Associated Press stories, Page 1850
Oregon holds off USC late, grabs Pac-12 title
LOS ANGELES — Oregon didn’t win its Pac-12 division, and it only got into the championship game because Washington had to drop out. The Ducks hadn’t won a game in nearly a month before they took the Coliseum field Friday night. They still ended up celebrating amid confetti and streamers...
This Date in Sports History: Dec. 19
1913 — Heavyweight champion Jack Johnson fights to a 10-round draw with Battling Jim Johnson in Paris. 1917 — The NHL begins play. Joe Malone of the Montreal Canadiens scores five goals in a 9-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Harry Hyland of the Montreal Wanderers scores five goals in...
Senate investigators fault FAA over Boeing jet, safety
Boeing improperly influenced a test designed to see how quickly pilots could respond to malfunctions on the Boeing 737 Max, and Federal Aviation Administration officials may have obstructed a review of two deadly crashes involving the plane, Senate investigators say. In a report released Friday, the Senate Commerce Committee also...
Pence, top congressional leaders get vaccines; Trump absent
WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence and the leaders of the House and Senate received their first doses of the covid-19 vaccine on Friday as they tried to reassure the American public that the shot is safe. Pence, in a live-television event, celebrated the milestone as “a medical miracle” that...
Seattle police clear homeless camp, make arrests
SEATTLE — Police cleared a homeless camp in Seattle early Friday morning after a judge declined to block authorities from removing the people and tents. Police arrested 24 people and accused them of various offenses including failure to disperse, trespass and resisting arrest, the Seattle Police Department said on Twitter....
NHL, players agree to 56-game season starting Jan. 13
The National Hockey League and players reached a tentative deal Friday to hold a 56-game season in 2021, pending the approval of each side’s executive board and Canadian health officials. The season would start Jan. 13. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the sides have an agreement, pending the approval of...
U.S. clears Moderna vaccine for covid-19, 2nd shot in arsenal
WASHINGTON —The U.S. added a second covid-19 vaccine to its arsenal Friday, boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day. Much-needed doses are set to arrive Monday after the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout...
Drew Brees expected to start against Chiefs
NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Saints record-setting quarterback Drew Brees “looked good” in his first practices since returning from rib fractures and a punctured lung and is slated to start against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, coach Sean Payton said. “We went off how it felt as he went...
UNC suspends 3 fraternities that feds linked to drug ring
RALEIGH, N.C. — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced Friday that it has suspended three fraternities that have been linked to a drug trafficking ring that federal prosecutors say funneled large amounts of drugs into three college campuses. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Greensboro announced on Thursday...
House passes bill to avert government shutdown; Senate next
WASHINGTON — The House passed a two-day stopgap spending bill Friday night to avert a partial government shutdown, trying to buy time for frustratingly slow endgame negotiations on an almost $1 trillion covid-19 economic relief package. Senate action wasn’t guaranteed but appeared likely before the midnight deadline. The House passed...
Successful season? College football played 500-plus gamesVideo
In August, when there was still doubt about whether a college football would be played during the pandemic, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said he would look at the season as a success if he could hand out a championship trophy in December. The virus is not going to allow...
Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly: ‘I’m not sure we’ll play’ without families in College Football Playoff
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney expressed concerns about playing a College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on New Year’s Day if players’ families aren’t allowed to attend. Kelly even went as far as to say, “I’m not sure...
Tiger Woods being upstaged by son Charlie at PNC ChampionshipVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Padraig Harrington and Tiger Woods turned pro about the same time and have played in some 170 tournaments around the world together. That gave Harrington enough experience to speak to what he saw at the PNC Championship. “This is the first tournament I’ve ever played in that...
Watchdog: George Floyd protests overwhelmed NYPD, sparking conflict
NEW YORK — The New York Police Department was caught off guard by the size of the spring protests after the killing of George Floyd and resorted to aggressive disorder control methods that stoked tensions and stifled free speech, the city’s inspector general said in a report released Friday. The...
Cleveland manager Francona says team’s name change ‘correct’Video
CLEVELAND — Manager Terry Francona praised the Cleveland Indians for trying to “do the right thing” with a name change that was inevitable — and necessary. On Friday, Francona, a New Brighton native, complimented the team’s decision to drop its name after 105 years, a switch that came after months...
With Lawrence back, Clemson and Notre Dame meet for ACC titleVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The stage is set for a marquee Top 25 showdown in the ACC title game Saturday. Everyone watching will be eager to see if Notre Dame can upend Clemson now that the Tigers have starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence back in the lineup. The Fighting Irish beat then...
U.S. stocks slip from records as wait continues for Congress
NEW YORK — U.S. stock indexes pulled back from their record levels Friday as the wait drags on to see if Congress can reach a deal to send more cash to struggling workers and businesses. The S&P 500 fell 0.4%, a day after it and other major indexes returned to...
Wrongfully convicted Michigan man freed after 38 years
JACKSON, Mich. — A man who was sentenced to life without parole in an arson fatality has been freed after 38 years in a Michigan prison after a woman admitted that she lied under oath during his 1983 trial. Walter Forbes, 63, walked out of Kinross Correctional Facility on Nov....
UN health agency gains access to nearly 2 billion doses of covid vaccines
GENEVA — The head of the World Health Organization said Friday that the U.N. health agency’s program to help get COVID-19 vaccines to all countries in need, whether rich or poor, has gained access to nearly 2 billion doses of several “promising” vaccine candidates. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said...
Shutdown deadline looms over covid relief talks
WASHINGTON — Bearing down on a midnight shutdown deadline, top negotiators on a must-pass, almost $1 trillion covid-19 economic relief package are committed to sealing an agreement Friday as they resolve remaining differences in hopes of passing the legislation this weekend. The pressure is on. Government funding lapses at midnight...
Motorist rescued after 10 hours in car buried by snow plow
OWEGO, N.Y. — A man who drove off the road in this week’s snowstorm spent 10 hours trapped in his car after a passing plow buried it, finally managing to get a 911 call through and being rescued in the nick of time by a New York state trooper. Kevin...
Coronavirus vaccine provided to U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — The justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are being provided with doses of the coronavirus vaccine. That is according to a letter by Capitol Physician Brian Monahan, which says the court, along with Congress and executive branch agencies are being given a limited supply of doses “for continuity...
Vice President Pence, wife Karen, get covid-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence became the highest profile world leader to be vaccinated for the coronavirus Friday. Pence’s wife Karen and Surgeon General Jerome Adams also received shots on live television. President Donald Trump’s administration helped deliver vaccinations against the coronavirus earlier than even some in his administration...
Germany to start vaccinations in nursing homes
BERLIN — Germany’s health minister urged for patience on Friday as the country prepares to start vaccinating people against covid-19, saying those most at risk should be immunized first. Jens Spahn said people in nursing homes would be the first to receive shots on Dec. 27, when Germany expects to...
French teens protest after transgender classmate’s suicide
LILLE, France — About 100 teenagers rallied in northern France Friday to pay homage to a transgender student who killed herself this week after facing tensions with school officials around her gender identity. The case has drawn indignation on social media and national concern. The students held a sit-in and...

