop, experts warn, because airlines can take months to adjust fares while they wait for energy markets to stabilize.

Former officer

sentenced

NEW YORK (AP) — A former New York City police officer has been sentenced to three to nine years in prison for tossing a picnic cooler full of drinks at a fleeing suspect, who then crashed his motorized scooter and died.

Former Sgt. Erik Duran was convicted of manslaughter in the 2023 death of Eric Duprey. Duran had pleaded not guilty. He testified at trial that he was trying to protect other officers from the approaching scooter on a Bronx sidewalk. Prosecutors argued the sergeant had enough time to warn others but tossed the cooler in frustration.

Duran is the first former NYPD officer sentenced to prison for an on-duty death in at least two decades.

Astronauts

to return

HOUSTON (AP) — The Artemis II astronauts are tidying up their lunar cruiser for today’s “fireball” return to Earth. They’re also reflecting on their historic journey around the moon, describing it as surreal and profound.

Humanity’s first lunar explorers in more than a half-century, they set a new distance record during Monday’s lunar flyby.

Artemis II is aiming for a splashdown in the Pacific off the San Diego coast.