Associated Press stories, Page 1480
University of Alabama VP resigns, accused of soliciting prostitution
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A University of Alabama official has resigned after being arrested on a charge of soliciting prostitution. Tuscaloosa police said Former Vice President of Student Life Myron Pope, 50, is free on $1,000 bond after his arrest Thursday on the misdemeanor charge, news outlets reported. “I have difficult...
Medina Spirit stripped of Kentucky Derby victoryVideo
Medina Spirit was stripped of the victory in last year’s Kentucky Derby and Mandaloun was declared the winner after a ruling by state racing stewards on Monday. The since-deceased Medina Spirit tested positive after the race last May for a steroid, betamethasone, that is legal in Kentucky but banned on...
Was Ahmaud Arbery killing a hate crime? Jury begins deliberations
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery on a residential street acted out of “pent-up racial anger” and should be convicted of hate crimes, a federal prosecutor told a jury Monday. Defense attorneys argued that the Black man was fatally shot in self-defense and had...
2 firefighters injured in explosion at illegal pot operation
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Two firefighters were injured in an explosion during a fire at an illegal marijuana extract operation hidden at a commercial building in Southern California, authorities said. The blast occurred while fire crews were battling the blaze Sunday at the single-story structure in Anaheim, fire officials said. One...
Like in Arizona, botched baptisms roiled Michigan church
DETROIT — One word caught the ear of a young priest a few years ago when his father shared a video of his 1990 baptism at a suburban Detroit church. “Wait,” the Rev. Matthew Hood recalled thinking. “Something doesn’t seem right here.” Indeed, an error by a deacon who said...
Trump’s social media app launches year after Twitter ban
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump’s social media app that he hopes will rival Twitter launched Monday as he seeks a new digital stage to rally his supporters and fight Big Tech limits on speech, a year after he was banned from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. His Truth Social...
3rd officer testifies in federal trial in Floyd’s killing
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The third former Minneapolis police officer charged with federal civil rights violations in George Floyd’s killing has taken the stand at their trial. Thomas Lane is testifying Monday. He, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng are charged with violating Floyd’s constitutional rights when Officer Derek Chauvin...
Mount Etna roars again, sends up towering volcanic ash cloud
ROME — Mount Etna has roared back to spectacular action after a few months of relative quiet, sending up a 7.5-mile high volcanic ash cloud over eastern Sicily. The lava flow from Etna, one of Europe’s most active volcanoes, was centered around the crater on the mountain’s southeast slope, Italy’s...
Boris Johnson scraps remaining covid restrictions in England
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday that he is scrapping of the last domestic coronavirus restrictions in England, including the requirement for people with covid-19 to self-isolate. Johnson said the country was “moving from government restrictions to personal responsibility” as part of a plan for treating covid-19...
Analysis: China’s bubble Olympics kept reality at a distance
BEIJING — They did it — that much seems obvious. But what, exactly, was the “it” that they did? China pulled off a logistically adept Olympics with very few mechanical glitches — no small affair in the pandemic era. It made that happen primarily by creating what it called, in...
U.S. Navy plans launch of Mideast drone force alongside allies
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet announced Monday the launch of a new joint fleet of unmanned drones with allied nations to patrol vast swaths of the region’s volatile waters as tensions simmer with Iran. Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads the 5th Fleet,...
Stephen Curry sets 3s record, LeBron James the winner in NBA All-Star Game
CLEVELAND — Stephen Curry got another 3-point record. LeBron James got another All-Star win. Not a bad night in Ohio for the two All-Stars from Akron. Curry turned boos to oohs and aahs with the greatest long-distance shooting performance in All-Star Game history, then James made a turnaround jumper that...
NBA honors past, present with 75th tribute at All-Star Game
CLEVELAND — One by one the names of the NBA’s greatest players were called, bridging basketball’s past and present. And as each walked onto the floor, LeBron James found himself in further disbelief. The posters on his bedroom wall as a kid came to life. “Allen Iverson and Jason Kidd,...
Israel successfully tests naval air defense system
JERUSALEM — Israel on Monday said it successfully tested a new naval air defense system, intercepting a series of threats in what officials called a key layer of protection against Iran and its proxies in the region. The “C-Dome” system is a naval version of the Iron Dome, which has...
Biden-Putin meeting discussed as Ukraine war fears loom
MOSCOW — The U.S. and Russian presidents have tentatively agreed to meet in a last-ditch diplomatic effort to stave off Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine as heavy shelling continued Monday in a conflict in eastern Ukraine that is feared will spark the Russian offensive. French President Emmanuel Macron sought to broker...
Second-place finish at Daytona 500 irks Bubba WallaceVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Bubba Wallace tried to explain how he lost the Daytona 500 by inches when the replay flashed on the 40-foot screen overlooking the track. Wallace winced when he watched himself fall just short of Austin Cindric. “I don’t want to see that,” Wallace said. “That sucks!...
New River Gorge had record visitation in 2021
GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — A record number of people visited the newly designated New River Gorge National Park and Preserve last year, officials said. The park recorded nearly 1.7 million visitors in 2021, which was an increase of 600,000 from a year earlier, West Virginia Public Broadcasting reported. New River...
Joaquinn Niemann goes wire-to-wire, wins PGA Tour’s Genesis InvitationalVideo
LOS ANGELES — Joaquinn Niemann survived a few nervous moments at Riviera and polished off a big week Sunday when he closed with an even-par 71 to become the first wire-to-wire winner of the Genesis Invitational in 53 years. Staked to a three-shot lead, Niemann’s margin was down to one...
1 police officer dead, 1 hurt in offshore helicopter crash
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Authorities were investigating Sunday the cause of a police helicopter crash along the Southern California coast that killed one officer and sent another to the hospital with critical injuries. The Huntington Beach officers were responding to a disturbance in the neighboring city of Newport Beach around...
Cup rookie Austin Cindric wins Daytona 500 to celebrate Roger Penske’s 85th birthdayVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Austin Cindric drove his brand-new NASCAR ride to victory in the Daytona 500 to celebrate team owner Roger Penske’s 85th birthday. “Oh, my God. I’ve got so many people to thank,” a stunned Cindric said after climbing from his car and saluting the capacity crowd of...
North Carolina boosts NCAA Tournament hopes with key Quad 1 winVideo
North Carolina’s hopes for an NCAA Tournament berth became even more tenuous after a loss to Pitt. Before last week, the Tar Heels had no real marquee wins, but also no bad losses. They put one in the negative column with Wednesday’s 76-67 home loss to the Panthers, who are...
MLB lockout talks to resume in Florida as openers threatenedVideo
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball’s negotiations to salvage Opening Day resume at a new venue Monday: Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. Colorado Rockies CEO Dick Monfort, chairman of the owners’ labor policy committee, was expected to join a management delegation that includes deputy commissioner Dan Halem, the clubs’...
U.S. women take advantage of 3 own goals to beat New ZealandVideo
CARSON, Calif. — Ashley Hatch and Mallory Pugh scored second-half goals for the United States and three own goals in the first half by New Zealand’s Meikayla Moore propelled the Americans to a 5-0 victory Sundayin the SheBelieves Cup. The U.S. played to a scoreless draw against the Czech Republic...
Michigan’s Juwan Howard argues with Wisconsin coach Greg Gard after Badgers victoryVideo
MADISON, Wis. — Michigan coach Juwan Howard became upset after Wisconsin called a timeout in the closing seconds of a game the Badgers already had put out of reach. The way Howard responded could have major ramifications on the rest of Michigan’s season. Howard hit Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft after...
Dustin Johnson says he’s sticking with the PGA Tour
LOS ANGELES — A proposed Saudi-financed rival golf league took a massive hit Sunday when Dustin Johnson said he was “fully committed” to the PGA Tour, and Bryson DeChambeau indicated he would stay where the stars were playing. Johnson added his name to a growing list of golf’s top players...
