Associated Press stories, Page 1693
This date in sports history: April 17Video
1939 — Joe Louis knocks out Jack Roper at 2 minutes, 20 seconds of the first round in Los Angeles to retain the world heavyweight title. 1976 — Mike Schmidt hits four consecutive home runs and drives in eight runs as the Philadelphia Phillies overcome a 13-2 deficit to beat...
The Hartford agrees to pay $650M in Boy Scouts bankruptcy
DOVER, Del. — Insurance company The Hartford has agree to pay $650 million into a proposed trust fund for victims of child sexual abuse as part of the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy case. In exchange for the payment, the Boy Scouts and its local councils would release The Hartford...
Phillies great Jimmy Rollins reflects on decline of Black players in MLBVideo
PHILADELPHIA — When Jimmy Rollins made his first All-Star team as a rookie with the Philadelphia Phillies 20 years ago, the percentage of Black players in the majors was 13. It’s down to 7.6% this year. As the Phillies celebrated Jackie Robinson Day along with the rest of baseball on...
Dwyane Wade joins Utah Jazz ownership groupVideo
SALT LAKE CITY — Dwyane Wade is an NBA owner. The Utah Jazz announced Friday that the 13-time NBA All-Star will join the youngest ownership group in the league. The group is headed by technology entrepreneur Ryan Smith, who along with his wife, Ashley, acquired majority interest in the Jazz...
Unstoppable Cink: 47-year-old sets midway record at HeritageVideo
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Two-time champion Stewart Cink moved into position for a third RBC Heritage title, shooting a second straight 63 to set the 36-hole scoring mark at Harbour Town. Cink, 47, appears unstoppable after two amazing days. He sits at 16-under-par 126, five shots ahead of Corey...
Auto racing’s approach to covid-19 vaccine varies greatlyVideo
RICHMOND, Va. — Bubba Wallace says get the shot, like he did. Brad Keselowski says he hasn’t decided yet whether to get vaccinated against covid-19, while Austin Dillon and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott say it’s a personal choice and no one else’s business, though Dillon’s Richard Childress...
Raul Castro resigns as Communist chief, ending era in Cuba
HAVANA — Raul Castro said Friday he is resigning as head of Cuba’s Communist Party, ending an era of formal leadership that began with his brother Fidel and the country’s 1959 revolution. The 89-year-old Castro made the announcement in a speech at the opening of the eighth congress of the...
Browns release veteran DT Richardson in salary-cap moveVideo
CLEVELAND — This offseason remodeling of the Cleveland Browns’ defense includes a surprising removal. Veteran tackle Sheldon Richardson’s contract was terminated Friday, a head-scratching move that creates more salary-cap space but also a hole in the middle of Cleveland’s defensive line. Days after adding free agent end Jadeveon Clowney, the...
Federal officials reverse limits on fetal tissue research
Federal officials on Friday reversed Trump administration restrictions on using human fetal tissue for medical research. The changes clear the way for using government money on work that in the past has led to treatments for a variety of diseases, including covid-19. Government scientists now will be able to resume...
Japan’s leader urges strong alliance in visit to White House
WASHINGTON — Calling democracy the foundation for global prosperity, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga met with President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday in a bid to underscore the two countries’ alliance as a counter to an autocratic and increasingly assertive China. The visit was Biden’s first face-to-face...
2 men killed, officer wounded in San Antonio shootout
SAN ANTONIO — Two men were killed and a woman and a San Antonio police officer were wounded in a shootout Friday following a routine traffic stop. Around 11:30 a.m., an officer stopped a pickup truck containing three occupants for an undetermined reason on a street on the city’s West...
Kansas governor vetoes Republicans’ proposed income tax cuts
TOPEKA, Kan. — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday vetoed proposed income tax cuts in Kansas, the third time in two years that she has rejected a Republican plan and accused GOP lawmakers of trying to revive a nationally notorious fiscal experiment. The bill would have saved individuals and businesses...
Portland, Ore., police fatally shoot man at city park
PORTLAND, Ore. — An angry crowd gathered in a park in Portland, Ore., on Friday after police fatally shot a man while responding to reports of a person with a gun, the deputy police chief said. Deputy Police Chief Chris Davis said at a news conference that a white man...
Michigan extends mask order, capacity limits amid surge
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan on Friday extended by five weeks a pandemic order that limits business capacity and requires masks in public, even for young children in day care, as the state battles the country’s highest daily coronavirus infection rate. The measure, which was expected and replaces one that had...
House GOP Minority Leader takes cash from casino mogul accused of misconduct
WASHINGTON — A major House Republican fundraising committee overseen by GOP Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy received over $770,000 from Steve Wynn, a Las Vegas casino mogul who stepped down from his company in 2018 after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. The donation, which Wynn made in late March,...
Georgia governor gets GOP primary challenge from former Dem
ATLANTA — Former Democrat Vernon Jones crowd-surfed across adoring Trump supporters in October after speaking at one of the former president’s campaign rallies. Now the scandal-plagued politician hopes to surf their discontent to a Republican primary victory over Gov. Brian Kemp. Jones announced Friday that he would challenge the incumbent...
Retired Ohio sheriff and tiny K-9 partner die the same day
CLEVELAND — The Ohio county sheriff and his tiny police dog were inseparable, their lives unwaveringly intertwined. It thus seems fitting that retired Geauga County Sheriff Dan McClelland, 67, and his crime-fighting partner Midge, 16, would both die on Wednesday — McClelland, at a hospital after a lengthy battle with...
SpaceX’s next crew arrives in Florida for Earth Day launch
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX’s most international crew of astronauts yet arrived at their launch site Friday. By coincidence, their flight to the International Space Station is set for next Thursday — Earth Day. It’s a reminder of NASA’s core mission of studying the home planet, the space agency’s acting...
Biden speeds refugee admissions but doesn’t lift Trump cap
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday signed an emergency determination to speed refugee admissions to the U.S., but kept his predecessor’s historically low cap of 15,000 refugees for this year, triggering an outcry from advocates for refugees and even Biden allies. Many were surprised Biden has not replaced the...
Human composting legislation considered in Delaware
DOVER, Del. — Democratic lawmakers in Delaware have introduced a measure that would allow composting of human bodies as an alternative to burial or cremation. The bill introduced Thursday would permit a practice that is called “natural organic reduction” but also referred to as “human composting.” The process involves putting...
AP study: MLB salary down 4.8% in 2 years; top 100 earn half
NEW YORK — The average major league salary dropped 4.8% to just under $4.17 million on opening day from the start of the previous full season in 2019. The average has fallen 6.4% since the start of the 2017 season, when it peaked at $4.45 million, according to a study...
Russia to expel 10 U.S. diplomats in response to Washington
MOSCOW — Russia on Friday responded to a barrage of new U.S. sanctions by saying it would expel 10 U.S. diplomats and take other retaliatory moves in a tense showdown with Washington. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said Moscow will add eight U.S. officials to its sanctions list and move...
Heavy metal guitarist is 1st suspect to plead guilty in Capitol riot
WASHINGTON — A heavy metal guitarist on Friday became the first defendant to plead guilty to federal charges in connection with the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Jon Ryan Schaffer, the frontman of the band Iced Earth, has agreed to cooperate with investigators in hopes of getting a lighter sentence,...
Liberty sues Jerry Falwell Jr., seeking millions in damages
RICHMOND, Va. — Liberty University has filed a civil lawsuit against its former leader, Jerry Falwell Jr., seeking millions in damages after the two parted ways acrimoniously last year. The complaint, filed Thursday in Lynchburg Circuit Court, alleges Falwell crafted a “well-resourced exit strategy” from his role as president and...
As America embraces voting early, GOP moves to restrict it
Nearly seven of every 10 voters cast their ballots before Election Day in 2020. Republicans are moving to make it harder for that to happen again, potentially affecting the voting preferences of millions of Americans. The GOP’s campaign to place new restrictions on mail-in and early voting in certain states...
