Associated Press stories, Page 2218
At a Pa. Catholic seminary, hope for church beyond scandals
WYNNEWOOD, Pa. — The seminarians walk along a hallway lined with photos of classes of priests who came before them. Some are pious alumni who have become their teachers and mentors; others climbed the Catholic hierarchy to be revered as bishops and cardinals. But there are others: Raymond Leneweaver, Class...
Panthers’ road woes continue with loss at Virginia Tech
BLACKSBURG, Va. — During Virginia Tech’s recent skid, its fans and players had been searching for answers to help the Hokies solve some of their recent end-of-game issues, particularly after two close losses to Boston College and one to Florida State. Pitt had been searching for answers to its road...
Kobe Bryant casts shadow as NBA’s best meet in All-Star GameVideo
CHICAGO — Kobe Bryant always seemed to be in top form when he stepped onto the court for the NBA All-Star Game. The league’s current best will try to match his effort when Team LeBron and Team Giannis meet Sunday. The All-Star festivities return to Chicago for the first time...
West Viriginia latest to lose against No. 1 BaylorVideo
WACO, Texas — Jared Butler said he wasn’t trying to make up for the absence of Baylor’s second-leading scorer behind him as the top-ranked Bears chased the Big 12 record for consecutive wins. Maybe it just seemed that way when the junior guard connected on a 3-pointer just 21 seconds...
Americans on quarantined ship in Japan to be flown home
TOKYO — The U.S. says Americans aboard a quarantined cruise ship will be flown home on a chartered flight Sunday, but they will face another two-week quarantine. About 380 Americans are aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has docked at Yokohama, a port city southwest of Tokyo. So far,...
Taliban deal promising but not without risk, Pentagon chief Esper says
MUNICH — Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday that a truce agreement between the United States and the Taliban that could lead to the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan is not without risk but “looks very promising.” Ahead of a formal announcement of the seven-day “reduction in violence” deal,...
Daytona 500 up for grabs as no clear theme emerges
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The first four events leading into the Daytona 500 have produced four different winners. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. put his new team on the pole, while Erik Jones outlasted a crash-fest to win a qualifying race. Joey Logano and William Byron won the qualifying races. No clear...
World Series MVP Strasburg doesn’t want to be asked how he is feelingVideo
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Stephen Strasburg has no interest in engaging in the typical spring training chatter between a pitcher and his manager or coaching staff or GM. How did it go out there today? How’s the arm after that bullpen session? How do you feel? “I kind of...
U.K. faces another fierce storm; 2 found dead in rough seas
LONDON — Rescuers pulled two male bodies from rough seas off the coast of southeast England and military personnel mobilized to help build flood barriers Saturday as Britain braced for a second straight weekend of stormy weather. The fourth named storm of the season, dubbed Dennis by Britain’s Met Office...
Week 4 of Weinstein trial: Closing arguments, two universes
NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein grinned as he left court, and his lawyers said he was confident heading into what could be his last weekend of freedom as his New York City rape trial moves closer to a verdict. Jurors are set to start deliberating Tuesday, their task put off...
No. 13 Penn State reaches 20 wins with victory over Northwestern
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State coach Patrick Chambers has watched his teams cough up enough leads late to know this squad is different. The No. 13 Nittany Lions are hanging on and closing out games. Lamar Stevens scored 23 points to lead Penn State over Northwestern, 77-61, on Saturday. Myles...
Mating snakes prompt closure of part of Florida park
LAKELAND, Fla. — A Florida city shut down a section of a lake Thursday after receiving reports of swarming snakes. Turns out, the slithery creatures were just celebrating Valentine’s Day a little early. The Lakeland Parks & Recreation department wrote on its Facebook page that a group of non-venomous water...
Police: 14-year-old held in Barnard College student death
NEW YORK — A 14-year-old has been arrested in the fatal stabbing of a Barnard College student in a park during a robbery in December, a crime that rattled New York City residents, authorities said Saturday. Rashaun Weaver has been indicted by a grand jury and was taken into custody...
Shift to digital census raises fear of Iowa-like breakdown
ORLANDO, Fla. — The stakes are high when a major civic exercise involves a large population, new technology that has not been thoroughly tested and an entire country waiting on the results. Just ask the organizers of the Iowa caucuses, which offered a cautionary tale on the technological woes that...
Ex-Pirates outfielder Starling Marte says Diamondbacks can ‘win it’Video
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Starling Marte has fond memories of his eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, especially the stretch from 2013 to 2015 when the franchise made it to the playoffs three straight seasons. A few minutes of research revealed his new team has a great chance to get him...
China reports major drop in new virus cases; 143 new deaths
BEIJING — China reported 2,641 new virus cases Saturday as it escalates measures to contain the outbreak and reassure an anxious public. The figure is a major drop from the higher numbers in recent days since a broader diagnostic method was implemented. The number of new deaths rose slightly to...
No handshakes: Viral outbreak spooks Asian places of worship
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — In a popular Catholic church in the Philippines, nearly half of the pews were empty for Sunday Mass. The few hundred worshippers who showed up were asked to refrain from shaking others’ hands or holding them during prayers to prevent the spread of the virus that...
Kuchar leads by two at Riviera with McIlroy, Scott chasing; Woods falls backVideo
LOS ANGELES — Matt Kuchar made a mess of the easiest hole at Riviera. He couldn’t find the fairway and felt he was on the defensive all afternoon Friday in the Genesis Invitational. He was good enough with the short irons that he still managed a 2-under-par 69 and built...
Angry protests in Mexico after woman’s gruesome killing
MEXICO CITY — Angry demonstrations broke out in Mexico City on Friday as hundreds of women protested the gruesome slaying and mutilation of a young woman, a case that has come to personify outrage over the rising incidence of gender-related killings, or femicides. In the morning, dozens of protesters spray-painted...
Ohio wants to put Lake Erie on a new, strict pollution diet
TOLEDO, Ohio — Ohio wants to put Lake Erie on a new, stricter pollution diet to fight back against the toxic algae blooms that have flourished for more than a decade, environmental regulators said Thursday. The state intends to establish a plan to reduce runoff that’s feeding the outbreaks by...
Feds: Florida doctor stole $26M to fund political ambition
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida vascular surgeon bilked the government and health insurers of more than $26 million to possibly finance his political ambitions in his native country of Ghana, federal authorities said. Earlier this month, a federal grand jury unsealed a 58-count indictment alleging that Dr. Moses deGraft-Johnson falsely...
Anti-abortion group flips views on new Georgia senator
MARIETTA, Ga. — An influential anti-abortion group is backing Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia in her November special election, only months after opposing her appointment to the post. Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said Friday that her initial concerns were based on information “from the rumor universe”...
Northern Iowa reverses course, will pay $10k winner full prizeVideo
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The sponsor of a halftime basketball shooting promotion at Northern Iowa games reversed course in the face of growing criticism and will pay out the full $10,000 to a contestant who competed earlier this week. A public outcry was swelling since the Wednesday night contest, when...
Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has defibrillator inserted to regulate heartVideo
Jay Bouwmeester had surgery Friday to insert a defibrillator to restore his heart’s normal rhythm after the St. Louis Blues defenseman collapsed on the bench during a game in Anaheim this week. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said the procedure was performed at the UC Irvine Medical Center. The 36-year-old...
De Blasio endorses former 2020 rival Sanders for president
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is endorsing Bernie Sanders for president, a move that puts de Blasio in a position to become a leading voice in opposition to Sanders’ newest rival, Mike Bloomberg, his predecessor in leading the nation’s largest city. De Blasio, an unabashed...
