Associated Press stories, Page 678
Clippers, Timberwolves, Knicks each have 2 players selected as All-Star Game reserves
NEW YORK — Kawhi Leonard and Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers were chosen as All-Star reserves Thursday, and the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks also had two players selected. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns of the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves will be going to the Feb. 18 game...
Caitlin Clark, Iowa drawing sold-out crowds, big ratings even on road
Caitlin Clark has been a must-see attraction all season, with sold-out arenas where some tickets have gone for thousands of dollars on the secondary market. The prices are only expected to go higher as the Iowa star approaches the NCAA all-time scoring record over the next few weeks. While teams...
NHL All-Star Weekend has new look thanks to Connor McDavid
TORONTO — In the aftermath of last year’s NHL All-Star skills competition that was confusing, disjointed and went off poorly in the arena and on television, Gary Bettman asked Connor McDavid for his thoughts. The long-serving commissioner wanted to know what the reigning MVP, face of the league, Edmonton captain...
Patriots hire former Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, promote DeMarcus Covington to DCVideo
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Fired Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has been hired for the same job with the New England Patriots, giving first-time head coach Jerod Mayo an experienced voice on offense. The team also confirmed the widely reported promotion of defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington to defensive...
What to know as Republican governors consider sending more National Guard to the Texas border
AUSTIN, Texas — As Republicans cheer on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s escalating feud with the Biden administration over immigration enforcement, some governors are considering deploying National Guard members to the border — again. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday was among the first to commit more personnel to Texas, announcing...
New videos show towers of fire that prompted evacuations after last year’s fiery Ohio derailment
Residents of eastern Ohio can now get an up-close view in newly released videos of the twin toxic towers of fire that forced them from their homes last February when officials decided to blow open five tank cars filled with vinyl chloride they worried might explode days after a Norfolk...
Oregon high court says 10 GOP state senators who staged long walkout can’t run for reelection
SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Supreme Court said Thursday that 10 Republican state senators who staged a record-long walkout last year to stall bills on abortion, transgender health care and gun rights cannot run for reelection. The decision upholds the secretary of state’s decision to disqualify the senators from the...
Ravens hire Zach Orr as defensive coordinator after Mike Macdonald’s departure to Seattle
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens hired Zach Orr as their defensive coordinator after Mike Macdonald left to become the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks earlier this week. The Ravens announced the 31-year-old Orr’s promotion Thursday. He was Baltimore’s inside linebackers coach the past two seasons and also...
Packers hire Jeff Hafley away from Boston College to become their defensive coordinator
Jeff Hafley is leaving his job as Boston College’s head coach to become the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator. The Packers announced Wednesday night that Hafley will take over for Joe Barry, who was fired last week after three seasons as Green Bay’s defensive coordinator. Hafley went 22-26 at Boston...
Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy are chasing greatness and the greatest in Tom Brady and Joe Montana
Patrick Mahomes is chasing Tom Brady. Brock Purdy is playing in the shadow of Joe Montana. Winning the Super Bowl would be another major step for either quarterback. Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs seek to become the first team in 19 years to win back-to-back Super Bowls when they...
California pummeled by first of back-to-back atmospheric rivers as ‘Pineapple Express’ sweeps stateVideo
LOS ANGELES — Heavy rain flooded California roadways and much-needed snow piled up in the mountains as the first of back-to-back atmospheric rivers pummeled the state Thursday. The storm focused its energy on the southern and eastern parts of the state after initially hitting the San Francisco Bay Area on...
NCAA places 15-year show cause against ex-Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon in gambling case
The NCAA handed down a five-year suspension as part of a 15-year show cause order against former Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon on Thursday, effectively banning him from college coaching, after he provided information to a gambler who used it to make illegal wagers against the Crimson Tide. The NCAA...
Roberto Clemente exhibit honoring the late Pirates player makes stop at Caribbean Series in Miami
MIAMI — Some of Roberto Clemente’s most impactful career and life moments are on display at the Miami Marlins’ loanDepot Park. A traveling exhibit titled “3,000” — a nod to the day on Sept. 30, 1972, that the late Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder became the first Latin American-born major league player...
Washington Commanders hiring Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as coach, AP sources say
The Washington Commanders have an agreement with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to hire him as coach, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team had not yet announced the move. Quinn, 53,...
ESPN looks at NHL All-Star weekend in Toronto as chance to experiment with more coverage
The NHL isn’t the only one who uses the All-Star Game as a lab to test different things that could find its way into the game in the future. This weekend’s events in Toronto are also a chance for ESPN and Sportsnet to experiment with coverage ideas that could be...
Skyscraper-size asteroid will buzz Earth on Friday, safely passing within 1.7 million miles
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — An asteroid as big as a skyscraper will pass within 1.7 million miles of Earth on Friday. Don’t worry: There’s no chance of it hitting us since it will pass seven times the distance from Earth to the moon. NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies...
With Bob Huggins in the house, West Virginia sinks Cincy in Jesse Edwards’ return to starting lineup
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Jesse Edwards made a resounding return to the starting lineup with a 25-point, 10-rebound effort and for once a fully healthy West Virginia squad beat Cincinnati, 69-65, on Wednesday night. The game became even more noteworthy when Hall of Fame coach Bob Huggins showed up. Huggins...
More Americans apply for unemployment benefits but layoffs still historically low
The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits rose last week to the highest level in 11 weeks, though layoffs remain at historically low levels. Applications for unemployment benefits climbed to 224,000 for the week ending Jan. 27, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported...
Ukraine claims its sea drones sank a Russian ship. Moscow says a Patriot missiles downed its plane
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine claimed Thursday it used sea drones to sink a Russian corvette in the Black Sea as Russian investigators alleged that a Russian military transport plane that crashed last month was brought down by two U.S.-made Patriot missiles fired by Kyiv’s forces. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, known...
Biden to celebrate his UAW endorsement in Detroit, where Arab American anger is boiling over Gaza
DETROIT — President Joe Biden will celebrate his recent endorsement by the United Auto Workers union by visiting Michigan on Thursday, but his time in this critical battleground state with the nation’s highest density of Arab Americans threatens to be overshadowed by growing anger over U.S. support for Israel’s war...
Farmers on tractors create chaos outside an EU summit to protest rising costs and bureaucracy
BRUSSELS — Farmers in convoys of tractors created chaos outside the European Union’s headquarters on Thursday, pelting police with firecrackers, eggs and beer bottles as they demanded leaders at an EU summit provide relief from rising prices and bureaucracy. With thick smoke from burning bales of hay hanging over parts...
U.K. judge dismisses Trump’s lawsuit over dossier containing ‘shocking and scandalous claims’
LONDON — A judge in London on Thursday threw out a lawsuit by former U.S. President Donald Trump that accused a former British spy of making “shocking and scandalous claims” that were false and harmed his reputation. Judge Karen Steyn said the case Trump filed against Orbis Business Intelligence should...
Greta Thunberg has gone on trial over a London climate protest outside an oil and gas conference
LONDON — Climate activist Greta Thunberg went on trial Thursday for refusing to leave a protest that blocked the entrance to a major oil and gas industry conference in London last year. Thunberg, 21, was among more than two dozen protesters arrested on Oct. 17 after preventing access to a...
Iran begins building 4 more nuclear power plants
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran began construction on four more nuclear power plants in the country’s south, with expected total capacity of 5,000 megawatts, the official IRNA news agency reported Thursday. Iran seeks to produce 20,000 megawatts of nuclear energy by 2041. The country has one active nuclear power plant, a...
3 people killed, 9 injured in collapse of Boise, Idaho, airport hangar
BOISE, Idaho — A hangar under construction on the grounds of the airport in Boise, Idaho, collapsed Wednesday, killing three people and injuring another nine, officials said. Five of those injured in the collapse are in critical condition, the city said in a statement released Wednesday night. Authorities responded at...
