Associated Press stories, Page 1539
Cabbage Patch Kids, piñatas, sand lead Toy Hall of Fame finalists
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Cabbage Patch Kids, the rosy-cheeked dolls that left store shelves picked clean during the first big holiday toy craze, are up for a spot in the National Toy Hall of Fame, part of a finalist group announced Wednesday that also includes garden-variety sand and the toy fire...
Dire warning from Newsom helped turn California recall tide
LOS ANGELES — An ominous four-word message issued by California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s campaign on the morning of Aug. 5 served as the shock Democrats needed to take seriously a recall election that could remove him from office: “This recall is close.” Newsom’s warning in a fundraising email came just...
Biden, CEOs, biz leaders meet on covid vaccine mandates
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden was meeting Wednesday with the CEOs of Walt Disney and Columbia Sportswear, and other business executives and leaders leaders to discuss his recently announced vaccine requirement for companies that employ at least 100 people. The White House meeting comes less than a week after Biden...
Surfside land swap for Florida condo collapse site rejected
SURFSIDE, Fla. — Commissioners in Surfside, Fla., have rejected a proposal to trade public beachfront to the eventual buyer of the condominium collapse site so that a memorial to the 98 victims could be built there. The decision followed an emotional meeting Tuesday as family members of those who died...
Texas company to pay nearly $3M for Clean Air Act violations
POINT COMFORT, Texas — A Texas plastics company has agreed to pay nearly $3 million in civil penalties for violating the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. Formosa Plastics Corp. also agreed to improve its risk management program at its petrochemical plant in Point Comfort. The U.S....
Biden: Nearly 3M get health coverage during covid sign-up
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that 2.8 million consumers took advantage of a special six-month period to sign up for private health insurance coverage made more affordable by his covid-19 relief law. He called the number encouraging and urged Congress to help lower health care costs. “That’s 2.8...
California Gov. Gavin Newsom beats back GOP-led recall
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday emphatically defeated a recall aimed at kicking him out of office early, a contest the Democrat framed as part of a national battle for his party’s values in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and continued threats from “Trumpism.” Newsom bolted...
Buffalo Bills to require proof of vaccination from fansVideo
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills joined the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday as the only NFL teams to require proof of vaccination against covid-19 for all fans over the age of 12. The rules will be the same for Buffalo Sabres games at the KeyBank Center when the NHL...
Young WVU QB Garrett Greene thrives, but status unknown vs. No. 15 Virginia TechVideo
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia coach Neal Brown is making no promises to fans clamoring for more from dual-threat backup quarterback Garrett Greene. Greene had an impressive 2021 debut, giving a needed boost to the Mountaineers’ running game against a Championship Subdivision opponent. But whether he sees action Saturday when...
O’Brien, Carrey, Dole praise ‘comedy genius’ Norm Macdonald
NEW YORK — Reactions to the death of Norm Macdonald, who died of cancer Tuesday at age 61. “I am absolutely devastated about Norm Macdonald. Norm had the most unique comedic voice I have ever encountered and he was so relentlessly and uncompromisingly funny. I will never laugh that hard...
Arizona Supreme Court allows release of Senate audit records
PHOENIX — The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an effort by the state Senate to keep secret records of its ongoing review of the 2020 election in Maricopa County that are in the possession of the contractors conducting the recount. The high court without comment rejected the appeal filed...
Alaska Senate passes dividend bill after House nixes floor
JUNEAU, Alaska — The Alaska Senate approved a roughly $1,100 dividend on the last day of a special session Tuesday, after the House canceled its floor and left the Senate with what amounted to a take-it-or-leave-it decision on the check for residents that the House had previously passed. The Senate...
Judge rejects ballot question to scrap Minneapolis PD
MINNEAPOLIS — A judge on Tuesday rejected an attempt to salvage a proposed charter amendment on the future of policing in Minneapolis, ruling just days before early and absentee voting begins in the city where George Floyd died in police custody that any votes on the question won’t count. Hennepin...
3 former U.S. officials charged in UAE hacking scheme
WASHINGTON — Three former U.S. intelligence and military operatives have admitted providing sophisticated computer hacking technology to the United Arab Emirates and agreed to pay nearly $1.7 million to resolve criminal charges in an agreement that the Justice Department described Tuesday as the first of its kind. The defendants —...
Mexico gives drug lord Vicente Carrillo Fuentes 28 years
MEXICO CITY — A judge in Mexico has sentenced drug lord Vicente Carrillo Fuentes to 28 years in prison for organized crime, money laundering and weapons violations, prosecutors announced Tuesday. Carillo Fuentes was a former leader of the Juarez drug cartel, based in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, across...
Feds: Los Angeles bomb technicians caused major explosion
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles police bomb technicians made major miscalculations in June when they detonated illegal fireworks improperly and caused a massive explosion that rocked a city neighborhood and injured 27 people in June, according to a report by federal investigators. The 51-page report from the Bureau of Alcohol,...
49ers RB Raheem Mostert to undergo season-ending surgeryVideo
San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert will undergo season-ending surgery on his knee after getting injured in the opener. Coach Kyle Shanahan had said Mostert was expected to miss eight weeks because of chipped cartilage in his knee, but Mostert announced on his Twitter account Tuesday that he will...
After returning from ACL injury, Giants’ Saquon Barkley faces 2nd game in 4 daysVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Saquon Barkley beat the odds in returning from a major knee injury in less than a year. The New York Giants star running back faces a quick second test, another game in four days. While the timespan between games might be a first for an NFL...
Alanis Morissette blasts documentary ‘Jagged’ as ‘salacious’
NEW YORK — Just hours before the HBO documentary “Jagged” was to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday, Alanis Morissette criticized the film about her life as “reductive” and “salacious.” Morissette participated in the film, directed by Alison Klayman, sitting for lengthy interviews. But in a statement...
Problems continue to plague El Savador’s bitcoin rollout
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — One week after El Salvador became the first country to make bitcoin legal tender, problems continued to plague the system Tuesday. El Salvador rolled out a digital wallet known as the “Chivo” on Sept. 8, but the system has often been down for maintenance. It...
Apple’s next iPhone mirrors last year’s, adds more storage
Apple unveiled its next iPhone line-up, including a model that offers twice the storage available in earlier versions and other modest upgrades to last year’s editions that proved to be a big hit among consumers devouring the latest technology during the pandemic. The pre-recorded video event streamed Tuesday gave Apple...
Ravens’ defense a question mark after late leads slip away
Marlon Humphrey was beaten so badly on the winning touchdown that he slowed to a jog while the pass was still in the air. It was that kind of night for Baltimore’s secondary. The Ravens arrived in Las Vegas determined to show that they could still play to their usual...
Ex-cops accused of violating Floyd’s rights plead not guilty
Four former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights pleaded not guilty Tuesday in a federal hearing that included arguments on several pretrial motions, including requests to hold separate trials. A federal grand jury indicted Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao in May for...
Forgotten First: A look at 4 (and more) NFL trailblazers
In this era of racial reckoning, it’s not only appropriate but significant that the stories of NFL trailblazers be told. Keyshawn Johnson, the 1996 top overall draft pick by the New York Jets and now a host of ESPN’s morning program “Keyshawn, JWill and Max”, has done so. Collaborating with...
Officials: Al-Qaida could threaten in 1-2 years
WASHINGTON — American intelligence officials say al-Qaida could begin to threaten the homeland from Afghanistan within one to two years, echoing warnings that were issued prior to the U.S. withdrawal ending its 20-year war. Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, who leads the Defense Intelligence Agency, gave that estimated timeframe Tuesday while...
