Associated Press stories, Page 1667

The NFL has plans to eliminate some restrictions from its current covid-19 protocols for vaccinated players, coaches and personnel. In a memo sent to the 32 teams Wednesday and obtained by The Associated Press, the league detailed potential amendments to the protocols used throughout the 2020 season and current offseason....

SAN ANTONIO — NCAA President Mark Emmert promised the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association he will work with coaches to fix the “stark difference” between the Division I men’s and women’s tournaments. While Emmert noted that a major hurdle was trying to hold both basketball tournaments in kind of identical format...

New Yorkers over the age of 21 can now possess and use up to 3 ounces of cannabis in public under a legalization bill signed Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, while sales of recreational-use marijuana won’t become legal for an estimated 18 months until the state draws up regulations. Advocates...

HARRISBURG — The group that oversees maintenance and construction in the Pennsylvania Capitol voted unanimously Wednesday to spend nearly $1.5 million to renovate the governor’s suite. The Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee authorized an overhaul of the 10-room suite that is expected to be finished by year’s end. The work will...

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s lieutenant governor dug in his heels Wednesday on a tweet in which he referred to covid-19 as the “Wuhan virus,” even as advocates warn such rhetoric is a driving force behind violence against Asian Americans, including the recent attacks in Georgia and New York. Republican Lt....

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Maybe the Luka Doncic rookie basketball card that recently sold at auction for a record $4.6 million was a bit rich for your blood. Perhaps you’d be interested in a more affordable alternative — say, a virtual card of the Dallas Mavericks forward currently listed for...

CLEVELAND — While moving forward with a plan to change their name, the Cleveland Indians said they will not permit fans inside Progressive Field wearing Native American headdresses or face paint. The team announced the fan dress policy for the 2021 season on Wednesday in advance of Monday’s home opener...

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate Wednesday, stripping the governor of one of his last remaining tools to curb large-scale spread of covid-19 as the state stands on the precipice of another surge in infections. The conservative-leaning court ruled 4-3...

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are drifting higher in morning trading on Wednesday, as investors wait to hear the details about Washington’s next mammoth push for the economy. The S&P 500 was up 0.6%, ahead of a speech later in the day where President Joe Biden is expected to discuss...

For Christians across the United States, Easter services on Sunday will reflect an extra measure of joy as the nation experiences rising optimism after a year of pandemic. Even if still observing restrictions, many churches may draw the largest numbers of in-person worshippers in months. It’s a season of major...

NEW YORK — A parolee convicted of killing his mother nearly two decades ago was arrested on charges, including felony assault as a hate crime, in an attack on an Asian American woman in New York City, police said early Wednesday. Police said Brandon Elliot, 38, is the man seen...

DETROIT — Volkswagen of America issued false statements this week saying it would change its brand name to “Voltswagen,” to stress its commitment to electric vehicles, only to reverse course Tuesday and admit that the supposed name change was a joke. Mark Gillies, a company spokesman, confirmed Tuesday that the...

It’s not easy to bury a team as good as USC, let alone in a half, no matter how easy Gonzaga made it look. Somehow, coach Mark Few called it in advance. While everyone was fixating on the top-seeded Bulldogs’ make-it-rain offense, one reporter took the opposite tack. He asked...

Chrissy Teigen will grace the front of People magazine’s “The Beautiful Issue” in a cover story that delves into her evolved definition of beauty, facing racism growing up and her heartbreaking miscarriage last year. The magazine revealed the cover Wednesday of the annual issue, which hits newsstands Friday. On this...

PHOENIX — The helmet-wearing Idaho man photographed dangling by one hand from the Senate’s balcony during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol turned himself in six days later. While buckled in the vehicle delivering him to the Boise jail, Josiah Colt made a video apologizing and expressing shame...

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter says his service on the board of a Ukrainian gas company, which Republicans tried to turn into a negative during the 2020 presidential campaign, wasn’t unethical and didn’t represent a lack of judgment on his part. But the younger Biden wouldn’t do it...

RICHMOND, Va. — Adults in Virginia could legally possess and grow small amounts of marijuana beginning in July, about three years sooner than initially envisioned, under changes the governor proposed Wednesday to legislation passed earlier this year. “Our Commonwealth is committed to legalizing marijuana in an equitable way,” Democratic Gov....

WASHINGTON — The NCAA and former college athletes are getting ready to play ball at the Supreme Court. With the March Madness basketball tournament ongoing, the high court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case about how colleges can reward athletes who play Division I basketball and football. The NCAA...

Pfizer announced Wednesday that its covid-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12, a step toward possibly beginning shots in this age group before they head back to school in the fall. Most covid-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide are for adults, who are at...

1909 — Baseball’s National Commission rules that players who jump contracts will be suspended five years. Players joining outlaw organizations will be suspended three years as punishment for going outside organized baseball. 1923 — The Ottawa Senators of the NHL complete a two-game sweep of the WCHL’s Edmonton Eskimos with...

INDIANAPOLIS — Johnny Juzang poured in 28 points while playing most of the second half on a hurt ankle, and UCLA survived a series of nail-biting misses by top-seeded Michigan in the closing seconds for a 51-49 victory Tuesday night that made the Bruins the fifth No. 11 seed ever...

NEW YORK — Journalists are used to being wary about odd pranksters pulling April Fool’s Day hoaxes at this time of year. Few expect it from a multi-billion dollar corporation. Volkswagen admitted Tuesday that it had put out a false news release saying that it had changed the name of...

INDIANAPOLIS — Gonzaga got on a roll and put on a show Tuesday night, moving to 30-0 on the season and cruising into the Final Four with an 85-66 beatdown of previously rolling Southern Cal. Drew Timme had 23 points and five rebounds and, after one dunk, pretended to slick...