Associated Press stories, Page 1098
Blinken, Lavrov meet briefly as U.S.-Russia tensions soar
NEW DELHI — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talked briefly Thursday at a meeting of top diplomats from the Group of 20 nations in the highest-level in-person talks between the two countries since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The short encounter came as relations...
NASA mission with North Allegheny grad launches to space stationVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched four astronauts, including a North Allegheny graduate, to the International Space Station for NASA early Thursday morning. The mission also includes the first person from the Arab world going up for an extended monthslong stay. The Falcon rocket bolted from Kennedy Space Center shortly...
Connecticut hunter who killed pet dogs says he thought they were coyotes
DANBURY, Conn. — A hunter who told authorities he killed and skinned what he thought were two coyotes, but later discovered they were a Connecticut family’s pet German shepherds, has been criminally charged. During a hearing Wednesday in Danbury Superior Court that drew dozens of people including the dogs’ owners...
Police: Worker shoots, kills manager at Hobby Lobby in Oklahoma City
OKLAHOMA CITY — An employee at a Hobby Lobby distribution center shot and killed a manger at a distribution facility on Wednesday, Oklahoma City police said. The shooting happened about 5 p.m. near the company’s headquarters on the city’s southwest side, said police Sgt. Rob Robertson. “The suspect produced a...
Ravens GM still hopes to sign Lamar Jackson without franchise tag
INDIANAPOLIS — Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta said Wednesday the Ravens have not decided which type of franchise tag they would use on quarterback Lamar Jackson if the team can’t sign him to a long-term contract before the start of free agency. Jackson has played to the end of his...
Senators acquire defenseman Jakob Chychrun from CoyotesVideo
Jakob Chychrun’s long wait is over. After sitting out eight games while awaiting a trade, the defenseman is finally on the move after being dealt from the Arizona Coyotes to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday. Rather than wait until the NHL’s trade deadline to hit on Friday, the Coyotes found...
Red Wings sign Dylan Larkin to 8-year, $69.6M dealVideo
DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings have signed center Dylan Larkin to an eight-year, $69.6 million contract, banking on their captain being a key player in the next phase of their rebuilding plan. The Red Wings announced the deal Wednesday, two days before the NHL trade deadline. Larkin’s new contract...
Stewart follows heart, begins full-time drag-racing careerVideo
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tony Stewart usually lets guys with families hit the runway first following NASCAR races. The Hall of Fame driver who’s now a team owner and part-time television commentator figures it helps them get home and see their kids before bedtime. It’s a noble gesture, for sure, one...
Explosive found in bag at Pennsylvania airport, man arrested
ALLENTOWN — A man was arrested after an explosive was found in a bag checked onto a Florida-bound flight at an eastern Pennsylvania airport, federal authorities said. Marc Muffley, 40, is charged with possessing an explosive in an airport and possessing or attempting to place an explosive or incendiary device...
Harry, Meghan asked to leave Windsor Estate home in further royal rift
LONDON — Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have been asked to vacate their home in Britain, suggesting a further fraying of ties with the royal family amid preparations for the coronation of his father, King Charles III. Frogmore Cottage, on the grounds of Windsor Castle west of London, had...
Twitter’s new ‘violent speech’ policy similar to past rules
SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter on Wednesday unveiled a new policy prohibiting “violent speech” on its platform, though the rules appear very similar to guidelines against violent threats that the company had on its books before Elon Musk took it over. Among the updates, Twitter expanded its policy to include a...
Death toll keeps rising in Greece’s deadliest train crash
TEMPE, Greece — Rescuers searched for survivors Wednesday in the mangled, burned-out wreckage of two trains that slammed into each other in northern Greece, killing at least 43 people and crumpling carriages into twisted steel knots in the country’s deadliest rail crash on record. The impact just before midnight Tuesday...
PGA Tour moves toward elite field with no cuts for 2024Video
ORLANDO, Fla. — The PGA Tour is moving toward an elite schedule in 2024 with 16 designated events — half of them with no more than 80-man fields and no cuts — along with a chance for players on the outside to play their way in. Still to be finalized...
Patrick Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuildVideo
CHICAGO — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The...
After shootings, Michigan State to restrict building access
Public access to most buildings at Michigan State University will be restricted at night, the school announced Wednesday, one in a series of security steps in response to the February shootings that killed three students and wounded five more. Students, faculty and staff will need to use their campus ID...
Judge: NFL coach Brian Flores can press discrimination claims in court
NEW YORK — NFL Coach Brian Flores may get his day in court to press discrimination claims against the league and its teams after a federal judge on Wednesday rejected the argument that his lawsuit must be handled in arbitration, presumably before Commissioner Roger Goodell. The written decision by Judge...
Rick Santorum joins North Carolina House GOP to push convention
RALEIGH, N.C. — Getting North Carolina legislators to formally call for a convention to consider creating amendments to the U.S. Constitution is the way forward to rein in an ever-expanding federal government, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum said Wednesday. Santorum joined House Speaker Tim Moore and other chamber Republicans at...
D.C.’s cherry blossoms coming early due to confusing weather
WASHINGTON — The cherry trees in the nation’s capital are confused by Earth’s changing climate, with the iconic blossoms appearing earlier than expected because of the unusually warm winter. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and the National Park Service announced Wednesday that Washington’s 3,700 cherry blossom trees would reach peak bloom...
Georgia star Jalen Carter charged with racing in fatal wreck
ATLANTA — Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, projected as one of the top players in next month’s NFL draft, has been charged with reckless driving and racing in conjunction with the crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and a recruiting staff member. The Athens-Clarke County Police Department has issued...
How officials cracked case of eyedrops that blinded people
NEW YORK — The patients’ eyes were painfully inflamed. They could sense light but could see almost nothing else. A doctor called one case the worst eye infection he’d ever seen. It was the beginning of a national outbreak caused by an extremely worrisome bacteria — one that some say...
New NCAA president says NIL rules could protect athletes
As Charlie Baker takes over as NCAA president, he brings a different way of thinking about one of the most important and polarizing issues in college athletics: regulating how student-athletes monetize their fame. To Baker, athletes such as quarterback recruit Jaden Rashada and Miami basketball players Hanna and Haley Cavinder...
Trump planning first Iowa trip since announcing 2024 bid
DES MOINES, Iowa — Donald Trump is planning to visit Iowa in mid-March, a first foray to the leadoff caucus state since announcing his 2024 White House campaign. On Tuesday, the former president hinted at an Iowa trip “very soon” in a radio interview with Des Moines talk show host...
Fashion designer uses Paris show to display life in Ukraine
PARIS — Geo-political activism met tuxedo jackets at Paris Fashion Week as a vocal designer from Ukraine put on a show that paid homage to her country her team of over 20 people working in Kyiv. Here are some highlights of Wednesday’s fall-winter 2023-2024 ready-to-wear collections: Ukraine’s Litkovska goes “on...
Ukraine official: Forces may pull out of key eastern city
KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian military might decide to pull troops back from the key stronghold of Bakhmut, an adviser to Ukraine’s president said Wednesday as Russia pursued a bloody, months-long offensive to capture the city. “Our military is obviously going to weigh all of the options. So far, they’ve...
Birth of Mexican volcano inspires scientists 80 years later
SAN JUAN PARANGARICUTIRO, Mexico — The ground is still hot atop the crater of Paricutin — the first volcano of its kind to have its full life cycle documented by modern science when it erupted 80 years ago. The surrounding vista in western Mexico encompasses pine-clad peaks of older volcanoes,...
