The Los Angeles Unified School District is prohibiting students from wearing only cloth face masks on campus as the country grapples with a continued surge of COVID-19 infections driven by the omicron variant.

The district announced updated guidance on Friday requiring students to wear "well-fitting, non-cloth masks with a nose wire" both indoors and outdoors. Employees will have to wear surgical grade masks or higher.

Students and employees will be able to get masks from the district if they need them.

The Russian government is rejecting a British report alleging that it has a leader in mind for installation after a potential invasion of Ukraine.

TACOMA, Wash. — Don Wilson, co-founder and rhythm guitarist of the instrumental guitar band The Ventures, has died.

He was 88.

Wilson died Saturday in Tacoma of natural causes, surrounded by his four children, The News Tribune reported.

The band's hits included "Walk, Don't Run," and the theme song for "Hawaii Five-O." They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.

The situation along the Russia-Ukraine border remains tense, as Russia has amassed an estimated 100,000 troops just across the divide while Ukraine's outnumbered military prepares to defend itself against a possible invasion.

Several U.S. presidents have been known for their love of reading history, especially biographies and most especially biographies of former presidents.

If President Biden did not have this White House habit yet, now would be a good time to pick it up.

How do you bring aid to a disaster-struck nation when you don't want to let any outsiders in?

That's the pandemic dilemma faced by Tonga following the eruption of a massive underwater volcano on Jan. 15. International aid is on the way, but efforts are hamstrung by the desire to keep the coronavirus out of the remote Pacific island nation, which consists of some 170 islands, many uninhabited, and has a population of about 100,000.