Associated Press stories, Page 1682
Police seek clues after woman and dog killed in Atlanta park
ATLANTA — Investigators sought video from homes and businesses near a popular Atlanta park as divers searched a pond in their quest to solve the stabbing death of a parkgoer who was walking her dog. Katherine Janness, 40, was found dead in Piedmont Park around 1 a.m. Wednesday. Police say...
Transportation panel to issue plan on Pa. gas tax elimination
HARRISBURG — A transportation funding commission set up by Gov. Tom Wolf to find ways to end Pennsylvania’s reliance on its gas tax will issue a $15.6 billion package of recommendations, which lean heavily on shifting to a vehicle-miles-traveled fee that numerous states are exploring. The Transportation Revenue Options Commission...
Once fading, mask sales starting to rebound
NEW YORK — Masks, which had started to disappear from store shelves, may be front and center again. A spot check of businesses and other data sources are showing that mask sales have been rising in recent weeks as Americans worry about the surging cases of the delta variant of...
AstraZeneca to seek U.S. approval of covid vaccine later this year
LONDON — AstraZeneca said Thursday that it intends to seek U.S. approval for its covid-19 vaccine later this year, further delaying the application even as the company announced it had already delivered more than 1 billion doses to other countries. The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said the application has been delayed because...
Biden to allow eviction moratorium to expire Saturday
BOSTON — The Biden administration will allow a nationwide ban on evictions to expire Saturday, arguing that its hands are tied after the Supreme Court ruled it could only be extended until the end of the month. In a statement Thursday, the White House said President Joe Biden would have...
Spanish ex-king’s former lover accuses him of harassment
MADRID — The former lover of Spain’s King Emeritus Juan Carlos has filed a lawsuit with a British court accusing him of spying on her, the latest twist in a financial scandal plaguing the ex-monarch. The London-based High Court said Wednesday that Corinna Larsen, a Danish-German businesswoman long linked to...
NHL teams overcome flat cap to make splashes in free agency
NHL teams combined for a series of splashes in free agency, managing to make major moves despite the salary cap staying flat for a third straight year. Over the first 12 hours of the signing period Wednesday, teams in the league signed 160-plus players to contracts worth more than $783...
American Sunisa Lee wins all-around gold in women’s gymnastics
TOKYO — Sunisa Lee wanted to quit during quarantine. It all had become too much. The lingering pain from a broken foot. The deaths of two family members from covid-19. Her father’s slow recovery from an accident that left him paralyzed. The urge eventually passed. It always does. Still, less...
U.S. trio puts NBA Finals behind, turns focus to Olympic gold
SAITAMA, Japan — There was plenty of time to talk about it, had they wanted to. Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton were together on a plane to Tokyo, just days after they had played in the hard-fought NBA Finals. They had roughly nine hours in the air to...
Cargo ship ordered to leave U.S. waters after insects found
Federal agents near New Orleans ordered a cargo ship to leave the U.S. after an inspection found wood infested with a type of Asian beetle that has been destroying trees in the U.S. for about 25 years. They discovered the beetle in wood onboard the Pan Jasmine on July 17,...
U.S. economy accelerated at a solid 6.5% rate last quarter
WASHINGTON — Fueled by vaccinations and government aid, the U.S. economy grew at a solid 6.5% annual rate last quarter in another sign that the nation has achieved a sustained recovery from the pandemic recession. Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department estimated that the nation’s gross domestic product — its...
GDP roars past pre-pandemic levels. Where does the economy go from here?
WASHINGTON — Even with production glitches, transportation bottlenecks and labor shortages, the U.S. economy grew in the second quarter at one of the fastest rates in decades, lifting the nation’s total output above where it was before covid-19 hit, according to government data released Thursday. “That we were able to...
Ron Popeil, inventor and king of TV pitchmen, dies at 86
LOS ANGELES — Ron Popeil, the quintessential TV pitchman and inventor known to generations of viewers for hawking products including the Veg-O-Matic, the Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone and the Showtime Rotisserie and BBQ, has died, his family said. Popeil died “suddenly and peacefully” Wednesday at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in...
Alaska quake produces prolonged shaking, small tsunami
PERRYVILLE, Alaska — A powerful earthquake which struck just off Alaska’s southern coast caused prolonged shaking and prompted tsunami warnings that sent people scrambling for shelters. Residents reported only minor damage, but officials said that could change after sunrise and people get a better look. The National Tsunami Warning Center...
U.S. swimmer Caeleb Dressel lives up to hype, wins 1st individual gold medalVideo
TOKYO — In an Olympics where many of the favorites have faltered, Caeleb Dressel lived up to the hype. Dressel claimed the first individual Olympic gold medal of his career with two furious laps of the pool Thursday morning, winning the 100-meter freestyle over defending champion Kyle Chalmers. As is...
Jalen Hurts shrugs off chatter about Eagles pursuing Deshaun WatsonVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Nick Sirianni kicked off Camp Competition with quarterback Jalen Hurts taking first-team snaps for the Philadelphia Eagles. That’s no surprise, though the team continues to be linked to Deshaun Watson. “Have we done homework on quarterbacks that might be available? I mean, we have a short list,” general...
Cowboys’ Dak Prescott leaves camp practice with shoulder strainVideo
OXNARD, Calif. — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is day-to-day because of a right shoulder strain after leaving training camp practice early Wednesday with a sore throwing arm. Prescott had an MRI that revealed the muscle strain but said he “didn’t see this as any kind of serious setback.” The...
Talent undeniable as Browns open training campVideo
BEREA, Ohio — As Baker Mayfield rifled passes wide receivers to Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry on one field, star defensive ends Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney worked on their pass-rushing techniques on the other. There was plenty of other action on Cleveland’s opening day of training camp as...
FDA allows automatic ‘generic’ swap for brand-name insulin
U.S. regulators took action Wednesday that will make it easier to get a cheaper, near-copy of a brand-name insulin at the drugstore. Doctors now have to specifically prescribe what’s called a biosimilar or OK substituting it for a more expensive brand-name insulin. Wednesday’s move by the Food and Drug Administration...
U.S. volleyball star David Smith revels as role model for deaf kidsVideo
TOKYO — Growing up nearly completely deaf provided a challenge for David Smith as he tried to integrate with other kids at school or on the playground. Whatever Smith may have lacked in hearing was more than made up with empathy, compassion, and most of all, athletic ability. Smith was...
Goalies on the move: Grubauer to Kraken, Holtby to StarsVideo
A Vezina Trophy finalist landed in Seattle, the Hurricanes turned over their entire group and several accomplished veterans who had their contracts bought out found new homes on a busy day for NHL goaltenders. More than a dozen goalies changed places Wednesday, altering the landscape with moves involving everyone from...
Big 12 accuses ESPN of trying to ‘destabilize’ conferenceVideo
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby accused ESPN of pushing other conferences to pick apart the league so Texas and Oklahoma can move to the SEC without paying a massive buyout. “I have absolute certainty they (ESPN) have been involved in manipulating other conferences to go after our members,” Bowlsby told...
Bob Odenkirk condition stable as a result of ‘heart related incident’
LOS ANGELES — “Better Call Saul” star Bob Odenkirk had a “heart related incident” when he collapsed on the show’s New Mexico set, and his condition is stable as he recovers at a hospital, his representatives said Wednesday. “We can confirm Bob is in stable condition after experiencing a heart...
4 Nationals players, 8 staffers test positive, game vs. Phillies postponedVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Four Washington Nationals players and eight staffers tested positive for covid-19, forcing MLB to postpone their game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night. The postponement came one day after Nationals star Trea Turner exited the game against Philadelphia in the first inning after his positive test for...
Expansion Kraken land goalie Philipp Grubauer; Lightning breakup continuesVideo
There was a method to the Seattle Kraken’s approach to preserve salary cap space while making their expansion draft selections. After laying in wait, the Kraken made one of the biggest splashes in free agency by signing goalie Philipp Grubauer to a six-year, $35.4 million contract Wednesday. Seattle’s roster is...
