Associated Press stories, Page 1874
Montana governor lifts statewide mask mandate
HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s statewide mask mandate that had been in place since July was lifted Friday by Gov. Greg Gianforte, but some cities and counties are keeping local mask requirements because they think the governor’s move was premature. Gianforte, a Republican, promised the day after assuming office in January...
Tennessee man leaves $5 million to pet border collie
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It won’t be a dog’s life for a Tennessee canine whose owner recently died. Lulu, an 8-year-old border collie, will be living the good life in Nashville after inheriting $5 million in her owner’s will, WTVF-TV reported. Martha Burton, Lulu’s caretaker, told the station Lulu’s owner, Bill...
Mississippi Senate: Ban transgender athletes on female teams
JACKSON, Miss. — Transgender athletes would be banned from competing in girls’ or women’s sports in Mississippi schools and universities, under a bill that comes at a time of renewed focus on transgender rights. Mississippi is one of a dozen states with lawmakers proposing restrictions on athletics or gender-confirming health...
Bidens view Valentine’s Day decorations on White House lawnVideo
WASHINGTON — First lady Jill Biden had installed before dawn Friday special Valentine’s Day artwork on the North Lawn of the White House: giant pink, white and red hearts that resemble the popular candy. President Joe Biden stepped out with his wife early on Friday morning to inspect the colorful...
Biden administration to allow 25,000 asylum-seekers into U.S.
SAN DIEGO — The Biden administration on Friday announced plans for tens of thousands of asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico for their next immigration court hearings to be allowed into the United States while their cases proceed. The first of an estimated 25,000 asylum-seekers in Mexico with active cases will be...
Trump impeachment trial: Defense wraps up case in 3 hoursVideo
WASHINGTON — The defense attorneys for Donald Trump have wrapped up their presentation in the former president’s impeachment trial. Lawyers argued for three hours Friday that former President Donald Trump didn’t incite the Jan. 6 rally crowd to riot at the U.S. Capitol and that his words were merely figures...
This date in sports history: Feb. 12
1937 — Cleveland is granted an NFL franchise. The Rams play in Cleveland for nine years before moving to Los Angeles. After the 1994 season, the Rams move to St. Louis. 1947 — Boston’s Bill Cowley becomes the NHL all-time scoring leader when he scores a goal and an assist...
Things go south for Hendrick at Daytona Duels; Ligonier’s Smithley fails to qualify
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — What should have been a tune-up for the Daytona 500 might have cost Hendrick Motorsports the front row for NASCAR’s version of the Super Bowl. Alex Bowman and William Byron were slated to lead the Daytona 500 field to green but that’s in danger following Thursday...
No crowds, but Australian Open will continue during lockdown
MELBOURNE, Australia — The Australian Open will be allowed to continue but without crowds for at least five days after the Victoria state government imposed a lockdown starting Saturday in response to a covid-19 outbreak at a quarantine hotel. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews on Friday announced a five-day, state-wide lockdown...
FBI probe of Texas attorney general expands to look at home renovations
DALLAS — The FBI is investigating renovations made to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s million-dollar home as part of an ongoing probe into allegations that the state’s highest-ranking attorney illegally helped a wealthy donor, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. Last year, much of Paxton’s senior staff accused...
Cantlay ties course record with 62 and leads at Pebble BeachVideo
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Patrick Cantlay looked just as good Thursday at Pebble Beach as the last round he played 18 days ago. Jordan Spieth looked as good as his last tournament, too. Coming off a 61 in the California desert followed by at two-week break, Cantlay opened with seven...
Basketball conference tournaments still on schedule despite concernsVideo
Gonzaga’s Mark Few isn’t being asked the usual question of where his team should be seeded for next month’s NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs remain unbeaten and have been the top-ranked team all season, making them a virtual shoo-in for a top seed. Instead, he is being asked if it makes...
AP source: NHL adding game-day rapid covid-19 testing
The NHL is adding game-day rapid tests for players, team personnel and on-ice officials as part of a series of expanded safety protocols unveiled Thursday in its latest bid to stem potential covid-19 outbreaks. Rapid tests initially will be made available to the league’s 24 U.S.-based teams and provide results...
Tensions rising: NHL multigame series ratchet up animosity
It turns out Saturday night was all right for fighting between Arizona and St. Louis. Monday night, too. Coyotes and Blues players dropped the gloves in both games, which were the third and fourth consecutive against each other. They will play three more times in four days — that’s right,...
Lasting legacy: Dale Earnhardt’s death saved lives, forced change
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ryan Newman was lying in bed one morning, his two daughters still tucked in down the hall, when a YouTube video of his death-defying crash popped up as a recommended watch. He hit play, absorbing every angle of the terrifying wreck that nearly killed him on...
Kentucky man held for trial in pepper spraying of Capitol officers
A federal judge has ruled there is probable cause in the case against a man accused of spraying at least two officers with an irritant during the violent siege on the Capitol in January. During a probable cause hearing Thursday, federal prosecutors presented videos and photos of the Jan. 6...
Charges dropped for officers seen shoving Buffalo protesterVideo
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Criminal charges have been dropped against two police officers seen on video last spring shoving a 75-year-old protester to the ground in Buffalo, New York, prosecutors said Thursday. A grand jury declined to indict Buffalo Officers Robert McCabe and Aaron Torgalski on felony assault charges, ending the...
Chick Corea, jazz great with 23 Grammy Awards, dies at 79Video
NEW YORK — Chick Corea, a towering jazz pianist with a staggering 23 Grammy Awards who pushed the boundaries of the genre and worked alongside Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, has died. He was 79. Corea died Tuesday of a rare form of cancer, his team posted on his website....
Biden says U.S. is securing 600 million vaccine doses by JulyVideo
BETHESDA, Md. — President Joe Biden visited some of the nation’s leading scientists on the frontlines of the fight against covid-19 on Thursday, as he announced the U.S. will have enough supply of the vaccine by the end of the summer to inoculate 300 million Americans. Biden toured the Viral...
Feds: Man charged in riot suggested bringing weapons by boat to Capitol
A man authorities say is a leader of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group and led other extremists in the attack on the U.S. Capitol discussed the possibility of getting a boat to ferry “heavy weapons” across the Potomac River, prosecutors said Thursday. Court papers filed in the case against...
Pa. state trooper, 3 others accused of illegal activity at strip club
MAYFIELD — A Pennsylvania state trooper and three other people were charged Thursday with operating a corrupt organization involving prostitution, gambling and money laundering at a Lackawanna County strip club the trooper co-owns. Robert Covington Jr., 48, who has served with the state police for 13 years, surrendered at the...
Officials: AG Barr blocked ex-officer Derek Chauvin from pleading guilty in George Floyd’s death
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was prepared to plead guilty to third-degree murder in George Floyd’s death before then-Attorney General William Barr personally blocked the plea deal last year, officials said. The deal would have averted any potential federal charges, including a civil rights offense, as part of...
White House says it will defer to CDC on reopening schoolsVideo
Facing criticism that President Joe Biden has not acted aggressively enough on reopening schools, the White House on Thursday said it’s aiming for a full reopening but will defer to science experts on how to achieve it in the middle of a pandemic. The White House drew criticism this week...
Wisconsin judge declines new arrest warrant for Kyle Rittenhouse
MADISON, Wis. — A judge on Thursday refused prosecutors’ request to issue a new arrest warrant for an 18-year-old from Illinois who is accused of killing two people during a police brutality protest in Wisconsin last summer. Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder also rejected prosecutors’ request for a $200,000...
GOP attacks Dems’ $1.9T covid relief bill from all angles
WASHINGTON — Republicans are attacking the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion covid-19 relief package as too costly, economically damaging and overtly partisan, an all-angles attempt to derail new President Joe Biden’s top priority as it starts moving through a Congress his party controls only narrowly. Four House committees worked Thursday on their...
