Associated Press stories, Page 2150
EPA guts rule credited with cleaning up coal-plant toxic air
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday gutted an Obama-era rule that compelled the country’s coal plants to cut back emissions of mercury and other human health hazards, a move designed to limit future regulation of air pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants. Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler...
Trump, aides float outlier theory on origins of coronavirusVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and some of his officials are flirting with an outlier theory that the new coronavirus was set loose on the world by a Chinese lab that let it escape. Without the weight of evidence, they’re trying to blame China for sickness and death from covid-19...
Congressional Budget Office puts coronavirus relief bill cost at $1.8 trillion
WASHINGTON — The massive coronavirus relief bill passed virtually unanimously by Congress last month is estimated at costing taxpayers $1.8 trillion — slightly less than the $2.2 trillion informally projected at the time by the White House. That’s according to the Congressional Budget Office, which says the difference is due...
PGA Tour ends contract with West Virginia governor’s Greenbrier resortVideo
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The PGA Tour scrapped its contract to hold annual golf tournaments at a resort owned by billionaire West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice after turnout lagged and federal prosecutors eyed the lavish retreat. The Greenbrier resort issued a statement Thursday saying it came to an agreement with the...
Browns call latest rumors of trading Odell Beckham ‘completely false’Video
CLEVELAND — Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta dismissed a report the team is trying to trade star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., whose future — whether in New York or Cleveland or anywhere — always seems in question. DePodesta said Thursday on a conference call from his home in...
Target of racial slur open to 2nd chance for ex-NHL coach Bill PetersVideo
Bill Peters is back in hockey, and Akim Aliu — the player whose racial allegations led to the former Calgary Flames coach’s resignation — said he’s open to people getting second chances. “Only with the past behind us can we focus on the future,” Aliu wrote in a text to...
Ex-DePaul softball coach Eugene Lenti accused of physical, verbal abuseVideo
DePaul ignored allegations that its former softball coach punched an assistant in the face and verbally abused his players and retaliated against the whisteblower by terminating her contract with the school, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday. The private school in Chicago also is accused of violating Title IX rules...
Trump gives governors 3-phase plan to reopen economy
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump gave governors a road map Thursday for recovering from the economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic, laying out “a phased and deliberate approach” to restoring normal activity in places that have strong testing and are seeing a decrease in covid-19 cases. “We’re starting our life...
U.S. Open tennis covid-19 decision by June; no fans ‘unlikely’Video
A decision on whether to postpone or cancel the U.S. Open because of the coronavirus pandemic is expected by June, the U.S. Tennis Association’s new CEO said Thursday, calling the prospect of holding the Grand Slam tournament without spectators “highly unlikely.” “Obviously our ambition is to run the tournament. It’s...
Top recruit Jalen Green skips college, signs with G LeagueVideo
Top recruit Jalen Green said Thursday that he is skipping college and has signed with the G League for next season, becoming the first player to take advantage of a new potential path to the NBA. Green, a guard from Napa, Calif., who was considered by some as the No....
‘Amazing’ find: Bald eagles, eaglets found nesting in arms of Arizona cactus
PHOENIX — For the first time in decades, bald eagles have been found nesting in an Arizona saguaro cactus. The Arizona Game and Fish Department revealed Wednesday that biologists discovered a pair of eagles and their eaglets in the arms of a large saguaro during a recent eagle survey. Kenneth...
Brewery taps new ale honoring coronavirus expert Fauci
A Georgia brewery is tapping into the nation’s thirst for coronavirus responses to name its new beers. Atlanta-based Wild Heaven Beer has just released a new brew called “Fauci Spring” in honor of the nation’s top expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci. It’s described as a pale ale brewed...
Brian Dennehy, Tony-winning stage, screen actor, dies at 81
NEW YORK— Brian Dennehy, the burly actor who started in films as a macho heavy and later in his career won plaudits for his stage work in plays by William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller, has died. He was 81. Dennehy died Wednesday night of natural causes...
Tip leads to discovery of 18 bodies in nursing home overwhelmed by deaths
An extraordinary number of deaths over the weekend overwhelmed a nursing home in northern New Jersey where police responding to an anonymous tip found more than a dozen bodies, according to news reports and an email from an owner of the home. Five bodies were found Sunday and 13 more...
Pandemic provokes spike in demand for food pantries in U.S.
FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Brooklyn Dotson needed food. Her first unemployment check had yet to arrive after she was let go by the warehouse where she used to work. So the 25-year-old Nashville woman scrounged up some gas money and drove 30 miles to the GraceWorks Ministries food pantry in Franklin....
Need for seed: Gardeners flock to stores, overwhelm websites
NITRO, W.Va. — The sweet peppers were picked over, the tomatoes were taken and the flowers were fixing to be next. The empty spots on the store’s display were starting to outnumber the full ones. Gardeners are feeling the need for seed, grabbing packets off shelves at an accelerated rate....
Mexico to restrict mobility to areas less affected by coronavirus
MEXICO CITY — Mexico will begin to restrict movement between places most affected by the covid-19 virus — mostly large cities — and places with few infections, the president said Thursday. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador asked authorities Thursday in towns so far unaffected by the pandemic to “help us...
Nurses suspended for refusing covid-19 care without N95 maskVideo
Nurse Mike Gulick was meticulous about not bringing the coronavirus home to his wife and their 2-year-old daughter. He’d stop at a hotel after work just to take a shower. He’d wash his clothes in Lysol disinfectant. They did a tremendous amount of handwashing. But at Providence Saint John’s Health...
NYC foresees $7.4B tax loss due to coronavirus, seeks federal help
NEW YORK — New York City expects to take a $7.4 billion budget hit over the next 15 months because of the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday as he detailed planned cuts and appealed to President Donald Trump and Congress for an infusion of cash for cities and...
Facebook to warn users who ‘liked’ coronavirus hoaxesVideo
Have you liked or commented on a Facebook post about the covid-19 pandemic? Facebook is about to begin letting you know if you’ve spread bad information. The company will soon be letting users know if they liked, reacted to, or commented on posts with harmful misinformation about the virus that...
U.S. home construction collapsed 22.3% in MarchVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. home-building activity collapsed in March as the coronavirus spread, with housing starts tumbling 22.3% from a month ago. The Commerce Department said Thursday that ground breakings occurred last month at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.2 million units, down from a 1.56 million pace in February....
Government closing in on small business lending limitVideo
NEW YORK — The government is closing in on the $349 billion lending limit on its Paycheck Protection Program that is sending relief money to the nation’s small businesses. The Small Business Administration says that it has approved more than 1.6 million loans worth more than $339 billion. The program...
PGA Tour hopes to resume in June at Colonial with no fansVideo
The PGA Tour laid out an ambitious plan Thursday to resume its season the second week of June and keep fans away for at least a month, conceding any return to golf depends on whether it can be played safely amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial...
Ohio woman battling covid-19 is sedated, unaware she gave birthVideo
CELINA, Ohio — A Celina woman diagnosed with covid-19 does not know she gave birth to a baby boy last week. On Tuesday night, Megan Sites remained sedated and on a ventilator. As the coronavirus spread, Shaun Jeffries and his wife Kacie worried about their parents and grandparents, not people...
Gov. Wolf projects $5 billion deficit for Pennsylvania, backs call for more federal aid
Gov. Tom Wolf has written to President Donald Trump to back calls from other leading governors for another $500 billion in federal aid for states fighting the spread of the coronavirus, warning that his office is projecting a budget deficit of up to $5 billion. The letter, dated Wednesday, was...
