Associated Press stories, Page 1720
NASA gives all clear: Earth safe from asteroid for 100 years
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Whew, now here’s some good cosmic news: NASA has given Earth the all clear for the next century from a particularly menacing asteroid. The space agency announced this week that new telescope observations have ruled out any chance of Apophis smacking Earth in 2068. That’s the...
The lost year: Minor leaguers reflect on a canceled season
Matt Seelinger sat in the visitor’s bullpen at Surprise Stadium, waiting for his turn to pitch. The San Francisco Giants right-hander had never played above Class A. Now, in a Cactus League exhibition against the Texas Rangers, he was in line to toe a major league mound for the first...
Tornado outbreak rips across Deep South; at least 5 dead
OHATCHEE, Ala. — Tornadoes and severe storms tore through the Deep South, killing at least five people as strong winds splintered trees, wrecked homes and downed power lines. The tornado outbreak rolled into western Georgia early Friday. One large, dangerous tornado moved through Newnan and surrounding communities in the Atlanta...
Carlos Correa turned down $120M, 6-year deal from Astros, says deadline stands
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa says he turned down an offer for a $120 million, six-year contract covering 2022-27 and is not sure whether there will be a deal before his deadline of opening day next week. Correa has an $11.3 million salary this year...
Child sex abuse lawsuit ‘window’ amendment clears Pa. House
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers on Wednesday finished a new first round of approvals for a constitutional amendment giving victims of child sexual abuse the power to file what would otherwise be outdated claims, but it will be 2023 at the earliest before it takes effect. The House voted 188 to...
Maine legislator being investigated for Harvey Weinstein backdrop on Zoom
AUGUSTA, Maine — A Maine legislator who appeared for Zoom meetings twice with a background that made a joking reference to convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein is being investigated by the Legislature’s human resources department. The investigation will focus on whether state Rep. Bruce Bickford, a Republican from Auburn, violated the...
Soccer star Thierry Henry to quit social media, says racism unchecked
LONDON — Thierry Henry is quitting social media to protest online racial abuse and bullying that he said goes unregulated. The former France great said Friday that social media companies haven’t done enough to stop abusive behavior, which regularly targets Black athletes. “From tomorrow morning I will be removing myself...
Officials urge vigilance as Germany sees 3rd infection wave
BERLIN — German health officials warned Friday that the country’s latest eruption of coronavirus cases has the potential to be worse than the previous two last year, and they urged people to stay at home during the upcoming Easter break to help slow the rapidly rising numbers of new infections....
Trains collide in southern Egypt, killing at least 32
CAIRO — Two trains crashed Friday in southern Egypt, killing at least 32 people and injuring 165, authorities said in the latest of a series of deadly accidents on the country’s troubled railways. Someone apparently activated the emergency brakes on the passenger train, and it was rear-ended by another train,...
GOP 2024 contenders enter Iowa, wary of Trump’s long shadow
DES MOINES, Iowa — Ambitious Republicans are starting to make moves in Iowa, long a proving ground for future presidents. Their first step is finding out whether activists there have gotten over the last one. Former President Donald Trump remains a hulking presence in Iowa, where he won twice by...
Dominion Voting sues Fox for $1.6B over 2020 election claims
WASHINGTON — Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Friday, arguing the cable news giant, in an effort to boost faltering ratings, falsely claimed that the voting company had rigged the 2020 election. The lawsuit is part of a growing body of legal action...
Post players having big impact on women’s NCAA Tournament
Post players are having a big impact on the women’s NCAA Tournament. Teams that have reached the Sweet 16 teams are getting major contributions from their “Bigs.” The impressive list includes: • Aliyah Boston. The South Carolina All-American has had 39 points and 25 rebounds in her first two career...
Small Texas border town is route to U.S. for migrant children
ROMA, Texas — As darkness sets on the Rio Grande, U.S. Border Patrol agents hear pumps inflating rafts across the river in Mexico. It is about to get busy. Within an hour, the rafts drop off about 100 people in six trips into the United States, including many families with...
Grand Canyon basketball player Oscar Frayer killed in crash
PHOENIX — Grand Canyon basketball player Oscar Frayer died from a car accident, three days after the Antelopes played in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. He was 23. Frayer and his sister, 28-year-old Andrea Moore, were killed with an unidentified person in a car crash in Lodi, Calif.,...
Michigan, Villanova push past key injuries in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 runVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Villanova spent all season operating with the security of having senior point guard Collin Gillespie leading the attack. Michigan knew it could depend on versatile veteran Isaiah Livers. Now the Wildcats and Wolverines have figured out how to win without them in the NCAA Tournament. Gillespie is out...
Bob MacIntyre battles world No. 1 Dustin Johnson to a drawVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — Bob MacIntyre grew up playing the rough-and-tumble Scottish sport of shinty, and he had more than enough fight to give Dustin Johnson all he could handle Thursday in the Dell Technologies Match Play. Johnson had to rally late with an eagle and a clutch birdie to send...
Top-ranked Ash Barty overcomes match point for Miami Open win
MIAMI — Because of canceled flights, it took Ash Barty 45 hours to travel from her native Australia to Florida for a tennis tournament. Her stay at the Miami Open will be longer than that, thanks only to an improbable comeback Thursday. The top-ranked Barty rallied from a big third-set...
Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger retires after 35-year careerVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger announced his retirement Thursday, ending a 35-year career that included taking five schools to the NCAA Tournament — with two of them reaching the Final Four — and more than 650 career wins. The 68-year-old Kruger led Florida to the national semifinals in...
Man with weapons, body armor arrested at University of Kentucky hospital
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Police arrested an armed Kentucky man as he left a hospital after receiving a tip from another police department that he was in the area. A large police presence was at the University of Kentucky’s Chandler Hospital emergency room Thursday and university officials asked students and visitors...
Texas death toll from February storm, outages surpasses 100
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas officials on Thursday raised the death toll from February’s winter storm and blackouts to at least 111 people — nearly doubling the state’s initial tally following one of the worst power outages in U.S. history. The majority of the deaths are associated with hypothermia, according to...
Hornets acquire former Pitt star Brad Wanamaker from WarriorsVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Hornets acquired guard Brad Wanamaker, a former Pitt star, from the Golden State Warriors, a person familiar with the situation said Thursday. The teams exchanged heavily protected future second-round picks, according to the person who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because...
Trade deadline passes, Kyle Lowry remains with RaptorsVideo
Kyle Lowry stayed with the Toronto Raptors, and the Miami Heat got Victor Oladipo instead. And on a trade deadline day where moves were getting made right up until the last possible moment, the Denver Nuggets took a big swing at getting better for a playoff run while the Orlando...
USC agrees to $852 million payout in sex abuse lawsuit
LOS ANGELES — The University of Southern California has agreed to an $852 million settlement with more than 700 women who have accused the college’s longtime campus gynecologist of sexual abuse, the victims’ lawyers and USC announced Thursday. It’s believed to be a record amount for such a lawsuit. When...
Lawmakers press Big Tech CEOs on speech responsibilityVideo
WASHINGTON — The CEOs of tech giants Facebook, Twitter and Google faced a grilling in Congress Thursday as lawmakers tried to draw them into acknowledging their companies’ roles in fueling the January insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and rising covid-19 vaccine misinformation. In a hearing by the House Energy and...
2 Sabres coaches placed in NHL covid protocol
Buffalo Sabres interim coach Don Granato and assistant Matt Ellis have been placed in the NHL’s covid-19 protocol. The development leaves general manager Kevyn Adams taking over behind the bench for Buffalo’s game Thursday night at Pittsburgh. The team made the announcement two hours before the opening faceoff. This marks...
