Associated Press stories, Page 1251
Russia hits Ukraine’s Black Sea port despite grain deal
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian missiles hit Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa just hours after Moscow and Kyiv signed deals to allow grain exports to resume from there. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry denounced Saturday’s airstrikes as a “spit in the face” to Turkey and the United Nations, which brokered the agreements....
‘Heat’-ing up: Michael Mann writes sequel-prequel ‘Heat 2’
NEW YORK — Decades after the release of Michael Mann’s “Heat,” the classic crime thriller has endured in the minds of fans, critics, peers and the director himself. He had so much left to say. “There’s always the sense of being shortchanged,” Mann said during a Zoom interview from his...
UN health agency chief declares monkeypox a global emergency
LONDON — The chief of the World Health Organization said the expanding monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries is an “extraordinary” situation that now qualifies as a global emergency, a declaration Saturday that could spur further investment in treating the once-rare disease and worsen the scramble for scarce vaccines....
Mega Millions jackpot swells to $790M, nation’s 4th largest prize
DES MOINES, Iowa — Lottery officials on Friday raised the Mega Millions grand prize to $790 million, giving players a shot at what would be the nation’s fourth largest jackpot. The next drawing is on Tuesday. The jackpot has grown so large because there hasn’t been a winner in three...
Panthers get Matthew Tkachuk from Flames for Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar
SUNRISE, Fla. — Matthew Tkachuk and Jonathan Huberdeau both had the best years of their career this past season. And now they’re changing places in an NHL blockbuster. Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers on Friday night, with Huberdeau part of the haul that is going to the Calgary...
Former Braves, Cubs OF Dwight Smith dies at 58
ATLANTA — Dwight Smith, a runner-up for NL rookie of the year who played on Atlanta’s World Series-winning team in 1995, died Friday, the Braves announced. He was 58. The Braves said the former outfielder and pinch-hitting specialist died of congestive heart and lung failure. He lived in suburban Peachtree...
In your debt: 3 times debt can be a helpful tool
In some corners of the personal finance advice world, getting into debt is just about the worst thing you can do. And yes, some forms of debt — particularly those that charge high interest rates — can keep you locked in a cycle of owing money for years. Still, there...
West Virginia man charged after sister awakens from coma dies in custody
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia man charged with trying to kill his sister, who recently awakened from a two-year coma and identified him as her attacker, has died less than a week after his arrest, authorities said Friday. Daniel J. Palmer III of Cottageville was pronounced dead Thursday at...
Royals’ Whit Merrifield says he ‘poorly articulated’ covid vax remarksVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two-time All-Star Whit Merrifield of the Kansas City Royals apologized Friday for “poorly articulated” comments about the covid-19 vaccine after missing the team’s trip to Canada. Merrifield was among 10 Royals players who didn’t travel to Toronto because of their vaccination status for a four-game series...
Scott Piercy shoots 64, takes 3-shot lead in 3M OpenVideo
BLAINE, Minn. — Scott Piercy shot a 7-under-par 64 on Friday at TPC Twin Cities to take a three-stroke lead in the 3M Open. Piercy had a 13-under 129 total. The four-time PGA Tour winner opened with a 65 on Thursday in windy conditions. Emiliano Grillo was second after a...
Sean McVay: Rams are starting over in quest for repeat crown
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams threw the last of their lavish offseason parties Thursday night so they could hand out their massive Super Bowl championship rings to their current and former players. Sean McVay sees the Friday morning after that soiree as the dividing line between the...
Trainer Bob Baffert seeks 10th win in Haskell Stakes with Taiba
OCEANPORT, N.J. — While trainer Bob Baffert isn’t welcome at every thoroughbred track around the country, Monmouth Park has no problem letting the Hall of Famer bring his horses to New Jersey. After all, the $1 million Haskell Stakes is being run Saturday at the Jersey Shore track, and no...
Hy-Vee pumps millions into Iowa for IndyCar extravaganza
NEWTON, Iowa — The longtime premise in Iowa of “If you build it, he will come” originates with the 1989 “Field of Dreams” movie. A twist on the slogan could be used this weekend at Iowa Speedway, where sponsor Hy-Vee has taken an “if you promote it, they will come”...
Larson reflects on 2nd chance offered by Philly race schoolVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Larson tried to explain the feeling of his role as the public face of the Urban Youth Racing School when a fan — one of many — wanted a second of the 2021 NASCAR’s champion’s time. “Yo, Kyle, can I steal a selfie,” he asked. Larson obliged...
Murray embraces franchise QB label, ready to lead CardinalsVideo
TEMPE, Ariz. — Kyler Murray is a short quarterback by football standards who now has stacks of cash about as tall as anyone’s in the NFL. A low-key personality by nature, Murray is happy that a high-stress offseason contract squabble with the Arizona Cardinals is over. “There were a lot...
WWE’s Vince McMahon says he is retiringVideo
NEW YORK — World Wrestling Entertainment impresario Vince McMahon announced Friday he is retiring amid an investigation into alleged misconduct involving the flamboyant showman who turned a small wrestling company into a worldwide entertainment business. In a brief statement issued by WWE, McMahon said he is retiring as the company’s...
Henderson shoots 2nd straight 64, leads LPGA’s Evian Championship by 3 strokesVideo
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — Brooke Henderson is setting the pace in record-breaking style at the Evian Championship. The Canadian shot a second straight 7-under-par 64 to take a three-stroke lead after the second round of the LPGA’s fourth major of the year Friday. She is the first player in the history...
New California gun control law mimics Texas abortion measure
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California punched back Friday against two recent landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions as Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a controversial, first-in-the-nation gun control law patterned after a Texas anti-abortion law and urged other states to follow suit. He acted one month after conservative justices overturned the constitutional right...
Officers describe horror they saw after Parkland shooting
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Law enforcement officers who charged into Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School minutes after Nikolas Cruz fatally shot 17 in one of its buildings described for jurors Friday the horrific scene they encountered. Two Coral Springs police officers and a Broward County sheriff’s deputy told of...
East Africa bloc says 50 million face acute food insecurity
KAMPALA, Uganda — More than 50 million people across the East African region are expected to face acute food insecurity this year, a regional bloc said Friday, warning that some 300,000 in Somalia and South Sudan are projected to be under full-blown famine conditions. The assessment by Intergovernmental Authority on...
Airstrikes kill more Ukrainians despite grain export deal
KYIV, Ukraine — Emergency workers recovered three bodies from a school hit by a Russian strike in eastern Ukraine, officials said Friday, one of a string of attacks on the nation. The casualties in the city of Kramatorsk followed a barrage Thursday on a densely populated area of Ukraine’s second-largest...
Big Papi still awestruck as Hall of Fame induction looms
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Six months after he got one of the most amazing phone calls in sports, David Ortiz is still awestruck at his good fortune. The former Boston Red Sox slugger known affectionately as Big Papi will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday. Maybe then baseball’s...
QB Deshaun Watson reports to Browns camp not knowing future
CLEVELAND — Deshaun Watson reported to his first training camp with the Browns on Friday still not knowing how long he’ll be their starting quarterback. Like one of his passes, Watson’s future remains up in the air. As he awaits word on whether he’ll be suspended by the NFL for...
Media predict Alabama will beat Georgia in SEC championship
ATLANTA — Two-time defending champion Alabama was predicted to win a third consecutive Southeastern Conference title in voting by media attending this week’s SEC Media Days. Alabama beat Georgia in last year’s SEC championship game in Atlanta before losing to the Bulldogs in the national title game. Media picked a...
Steve Bannon convicted of contempt charges in Jan. 6 case
WASHINGTON — Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, was convicted on Friday of contempt charges for defying a congressional subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Bannon, 68, was convicted after a four-day trial in federal court on two...
