Associated Press stories, Page 1341
U.S. Army ‘returns’ cake to Italian woman for 90th birthday
ROME — With a round of “Happy Birthday” in Italian and English, the U.S. Army toasted an Italian woman with a birthday cake Thursday to replace the one that U.S. soldiers ate as they entered her hometown during one of the final battles of World War II. Meri Mion, who...
Lost for decades, Dorothy’s dress from ‘Oz’ up for sale
NEW YORK — It’s one of the most recognizable outfits in American movie history, the blue-and-white checked gingham dress a young Judy Garland wore as Dorothy in the classic 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz.” For decades, one of the versions of the dress Garland wore in the movie was...
16 states, including Pennsylvania, that want to electrify USPS fleet file lawsuits
Pennsylvania and 15 other states that want the U.S. Postal Service to buy more electric delivery vehicles are suing to halt purchases of thousands of gas-powered trucks as the agency modernizes its mail delivery fleet. Three separate lawsuits, filed by 16 states and environmental groups Thursday in New York and...
Candidate in Pennsylvania lieutenant governor primary hit with protective order
HONESDALE — A candidate in next month’s Republican primary for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor was ordered this week to stay away from his home after his wife made claims of physical and mental abuse in obtaining a protective order. Teddy Daniels was accused of making threats, saying he would kill the...
In NYC, ads for jobs will have to say what they pay
NEW YORK — Help wanted. The job: putting one of the nation’s most far-reaching salary disclosure laws into practice. Location: New York City. Just four months ago, city lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to require many ads for jobs in the nation’s most populous city to include salary ranges, in the name...
Climate change may increase risk of new infectious diseases
Climate change will result in thousands of new viruses spread among animal species by 2070 — and that’s likely to increase the risk of emerging infectious diseases jumping from animals to humans, according to a new study. This is especially true for Africa and Asia, continents that have been hotspots...
FDA to issue plan banning menthol in cigarettes, cigarsVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government on Thursday released its long-awaited plan to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, citing the toll on Black smokers and young people. “The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit,” said Health and Human...
Latin American nations ease restrictions as covid cases drop
Colombians will soon be going to movie theaters without having to wear face masks. Chile opens its borders next week for the first time in two years. Mexico’s president has declared the pandemic over. And in Rio de Janeiro, tens of thousands attended Carnival parades just two months after the...
Harvard report brings joy, grief for descendants of enslaved
BOSTON — Egypt Lloyd couldn’t hold back tears when she saw the names — her ancestors, Tony, Cuba and Darby — in a study chronicling Harvard University’s involvement in America’s slave trade. Lloyd grew up nearby, in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, but her family learned only recently of ancestors who were...
Rounding life’s second curve a hard road of self discovery
NEW YORK — It took Jack Craven 20 years to grasp that running his family’s wholesale business selling goods to discount stores wasn’t how he wanted to spend the second half of his life. He also figured out his ever-mounting unhappiness had taken a toll on his relationships with loved...
Survey: Americans increasingly see China as a threat
BEIJING — Americans are increasingly seeing China as a world superpower and a threat, though growing numbers perceive it more as a competitor than an enemy, according to a survey released Thursday. The Washington-based Pew Research Center said that negative views of China reached a new high, with 82% of...
Explosions rock Kyiv again as Russians rain fire on Ukraine
IRPIN, Ukraine — Russia pounded targets from practically one end of Ukraine to the other Thursday, including Kyiv, bombarding the city while the head of the United Nations was visiting in the boldest attack on the capital since Moscow’s forces retreated weeks ago. Several people were wounded in the attack...
NFL draft class faced major challenges in covid-19 battles
INDIANAPOLIS — This year’s NFL draft prospects reluctantly recall their personal covid-19 experiences. Some consider them inspirational reminders of obstacles already overcame. Others sound more reminiscent of old war stories. And while the stories change, each comes with unforgettably vivid detail and heartfelt emotion about a challenging two-year battle to...
Moderna seeks to be 1st with covid shots for littlest kids
Moderna on Thursday asked U.S. regulators to authorize low doses of its covid-19 vaccine for children younger than 6, a long-awaited move toward potentially opening shots for millions of tots by summer. Frustrated families are waiting impatiently for a chance to protect the nation’s littlest kids as all around them...
Denny Hamlin sent to sensitivity training after ‘Family Guy’ tweet
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR on Tuesday ordered Denny Hamlin to begin sensitivity training this week after he posted an anti-Asian meme from the television comedy “Family Guy” to criticize Kyle Larson’s driving on the last lap at Talladega Superspeedway over the weekend. Hamlin deleted the tweet Monday night and apologized....
Democratic lawmaker: Biden suggests he’ll ease student loan burden
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has signaled he might forgive some student loan debt and further extend the federal moratorium on repayments, a lawmaker who discussed the issue with him said Wednesday. The White House was notably more measured about Biden’s stance, but such moves would be a boon to...
Puck, player tracking taking big strides forward in NHLVideo
When Buffalo rookie Owen Power scored his first NHL goal, the replay from five different angles was available in a matter of seconds in a private suite at Prudential Center as the team celebrated below. A few doors down, donning a headset puts you virtually on the ice with a...
Sheriff: JMU softball star Lauren Bernett’s death an apparent suicide
HARRISONBURG, Va. — The death of a James Madison softball star has been classified as an apparent suicide, but Rockingham County Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson said Wednesday that an investigation into the death is continuing. School president Jonathan Alger and athletic director Jeff Bourne announced the death of 20-year-old Lauren Bernett,...
Federal judge halts preparations for end of U.S. asylum limits
NEW ORLEANS — The Biden administration must stop what amounts to the phasing out a pandemic-related public health rule allowing the expulsion of migrants without giving them an opportunity to seek asylum, a federal judge in Louisiana ruled Wednesday. The administration plans to end the policy outright on May 23....
Bad baseballs? New York Mets angry after rash of HBPsVideo
PHOENIX — New York Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt has a theory about why his bat-swinging teammates have turned into targets at the plate during the season’s first month. Bad baseballs. “The MLB has a very big problem with the baseballs. They’re bad,” he said Tuesday. “Everyone knows it. Every pitcher...
Big 12 players to watch in 2022Video
Some Big 12 Conference players to watch next season: Baylor: Redshirt sophomore Lorando Johnson, a former four-star recruit known as “Snaxx,” is expected to take over the hybrid linebacker-defensive back spot in the Bears defense. Jalen Pitre was the Big 12 defensive player of the year in that role last...
Boeing CEO laments deal with Trump for Air Force One planes
Boeing’s CEO is lamenting the deal that his company cut with former President Donald Trump to produce new Air Force One jets. David Calhoun said “it was a public negotiation” and “we took some risks” in accepting a fixed-price contract that made Boeing responsible if it cost more than expected...
WVU among Big 12 teams with new QBs or coachesVideo
There are three new coaches in the Big 12, and there will be a few new starting quarterbacks when the season kicks off in September. Only Oklahoma has both. More than 75,000 fans showed up over the weekend for Oklahoma’s spring game, less than five months after the sudden departures...
Bond set at $1M for teen accused of killing 10-year-old Wisconsin girl
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. — A judge set a $1 million cash bond Wednesday for a 14-year-old boy prosecutors say fatally strangled and then sexually assaulted a 10-year-old western Wisconsin girl. The boy, who authorities say was known to the victim, Illiana “Lily” Peters, appeared in adult court in Chippewa County...
One-fifth of reptiles worldwide face risk of extinction
Even the king cobra is “vulnerable.” More than 1 in 5 species of reptiles worldwide are threatened with extinction, according to a comprehensive new assessment of thousands of species published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Of 10,196 reptile species analyzed, 21% percent were classified as endangered, critically endangered or vulnerable...
