In the news

■ Neil Cavuto, 63, the Fox News Channel anchor who has been treated for cancer, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and undergone open-heart surgery, said he was surprised to test positive for covid-19 this week but grateful to be vaccinated.

■ Mike Durant, best known as the helicopter pilot shot down and held prisoner in the 1993 “Black Hawk Down” incident in Mogadishu, Somalia, is the latest Alabama Republican vying for the party’s nomination to run for the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby.

■ Constable Kurt, a police officer in Invercargill, New Zealand, identified only by his first name, said he had a “good, educational chat” about the proper use of an emergency number with a 4-year-old who called because he wanted police to see his array of toys, which Kurt agreed were “cool.”

■ Vennie Gore, a senior vice president at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., sent out an email making a plea to the staff and faculty to volunteer in campus dining halls, which one faculty member called “astounding” given ongoing concerns about compensation.

■ William Rich, 41, of Windsor Mill, Md., an Army veteran wounded in Iraq in 2005 and accused of falsely claiming he was paralyzed to collect more than $1 million in benefits, faces wire fraud and theft charges, federal prosecutors said.

■ Thomas Ballard III, 63, a doctor in Jackson, Tenn., was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to causing the overdose death of a patient by illegally prescribing the painkiller hydrocodone, prosecutors said.

■ Andrew Gilbert, 27, said he was pushed through an emergency exit door at a Manhattan subway station by a New York City police officer after he approached two officers to ask why they weren’t wearing masks required by the city in public transit settings.

■ Jeanette Cowherd, a school superintendent in Park Hill, Mo., who vowed to fight racism after a small group of students posted a petition online calling for the return of slavery, asked the district board not to extend her contract, which expires June 30.

■ London Breed, the mayor of San Francisco, unveiled a new program that will give out rewards of up to $100,000 for information about “high-level leaders” of auto burglary rings as the city deals with a rash of property crimes that include home break-ins and shoplifting.