Associated Press stories, Page 2263
Study finds 2019 was a ‘banner year’ for female filmmakers
NEW YORK — Lulu Wang, Lorene Scafaria, Melina Matsoukas and Greta Gerwig led Hollywood to a record year for women in the director’s chair. In 2019, women directed more of the most popular movies than any year before. Women directed 12 of 2019’s top 100-grossing films in 2019, according to...
Steelers’ mascot Steely McBeam recreated in butter at Pa. Farm ShowVideo
HARRISBURG — The butter sculpture for this year’s Pennsylvania Farm Show was unveiled Thursday, featuring three of the state’s professional sports team mascots. This year’s sculpture, crafted from about 1,000 pounds of donated butter, shows Steely McBeam, Gritty and Swoop — mascots for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Flyers and...
Trump’s plan to curb teen vaping exempts some flavors
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials will begin cracking down on most flavored e-cigarettes that are popular with underage teenagers, but their plan includes major exceptions that benefit vaping manufacturers, retailers and adults who use the nicotine-delivery devices. The Trump administration announced Thursday that it will prohibit fruit, candy, mint and...
Blackface again mars Philadelphia’s troubled New Year parade
PHILADELPHIA — The mayor of Philadelphia sharply criticized two men who wore blackface while marching in the city’s annual — and often racially troubling — New Year’s Day Mummers Parade, calling their actions “abhorrent and unacceptable.” The group the men apparently were affiliated with, the Froggy Carr Wench Brigade, was...
Gov. Wolf outlines effort to bolster Pa. mental health services
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s governor announced a broad effort Thursday to improve mental health services and change public perceptions of mental illness. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf rolled out an initiative that includes more resources and a public outreach campaign, saying the approach was inspired by a similar strategy the state has...
Family of Hanukkah attack victim calls for end of hatred
NEW YORK — The daughter of a man gravely wounded in an attack on a Hanukkah celebration north of New York City made an emotional plea Thursday to end hatred and anti-Semitism, saying she hopes her father regains consciousness “to a changed world.” “We want our kids to go to...
Politician who warned about driving drunk is charged with it
VICTOR, N.Y. — The top Republican in the New York State Assembly was charged New Year’s Eve with driving while intoxicated in his state-issued vehicle, just a week after he wrote a newspaper column warning citizens against getting behind the wheel drunk. Brian M. Kolb, a Republican from Canandaigua who...
Charlize Theron, Daniel Craig among Golden Globe presenters
Charlize Theron, Octavia Spencer and Daniel Craig are among the first presenters announced for Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association also announced Thursday that other presenters will include Sofia Vergara, Kerry Washington, Tiffany Haddish, Glenn Close and Will Ferrell. Kate McKinnon and Ted Danson will also present....
U.S. Defense Secretary says Iran may be planning more attacks on U.S. interests
WASHINGTON — Iran or its proxy forces may be planning further strikes on American interests in the Middle East, and the United States is prepared to take preemptive military action if it gets sufficient warning, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday. “The game has changed,” Esper said, citing a series...
2-year-old among 3 dead after residential explosion and fire
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 2-year-old girl and two adults were found dead after an explosion ignited a fire at an Ohio home, police said Thursday. The cause of Wednesday evening’s blast in a neighborhood several miles southeast of downtown Columbus remains unclear, so homicide detectives are investigating, authorities said. “They’ll...
Mississippi inmate killed during prison fight amid lockdown
PARCHMAN, Miss. — A Mississippi inmate died and several others were injured in a fight Tuesday among prisoners at the State Penitentiary at Parchman, just days after a separate inmate’s killing led to an ongoing lockdown of dozens of correctional facilities statewide. The fight broke out around 9 p.m. in...
Hunter 1, rattlesnake 0 after scary encounter in deer stand
LEXINGTON, Miss. — A Mississippi hunter says he was trapped in his deer stand when a rattlesnake joined him there last month, but the snake ended up the loser. Mack Ginn of Lexington said he was about two hours into his Dec. 28 stakeout for a deer when he heard...
Don Larsen, who threw only perfect World Series game, dies at 90Video
NEW YORK — Don Larsen, the journeyman pitcher who reached the heights of baseball glory when he threw a perfect game in 1956 with the New York Yankees for the only no-hitter in World Series history, died Wednesday night. He was 90. He died of esophageal cancer while in hospice...
NFC playoff breakdown: 49ers roar back as top seedVideo
For the first time since 1997, the San Francisco 49ers are the top seed in the NFC playoffs, a stunning turnaround for a team that owned the second overall pick in the NFL Draft just nine months ago. After four straight losing campaigns, including only 10 wins in coach Kyle...
Kentucky’s 2012 college basketball team voted best of decadeVideo
The decade of college basketball started with Duke outlasting Butler in an epic national title game and ended with Virginia earning redemption after being on the wrong side of history the year before. Two great teams, but were they good enough to be among the five best of the 2010s?...
QB Herbert leads Oregon to Rose Bowl victory with 3 rushing TDsVideo
PASADENA, Calif. — Justin Herbert scored his third rushing touchdown of the 106th Rose Bowl on a thrilling 30-yard run with 7 minutes, 41 seconds to play Wednesday night, and No. 7 Oregon held off No. 11 Wisconsin, 28-27, to win its third straight trip to the Granddaddy of Them...
Militiamen withdraw from U.S. Embassy but Iraq tensions linger
BAGHDAD — Iran-backed militiamen withdrew from the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Wednesday after two days of clashes with American security forces, but U.S.-Iran tensions remain high and could spill over into further violence. The withdrawal followed calls from the government and senior militia leaders. It ended a two-day...
AFC playoff breakdown: Tom Brady, Patriots don’t get usual R&RVideo
Tom Brady and the defending champion New England Patriots aren’t getting their usual bye week to rest, relax and recharge. Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens earned the AFC’s top seed for the first time since the current playoff format was adopted in 1990. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City...
‘Captain America’ actress Mollie Fitzgerald charged with killing mom in Kansas
OLATHE, Kan. — An actress who had a small role in the movie “Captain America: The First Avenger” is accused of fatally stabbing her mother inside a suburban Kansas City home. Mollie Fitzgerald, 38, was arrested Tuesday by police in Olathe, Kan., the Kansas City Star reported. She is charged...
Now NFL rushing leader, Titans’ Derrick Henry his own worst criticVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — No one is a harsher critic of Titans running back Derrick Henry than himself. “I just want to do my job very well,” Henry said Wednesday. “If I don’t, I’m hard on myself. I just keep working until I get it right.” The NFL rushing leader and...
Pope: Sorry I lost patience with hand-shaker who yanked meVideo
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has apologized for hitting the hand of a well-wisher who grabbed him and yanked him toward her. In his new year’s wishes to the public in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, Francis confessed to losing his patience with the woman while he was strolling in...
Stars rally to beat Predators at Winter Classic in front of 85,630 fansVideo
DALLAS — Dallas Stars interim coach Rick Bowness had just seen a very similar comeback by his team, though the surroundings for this one were drastically different. While pigs raced during timeouts next to the outdoor rink, which was built in the middle of a historic football stadium and framed...
‘Sordid history’ cited as judge blocks North Carolina’s voter ID law
RALEIGH — The federal judge who blocked the newest version of North Carolina’s voter identification law cited the state’s “sordid history of racial discrimination and voter suppression” as she ordered officials not to enforce the law in 2020. U.S. District Court Judge Loretta Biggs’ decision was released Tuesday and prevents...
2021 NHL Winter Classic headed to MinnesotaVideo
DALLAS — The 2021 NHL Winter Classic will be hosted by the Minnesota Wild at Target Field, the home stadium of the MLB’s Twins. NHL officials announced the site for next Winter Classic during this season’s game Wednesday at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas. Minnesota’s opponent for the next New...
Tyler Johnson leads Minnesota past Auburn in Outback BowlVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — With the clock winding down on a dominating performance in the Outback Bowl, Minnesota fans broke into a chant of “Row The Boat, Row The Boat, Row The Boat.” The never-give-up mantra coach P.J. Fleck used to help change the culture of Golden Gophers football continues to...
