Associated Press stories, Page 1391
Ukrainian drone enthusiasts sign up to repel Russian forces
In better times, Ukrainian drone enthusiasts flew their gadgets into the sky to photograph weddings, fertilize soybean fields or race other drones for fun. Now some are risking their lives by forming a volunteer drone force to help their country repel the Russian invasion. “Kyiv needs you and your drone...
Amtrak engineer cleared in trial over deadly 2015 crash
An Amtrak engineer was cleared of charges related to a deadly, high-speed derailment that left eight people dead and hundreds injured in Philadelphia in 2015. The jury acquitted 38-year-old engineer Brandon Bostian of causing a catastrophe, involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment after a little more than an hour of deliberations....
RCR heads into Las Vegas confident a victory is within reach
LAS VEGAS — Tyler Reddick led 51 laps in NASCAR’s season-opening exhibition, and when a mechanical problem knocked him out of the race he climbed into the stands to high-five fans. Austin Dillon, meanwhile, went on to finish third and salvage the day for Richard Childress Racing. But the race...
Stocks tumble as war overshadows ‘fantastic’ U.S. jobs data
Stocks around the world racked up more losses Friday, as even a gangbusters report on the U.S. jobs market can’t pull Wall Street’s focus off its worries about the war in Ukraine. The S&P 500 fell 0.8% and posted its third weekly loss in the last four. The Dow Jones...
Pennsylvania student scores fell, delayed test results show
Student scores on Pennsylvania standardized tests fell sharply last year in most categories, although state education officials cautioned the numbers were so distorted by pandemic conditions that they are of limited use for comparison to previous years — particularly regarding statewide trends. The Education Department on Friday released results of...
For whom the bell rolls: Paul Revere chime returns home
BOSTON — A bronze bell cast in 1834 in Paul Revere’s Massachusetts foundry has come home — capping a nearly two-century, cross-country odyssey that saw it hauled by oxcart to churches in Ohio before languishing for decades in a California garage. After a weeklong journey across the U.S., the historic...
Trade talk overshadows marginal class of QBs in free agency
An underwhelming free agent class for quarterbacks is overshadowed by the possibility of multiple big names changing teams, most notably Aaron Rodgers. From the potential move of Rodgers out of Green Bay to the likely departure of San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo despite the 49ers reaching another NFC championship game with...
Russia’s isolation over Ukraine war grows at UN rights body
GENEVA — The U.N.’s top human rights body overwhelmingly approved a resolution Friday that aims to set up a three-member panel of experts to monitor human rights in Ukraine. The decision demonstrates growing international unity against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Moscow’s increasing international isolation. Some 32 of the 47...
Judge approves fix to stem race bias in NFL concussion deal
PHILADELPHIA — Black retired football players who were denied payments for dementia in the NFL’s $1 billion concussion settlement can seek to be retested or have their claims rescored to eliminate racial bias in the testing and payout formula, under a revised plan finalized Friday. Outrage over the use of...
High court reimposes Boston Marathon bomber’s death sentence
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has reinstated the death sentence for convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The justices, by a 6-3 vote Friday, agreed with the Biden administration’s arguments that a federal appeals court was wrong to throw out the sentence of death a jury imposed on Tsarnaev for...
Report: American whiskey exports starting to rebound
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — American whiskey exports, battered by tariffs and the covid-19 pandemic, started rebounding in 2021, but distillers have more ground to make up to fully recover, an industry group said. Exports of bourbon, Tennessee whiskey and rye whiskey reached $975 million in 2021, up 15% from the prior...
1 killed, 6 wounded in Las Vegas apartment complex shooting
A woman who said her relatives were the six people wounded in an overnight shooting that left one man dead at a Las Vegas apartment complex said gunfire erupted minutes after police warned people partying late Thursday on a third-floor balcony to leave. “It just escalated. We were all drinking,”...
Suicide bombing kills 56 at Shiite mosque in Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A suicide bomber struck inside a Shiite Muslim mosque in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar during Friday prayers, killing at least 56 worshippers and wounding 194 people, hospital officials said. No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Both the Islamic State group and the Pakistani...
2 Marines eject and survive South Carolina fighter jet crash
BEAUFORT, S.C. — Two Marines were able to eject and walk away alive when their fighter jet crashed on the family plantation of South Carolina’s former governor. The F/A-18D Hornet was on a routine flight over the Beaufort, S.C., area, Thursday afternoon, Marine Corp Air Station Beaufort said in a...
U.S. diplomat apologizes to thousands of Afghans stuck in UAE
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — A senior U.S. diplomat apologized Friday to thousands of Afghans stranded in the United Arab Emirates months after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, promising to speed repatriation for some to America while acknowledging that authorities still do not know who some of...
Strong job growth points to covid’s fading grip on economy
In a buoyant sign for the U.S. economy, businesses stepped up their hiring last month as omicron faded and more Americans ventured out to spend at restaurants, shops and hotels despite surging inflation. Employers added a robust 678,000 jobs in February, the largest monthly total since July, the Labor Department...
Russian lawmakers approve prison for ‘fake’ war reports
DUSSELDORF, Germany — Russians could face prison sentences of up to 15 years for spreading information that goes against the Russian government’s position on the war in Ukraine, a move that comes as authorities block access to foreign media outlets. The Russian parliament voted unanimously Friday to approve a draft...
Arrest of longtime Canadian fugitive stuns Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Last week, phones across Puerto Rico began to ding as members of a private WhatsApp group dedicated to helping others in the U.S. territory stared at their screens in disbelief. The businessman they knew as administrator of that chat — someone who organized philanthropic efforts...
Russia insists it won’t occupy Ukraine; Convoy outside Kyiv still stalled
KYIV, Ukraine — A top Russian diplomat insisted Friday that his country will not occupy Ukraine. “The goal is very clear: Denazification and demilitarization,” Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s ambassador in Geneva, said of the invasion — which he called a “special military operation.” “We are not going to stay in Ukraine...
Gunman who killed 3 daughters in church was in U.S. illegally
The gunman who killed his three daughters, a chaperone who was supervising his visit with the children and himself in a Northern California church this week was in the United States illegally, immigration officials said Friday. David Mora, 39, overstayed his visa after entering California from his native Mexico on...
Penn State’s upset bid falls short against No. 20 IllinoisVideo
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Da’Monte Williams made four 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 14 points, helping No. 20 Illinois hold off Penn State, 60-55, on Thursday night. The victory keeps the Illini (21-8, 14-5 Big Ten) in contention for a share of the conference title if they beat Iowa...
Ex-officers charged in Philadelphia girl’s fatal shooting held for trial
PHILADELPHIA — Three former police officers charged in the fatal shooting of an 8-year-old girl when they fired their weapons in the direction of a crowd outside a high school football game near Philadelphia were held for trial during a hearing Thursday. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that during the crowded...
Capitals to visit Hurricanes in 2023 outdoor game in RaleighVideo
WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals will be the Carolina Hurricanes’ opponent in the NHL’s outdoor Stadium Series game next season. The game is scheduled to take place Feb. 18, 2023, at N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium across the parking lot from the Hurricanes’ home arena in Raleigh, N.C. The league announced...
Minor league baseball, hockey teams seeking covid-19 reliefVideo
WASHINGTON — Laying off 17 people in the Charlotte Checkers front office of 25 felt like gutting a team for chief operating officer Tera Black. “The front office is a team just as much as the team on the ice,” she said. “We never want to go through that again.”...
Easing of vaccine rules could allow Novak Djokovic to play French OpenVideo
France is easing its vaccination rules later this month, which could pave the way for Novak Djokovic to compete at this year’s French Open. French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced Thursday that people will no longer have to show proof of vaccination against covid-19 to access venues such as sports...
