Associated Press stories, Page 2283
TV comedy greats take a bow, make ’em laugh at ceremony
“There’s nothing I believe more than this, that laughter adds time to one’s life,” Norman Lear told an audience gathered to honor him and other four other television comedy greats. “I believe that as much as I believe my mother loved me,” the writer-producer added. “She said she did. But...
UN: Spike in violence may jeopardize ending Ebola in Congo
GENEVA — The World Health Organization on Friday noted “a very dangerous and alarming development” in efforts to end the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, warning that the eruption of violence may re-ignite the epidemic. Dr. Mike Ryan, who directs the U.N. health agency’s Ebola response, said there were only...
Campus ministry ex-director sentenced in child porn case
PHILADELPHIA — A former campus minister at Villanova University who admitted possessing child pornography has been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison. Timothy O’Connell must also serve 10 years of supervised release once he’s freed from prison. The 52-year-old Drexel Hill resident had pleaded guilty in June to obtaining...
Jerry Sandusky expected in court for new sentencing in abuse case
BELLEFONTE — Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is expected in a Pennsylvania courtroom to be resentenced after an appeals court said mandatory minimum sentences had been improperly applied against him. The 75-year-old Sandusky will be resentenced Friday by Judge Maureen Skerda at the county courthouse in Bellefonte....
Godwin Boahen scores 17 to carry UIC over Robert Morris 72-62
CHICAGO — Godwin Boahen scored 17 points and Illinois-Chicago beat Robert Morris 72-62 on Thursday night. Tarkus Ferguson had 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Flames (2-3). Michael Diggins added 12 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Brian Taylor, whose 9.0 points per game heading into the...
In Kacey Musgraves’ Christmas special, her grandma steals the show
Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves knows who the real star is in her family — her grandmother. That’s why the singer put the woman she calls Nana in her upcoming holiday special, “The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show.” “Basically, this is just Nana’s world. We’re just all livin’ in it. This is...
Texans stave off Colts in Thursday night AFC South showdownVideo
HOUSTON — Deshaun Watson threw two touchdown passes to DeAndre Hopkins and finished with 298 yards to help the Houston Texans beat the Indianapolis Colts, 20-17, on Thursday night to take the AFC South lead. The Texans (7-4), who were embarrassed by Baltimore, 41-7, on Sunday, trailed by four early...
Baylee Steele scores 20 to lift Duquesne past Indiana State
BIMINI, Bahamas — Baylee Steele had a career-high 20 points as Duquesne came from behind to beat Indiana State, 74-71, on Thursday night. Steele made 4 of 6 3-pointers. Sincere Carry had 15 points for Duquesne (4-0), which won its fourth straight game to open the season. Maceo Austin added...
Indiana University says it can’t fire professor for ‘bigoted’ remarks
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — An Indiana University professor who defended comments he posted on his social media accounts that denigrated women, people of color and gay men will keep his job because his views are protected under the Constitution, university officials announced after they were bombarded with demands to fire him....
Trevor Ruhland overcomes injuries to play final year for Notre DameVideo
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Trevor Ruhland expected to be Notre Dame’s starting center this season, right up until the medical staff told him in January his left knee is like that of an 80-year-old man and he probably shouldn’t play football anymore. Bear in mind Ruhland had endured a broken...
First Marvel Comics issue sells in Texas for $1.26 million
DALLAS — A rare near-mint condition copy of the first Marvel Comics comic book has sold at auction in Dallas for $1.26 million. Heritage Auctions says the Marvel Comics No. 1 from 1939 sold Thursday. Heritage says the buyer wished to remain anonymous. Ed Jaster, senior vice president at Heritage,...
Sheriff at troubled Ohio’s Gallia County jail responds to allegations
CLEVELAND — The sheriff who oversees a small Ohio county jail that has been plagued with deaths and injuries over the last year said Thursday he’ll share information about the facility once an internal investigation is complete. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that family members of those who have died...
WeWork cuts nearly 20% of workforce in restructuring effort
NEW YORK — WeWork is slashing nearly 20% of its workforce, embarking on a painful restructuring of its money-losing operation that doomed its stock market debut and left the office-sharing company on the brink of bankruptcy. WeWork said it has laid off 2,400 of its approximately 12,500 employees to “create...
Pennsylvanians to get more time on sex abuse charges, suits
HARRISBURG — The state where a grand jury’s groundbreaking report set off a new wave of reckoning over sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church passed legislation Thursday giving victims more time to sue and police more time to file charges. The Pennsylvania House sent the statute-of-limitations bill to Democratic...
Utah woman fights charges after stepkids see her topless at home
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah woman charged with a crime after her stepchildren saw her topless in her own home is fighting the case that could force her to register as a sex offender, pointing to a court ruling that overturned a topless ban in Colorado and helped fuel...
Man shot by police in struggle on Las Vegas airport tarmac
LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas police shot a man who fought with officers, including one who was knocked unconscious, before dawn Thursday on the tarmac near a terminal at McCarran International Airport, authorities said. The wounded intruder and the injured officer were hospitalized after the incident about 4 a.m. in...
Glitch in Medicare drug plan finder could cost consumers
WASHINGTON — A glitch in Medicare’s revamped prescription plan finder can steer unwitting seniors to coverage that costs much more than they need to pay, according to people who help with sign-ups as well as program experts. Serving some 60 million Medicare recipients, the plan finder is the most commonly...
North Pole’s ‘Christmas in Ice’ canceled amid lack of ice
Seasonal ice park officials in Alaska are missing a crucial ingredient announcing a Christmas-themed park has closed amid lack of ice in North Pole. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Wednesday that Executive Director Keith Fye says the annual ice park called Christmas in Ice was canceled for the first time...
Country star Sam Hunt arrested for DUI in Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country singer Sam Hunt was arrested for driving under the influence and violation of the open container law after police in Nashville stopped him for driving the wrong way down a one-way road. Hunt was arrested Thursday morning, booked into jail and released on $2,500 bond, according...
U.S. home sales rose 1.9% in October, lifted by lower rates
WASHINGTON — Americans took advantage of lower mortgage rates and purchased more homes in October, though sales were held back by a shortage of available properties. The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that sales of existing homes rose 1.9% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.46...
Judge temporarily stops 1st federal executions since 2003
WASHINGTON — A judge has temporarily halted the first federal executions in 16 years as a lawsuit on how the government intends to carry them out continues. U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan said in a Wednesday evening ruling that the public is not served by “short-circuiting” legitimate judicial process....
Aide says ambassador on ‘political errand’ for Trump
WASHINGTON — In riveting testimony, a former national security official declared Thursday that a U.S. ambassador carried out a controversial “domestic political errand” for Donald Trump on Ukraine, an allegation undercutting a main line of the president’s defense in the impeachment inquiry. Fiona Hill told House investigators she came to...
Massachusetts OKs ban on flavored vaping, tobacco products
BOSTON — Massachusetts lawmakers passed a groundbreaking ban Thursday on the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products, including menthol cigarettes. The bill would also place a 75% excise tax on vaping products and require health insurers, including the state’s Medicaid program, to cover tobacco cessation counseling. “This nation-leading step...
Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu charged in corruption cases
JERUSALEM — Israel’s attorney general on Thursday formally charged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a series of corruption cases, throwing the country’s paralyzed political system into further disarray and threatening the long-time leader’s grip on power. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit charged Netanyahu with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes...
Pennsylvania lawmakers near finish on church scandal bills
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Legislature moved closer Wednesday night to settling a yearslong battle over lifting criminal and civil statutes for child sexual abuse crimes in a debate growing out of Roman Catholic Church scandals. The Republican-controlled state Senate voted to dramatically expand statutes of limitation in sexual abuse cases where...
