Associated Press stories, Page 1504
For Super Bowl entertaining, make room for melty hot dips
In the coldest months, we all look for bright spots, and football fans this winter have had plenty. The Super Bowl (on Feb. 13) is always a dead-of-winter highlight. And while gatherings might be smaller than in pre-pandemic years, we can still pull out the stops with snacks and food....
Minority women most affected if abortion is banned, limited
If you are Black or Hispanic in a conservative state that already limits access to abortions, you are far more likely than a white woman to have one. And if the U.S. Supreme Court allows states to further restrict or even ban abortions, minority women will bear the brunt of...
Shiffrin saw what Biles, other Summer Olympians went through
Alpine skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin was paying attention when gymnastics superstar Simone Biles opened up about being burdened by “the weight of the world” and sat out a string of finals at the Tokyo Olympics six months ago. Shiffrin was listening, too, when swimming superstar Caeleb Dressel revealed, after finishing...
Signing day becomes transfer season as portal remains packed
The transfer portal remains packed as college football’s second signing period arrives, a glut that has the sports’ leaders pondering ways to clean up a roster management mess. According to Rivals.com, about 48% of the more than 1,250 scholarship players from Division I’s Bowl Subdivision who have entered the portal...
Justice Department won’t reopen probe into Tamir Rice death
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has said it will not reopen the federal investigation into the 2014 death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was shot to death by Cleveland police, notifying Tamir’s mother after she had participated in a federal training event for state prosecutors on investigating police misconduct cases....
Avenatti decides not to testify at trial vs. Stormy Daniels
NEW YORK — Michael Avenatti said Tuesday that he will not testify at his trial on charges that he cheated porn actor Stormy Daniels out of nearly $300,000 in book proceeds. Avenatti announced his decision in Manhattan federal court after telling Judge Jesse M. Furman he had no witnesses in...
Landslides kill at least 22 in Ecuador capital
A rain-weakened hillside collapsed in Ecuador’s capital, sweeping over homes and a sports field and killing at least 22 people, city officials said Tuesday. The Quito Security Department also said 32 people were injured and eight houses had collapsed, while others were damaged. Neighbors had joined rescue workers in hunting...
It’s official: Tom Brady has retired after 22 seasons, 7 Super Bowl titles
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady walked away from the NFL on his own terms, still at the top of his game. Brady, the most successful quarterback in league history and one of the greatest champions in professional sports, officially retired after winning seven Super Bowls and setting numerous passing records...
James Akinjo scores 25 points as No. 8 Baylor overcomes WVU
WACO, Texas — James Akinjo scored 25 points and Matthew Mayer came up big with all nine of his points late for eighth-ranked Baylor. West Virginia had to get through the final minutes without standout guard Taz Sherman. Mayer didn’t score until his tiebreaking layup with 3:27 left put the...
Thousands flee homes near N.C. fertilizer plant fire
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — An uncontrolled fire raging at a North Carolina fertilizer plant forced the evacuations of thousands of people as firefighters warned early Tuesday that chemicals at the site could cause a large explosion. Authorities drove through neighborhoods and knocked on doors asking residents to leave within a one-mile...
Millions follow rich candidates in Pennsylvania Senate race
HARRISBURG — Cash is pouring in to Pennsylvania’s hotly contested race for U.S. Senate, as wealthy and well-connected candidates moved in from out of state, followed by millions of dollars going into TV ads and super PACs. Filings posted online by the Federal Election Commission before Monday night’s deadline showed...
John Harrar, Seth Lundy lead Penn State by Iowa in double OTVideo
UNIVERSITY PARK — John Harrar scored a career-high 19 points with 10 rebounds, Seth Lundy added 17 points and 11 rebounds and Penn State beat Iowa 90-86 in double overtime on Monday night to snap a three-game losing streak. The game featured 15 ties and 15 lead changes. Penn State...
U.S. urges Pfizer to apply for under-5 covid shots
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators are urging drugmaker Pfizer to apply for emergency authorization for a two-dose regimen of its covid-19 vaccine for children 6 months to 5 years old while awaiting data on a three-dose course, aiming to clear the way for the shots as soon as late February, a...
Coach John Harbaugh confident Ravens will bounce back next seasonVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens coach John Harbaugh has begun the process to make Baltimore a contender again after a frustrating season that ended with six straight defeats. “I’m pretty fired up, excited, ready to go,” Harbaugh said Monday during his first news conference since the season ended. “You think...
Deputy seeking suspect mistakenly shoots off-duty officer
SEATTLE — An off-duty officer in Washington state died after first being stabbed by a robbery suspect who showed up at his home while evading police and then being mistakenly shot by a sheriff’s deputy who responded to the scene. Vancouver police officer Donald Sahota, 52, collapsed on his porch...
California firefighter fatally shot while responding to fire
STOCKTON, Calif. — A veteran central California firefighter was fatally shot Monday when he and others responded to a report of a dumpster fire, and authorities arrested a suspect, officials said. Fire Capt. Vidal “Max” Fortuna was shot before dawn in the city of Stockton and died at a hospital,...
El Salvador angrily rejects IMF call to drop Bitcoin use
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The government of El Salvador on Monday rejected a recommendation by the International Monetary Fund to drop Bitcoin as legal tender in the Central American country. Treasury Minister Alejandro Zelaya angrily said “no international organization is going to make us do anything, anything at all.”...
Death toll from landslides, flooding climbs to 24 in Brazil
FRANCO DA ROCHA, Brazil — The death toll from landslides and flooding set off by heavy rains in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state reached 24 on Monday as firefighters continued pulling bodies from the mud. Brazil’s most populous state was blasted with rain over the weekend, and hundreds of thousands of...
New York Times buys viral word game Wordle
NEW YORK — The New York Times said on Monday that it has bought Wordle, the free online word game that has exploded in popularity and, for some, become a daily obsession. It listed the purchase price as being in the “low-seven figures,” but did not disclose specifics. The Times,...
Tom Brady says he still is evaluating his future plans
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady says he’s still evaluating his future and the seven-time Super Bowl champion isn’t ready to make a decision about retirement. “I’m just still going through the process that I said I was going through,” Brady said Monday night on his SiriusXM podcast. “Sometimes it takes...
Prepare for the Beijing Games with this Olympic quiz
How well do you know the Winter Olympics? Try this quiz: Bronze Medalist 1. What city did Beijing defeat in a close vote to host the 2022 Olympics? a.) Stockholm, Sweden b.) Oslo, Norway c.) Almaty, Kazakhstan 2. Who was the last woman to win back-to-back gold medals in women’s...
Bengals never waver en route to stunning Super Bowl seasonVideo
CINCINNATI — When the Cincinnati Bengals went down 21-3 early in the second quarter of Sunday’s AFC championship game, a third straight Super Bowl for the Kansas City Chiefs seemed inevitable. The Bengals weren’t feeling it, though. They’d been coming from behind and winning close games all season. What transpired...
EPA restores rule to limit power-plant mercury emissions
WASHINGTON — In a reversal of a Trump-era action, the Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it will resume enforcement of a rule that limits power plant emissions of mercury and other hazardous pollutants. The EPA action restores a rule imposed under President Barack Obama and continues a practice in which...
California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized again for not wearing a mask
LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing new criticism for shedding his face mask, rekindling a politically sensitive issue that has shadowed the Democratic governor since he was caught without a face covering at a private 2020 party that defied his own pandemic safety orders. The latest scrutiny...
Pennsylvania high court may step in to House districts case
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court signaled Monday that it may get involved in the process of redrawing Pennsylvania’s congressional districts boundaries, as the state runs up against the primary schedule to adjust the boundaries to account for a decade of demographic shifts. The state Supreme Court, in a 5-2 decision,...
