Associated Press stories, Page 914
Heat looking to get to the line more, while Nuggets vow to be better in Game 2Video
DENVER — For the Miami Heat, shooting at Denver’s mile-high altitude during Game 1 of the NBA Finals wasn’t a problem. Not shooting from 15 feet — the distance from the basket to the free-throw line — was. The Heat made NBA history — and not the good kind —...
Russians in Stanley Cup Final trying to focus on hockey amid country’s war in UkraineVideo
LAS VEGAS — Sergei Bobrovsky insists he has not thought about where he would take the Stanley Cup if he and the Florida Panthers win it. He hasn’t been this close before. Countryman Ivan Barbashev has, celebrating in Moscow with the trophy in 2019. After the Cup was banned from...
Corey LaJoie gets long-awaited Hendrick Motorsports shot in NASCAR Cup SeriesVideo
MADISON, Ill. — Corey LaJoie finally is getting a chance to drive for Hendrick Motorsports this week. He wanted so badly to drive for the team a few years ago, that when it became common knowledge Jimmie Johnson was retiring as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver, LaJoie used his...
Biden signs debt ceiling bill that pulls U.S. back from brink of unprecedented default
WASHINGTON — With just two days to spare, President Joe Biden signed legislation on Saturday that lifts the nation’s debt ceiling, averting an unprecedented default on the federal government’s debt. It was a decidedly low-key denouement to a monthslong drama that unnerved financial markets at home and abroad and caused...
Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin launches CPR Tour to raise awareness at Bills stadiumVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin kicked off a multicity tour at his home stadium Saturday to distribute medical equipment and promote techniques that helped save his life in January. Hamlin handed out automated external defibrillators for close to 50 youth sports and community organizations on the...
Key suspect in Natalee Holloway’s case moved to new prison ahead of extradition to U.S.
LIMA, Peru — The chief suspect in the unsolved 2005 disappearance of American student Natalee Holloway is being transferred to a prison near Peru’s capital ahead of his pending extradition to the United States to face charges linked to her vanishing, officials said Saturday. The government of Peru, where Dutch...
India train crash kills over 280, injures 900 in one of nation’s worst rail disasters
BALASORE, India — Rescuers found no more survivors in the overturned and mangled wreckage of two passenger trains that derailed in eastern India, killing more than 280 people and injuring hundreds in one of the country’s deadliest rail crashes in decades, officials said Saturday. Chaotic scenes erupted on Friday night...
Jack Eichel making most of 1st postseason for Golden Knights
LAS VEGAS — Jack Eichel didn’t know what to expect when the NHL playoffs began in April. He just knew he was eager to experience the postseason for the first time in his eight-year career — and what a time it’s been for him. Eichel is a major reason the...
West Virginia state trooper fatally shot, suspect being sought
BEECH CREEK, W.Va. — A state police officer was fatally shot Friday in southern West Virginia, and a suspect was being sought, authorities said. Sgt. Cory Maynard was killed in the shooting, Gov. Jim Justice said in a statement, adding that he was “absolutely heartbroken.” He and first lady Cathy...
Report: Buffalo’s snow-removal equipment, communications fell short during deadly blizzard
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo’s snow-removal fleet was no match for the historic Christmas week blizzard that left 31 people dead in the city, and officials fell short in issuing warnings and providing shelter, according to a report released Friday. The 175-page review of the city’s response by New York University’s...
Suh, Matsuyama ride hot putts on steamy day at the MemorialVideo
DUBLIN, Ohio — Justin Suh signed for a 6-under-par 66 at the Memorial and then made a few stops to speak with the media. His putter stayed with him the entire time, which probably was wise. The way it behaved Friday, when he holed eight putts from the 10-foot range...
Mile-High NBA advantage: Denver altitude helps Nuggets go unbeaten at home in playoffsVideo
DENVER — Joking around before the start of the NBA Finals, Charles Barkley and Grant Hill took hits from oxygen masks they brought onto the set for a pregame TV show. But the thin air in Denver is no joke. There’s a reason it’s known as the Mile High City....
Biden orders 20-year ban on oil, gas drilling to protect tribal sites outside New Mexico’s Chaco
SANTA FE, N.M. — Hundreds of square miles in New Mexico will be withdrawn from further oil and gas production for the next 20 years on the outskirts of Chaco Culture National Historical Park that tribal communities consider sacred, the Biden administration ordered Friday. The new order from Secretary of...
Protests erupt outside Los Angeles elementary school’s Pride month assembly
LOS ANGELES — Police officers separated groups of protesters and counterprotesters Friday outside a Los Angeles elementary school that has become a flashpoint for Pride month events across California. People protesting a planned Pride month assembly outside the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Saticoy Elementary School wore T-shirts emblazoned with...
As legal gambling surges, some states want to teach teens about the risks
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — As a high school senior, Nick was blessed with a deadly accurate jump shot from the three-point range — something he was quick to monetize. He and his gym classmates not far from the Jersey Shore would compete to see who could make the most baskets,...
Newly discovered stone tools drag dawn of Greek archaeology back by a quarter-million years
ATHENS, Greece — Deep in an open coal mine in southern Greece, researchers have discovered the antiquities-rich country’s oldest archaeological site, which dates to 700,000 years ago and is associated with modern humans’ hominin ancestors. The find announced Thursday would drag the dawn of Greek archaeology back by as much...
Tanks, F-16 jets part of long-term aid for Ukraine, won’t be ready for upcoming offensive, U.S. says
PARIS — America’s top military officer says training for Ukrainian forces on advanced U.S. Abrams tanks has started, but those weapons crucial over the long term in trying to expel Russia from occupied territory will not be ready in time for Kyiv’s imminent counteroffensive. The tank training got underway as...
Fort Bragg drops Confederate namesake for Fort Liberty
FORT LIBERTY, N.C. — Fort Bragg shed its Confederate namesake Friday to become Fort Liberty in a ceremony some veterans said was a small but important step in making the U.S. Army more welcoming to current and prospective Black service members. The change was part of a broad Department of...
Disney lawsuit judge removes himself from case but not for reasons cited by DeSantis
ORLANDO, Fla. — A federal judge overseeing the First Amendment lawsuit that Walt Disney Parks filed against Gov. Ron DeSantis and others is disqualifying himself, but not because of bias claims made by the Florida governor. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker said in a court filing Thursday that it...
Justice Department says it won’t charge Mike Pence over handling of classified documents
NEW YORK — The Department of Justice has informed former Vice President Mike Pence ‘s legal team that it will not pursue criminal charges related to the discovery of classified documents at his Indiana home. The department sent a letter to Pence’s attorney on Thursday informing him that, after an...
Jill Biden arrives in Cairo as part of Mideast tour aiming to empower women
CAIRO — Jill Biden arrived in Cairo on Friday, on the second leg of her six-day trip across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe that seeks to empower women and promote education for young people. The first lady arrived in the Egyptian capital from Amman, Jordan, where she attended...
Drought, water overuse prompt Arizona to limit construction in some fast-growing parts of Phoenix
PHOENIX — Arizona will not approve new housing construction on the fast-growing edges of metro Phoenix that rely on groundwater thanks to years of overuse and a multi-decade drought that is sapping its water supply. In a news conference Thursday, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the restrictions that could affect some...
Churchill Downs implements safety, performance standards to address recent spate of horse deathsVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Horse racing’s oversight authority and Churchill Downs have each announced additional safety and health measures in the wake of 12 recent deaths since late April at the home of the Kentucky Derby. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) will conduct additional post-entry screening of horses to...
Jokic gets triple-double, Nuggets roll past Heat 104-93 in Game 1 of NBA FinalsVideo
DENVER — Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets were facing some questions going into their first NBA Finals, and their answers came in resounding fashion. No, a week and a half off didn’t hurt them. And, no, the NBA’s biggest stage isn’t too big, either. Jokic got a triple-double in...
Just days to spare, Senate gives final approval to debt ceiling deal, sending it to BidenVideo
WASHINGTON — Fending off a U.S. default, the Senate gave final approval late Thursday to a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, grinding into the night to wrap up work on the bipartisan deal and send it to President Joe Biden’s desk to become law before the fast-approaching deadline. The...
