Associated Press stories, Page 2065
Tucson mayor sticks with police chief after custody death
TUCSON, Ariz. — The mayor of Tucson, Arizona, said Thursday that the city’s police chief should stay in his job, even as criticism mounts over the death of a young Hispanic man while handcuffed in police custody. Mayor Regina Romero, a Democrat, said Chief Chris Magnus should not resign because...
Colorado reopens inquiry into Elijah McClain’s 2019 death
DENVER — The Colorado governor on Thursday ordered prosecutors to reopen the investigation into the death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man put into a chokehold by police who stopped him on the street in suburban Denver last year because he was “being suspicious.” Gov. Jared Polis signed an...
NASCAR hopes new fans join the sport in push for equalityVideo
This is NASCAR in 2020: An opening weekend that had a visit from the president and a death-defying crash. A pandemic-forced hiatus that drove the virtual racing popularity boom. Empty grandstands. And suddenly, perhaps surprisingly, a prominent role in the push for racial equality. All with the second half of...
Lobbying grows against Mississippi’s rebel-themed flag
JACKSON, Miss. — University coaches and Christian ministers filled the Mississippi Capitol on Thursday, urging legislators to seize the moment and remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag while Americans are reckoning with difficult discussions about race and history. “It doesn’t take courage. It takes conscience,” said the...
U.S. Catholic bishops: Clergy sex abuse claims tripled in 2019
NEW YORK — U.S. Roman Catholic bishops said Thursday that the church tallied 4,434 sex abuse allegations against clergy in the 2018-19 audit year, triple the number seen the previous year, with much of the increase stemming from a wave of lawsuits and claims by survivors of decades-old molestation. In...
Phil Mickelson added to field in U.S. Open without qualifyingVideo
The USGA is leaning a little more on the world ranking and a lot more on tournament results over the next two months to fill the 144-man field for a U.S. Open that will be without open qualifying for the first time in nearly a century. The exemption categories announced...
Families of 3 deceased workers sue Tyson over Iowa outbreak
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The families of three workers who died after contracting the coronavirus in an Iowa meat plant outbreak sued Tyson Foods and its top executives Thursday, saying the company knowingly put employees at risk and lied to keep them on the job. The lawsuit alleges that Tyson...
Philly police head decries tear gas usage against protesters
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia’s police commissioner, along with the mayor, apologized to the public Thursday for giving statements that were inaccurate in the days after tear gas, bean bags and pepper spray were used against protesters who were trapped on a highway. At least one high ranking commander took a voluntary...
Mackenzie Hughes shoots 60 for 3-shot lead at Travelers ChampionshipVideo
CROMWELL, Conn. — Mackenzie Hughes shot a career-low 60 on Thursday to take the first-round at the Travelers Championship as the PGA Tour tried to switch its focus back to golf amid growing concerns about the coronavirus. Hughes, a 29-year-old Canadian, had a chance to shoot the 12th sub-60 round...
A look at a Colorado Black man’s death in police encounter
DENVER — As protests continue across the U.S. against excessive police force against people of color, Elijah McClain’s name has become another rallying cry on social media. McClain, a 23-year-old Black man in the Denver suburb of Aurora, died in August after police officers confronted him as he was walking...
Antsy MLB players such as South Park’s Randy Dobnak embrace end of extra down timeVideo
South Park graduate Randy Dobnak had finished making his morning omelette one day last week when his wife, Aerial, asked the Minnesota Twins pitcher to keep the eggs out so she could make a sandwich. For the base, she used a hot dog bun, an ingredient so bewildering to her...
Wildfire near Mount Rushmore contained ahead of Trump visit
CUSTER, S.D. — A wildfire located near Mount Rushmore in South Dakota has been completely contained, according to Gov. Kristi Noem’s office. The fire comes amid preparations for President Donald Trump’s visit to the monument for Independence Day celebrations and fireworks next week. The state called in 117 firefighters, including...
Kentucky capitol rally urges action in Breonna Taylor death
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Hundreds of people rallied at Kentucky’s capitol on Thursday to urge action in the investigation of three officers in the fatal police shooting of a Black woman, Breonna Taylor, at her Louisville home. Taylor’s family, hip hop artists and civil rights lawyers addressed a large crowd on...
Trump tweets about plan for BLM mural in front of his Tower
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump has taken issue with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to paint “Black Lives Matter” in giant letters on the street in front of Trump’s namesake Manhattan tower. Trump tweeted Thursday that de Blasio “wants to paint the fabled & beautiful Fifth...
Funding for key Minneapolis police initiative falls through
MINNEAPOLIS — Funding for a key Minneapolis Police Department accountability initiative after the death of George Floyd has fallen through, officials confirmed Thursday, meaning potential delays as the city scrambles to find another source for the money. Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced June 10 the department would contract with Benchmark...
California to vote on 1st-in-US electric truck sales rule
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California regulators approved new rules on Thursday that would force automakers to sell more electric work trucks and delivery vans, a first-of-its-kind rule aimed at helping the nation’s most populous state clean up its worst-in-the-nation air quality. The rules require a certain percentage of work truck sales...
US virus cases near an all-time high as governors backtrack
NEW YORK —The coronavirus crisis deepened in Arizona on Thursday, and the governor of Texas began to backtrack after making one of the most aggressive pushes in the nation to reopen, as the daily number of confirmed cases across the U.S. closed in on the peak reached during the dark...
NFL training camps still on original schedule for late JulyVideo
The NFL still plans to hold training camps on time beginning in late July, though contingency plans are in place. Hours after the league canceled the Hall of Fame game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys that kicks off the preseason, the 32 team owners on Thursday were updated...
NYC judge rejects Trump family effort to halt tell-all book
WASHINGTON — A New York City judge has dismissed a claim by Donald Trump’s brother that sought to halt the publication of a tell-all book by the president’s niece. In a ruling handed down on Thursday, Judge Peter Kelly said the Surrogates Court lacked jurisdiction in the case. Mary Trump...
U.S. health officials estimate 20 million Americans have had virus
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials estimate that 20 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus since it first arrived in the United States, meaning that the vast majority of the population remains susceptible. Thursday’s estimate is roughly 10 times as many infections as the 2.3 million cases that have been...
Vince Carter, 43, retires after record 22 NBA seasonsVideo
Vince Carter made his retirement official Thursday, announcing on his podcast his 22-year NBA career has ended. The announcement was largely a formality because the 43-year-old Carter had said many times over the course of this season this would be his last in the NBA. His 22 seasons are the...
NASCAR releases photo of Talladega noose
Declaring “the noose was real,” NASCAR officials on Thursday released a photo of the rope found in the garage stall of Black driver Bubba Wallace that prompted a federal investigation that determined it had been there since last October. The incident has put racism front and center for the stock...
Biden, Trump stage rare dueling events in pandemic era
LANCASTER — Both President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, are swinging through key battleground states on Thursday, presenting dueling events that haven’t happened much in the age of coronavirus and showcasing their contrasting styles in response to the pandemic. The former vice president wore a black face...
Banks lead gains for stocks on Wall Street in jumpy trading
Financial companies led stocks broadly higher on Wall Street Thursday as traders welcomed news that the Federal Reserve and other regulators are removing some limits on the ability of banks to make investments. The S&P 500 climbed 1.1% following a jumpy day of trading. At one point, the index was...
Pirate Parrot, other MLB mascots now permitted in parks
Pirate Parrot, phenomenal. Mr. Met and Mariner Moose, marvelous. Wally the Green Monster, welcome back. Mascots are getting a reprieve from Major League Baseball. A month after being tossed out of stadiums because of health concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, the fuzzy and funny creatures will return as inside-the-parkers. “The...
