Associated Press stories, Page 1162
Majority of 16k canceled Pa. mail-in ballots were from Democrats
HARRISBURG — New data from Pennsylvania’s elections agency shows an early November state court decision that barred mail-in ballots without accurate handwritten dates on their exterior envelopes resulted in otherwise valid votes being thrown out. The Department of State said this week more than 16,000 mail-in ballots were disqualified by...
Global food prices in 2022 hit record high amid drought, war
ROME — Global prices for food commodities like grain and vegetable oils were the highest on record last year even after falling for nine months in a row, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said, as Russia’s war in Ukraine, drought and other factors drove up inflation and worsened hunger...
Explainer: What Bills-Bengals cancellation does to playoffs
The NFL’s decision to cancel the Bills-Bengals game has major playoff implications for several teams. The league is changing the rules for the postseason to accommodate the cancellation and will hold a special meeting Friday to ask teams to vote on a resolution recommended by Commissioner Roger Goodell and approved...
Biden signs water bills benefiting 3 tribes in Arizona
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A Native American tribe that has one of the largest and most secure rights to Colorado River water now has approval to lease some of it in Arizona, a state that’s been hardest hit by cuts to its water supply and is on a perpetual search for...
Mike White out, Joe Flacco to start for Jets in finale vs. Dolphins
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Joe Flacco will start at quarterback for the New York Jets on Sunday with Mike White ruled out against the Miami Dolphins with a rib injury. Robert Saleh announced the decision Friday, saying White “just wasn’t feeling right” and was still in a lot of pain....
Browns send Jadeveon Clowney home after critical comments
BEREA, Ohio — Jadeveon Clowney’s last move with the Cleveland Browns happened off the field: a public bashing born of frustration and disappointment. The team countered accordingly. Clowney was sent home from practice Friday, one day after he harshly criticized the organization and coaching staff in an explosive interview that...
Bills’ Damar Hamlin breathing on his own, joins team via video
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — It was uplifting enough for the Buffalo Bills staff and players to see Damar Hamlin appear on the video screen in the team’s meeting room Friday — “larger than life,” as coach Sean McDermott put it — for the first time since the safety collapsed and...
2 years after Jan. 6, speaker scrap paralyzes Congress again
WASHINGTON — Such are the fractures in the country, between the political parties and inside the Republican Party itself, that one time-honored specialty of Washington — memorializing and coming together over national trauma — isn’t what it used to be. Friday’s moment of silence at the Capitol to contemplate the...
U.S. hiring stays brisk as employers add 223,000 jobs
WASHINGTON — America’s employers added a solid 223,000 jobs in December, evidence that the economy remains healthy even as the Federal Reserve is rapidly raising interest rates to try to slow economic growth and the pace of hiring. With companies continuing to add jobs across the economy, the unemployment rate...
The white sedan: How police found suspect in Idaho slayings
The white sedan cruised past the gray, three-story rental home on a dead-end street in Moscow, Idaho. Then again. And again. It was unusual behavior in the residential, hillside neighborhood in the quiet hours before dawn. And according to a police affidavit released Thursday, surveillance videos showing the vehicle that...
As speaker bid falters, mixed views of McCarthy in hometown
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy’s political troubles don’t stop at the Washington Beltway. In his Central California hometown of Bakersfield — where oil derricks blanket hillsides and country music fans flock to Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace hall — some voters are asking if what has become an...
As young Gazans die at sea, anger rises over leaders’ travel
JERUSALEM — Khaled Shurrab had been waiting more than half his life to get out of Gaza. The 27-year-old had never left the coastal enclave, which has been blockaded by Israel and Egypt since 2007. He couldn’t find a job — the territory’s youth unemployment rate is over 60%. Like...
Violence hits Mexico cartel stronghold as ‘Chapo’ son nabbed
MEXICO CITY — The sun wasn’t yet up in Culiacan when David Téllez and his family began making their way to the city’s airport for a return flight to Mexico City after their vacation. But not long after they set out they encountered the first crude roadblock, an abandoned vehicle...
Explainer: Is China sharing enough covid-19 information?
TAIPEI, Taiwan — As covid-19 rips through China, other countries and the World Health Organization are calling on its government to share more comprehensive data on the outbreak. Some even say many of the numbers it’s reporting are meaningless. Without basic data like the number of deaths, infections and severe...
Kremlin-ordered truce is uncertain amid mutual mistrust
KYIV, Ukraine — The impact of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order for his forces in Ukraine to observe a unilateral, 36-hour cease-fire was in doubt Friday after Kyiv officials dismissed the move as a ploy but didn’t clarify whether Ukrainian troops would follow suit. Moscow also didn’t say whether it...
Robert Morris men lose at Youngstown State
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Dwayne Cohill had 23 points in Youngstown State’s 78-56 win over Robert Morris on Thursday night. Enoch Cheeks finished with 16 points for the Colonials (7-9, 2-3 Horizon League), and Stephaun Walker added 11 points. Kahliel Spear finished with eight points, eight rebounds and five assists. The...
Southwest starts on reputation repair after cancellations
DALLAS — With its flights running on a roughly normal schedule, Southwest Airlines is now turning its attention to repairing its damaged reputation after it canceled 15,000 flights around Christmas and left holiday travelers stranded. CEO Robert Jordan said Thursday that Southwest has processed about 75% of the refund requests...
QB Sam Hartman announces transfer from Wake Forest to Notre Dame
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Sam Hartman is transferring to Notre Dame, giving the Fighting Irish a dynamic quarterback for coach Marcus Freeman’s second season. Hartman, a three-year starter at Wake Forest, was widely regarded as the top quarterback in the transfer portal. He announced his decision Thursday by tweeting pictures...
Changes on horizon for bowls as CFP expands to 12 teamsVideo
College football’s bowl season began Dec. 16, at 11:30 a.m. with two .500 teams squaring off in a 15,000-seat stadium in the Bahamas. UAB’s 24-20 victory against Miami (Ohio) drew an average of 822,000 viewers to ESPN. It ended up being the least-watched of 39 bowl games on ESPN’s networks...
Jim Harbaugh: ‘I expect’ to be back at Michigan next season
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Jim Harbaugh said he expects to coach Michigan’s football team next season, posting a statement Thursday on the team’s social media accounts following reports of his interest in returning to the NFL. “I am aware of the rumors and speculation over the past few days,” Harbaugh...
Football fans grapple with violent side of sport in aftermath of Damar Hamlin incidentVideo
NEW YORK — The harrowing scenes of Damar Hamlin’s on-field collapse after suffering cardiac arrest have forced some fans to confront yet again a truth they’ve always known but hated to think about: Football, a game with violence in its DNA, can go from exciting and joyous to dark and...
Patriots navigating uncertainty as matchup with Bills loomsVideo
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Bill Belichick doesn’t usually watch Monday night games on television. But with the Patriots preparing to play the Bills, and with New England’s playoff hopes hinging on a victory, the longtime coach happened to have the Buffalo-Cincinnati game on. That means Belichick was like millions of others...
‘Bomb cyclone’ brings damaging wind, rain to CaliforniaVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — Damaging hurricane-force wind, surging surf and heavy rain from a powerful “atmospheric river” pounded California on Thursday, knocking out power to tens of thousands, causing flooding, and contributing to the deaths of at least two people, including a child whose home was hit by a falling tree....
Bengals WR Tee Higgins hears from Damar Hamlin’s momVideo
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins said he’s “in a good place right now” after hearing from Damar Hamlin’s mother about his improvement on Thursday morning. Higgins was involved in the hit that came right before the Buffalo Bills receiver went into cardiac arrest on the field during the...
Beach town in sand dunes battle sues New Jersey for $21M
NORTH WILDWOOD, N.J. — A beach town that is defying New Jersey’s order not to shore up its eroding sand dunes is suing the state for $21 million. That’s how much North Wildwood says it spent over the past decade on trucking sand in as part of an ultimately futile...
