Associated Press stories, Page 2107
Trump to attend Wednesday’s NASA astronaut launch in Florida
STERLING, Va. — President Donald Trump plans to be on the Florida coast Wednesday to watch American astronauts blast into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center for the first time in nearly a decade. It will be the first time since the space shuttle program ended in 2011 that U.S....
‘Strong’ after shooting, El Paso now vulnerable to virus
EL PASO, Texas — Inked on skin and hashtagged on social media, the words “El Paso Strong” united city residents after a mass shooting at a Walmart last year. As COVID-19 took hold in El Paso, government officials have tried to repurpose the slogan, much like “Don’t mess with Texas,”...
Debt and coronavirus push Hertz into bankruptcy protection
Hertz filed for bankruptcy protection Friday, unable to withstand the coronavirus pandemic that has crippled global travel and with it, the heavily indebted 102-year-old car rental company’s business. The Estero, Florida-based company’s lenders were unwilling to grant it another extension on its auto lease debt payments past a Friday deadline,...
Spain’s far-right holds car protest against virus lockdown
Several thousand followers of Spain’s far-right Vox party gathered Saturday in their cars and on motorbikes in the center of Madrid and other Spanish cities to protest the Spanish government’s handling of the nation’s coronavirus crisis. The party accuses the government of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of lying about...
Allies: Ex-Detroit mayor to be released from prison early
DETROIT — Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is being quarantined at a federal prison while awaiting a likely release in June, which would be years before he was scheduled to finish his 28-year sentence for corruption, a pastor said Friday. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons declined to comment about Kilpatrick,...
US warns Los Angeles stay-at-home extension could be illegal
LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday warned the mayor of Los Angeles and the county’s top health officer that an extension of the coronavirus stay-at-home order may be unlawful. The vague letter sent to Mayor Eric Garcetti and LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer did...
NBA Hall of Famer, Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing has covid-19Video
WASHINGTON — Georgetown basketball coach Patrick Ewing tested positive for covid-19 and is being treated at a hospital. “This virus is serious and should not be taken lightly,” the Hall of Famer as a player for the Hoyas in college and the New York Knicks in the NBA said in...
Vermont ER doctor charged with child porn, hiding camera in bathroom
BURLINGTON, Vt. — A former emergency room doctor at Vermont’s largest hospital who was charged last month with setting up a video camera in a staff bathroom is now facing federal child pornography charges. Eike Blohm, 38, of South Burlington appeared in court Friday where he was ordered held pending...
Judge orders Los Angeles to move thousands of homeless
LOS ANGELES — A judge on Friday ordered Los Angeles city and county to move thousands of homeless people living near freeways after an agreement on a plan fell through. U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter issued a preliminary injunction requiring the relocation, by Sept. 1, of an estimated...
Pandemic job losses hit tourism-dependent states hardest
HONOLULU — The coronavirus pandemic has been particularly brutal to the tourism-dependent economies of Nevada and Hawaii, lifting the unemployment rate in both states to about one-quarter of the workforce. Nevada topped the nation with an April unemployment rate of 28.2%, the worst any state has seen since the national...
NASA’s newest test pilots are veteran astronauts, friends
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The two astronauts who will test drive SpaceX’s brand new rocketship are classmates and friends, veteran spacefliers married to veteran spacefliers, and fathers of young sons. Together, they will end a nine-year drought for NASA when they blast into orbit next week from Florida’s Kennedy Space...
Will virus keep Florida spectators from astronaut launch?
ORLANDO, Fla. — In ordinary times, the beaches and roads along Florida’s Space Coast would be packed with hundreds of thousands of spectators, eager to witness the first astronaut launch from Florida in nine years. In the age of coronavirus, local officials and NASA are split on whether that’s a...
Perry’s studio moves toward reopening while industry waits
LOS ANGELES — Tyler Perry is planning to make his Atlanta-based mega studio one of the first domestic filming grounds to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. But while Perry is looking to restart production in July, other studios in Georgia and beyond are anxiously waiting for Hollywood’s green light. “We’re...
NASCAR grabs much-needed momentum in return to live racingVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR had been planning sweeping changes for 2021 in hopes of finding new fans and adding some energy to a staid, stale schedule. The coronavirus pandemic put those plans on hold, and NASCAR is frantically trying to recover from a 10-week layoff. So far, the stock car...
Prosecutor to drop charge against Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky prosecutor is moving to dismiss an attempted murder charge against the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, who shot a police officer as they entered Taylor’s home. Tom Wine, Louisville’s top prosecutor, announced Friday that the case needs more investigation and he wants to let state and...
DA: Long Island man confesses to fatally stabbing dad during Zoom call
NEW YORK — A Long Island man suspected of fatally stabbing his father on a live Zoom call confessed to the caught-on-camera killing after police found him trying to wash blood off his body with Dr. Pepper, prosecutors said Friday. Thomas Scully-Powers, 32, was arraigned via video and ordered jailed...
South Carolina girl, 11, says racism behind white woman’s assault
An 11-year-old African American girl from South Carolina said she didn’t think a white woman who accused her of stealing mail was being racist until the woman’s husband told the girl that if she were “a different type,” things would have turned out differently. Elizabeth Shirey, 38, was charged with...
QB Joe Flacco, Jets agree to terms on 1-year dealVideo
NEW YORK — The New York Jets and quarterback Joe Flacco agreed to terms on a one-year deal, the 2013 Super Bowl MVP’s agency announced on Twitter. The move to bring in Flacco gives third-year starter Sam Darnold a veteran backup, but one who is also coming off a herniated...
Trump deems churches ‘essential,’ calls for them to reopen
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday that he has deemed churches and other houses of worship “essential” and called on governors across the country to allow them to reopen this weekend, even as some parts of the nation remain under coronavirus lockdown. “Today I’m identifying houses of worship —...
Lawrence County among those going to green phase of reopening
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday he is easing some pandemic restrictions in Philadelphia and the heavily populated suburbs on June 5, while lifting them almost entirely in 17 rural counties next week as Pennsylvania continues to emerge from a shutdown imposed nearly two months ago to help slow...
NFL quarterbacks finding ways to get in mini-workouts with receiversVideo
Some NFL quarterbacks still are finding ways to hold throwing sessions with receivers during the coronavirus pandemic, though things look much different. Players are keeping it simple and sticking to football instead of the annual weeklong bonding trips that have included sleepovers, cookouts, fishing, golfing and other activities. Detroit’s Matthew...
Report: NHL players to approve return-to-play formatVideo
NHL players are expected to approve a return-to-play plan that includes a 24-team playoff format, according to reports Friday night. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported debate got “a little bit heated” as the NHL Players Association executive board discussed the issue, but the measure has the support of at least the...
SEC, Big 12 to allow football workouts on campus next monthVideo
SEC schools will be able to bring athletes in all sports back to campus for voluntary activities starting June 8 at the discretion of each university, and the Big 12 plans to welcome football players back to campus a week later. The Friday announcements are the latest signs that a...
Cornavirus pandemic claims another victim: Robocalls
Have you been missing something amid the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders? No, not human contact. Not even toilet paper. Robocalls. Industry experts say robocalls are way down — scam calls as well as nagging from your credit-card company to pay your bill. The coronavirus pandemic has inflicted millions of job...
When should New York City reopen? Gov. Andrew Cuomo: It’s my call
NEW YORK — New York City’s mayor unveiled a new set of data thresholds Friday to help determine when to loosen restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic, but his frequent political sparring partner, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, later said it will be up to the state — not the city —...
