Associated Press stories, Page 2271
Police: Berks County man believed to have killed 2, died in fire ID’d
DOUGLASSVILLE — State police say a man who they believe beat an eastern Pennsylvania couple to death with a hammer and was then found dead in a fire in the garage has been identified as the woman’s adult son. Police in Berks County said Wednesday that DNA tests identified the...
Mixed emotions for Tiger Woods in 1st round at Hero World ChallengeVideo
NASSAU, Bahamas — As a player, Tiger Woods wasn’t all that happy with his game Wednesday in the Hero World Challenge. As the Presidents Cup captain, he had reason to be pleased. U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland and Patrick Reed, who will be part of the U.S. team next week...
Pennsylvania Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell charged with stealing from nonprofitVideo
HARRISBURG — Prosecutors charged a state representative from Philadelphia on Wednesday with enriching herself by stealing money from a nonprofit organization she founded to serve the mentally ill and poor who were fighting addiction. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office accused Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell of perjury, tampering with public records,...
Georgia governor picks political newcomer Kelly Loeffler for U.S. Senate
ATLANTA — Georgia’s Republican governor announced Wednesday that he will appoint a wealthy businesswoman to the U.S. Senate, flouting President Donald Trump and highlighting a division within the GOP over whether moderate suburbanites or base voters are their key to victory in 2020 and beyond. Gov. Brian Kemp’s selection of...
Clemson’s Travis Etienne earns ACC player of year honorVideo
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Clemson running back Travis Etienne once again is the ACC’s player of the year, and North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell is the league’s top rookie. The ACC on Wednesday announced its individual awards as determined by a panel of 46 media members and 14 coaches. Etienne also...
Former role players in SEC title game spotlight for GeorgiaVideo
ATHENS, Ga. — Tyler Simmons’ role as the senior leader of No. 4 Georgia’s wide receivers has never been more important. The Bulldogs lost top receiver Lawrence Cager after ankle surgery. The depth at the position took another blow when freshman George Pickens, who shares the team lead in receptions...
At notorious jail, guards feel heat for teen’s near suicide
NEW YORK — Four guards at New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail have been suspended without pay after they allegedly stood by and failed to stop a teenage inmate from trying to hang himself on Thanksgiving. Nicholas Feliciano, 18, remained unconscious in the intensive care unit of a hospital...
Don’t overlook Clemson, Virginia defenses in ACC championship gameVideo
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The offenses deservedly are getting a lot of attention heading into Saturday night’s clash between Clemson and Virginia in the ACC championship game. But the defenses shouldn’t be overlooked. They are among the conference’s best and will play a role in who walks off the field with...
Impeachment takeaways: History lessons, partisan feudsVideo
WASHINGTON — The next phase of the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump moved to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday with public hearings featuring professors of law who discussed the constitutional origins of Congress’ impeachment power. Three of the lawyers were chosen by Democrats, one by Republicans, and the...
Giants’ Eli Manning likely to start in place of injured Daniel JonesVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J — New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones was kept out of practice Wednesday with a high right-ankle sprain, and coach Pat Shurmur said Eli Manning “very likely” will start Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. Shurmur added that Manning could be the starter for the rest...
Zack Wheeler, Phillies agree to $118M, 5-year deal
PHILADELPHIA — Right-hander Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a $118 million, five-year contract, two people familiar with the deal told the Associated Press on Wednesday. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement, which is subject to a physical, had not been announced. The 29-year-old...
Cole Hamels, Braves agree $18 million, 1-year deal
ATLANTA — Left-hander Cole Hamels agreed to an $18 million, one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves, one of the more active teams of the offseason. The 35-year-old gives the Braves a veteran to replace Julio Teheran, who became a free agent after his $12 million team option was declined. Hamels...
Electric eel powers aquarium’s Christmas lightsVideo
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Visitors to the Tennessee Aquarium may be shocked to learn that an electric eel named Miguel Wattson is lighting up a Christmas tree. A special system connected to Miguel’s tank enables his shocks to power strands of lights on a nearby tree, according to a news release....
Deadly defect found in another version of Takata airbags
DETROIT — BMW is telling owners of some older 3-series cars to stop driving them after another recall of dangerous Takata air bag inflators. A driver in Australia was killed by an airbag malfunction, while another Australian and a driver in Cyprus were injured, according to government documents. The recently...
Clifford, everybody’s favorite big red dog, gets a reboot
NEW YORK — Who’s your favorite big red dog? If you have one, chances are his name is Clifford. Scholastic Entertainment is rebooting the TV series about the giant dog with an equally large heart this week on Amazon Prime Video and PBS, the latter his home since the early...
Buffalo bishop resigns under fire for handling of misconductVideo
NEW YORK — Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo resigned Wednesday, forced to step aside amid mounting calls for his ouster from his staff, priests and public over his handling of allegations of clergy sexual misconduct. The Vatican said Pope Francis accepted the resignation and appointed Edward Scharfenberger, the bishop of...
Henry Cavill: Door ‘hasn’t closed’ on Superman, but first, ‘Witcher’
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Henry Cavill is all-in on his Netflix fantasy series “The Witcher,” but he says the “door hasn’t closed”on a return as Superman in the DC cinematic universe. Cavill last played the superhero in 2017’s “Justice League” and it’s unclear whether any upcoming movies will feature the...
Kid Rock’s Detroit eatery closing after his profane comments
DETROIT — Kid Rock won’t renew his licensing agreement for Kid Rock’s Made in Detroit restaurant, the owners of the sports arena in which it’s housed said Wednesday. The news comes after the singer and musician was recently filmed delivering a vulgarity-laced rant against Oprah Winfrey. Chris Granger, group president...
Trump calls Trudeau ‘two-faced’ as palace gossip goes viralVideo
WATFORD, England — NATO leaders professed unity on Wednesday at a summit near London — but a spat over off-the-cuff chitchat at a royal reception rattled their show of solidarity. President Donald Trump branded the leader of America’s northern neighbor “two-faced” after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared to gossip...
Bloomberg spending tens of millions more on new ad campaign
NEW YORK — Billionaire Democrat Michael Bloomberg is putting tens of millions of more dollars behind a new television ad casting himself as uniquely qualified to defeat President Donald Trump. The ad is set to begin running Wednesday in all 50 states, including the first four on the presidential primary...
Deadly swine flu outbreak breaks out in Poland near Germany
WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s agriculture minister says 21 wild boars have died as a result of an outbreak of African swine fever close to the German border. The minister said Wednesday that the area is being sealed off with a 34 mile fence and local hunters have been instructed to...
Loaded gun inside baby gift bought at Florida thrift store
CRESTVIEW, Fla. — A woman who bought a baby shower gift at a Florida Goodwill store was shocked when the father-to-be opened the box and found a loaded semi-automatic rifle inside. Veronica Alvarez-Rodriguez told the Northwest Florida Daily News that she and her husband stopped by the store in Valparaiso...
North Dakota-based wall builder who pitched to Trump on Fox News wins $400M contract
BISMARCK, N.D. — Tommy Fisher’s ambitious plan to win a border wall contract included what could be the next best thing to making a pitch directly to President Donald Trump himself — talking to him through his favorite cable TV channel, Fox News. And it just may have worked. Fisher’s...
Dolphins RB Kalen Ballage breaks 1936 record for futilityVideo
MIAMI — Running back Kalen Ballage’s historically unproductive season ended Tuesday when he was placed on injured reserve by the Miami Dolphins. Ballage hurt his left leg in Sunday’s victory over Philadelphia. The second-year pro finishes the season with 135 yards on 74 carries. His 1.8-yard average is the worst...
Google co-founders step down as execs of parent AlphabetVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — The co-founders of Google are stepping down as executives of its parent company, Alphabet, ending a remarkable two decades during which Larry Page and Sergey Brin shaped a startup born in a Silicon Valley garage into one of the largest, most powerful — and, increasingly, most feared...
