Associated Press stories, Page 1546
Suspected arson in downtown Osaka building leaves 24 dead
OSAKA, Japan — A fire that spread from a fourth-floor mental clinic in an eight-story building in downtown Osaka in western Japan on Friday left 24 dead in what police were investigating as a possible case of arson and murder. Police were searching for a man in his 50s to...
Officials: 22 die in Istanbul from bootleg alcohol poisoning
ANKARA, Turkey — At least 22 people have died in Istanbul and 16 others have been hospitalized and are in serious condition after drinking bootleg alcohol, the local governor’s office said Friday, as authorities intensified a crackdown on counterfeit drinks across Turkey ahead of New Year’s celebrations. Eleven of the...
This date in sports history: Dec. 17
1933 — The Chicago Bears win the first NFL championship with a 23-21 victory over the New York Giants. The Bears score the winning touchdown on a 36-yard play that starts with a short pass from Bronko Nagurski to Bill Hewitt, who then laterals to Bill Kerr for the score....
Travis Kelce’s OT touchdown gives Chiefs win over ChargersVideo
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Travis Kelce scored on a 34-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes in overtime and the Kansas City Chiefs rallied for a 34-28 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night. Kelce caught a tying 7-yard touchdown pass with 1:16 left in the fourth quarter, then ended the...
Chris Noth accused of sexual assaults; actor denies claims
LOS ANGELES — Actor Chris Noth has been accused of sexually assaulting two women in separate encounters that took place in 2004 and 2015, according to a report Thursday. The women’s identities were withheld by The Hollywood Reporter in order to protect their privacy, said the trade publication, which used...
Senate parliamentarian deals Democrats blow on immigration
WASHINGTON — Democrats must drop an effort to let millions of immigrants remain temporarily in the United States from their expansive social and environment bill, the Senate parliamentarian decided Thursday, dealing the latest blow to a longtime priority of the party, migrant advocates and progressives. The opinion by Elizabeth MacDonough,...
Judge rejects Purdue Pharma’s sweeping opioid settlement
A federal judge rejected OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy settlement of thousands of lawsuits over the opioid epidemic Thursday because of a provision that would protect members of the Sackler family from facing litigation of their own. U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon in New York found that federal bankruptcy law...
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson misses practice again with ankle injuryVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson missed another practice for the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday because of his sprained ankle. Jackson also missed practice Wednesday because of the ankle injury that knocked him out of last weekend’s loss at Cleveland. The Ravens have remained hopeful Jackson can play Sunday against...
Browns backup QB Case Keenum tests positive for covid-19Video
CLEVELAND — Case Keenum’s expected start for the Browns took an unexpected turn. Cleveland’s veteran backup quarterback tested positive Thursday for covid-19, possibly leaving the Browns without their top two quarterbacks for Saturday’s vital game against the Las Vegas Raiders, a person familiar with the situation tells the Associated Press....
Kellogg’s reaches tentative agreement with striking workers
OMAHA, Neb. — Kellogg’s has reached a new tentative agreement with its 1,400 striking cereal plant workers that could bring an end to the strike that began Oct. 5. Members of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union will vote on the new offer that includes cost-of-living...
House subpoenas Mark Meadows contact who pushed false fraud claim
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection is subpoenaing James P. “Phil” Waldron, a onetime contact of former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows who the panel says pushed false claims about fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The Democratic chairman of the committee, Mississippi...
Michigan teen charged after shooting brother; mistook him for deer
SOLON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A teenager who told investigators that he mistook his brother for a deer when he shot him has been charged with a gun crime, authorities in western Michigan said Thursday. The 17-year-old faces a charge of careless discharge of a firearm causing injury, the Kent County...
Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker entering draft, skipping Peach Bowl vs. Pitt
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State All-America running back Kenneth Walker is skipping the Peach Bowl against Pittsburgh and his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Walker made the announcement in social media posts on Thursday. Coach Mel Tucker said earlier this week that he was uncertain whether Walker...
EPA details push to tighten rules for lead in drinking water
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration took steps Thursday aimed at reducing lead in drinking water, announcing plans to release $2.9 billion in infrastructure bill funds next year for lead pipe removal and impose stricter rules to limit exposure to the health hazard. Vice President Kamala Harris made the case for...
U.S. regulators lift in-person restrictions on abortion pill
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday permanently loosened a key restriction on abortion pills, eliminating a long-standing requirement that the medication be picked up in person. Millions of American women will now be able to get a prescription via an online consultation and receive the pills through...
5 children die in bouncy castle accident in AustraliaVideo
SYDNEY — Five children died and four others were in critical condition on Thursday as a result of falling from a bouncy castle that was lifted 33 feet into the air by a gust of wind at a school on Australia’s island state of Tasmania. The school was holding a...
How brothers in arms plotted theft, sale of U.S. Army weaponry
Packed with rifles and explosives, the SUV hurtled down a Florida interstate beneath bright blue autumn skies, passing other motorists with little notice. It was November 2018, and the driver, Tyler Sumlin, was uncomfortable. Clammy. The husky, bearded former U.S. Army soldier was getting a cold, and understandably tense: He...
With omicron in ‘full force,’ New York City to hand out masks, tests
NEW YORK — Alarmed by a rapid rise in covid-19 cases and the increasing prevalence of the omicron variant, New York City officials will distribute one million masks and 500,000 home tests, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday. The mass distributions are part of a broader plan to counter the...
CDC panel recommends Pfizer, Moderna vaccines over J&J shotVideo
Most Americans should be given the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines instead of the Johnson & Johnson shot that can cause rare but serious blood clots, U.S. health advisers recommended Thursday. The strange clotting problem has caused nine confirmed deaths after J&J vaccinations — while the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines don’t...
NFL updates protocols in response to covid-19 cases
The NFL has updated its protocols in reaction to an increase in covid-19 cases around the league, and it is pushing booster shots as the most effective protection against the coronavirus. As part of its protocol changes, the NFL is requiring masks regardless of vaccination status and remote or outdoor...
Panel gives state House, Senate district maps preliminary OK
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission voted Thursday in favor of new preliminary district maps over sharp objections from the House’s Republican leader, as a large increase in the state’s minority population helped shape big changes. The maps also reflect general population changes over the past decade, which have...
Army vet, 3-year-old among the dead in widespread twisters
Details about the fathers and mothers, children, friends and siblings who died during a tornado outbreak that ripped through the Midwest and South are still coming into focus nearly a week after the onslaught. At least 89 people have been confirmed dead across multiple states after more than 40 tornadoes...
Ambridge woman gets 2 life terms in February deaths of 2 children
BEAVER — A western Pennsylvania woman has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison without possibility of parole in the deaths of her two children earlier this year. Krisinda Bright, 58, pleaded guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder charges as part of a plea agreement that spared her a...
Mortgage rates up slightly this week to a still-low 3.12%
SILVER SPRING, Md. — The average interest rate on a long-term mortgage in the U.S. ticked up slightly this week but remains historically low just as the Federal Reserve announces that it will begin tightening credit. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year,...
Young Americans motivated to make change: AP-NORC, MTV poll
WASHINGTON — There are plenty of reasons for Sebastian Garcia to feel downbeat about the future. After his family immigrated from Mexico, he was raised on a farm in northwest Texas, where he says there aren’t many racial slurs he hasn’t heard. When the now-24-year-old graduated from college, he decided...
