Associated Press stories, Page 1545
Michigan State names Alan Haller as new athletic director
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State named football alumnus and deputy athletic director Alan Haller as its 20th athletic director on Wednesday. Haller served as deputy athletic director since 2019, having been with the athletic department since 2010. He was a lieutenant for the university police department for 13 years. Haller...
Texas school system shuts down after 2 teachers die of covid-19Video
WACO, Texas — A Central Texas school district closed its schools until after the Labor Day holiday Tuesday after two teachers died last week of covid-19. Connally Independent School District officials closed its five suburban Waco schools for the rest of the week after the covid-19 death of Natalia Chansler,...
9-year-old boy killed in fire blamed on scooter charger
NEW YORK — A 9-year-old boy was killed and more than a dozen people were injured Wednesday in a fire caused by an electric scooter that was charging overnight, New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. Firefighters worked “heroically” to remove 14 people from the three-story Queens building where...
R. Kelly accuser says he kept gun nearby while berating her
NEW YORK — One of R. Kelly’s accusers testified on Wednesday that he kept a gun by his side while he berated her as a prelude to forcing her to give him oral sex in a Los Angeles music studio. “He had a weapon, so I wasn’t going to step...
Officers, paramedics charged in Elijah McClain’s 2019 death
DENVER — Colorado’s attorney general said Wednesday that a grand jury indicted three officers and two paramedics in the death of Elijah McClain, a Black man who was put in a chokehold and injected with a powerful sedative two years ago in suburban Denver. The 23-year-old’s death gained widespread attention...
Pennsylvania’s carbon-pricing plan at last regulatory hurdle
The centerpiece of Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight climate change was confronting its last regulatory hurdle Wednesday, in a bid to make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy. The plan to impose a price on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel-fired power...
New online site launched to help people get child tax credit
WASHINGTON — The government has collaborated on a new internet site to help more Americans apply for and receive the expanded child tax credit, a monthly payment of as much as $300 per child that was part of the coronavirus relief package. GetCTC.org was developed by Code for America in...
Wisconsin election probe includes $325,000 for data analysis
MADISON, Wis. — Nearly half of the money being spent on a Republican-ordered investigation into Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election is earmarked for data analysis, a contract released Wednesday spelling out how the $676,000 in taxpayer money will be spent shows. The Associated Press obtained the contract entered into by Assembly...
White House details plans to improve housing affordability
White House officials are outlining plans to build and restore more than 2 million homes, a response to the volcanic rise in housing prices over the past year. Millions of Americans are getting priced out of ownership or stuck spending the bulk of their income on rent. The S&P CoreLogic...
Stocks end with miniscule gains, enough to nudge Nasdaq to record
Stocks inched mostly higher on Wednesday, enough to nudge the Nasdaq composite index to an all-time high. Markets continue to remain quiet ahead of Friday’s jobs report and the Labor Day holiday in the United States on Monday. The S&P 500 index rose 1.41 points, less than 0.1%, to close...
France starts covid-19 booster shot campaign for the elderly
PARIS — France on Wednesday started administering booster shots of covid-19 vaccine to people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions as the delta variant spreads in the country. France is the first big EU country to introduce widespread booster shots, and several other European countries are expected to...
Post-Trump, Ukraine’s leader to push Biden for U.S. support
WASHINGTON — The Ukrainian leader who found himself ensnarled in Donald Trump’s first impeachment is in Washington on Wednesday to see a new U.S. president, seeking increased military aid and backing for his country’s bid for NATO membership. The White House says the meeting between President Joe Biden and President...
NFLPA investigating Urban Meyer’s comments on vaccine status
The NFL Players Association has launched an investigation following Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer’s admission that vaccination status factored into the team’s roster decisions. NFLPA spokesman George Atallah confirmed the union’s action in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday night, hours after Meyer told reporters: “Everyone was considered....
Alicia Keys adapts ‘Girl On Fire’ into young adult novel
For Alicia Keys, “Girl On Fire” isn’t just a million-selling single, but the title and inspiration for a young adult graphic novel scheduled for next year. HarperCollins Publishers announced Tuesday that “Girl On Fire,” the story of 14-year-old Lolo Wright and her telekinetic powers, will come out March 1. The...
This date in sports history: Sept. 1Video
1923 — The United States wins its fourth consecutive Davis Cup by beating Australia, 4-1. 1946 — Patty Berg wins the U.S. Women’s Open golf title by beating Betty Jameson in the final round. 1971 — John Newcombe becomes the first top-seeded man to lose in the first round of...
Texas 6-week abortion ban takes effect, with high court mum
A Texas law banning most abortions in the state took effect at midnight, but the Supreme Court has yet to act on an emergency appeal to put the law on hold. If allowed to remain in force, the law would be the most dramatic restriction on abortion rights in the...
Vatican exonerates Brooklyn Bishop accused of sexual abuse
NEW YORK — The Vatican has concluded that allegations of sexual abuse dating back a half century against the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn do “not have the semblance of truth,” but an attorney for the accusers said they will continue to pursue their civil cases. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the...
Novak Djokovic far from perfect, still wins in 1st round of U.S. OpenVideo
NEW YORK — If the last-name chorus of “Ruuuuuune!” in support of his relatively unknown teenage opponent at the U.S. Open bothered Novak Djokovic, he never let anyone know. Nor was there any visible evidence Djokovic was shaken by the shaky patches he went through while dropping a set Tuesday...
As Florida mask fight rages, more children being hospitalizedVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Pediatricians from several Florida hospitals all had the same message Tuesday: the covid-19 delta variant is infecting more children than previous strains, putting more in the hospital and until it abates, schools should require masks in the classroom — an assertion Gov. Ron DeSantis disputes as...
House committee asks companies to save Jan. 6 phone, computer records
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is asking social media and telecommunications companies to preserve phone or computer records for hundreds of people who were potentially involved with efforts to “challenge, delay or interfere” with the certification that day of President Joe...
No resolution to Deshaun Watson dilemma as he stays on Texans rosterVideo
HOUSTON — Quarterback Deshaun Watson remained on the active roster Tuesday as the Houston Texans made cuts to reduce their roster to 53 players. Watson’s future with the team is in question after 22 women filed lawsuits alleging he sexually assaulted or harassed them. Houston police and the NFL are...
Cardinals place former Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler on reserve/retired listVideo
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals placed cornerback Malcolm Butler on the reserve/retired list on Tuesday, potentially signaling the end of his seven-year career. NFL Network reported Monday that Butler was mulling retirement because of a “personal situation.” The 31-year-old Butler signed a $6 million, one-year deal with the Cardinals...
Texas Legislature sends broad GOP elections bill to governor
AUSTIN — The GOP-controlled Texas Legislature passed a broad overhaul of the state’s election laws Tuesday, tightening already strict voting rules and dealing a bruising defeat to Democrats after a monthslong, bitter fight over voting rights. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said he will sign the bill, the latest in a...
Doug Ferguson: Soft courses, low scores and the PGA Tour’s need for more varietyVideo
ATLANTA — Kevin Kisner was one spot out of the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings going into the tournament that determines who makes it to Tour Championship at East Lake. All it took was one shot for him to realize it probably wasn’t going to be him. “The...
WVU QB Jarret Doege ready to put rough 2020 season in pastVideo
West Virginia’s Jarret Doege knew he had some work to do after a poor finish to the 2020 season. The quarterback needed the offseason to improve in several areas, among them awareness in the pocket, arm strength, footwork and foot speed. He also reduced his body fat. With that effort...
