Associated Press stories, Page 2149
Florida governor gives some beaches green light to reopen
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s governor on Friday gave the green light for some beaches and parks to reopen if it can be done safely, and north Florida beaches became among the first to allow people to return since closures because of the coronavirus. Mayor Lenny Curry said Duval County beaches...
Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to serve out prison sentence at home
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and longtime fixer Michael Cohen will be released from federal prison to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement because of the coronavirus pandemic. Cohen is currently locked up at FCI Otisville in New York after pleading guilty to numerous charges,...
Lockdown weighs heavily on Orthodox Christians during Easter
ATHENS, Greece — For Orthodox Christians, this is normally a time of reflection and mourning followed by joyful release, of centuries-old ceremonies steeped in symbolism and tradition. But this year, Easter — by far the most significant religious holiday for the world’s roughly 300 million Orthodox — has essentially been...
France finds more than 1,000 coronavirus cases on aircraft carrier
PARIS — The French navy is investigating how the coronavirus infected more than 1,000 sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, amid growing pressure on government leaders to explain how it could have happened. The ship, France’s biggest carrier and the flagship of its navy, is undergoing a lengthy...
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice orders virus testing in nursing homes across state
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Friday ordered that residents and staffers of all nursing homes in the state immediately be tested for the coronavirus. The Republican governor said his executive order comes after some testing discrepancies when outbreaks have cropped up in nursing homes. The state...
NASA, SpaceX tab May 27 for first astronaut launch in US since 2011
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA and SpaceX have picked May 27 for resuming astronaut launches from the U.S. after nine years of complete Russian dependence. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced the launch date Friday. Astronauts haven’t launched into orbit from the U.S. since NASA’s last space shuttle flight in 2011....
Fort Bragg soldiers make masks to fight coronavirus pandemic
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — It’s become a competition for the soldiers of 647th Quartermaster Company to see who can crank out the most face masks during a shift to protect against the coronavirus. The parachute rigging unit is essential to Airborne operations at Fort Bragg. On any given day, their...
Joe Burrow to the rescue? Lowly Bengals look for next leaderVideo
CINCINNATI — In 2003, everything was in place for the Bengals to take a quarterback with the first overall draft pick. Cincinnati was coming off a 2-14 season. Attendance was down. Jon Kitna was in his 30s. A new coach — Marvin Lewis — wanted a franchise quarterback. A Heisman...
GM Eric DeCosta seeks to make Ravens ‘undefendable’ via NFL DraftVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens compiled a franchise-best 14-2 record last season and stormed into the playoffs with a 12-game winning streak, the most prolific rushing offense in NFL history and a second-year quarterback who went on to win MVP. Baltimore’s one-and-done postseason proved there still was plenty of...
Florida man encases self in concrete at governor’s mansion
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida man encased himself in concrete Friday outside the Governor’s Mansion in the state capital apparently to protest prison conditions related to the coronavirus. Tallahassee police spokesman Kevin Bradshaw said the man, identified as 28-year-old Jordan Mazurek, put PVC pipes horizontally into two 55-gallon plastic drums...
Comic-Con canceled over coronavirus, plans 2021 return
LOS ANGELES — This year’s San Diego Comic-Con has been canceled due to coronavirus-related restrictions around large gatherings. Organizers say they are planning for the festival to return in July 2021. The annual confab was scheduled to take place July 23-26 in and around the San Diego Convention Center. California...
‘Heartbreaking’ report shows virus ravaging N.Y. nursing homes
ALBANY, N.Y. — The despair wrought on nursing homes by the coronavirus was laid bare Friday in a state survey identifying numerous New York facilities where multiple patients died over the past few weeks. Nineteen of the state’s nursing homes reported 20 or more deaths linked to the pandemic, the...
Authorities: Man fatally shoots himself, 2 others in Pa. home
NEW FREEDOM — A man fatally shot an older man and a woman inside a southern Pennsylvania home and then turned the gun on himself, authorities said. Police found the three bodies around 5:30 p.m. Thursday when they responded to a New Freedom home after someone reported a possible fire...
Pitbull launches new song to inspire during the pandemicVideo
Pitbull is looking to uplift his fans around the world with a new dance anthem. The singer has teamed up with the Saban Music Group to release “I Believe That We Will Win” in the hope of turning the word fear into a positive. “Fear is either you can forget...
At Criterion Channel, programming a movable movie feastVideo
Arthouses are closed. Film festivals are canceled. But double features, matinees and film series continue to run unabated in one vital, virtual corner of moviedom. The Criterion Channel, the year-old streaming service, is a hotbed of cinephilia in the best of times. Right now, it’s about as close as you...
Relief checks are a lifeline for some, a cushion for others
Millions of Americans received government relief checks this week, and more are on the way. For some, the payment gets them to a more comfortable place financially; for others, the money just gets them to next month. Bridget Hughes, a mother of three, received a $2,200 stimulus check this week...
Africa could see 300,000 coronavirus deaths this year
JOHANNESBURG — Africa could see 300,000 deaths from the coronavirus even under the best-case scenario, according to a new report released Friday that cites modeling from Imperial College London. Under the worst-case scenario with no interventions against the virus, Africa could see 3.3 million deaths and 1.2 billion infections, the...
25 years after Oklahoma City bombing, anxiety remains high
OKLAHOMA CITY — In the 25 years since a truck bomb ripped through a federal building in downtown Oklahoma City and killed 168 people, the United States has suffered through foreign wars, a rise in mass shootings and a much deadlier act of terror, the Sept. 11 attacks. But the...
China’s virus death toll revised up sharply after reviewVideo
BEIJING — China’s official death toll from the coronavirus pandemic jumped sharply Friday as the hardest-hit city of Wuhan announced a major revision that added nearly 1,300 fatalities. The new figures resulted from an in-depth review of deaths during a response that was chaotic in the early days. They raised...
Pro-Trump protesters push back on stay-at-home orders
While many Americans are filled with fear, Melissa Ackison says the coronavirus pandemic has filled her with anger. The stay-at home orders are government overreach, the conservative Ohio state Senate candidate says, and the labeling of some workers as “essential” arbitrary. “It enrages something inside of you,” said Ackison, who...
Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu expected to be No. 1 pick in WNBA DraftVideo
NEW YORK — It will be no surprise if Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu is the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft on Friday night by the New York Liberty. It would be surprise, however, if she isn’t. The Ducks guard, who was the consensus player of the year, has...
7 Midwest states to partner on reopening the economyVideo
LANSING, Mich. — Seven Midwestern governors announced Thursday that they will coordinate on reopening their state economies amid the coronavirus pandemic, after similar pacts were made in the Northeast and on the West Coast. The latest agreement includes Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Kentucky. “We look forward to...
Federal judge denies new criminal trial for Roger Stone
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday denied a request for a new trial made by Trump ally Roger Stone following his conviction on charges related to the Russia investigation. Stone claimed the jury forewoman was biased and petitioned for a new trial; his first such request was denied. It...
Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin eager to get up to speed with Tom BradyVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Chris Godwin isn’t making any bold predictions about what’s on the horizon for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Pro Bowl receiver and Penn State product is excited about the signing of Tom Brady and eager to begin working with the six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback. He also...
Agent: NFL star Von Miller has COVID-19, is in good spiritsVideo
Von Miller has the coronavirus, and the NFL star wanted to come forward with his diagnosis to show people how serious the disease is. “Von wants to let everyone out there know it’s serious; it doesn’t just happen to old people in nursing homes,” agent Joby Branion told the Associated...
