Associated Press stories, Page 1752
Fewer Americans sign contracts to buy homes in April
SILVER SPRING, Md. — Fewer Americans signed contracts to buy homes in April as a lack of supply continues to foil would-be buyers. The National Association of Realtors’ index of pending home sales fell 4.4% to 106.2 in April, a third straight sluggish month after nearly a year-long rebound from...
Official: San Jose shooter said he hated work years before killing 9
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A gunman who killed nine people at a California rail yard appeared to target some of the victims, a sheriff told The Associated Press on Thursday, while a Biden administration official said he spoke of hating his workplace when customs officers detained him after a 2016...
U.S. jobless claims fall to 406,000, a new pandemic low
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped last week to 406,000, a new pandemic low and more evidence that the job market is strengthening as the virus wanes and economy further reopens. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that applications declined 38,000 from 444,000 a week...
GOP set to block Jan. 6 commission, stoking Senate filibuster fight
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans are ready to deploy the filibuster to block a commission on the Jan. 6 insurrection, shattering hopes for a bipartisan probe of the deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol and reviving pressure on Democrats to do away with the procedural tactic that critics say has lost...
Shoppers go back to stores, but retailers face challenges
NEW YORK — Americans are going back to one of their favorite past times: store shopping. With more people getting vaccinated and dropping their face masks, retailers from Walmart to Macy’s are seeing an eager return to their stores after more than a year of their customers migrating online during...
‘School of Rock’ actor Kevin Clark killed in bike accident
CHICAGO — Kevin Clark, who played drummer Freddy “Spazzy McGee” Jones in the 2003 movie “School of Rock” with Jack Black, was killed when he was struck by a car while riding his bicycle along a Chicago street early Wednesday. Police said Clark, 32, was struck after running a red...
This Date in Sports History: May 27
1823 — A $20,000 match race between American Eclipse (representing The North) and Henry (representing The South) is held at Union Course, Long Island, N.Y. American Eclipse wins in two-of-three heats, after his original jockey, William Crafts, is replaced by Samuel Purdy before the second heat. The race, witnessed by...
Ohio announces 1st $1 million Vax-a-Million lottery winner
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A southwestern Ohio woman won the state’s first $1 million Vax-a-Million vaccination incentive prize, while a Dayton-area teen was awarded the first full-ride college scholarship offered by the program, the state announced Wednesday night. The winners were selected in a random drawing Monday and had their information...
West Virginia’s Jackson Wolf strikes out 7 in complete game
OKLAHOMA CITY — Jackson Wolf struck out seven in his first career complete game, and No. 8 seed West Virginia beat top-seeded Texas, 5-1, on Wednesday in the Big 12 Tournament. West Virginia (25-25) had just eight conference wins this season, with two coming against Texas to close the regular...
Wisconsin GOP leader hires retired police to probe election
MADISON — One of Wisconsin’s top Republican lawmakers said Wednesday he is hiring retired police officers to investigate the presidential election won by President Joe Biden in the battleground state. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is joining Republicans across the country in their continued push for repeated examinations of ballots. Assembly...
Phil Mickelson tries to focus at Colonial after historic PGA win
FORT WORTH, Texas — Phil Mickelson allowed himself to get distracted for a couple of days after his victory at the PGA Championship, taking some time to relish the historic achievement of becoming the oldest player to win a major. “Because when I’m doing it, I’m not fully aware because...
Colts welcome Carson Wentz with open arms as workouts wind downVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Carson Wentz spent the past two weeks working out in a whole new world. The quarterback found his way around the Indianapolis Colts complex, talked football with a different set of coaches, got acclimated to calling plays in a new huddle and started relearning coach Frank Reich’s offense....
‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ author Eric Carle dies at 91
NEW YORK — Eric Carle, the beloved children’s author and illustrator whose classic “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and other works gave millions of kids some of their earliest and most cherished literary memories, has died at age 91. Carle’s family says he died Sunday at his summer studio in Northampton,...
Villarreal beats Man U on penalties for Europa League titleVideo
GDANSK, Poland — Villarreal goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli decided a marathon shootout by converting his own spot kick and then saving one from counterpart David de Gea as the Spanish team beat Manchester United 11-10 on penalties Wednesday to win the Europa League final. After a 1-1 draw following extra time,...
Woman in racist Central Park confrontation sues over firing
NEW YORK — The white woman who was widely condemned and fired after a videotaped dispute with a Black birdwatcher in Central Park filed a lawsuit against her former employer, accusing the company of not doing an investigation before her termination because of her race and gender. In her federal...
NFL expects full stadiums this season; 2022 salary cap set at $208.2MVideo
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the league expects full stadiums this season, and players and staff are being encouraged to receive the covid-19 vaccine. “One of the things we’ve obviously learned over the last year is not to make projections too far out,” Goodell said Wednesday following virtual meetings with...
Stocks close modestly higher after choppy day on Wall Street
A choppy day of trading on Wall Street ended with stocks closing higher Wednesday, reversing much of the S&P 500’s modest pullback the day before. The benchmark index ended just under 0.2% higher after wavering between small gains and losses. Retailers and other companies that rely on consumer spending made...
Mickey Callaway banned through at least 2022 after harassment probe
NEW YORK — Former New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway was suspended by Major League Baseball on Wednesday through at least the end of the 2022 season following an investigation of sexual harassment allegations. Shortly after MLB’s announcement of the suspension, the Los Angeles Angels said they had fired Callaway,...
Karine Jean-Pierre makes history giving White House briefingVideo
WASHINGTON — Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday became the first openly gay woman to deliver the White House press briefing and only the second Black woman in history to take on the role. Jean-Pierre, the White House principal deputy press secretary, had briefed reporters aboard Air Force One, but Wednesday marked...
New Era apologizes, pulls hats mocked on social media
NEW YORK — New Era says it pulled a lampooned line of Major League Baseball hats from its website Tuesday and is apologizing for design inaccuracies on the caps meant to pay homage to communities with big league clubs. New Era spokesman Mark Maidment said in a statement Wednesday to...
Mother of Capitol Police officer who died after Jan. 6 urges 1/6 commissionVideo
WASHINGTON — Republicans are poised to block legislation that would create a commission on the Jan. 6 insurrection, despite both a bipartisan effort to salvage the bill and a last-minute push by the mother of a Capitol Police officer who collapsed and died after the siege. Senate Majority Leader Chuck...
Pennsylvania drops legal action against restaurants over pandemic
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Health has dropped its legal action against more than 40 restaurants that were accused of defying state orders to close indoor dining and maintain social-distancing protocols. The Health Department had filed two separate complaints alleging that restaurants were violating pandemic restrictions that Gov. Tom...
West Virginia transgender athlete law challenged in court
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A federal lawsuit was filed Wednesday challenging West Virginia’s new ban on transgender athletes from competing in female sports in middle and high schools and colleges. The American Civil Liberties Union and its West Virginia chapter filed the lawsuit on behalf of an 11-year-old transgender girl who...
Investigation finds no intentional act to derail Pa. sex-abuse vote
HARRISBURG — An internal investigation into an apparent bureaucratic blunder by Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration that scuttled a statewide voter referendum sought by victims of childhood sexual abuse found no evidence of a deliberate attempt to derail it. The Office of Inspector General’s report, released Wednesday, said agents interviewed 22...
Michigan man exonerated of murder after 32 years in prison
DETROIT — A man was exonerated Wednesday after 32 years in prison when authorities agreed that he was wrongly convicted of a fatal stabbing in suburban Detroit based on faulty evidence, including a bite mark on the victim. For years, Gilbert Poole Jr. had challenged his first-degree murder conviction with...
