Associated Press stories, Page 1348
Biden drug control plan stresses harm reduction, treatment
President Joe Biden is sending his administration’s first national drug control strategy to Congress as the U.S. overdose death toll hit a new record of nearly 107,000 during the past 12 months. The strategy, released Thursday, is the first national plan to prioritize what’s known as harm reduction, said White...
Florida Legislature votes to strip Disney self-government
The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday gave final passage to a bill that would dissolve Walt Disney World’s private government, handing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis a victory in his feud with the entertainment giant over its opposition to a measure that critics have dubbed the ” Don’t Say Gay...
Michigan lawmaker’s forceful speech rebuts ‘grooming’ attackVideo
LANSING, Mich. — Republican Sen. Lana Theis opened a Michigan Senate session with an invocation by claiming children are being attacked by “forces” that want to indoctrinate them with ideas their parents do not support. Three Democrats walked out of last week’s meeting to protest her apparent reference to how...
Jay Wright resigns as Villanova coach; Kyle Neptune takes over
PHILADELPHIA — Jay Wright shocked college basketball Wednesday night with his immediate resignation at Villanova, the Big East program he led to two national championships and four Final Fours in a Hall of Fame career. The 60-year-old Wright guided Villanova to titles in 2016 and 2018 and just led the...
2 schools, 6 sets of sports teams: NCAA gives OK to merger
HARRISBURG — Sports teams at six state-owned Pennsylvania universities will still compete against each other despite merging into two umbrella institutions, the State System of Higher Education announced Wednesday. The decision by the NCAA Division II Membership Committee pertains to sports in Division II at Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield, California,...
Parachute demo at Nats Park causes brief Capitol evacuationVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Capitol was briefly evacuated Wednesday evening when police identified an aircraft that they said posed “a probable threat” — but the plane was actually carrying members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights, who then parachuted into Nationals Park for a pregame demonstration. The alert from the...
Fox Sports makes Easter Sunday a NASCAR ratings success
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dirt will be back on NASCAR’s schedule next year and likely on Easter Sunday again if Fox Sports has its way. NASCAR delivered the most-watched race at Bristol Motor Speedway since 2016 on Sunday night when an average 4,007,000 viewers tuned in as the Cup Series raced...
Coordinator changes spice up spring practices at Big Ten schoolsVideo
MADISON, Wis. — During an offseason in which more than one out of every five Football Bowl Subdivision programs changed head coaches, the Big Ten was the lone conference that didn’t see a single move. But that doesn’t mean the league stood pat. While all 14 Big Ten members returned...
Duke’s Paolo Banchero declares for NBA DraftVideo
Duke’s Paolo Banchero is leaping to the NBA after one season as a candidate to be the No. 1 overall draft pick. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound freshman announced his decision in a social media video Wednesday, with the school saying he planned to hire an agent. “It has always been a...
Report: 49ers All-Pro WR Deebo Samuel requests trade
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel told ESPN on Wednesday that he has requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers as the two sides have been unable to negotiate a long-term deal for one of the league’s top playmakers. Samuel is entering the final year of the...
Masters champ Scheffler returns to work, partners with Palmer in New OrleansVideo
AVONDALE, La. — One of the perks from winning the Masters is recognition that comes from outside the world of golf. For Scottie Scheffler, that included a letter from fellow Dallas resident and former President George W. Bush. One problem. “His handwriting is really hard to read,” Scheffler said Wednesday....
Watson embraced by teammates in Browns’ offseason programVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Deshaun Watson made a strong impression on his new teammates long ago, scrambling for first downs and rifling touchdown passes while becoming an elite quarterback playing in Houston. Now in Cleveland, the impression he makes off the field might matter more. Acquired from the Texans in a...
Justice Department to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said Wednesday. The notice came minutes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked the Justice Department to appeal...
Florida Senate passes bill to end Disney self-government
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Senate on Wednesday passed a bill to repeal a law allowing Walt Disney World to operate a private government over its properties in the state, escalating a feud with the entertainment giant over its opposition to what critics call the ” Don’t Say Gay ”...
Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe to return for senior seasonVideo
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe will return for his senior year with the Wildcats after a breakout season in which he swept national player of the year awards. The 6-foot-9 Tshiebwe announced his decision Wednesday on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “I’ll be here next year for Kentucky,” he said. The...
Court halts South Carolina plan for firing squad execution
South Carolina’s highest court on Wednesday issued a temporary stay blocking the state from carrying out what was set to be its first-ever firing squad execution. The order by the state Supreme Court puts on hold at least temporarily the planned April 29 execution of Richard Bernard Moore, who drew...
Explainer: Why Mideast tensions are soaring yet again
JERUSALEM — Everyone worried this might happen. In the weeks before a rare confluence of major Jewish, Christian and Muslim holidays, with tens of thousands of visitors expected in Jerusalem for the first time since the pandemic, Israeli, Palestinian and Arab leaders discussed how to calm tensions. Israel took steps...
Mega dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say
Every year, one of the world’s leading dance competition companies sells the dream of Hollywood fame to hundreds of thousands of ambitious young dancers hoping to launch careers on television, in movies and on stage. But behind the bright lights and pulsing music, some dancers say they were sexually assaulted,...
New Mexico fines ‘Rust’ for willful gun safety failures
SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico workplace safety regulators on Wednesday issued the maximum possible fine of nearly $137,000 against a film production company for firearms safety failures on the set of “Rust” where a cinematographer was fatally shot in October by actor and producer Alec Baldwin. New Mexico’s Occupational...
U.S. stocks edge higher; Netflix plunges on subscriber losses
Stocks edged mostly higher in afternoon trading on Wall Street Wednesday, but were held back by streaming entertainment giant Netflix, which lost lost more than a third of its value after reporting its first subscriber loss in more than a decade and predicting more grim times ahead. The S&P 500...
Rapper A$AP Rocky arrested at LA airport in 2021 shooting
Rapper A$AP Rocky was taken into custody Wednesday morning at Los Angeles International Airport in connection with a shooting in Hollywood last year, authorities said. The performer, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was detained on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, the Los Angeles Police Department said in...
Most teams welcomed combine’s comeback but some snubbed it
INDIANAPOLIS — Comparison shopping and face-to-face contact with college prospects returned to the NFL this year after the 2021 scouting combine was scuttled by the pandemic. Talent evaluators welcomed back college pro days and private workouts even as the covid-19 broadside entered its third year. The core of the league’s...
Rivian electric car plant blasted by foes at Georgia meeting
Opponents trying to derail a $5 billion, 7,500-job electric truck plant in Georgia dominated a state meeting this week that was meant to gather suggestions on how to design the plant to mitigate any impact on the environment. The state assumed oversight over the Rivian Automotive project after opponents overwhelmed...
Climate change, big agriculture combine to threaten insects
Climate change and habitat loss from big agriculture are combining to swat down global insect populations, with each problem making the other worse, a new study finds. While insects may bug people at times, they also are key in pollinating plants to feed people, making soil more fertile and they...
Wimbledon bans players from Russia, Belarus over Ukraine war
LONDON — Tennis players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to play at Wimbledon this year because of the war in Ukraine, the All England Club announced Wednesday. Among the prominent men’s players affected by the ban are reigning U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who recently reached No....
