Associated Press stories, Page 1747
Tom Brady signs extension, frees salary cap space for Buccaneers
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady has agreed to a contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that provides the Super Bowl champions with much-needed salary cap relief and will help the seven-time NFL champion reach a goal of playing until he’s at least 45. Brady posted a picture of himself...
Minneapolis reaches historic $27M settlement with George Floyd’s family
The city of Minneapolis on Friday agreed to pay $27 million to settle a civil lawsuit from George Floyd’s family over the Black man’s death in police custody, as jury selection continued in a former officer’s murder trial. Council members met privately to discuss the settlement, then returned to public...
UN says Ebola in Guinea may be linked to 2014 outbreak
A top official at the World Health Organization said that a genetic analysis of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Guinea suggests it may have been sparked by a survivor of the devastating West Africa epidemic that ended five years ago. At a press briefing in Geneva, WHO emergencies chief Dr....
Gov. Wolf seeks to phase out Pennsylvania’s gas tax
Amid a deepening stalemate over financing highways and public transit, Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday proposed phasing out Pennsylvania’s gasoline tax, the second-highest in the nation, and appointed a commission to recommend alternative ways to pay for the state’s needs. Wolf ordered a commission of several dozen lawmakers, transportation industry...
Nick Markakis retires after 15 years with Braves, Orioles
ATLANTA — Outfielder Nick Markakis has retired after 15-year career with the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles. The 37-year-od Markakis, who was a free agent, told The Athletic in a story published Friday that he was done playing after accumulating 2,388 hits, earning his lone All-Star selection in 2018 and...
What’s this craze for ‘NFTs’ all about, anyway?
LONDON — A digital art piece, tweaked using cryptocurrency technology to make it one-of-a-kind, sold at auction this week for nearly $70 million. That transaction made global headlines and buoyed already-mushrooming interest in these kinds of digital objects — known as non-fungible tokens, or NFTs — that have captured the...
Maskless, boozing JetBlue passenger faces $14,500 FAA fine
An airline passenger could wind up paying $14,500 for refusing to wear a face mask and drinking alcohol that he had brought on board. The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it proposed the civil penalty against a passenger on a Dec. 23 JetBlue Airways flight that left New York’s John...
Biden moves to relieve strain of child border crossings
The Biden administration hopes to relieve the strain of thousands of unaccompanied children coming to the southern border by ending a Trump-era order that discouraged potential family sponsors from coming forward to care for them. The 2018 policy called on Health and Human Services to share information about family sponsors...
Conflict grows between U.S. and allies over vaccine supply
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration is stockpiling tens of millions of doses of a covid-19 vaccine whose authorization in the U.S. remains uncertain, frustrating U.S. allies who say those doses should be used now to save lives overseas. The standoff is part of a growing global debate over who...
Philly to dim lights to make it safer for birds in flight
The lights of Philadelphia might not shine as bright in the coming weeks as a coalition in the City of Brotherly Love tries to prevent millions of migrating birds that pass through twice a year from slamming into skyscrapers and crashing to the sidewalk. Bird Safe Philly on Thursday announced...
WHO grants emergency approval for 1-shot J&J covid vaccine
GENEVA — The World Health Organization granted an emergency use listing Friday for the coronavirus vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson, meaning the one-dose shot can now theoretically be used as part of the international COVAX effort to distribute vaccines globally, including to poor countries without any supplies. In a...
Netflix tests out a possible password-sharing crackdown
NEW YORK — Netflix is testing a way to crack down on password sharing. The popular streaming service has been asking some users of the popular streaming site to verify their account via email or text, or to “verify later.” “If you don’t live with the owner of this account,...
Patriots completing 1-year deal to re-sign Cam Newton
BOSTON — The New England Patriots are completing an agreement to re-sign free-agent quarterback Cam Newton, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press. The one-year deal is worth close to $14 million, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because new signings can’t be...
Michigan: All adults eligible for covid vaccine April 5
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan announced Friday that all residents age 16 and up will become eligible for the covid-19 vaccine on April 5, nearly a month before the May 1 date pledged by President Joe Biden. People age 16 to 49 with certain medical conditions or disabilities will qualify starting...
4 people in Michigan won January $1.05B Mega Millions prize
DETROIT — A four-member suburban Detroit lottery club won a $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot and will receive $557 million after taxes, officials said Friday. The winners claimed their prize weeks after the Jan. 22 drawing and chose the immediate lump sum option. After taxes, the $776 million payment was...
Cuomo defiant as wave of lawmakers calls for him to resign
Facing unprecedented political isolation, a defiant New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo insisted on Friday that he would not step down in the wake of sexual harassment allegations and condemned the sprawling coalition of Democrats calling for his resignation as “reckless and dangerous.” The third-term Democratic governor, a leading critic of...
Tech stocks pulls market lower as bond yields climb again
Stocks were mostly lower in afternoon trading Friday as technology stocks, which had spent most of the week holding steady or climbing, fell broadly. The move was once again caused by a rise in bond yields. The S&P 500 index was down 0.2% as of 2:20 p.m. Eastern, on track...
Positive covid-19 test for Virginia nixes ACC semifinal
The Atlantic Coast Conference has canceled its tournament semifinal game between No. 16 Virginia and Georgia Tech due to a positive covid-19 test, quarantining and contact tracing within the Cavaliers program. The league called off its second tournament game in two days on Friday morning, less than 12 hours before...
Memo banning Afghan girls singing prompts #IAmMySong protest
KABUL, Afghanistan — A memo from Afghanistan’s education ministry banning girls age 12 and older from singing at school functions has been causing a stir on social media, prompting the authorities to say it was a mistake and that its authors had misunderstood the objective. Still, #IAmMySong is gaining traction...
Global rise in childhood mental health issues amid pandemic
PARIS — By the time his parents rushed him to the hospital, 11-year-old Pablo was barely eating and had stopped drinking entirely. Weakened by months of self-privation, his heart had slowed to a crawl and his kidneys were faltering. Medics injected him with fluids and fed him through a tube...
U.S., Indo-Pacific allies to expand India’s vaccine production
President Joe Biden and fellow leaders of the Indo-Pacific alliance known as the Quad are set to announce a plan to expand coronavirus vaccine manufacturing capacity in India, according to administration officials. The effort was to be announced Friday at a virtual meeting of the leaders of Australia, India, Japan...
Unemployment rises in Pennsylvania, as payrolls grow too
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate rose in January, as the labor force shrank but payrolls rebounded, according to state figures released Friday. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was 7.3%, up two-tenths of a percentage point from December’s adjusted rate, the state Department of Labor and Industry said. Upward revisions to Pennsylvania’s preliminary...
Olympic host Japan will not take part in China vaccine offer
TOKYO — Japan will not take part in China’s offer — accepted by the International Olympic Committee — to provide vaccines for “participants” in the postponed Tokyo Games and next year’s Beijing Winter Games. Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa said Friday that Japan had not been consulted by the IOC about...
Federal look into Breonna Taylor’s death casts a wider net
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Their numbers have dwindled since protesters first flooded Louisville’s streets after police fatally shot Breonna Taylor in her home a year ago, but their push for justice has never waned. A federal investigation of the shooting that has been quietly proceeding could be their last chance. “We...
Philadelphia mayor calls for action after 3 killed, 6 injured
PHILADELPHIA — The city’s mayor on Friday called for action after three separate shootings left three people dead and six others injured. Two of those killed were teenagers. The gunfire began Thursday afternoon when a 16-year-old boy and a 24-year-old man were cut down by bullets that also wounded a...
