Associated Press stories, Page 1499
$88 million settlement reached with families of victims in Charleston church mass shootingVideo
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Families of nine victims killed in a racist attack at a Black South Carolina church have reached a settlement with the Justice Department over a faulty background check that allowed Dylann Roof to purchase the gun he used in the 2015 massacre. The Justice Department will pay...
German on trial for castrating men on his kitchen table
BERLIN — A German electrician went on trial Thursday accused of murder in the death of one man, and mutilating several others by performing illegal operations on their genitals. The 66-year-old told a regional court in Munich that he performed the procedures at the men’s request. The defendant, whose name...
Schools debate: Gifted and talented, or racist and elitist?
NEW YORK — Communities across the United States are reconsidering their approach to gifted and talented programs in schools as vocal parents blame such elite programs for worsening racial segregation and inequities in the country’s education system. A plan announced by New York City’s mayor to phase out elementary school...
This date in sports history: Oct. 28Video
1939 — Kansas State’s homecoming contest against Nebraska is the second college football game ever televised, following the Fordham-Waynesburg contest in New York earlier this fall. The Cornhuskers spoil homecoming with a 25-9 triumph in Manhattan, Kan., before a limited Nebraska ETV audience in the surrounding area. 1950 — Nevada...
Merck agrees to let other drug makers make its covid pill
LONDON — Pharmaceutical company Merck agreed to allow other drug makers to produce its covid-19 pill, in a move aimed at helping millions of people in poorer countries get access to the potentially life-saving drug, a United Nations-backed public health organization said on Wednesday. The Medicines Patent Pool said in...
Rookie Jose Siri propels Astros past Braves to tie World SeriesVideo
HOUSTON — Jose Siri launched himself headfirst into home plate, popped up with arms flexed and screamed with all his might. Welcome to the World Series, rook. The career minor leaguer sparked a team whose biggest stars took a while to shine, sending the Houston Astros to a 7-2 victory...
Jury selected for civil trial over Charlottesville rally
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A jury has been seated in a civil trial to determine whether white nationalists who planned the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., will be held responsible for the violence that erupted. The process of choosing a jury was completed Wednesday, the third day of...
Judge won’t block vaccine mandate for New York City cops, other workers
NEW YORK — A New York judge on Wednesday refused to pause a covid-19 vaccine mandate set to begin Friday for the city’s municipal workforce, denying a police union’s request for a temporary restraining order. Judge Lizette Colon said the mandate can take effect as scheduled while also ordering city...
Nelson Cruz wins MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award for philanthropyVideo
HOUSTON — Nelson Cruz was given MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award for character, community involvement and philanthropy. Cruz, the 50th winner of the honor, received the award before World Series Game 2 on Wednesday night. “Growing up as a Latin, you always heard about Roberto Clemente,” he said. “I never had...
Mike White to start for Jets vs. Bengals in place of injured Zach WilsonVideo
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Mike White is going from little-known backup to the Big Apple spotlight. White will make his first NFL start Sunday for the New York Jets against the Cincinnati Bengals in place of the injured Zach Wilson. “We have a lot of faith in Mike,” coach Robert...
Pitt among ACC teams lighting up league scoreboardsVideo
BOSTON — ACC teams are lighting up scoreboards lately, and Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall isn’t exactly loving it. The son of a defensive end who played safety in college and worked as a defensive coordinator before taking over the Cavaliers, Mendenhall said he would prefer a 13-6 victory to the...
Cheap antidepressant shows promise treating early covid-19
A cheap antidepressant reduced the need for hospitalization among high-risk adults with covid-19 in a study hunting for existing drugs that could be repurposed to treat coronavirus. Researchers tested the pill used for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder because it was known to reduce inflammation and looked promising in smaller studies....
Penn State QB Sean Clifford, Slippery Rock’s Henry Litwin among Campbell Trophy finalistsVideo
IRVING, Texas — Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford, Iowa State All-America tight end Charlie Kolar and Michigan star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson are among 13 finalists for the Campbell Trophy, which honors the top scholar-athlete in college football. The National Football Foundation chooses finalists from all levels of college football,...
‘Animalism’: Chicago Blackhawks scandal raises culture questionsVideo
CHICAGO — For three weeks in 2010, they did nothing. That’s how long it took for the leadership of the Chicago Blackhawks to act on allegations that an assistant coach sexually assaulted a player. Three weeks. Three weeks that — more than a decade later — rocked a once-proud franchise...
Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov out 8-10 weeks after undergoing surgeryVideo
Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov is expected to be out 8-10 weeks after undergoing an unspecified surgery for an unspecified lower-body injury. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions announced Kucherov’s prognosis with no additional details Wednesday. The timeframe would mean Kucherov could be back just before or after the...
Raiders owner Mark Davis: Team wasn’t targeted in email investigationVideo
NEW YORK — Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis says he doesn’t believe the team was targeted in the leaking of emails that led to the resignation of coach Jon Gruden. Speaking after the NFL owners meetings ended Wednesday, Davis also acknowledged the team has reached a settlement with Gruden,...
Report: At least 59,000 meat workers caught covid, 269 diedVideo
OMAHA, Neb. — At least 59,000 meatpacking workers caught covid-19 and 269 workers died when the virus tore through the industry last year, which is significantly more than previously thought, according to a new U.S. House report released Wednesday. The meatpacking industry was one of the early epicenters of the...
New York trooper charged with murder in pursuit that killed girl, 11
NEW YORK — A New York state trooper was charged with murder Wednesday in the death of an 11-year-old girl by ramming his patrol vehicle into her family’s vehicle in December, the state’s attorney general announced. Trooper Christopher Baldner was indicted on charges of murder, manslaughter and reckless endangerment in...
Braves replace injured Charlie Morton with Tucker Davidson for SeriesVideo
HOUSTON — Left-hander Tucker Davidson has replaced injured pitcher Charlie Morton on the Atlanta Braves’ World Series roster. Major League Baseball announced the move before Game 2 between the Braves and Houston Astros on Wednesday night. Morton came out of the Braves’ opening 6-2 win in the third inning, an...
Sheriff: Texas children lived in dire conditions as body decomposedVideo
HOUSTON — The three abandoned brothers were thin, malnourished and hungry, living alone for months with no blankets to keep them warm inside an unfurnished Houston area apartment with soiled carpet, flies and roaches. The trio were barely surviving, abandoned and set adrift alongside the decomposing body of their 8-year-old...
Josh Shapiro breaks with Gov. Wolf over strategy on climate changeVideo
HARRISBURG — Josh Shapiro, the Democratic candidate for governor, is breaking with Gov. Tom Wolf on the centerpiece of Wolf’s plan to fight climate change amid the strong and sustained pushback it has received from building trades unions that have long backed the party’s candidates for governor. Wolf — a...
Merrick Garland defends school board memo amid Republican criticismVideo
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday defended a memo aimed at combating threats against school officials nationwide while Republicans insisted he rescind the directive. He signaled he had no plans to do so despite their criticism. The memo took center stage as Garland appeared before the Senate Judiciary...
Judge: Colorado parents can’t exempt kids from school masks
DENVER — A federal judge has issued a restraining order against a suburban Denver county’s policy allowing parents to opt their children out of a mask mandate at school, finding that the rule violates the rights of students with disabilities who are vulnerable to covid-19. U.S. District Judge John L....
Cleveland jury acquits man, 83, imprisoned 45 years for wife’s death
CLEVELAND — A jury acquitted an 83-year-old man Wednesday who was convicted at his first trial of killing his wife and spent 45 years in prison. The Cleveland jury deliberated for less than 90 minutes before delivering its verdict in Isiah Andrews’ second aggravated murder trial, Cleveland.com reported. Andrews said...
Browns’ Baker Mayfield practicing, hopes to play against Steelers
BEREA, Ohio — One game on the sideline was too much for Baker Mayfield. The Browns’ starting quarterback has no plans to repeat it. Mayfield tested his injured left shoulder by practicing Wednesday, and if all goes well, he intends to play Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. “I think similar...
