Associated Press stories, Page 2265
Hate crimes charges against man accused in Hanukkah stabbing
MONSEY, N.Y. — Handwritten journals containing anti-Semitic references were found in the home of the man charged with federal hate crimes Monday in the stabbing and slashing of five people celebrating Hanukkah at a rabbi’s house north of New York City, authorities said. Grafton E. Thomas, 37, was held without...
Endangered brown bat may become official D.C. ‘state’ mammal
WASHINGTON — A small, brown endangered bat would become the “official state mammal” of America’s capital city, under a proposed ordinance that will get a public hearing in January. The idea was proposed earlier this year by several Girl Scout troops after they studied the little brown bats, according to...
Blankets to put you in the comfy zone
Author Lucy Maud Montgomery, of “Anne of Green Gables” fame, loved a good blanket. “I like to hear a storm at night,” she wrote. “It is so cozy to snuggle down among the blankets and feel that it can’t get at you.” Congresswoman Barbara Jordan once mused that the world...
49ers win NFC West, No. 1 seed with win over Seahawks
SEATTLE — The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will go through San Francisco for the first time since 1997. By inches. The 49ers won the NFC West and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs with a 26-21 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night...
Packers barely beat Lions to earn first-round bye
DETROIT — Aaron Rodgers was on the money when Green Bay needed him most, overcoming one of his worst games this season. Rodgers threw a short and accurate pass to Aaron Jones, whose 31-yard reception set up Mason Crosby’s 33-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Packers to...
Saints finish 13-3 but miss out on first-round bye
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It turns out 13 wins weren’t enough to earn the New Orleans Saints a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs. The runaway winners of the NFC South will have to win an extra game if they hope to reach the Super Bowl. They’ll be the No. 3...
Australian cities snuffing fireworks as fire danger worsens
PERTH, Australia — New Year’s Eve fireworks in Australia’s capital city have been canceled as the wildfire danger worsens in oppressive summer heat, and pressure was building Monday for Sydney’s iconic celebrations to be similarly scrapped. Temperatures on Tuesday were set to hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the capital, Canberra,...
California vastly expands digital privacy. Will people use it?
SAN FRANCISCO — Forty million Californians will soon have sweeping digital-privacy rights stronger than any seen before in the U.S., posing a significant challenge to Big Tech and the data economy it helped create. So long as state residents don’t mind shouldering much of the burden of exercising those rights,...
Actress Sara Gilbert separates from wife, singer Linda Perry
LOS ANGELES — Actress Sara Gilbert has filed for legal separation from her wife of five years, singer and songwriter Linda Perry. Gilbert filed the separation documents in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday. The papers cite irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, and requests that neither woman...
Coach Jason Garrett’s future murky with Cowboys
ARLINGTON, Texas — Jason Garrett says he doesn’t know if he’ll be coach of the Dallas Cowboys next year, and owner Jerry Jones won’t even acknowledge that there’s a decision to make regarding the leadership of an underachieving club. The mystery of a team that sagged under the weight of...
Coach Pat Shurmur’s job uncertain after Giants post 4-12 record
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Pat Shurmur is facing a very uncertain future as New York Giants coach after winning four games this season and nine overall in two seasons in charge. The Giants finished off a 4-12 season on Sunday, dropping a 34-17 decision at MetLife Stadium that allowed the...
Ron Rivera to meet with Redskins about coaching vacancy
WASHINGTON — Ron Rivera will meet with the Washington Redskins to discuss their head coaching vacancy. Agent Frank Bauer confirmed the former Carolina Panthers coach will visit the Redskins on Monday. Rivera coached the Panthers the past nine seasons and took them to a Super Bowl before being fired earlier...
Cowboys beat Redskins but miss playoffs with Eagles’ win
ARLINGTON, Texas — Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes to help Dallas beat Washington 47-16 on Sunday, a win rendered meaningless when the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs by Philadelphia’s victory over the New York Giants. The Cowboys (8-8) lost control of their playoff fate with a 17-9 loss...
One, done: Browns fire Freddie Kitchens after disappointing season
BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns fired coach Freddie Kitchens after a disheartening season that didn’t come close to meeting expectations. Kitchens was let go Sunday night, hours after the Browns were beaten by the lowly Cincinnati Bengals (2-14) to finish 6-10 and miss the playoffs for the 17th straight...
Titans clinch playoff spot with win over Texans
HOUSTON — Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans ran their way into the playoffs, beating a Houston Texans team that rested several starters and setting up an intriguing first-round matchup with New England. Henry rushed for a season-high 211 yards and three touchdowns in the Titans’ 35-14 victory on Sunday....
Injury-ravaged Eagles beat Giants to win NFC East
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles are heading to the playoffs thanks to a group of players off the practice squad. Boston Scott ran for three touchdowns in the second half and the injury-ravaged Eagles beat the New York Giants 34-17 on Sunday to win the...
NTSB: Poor condition of Louisiana wreckage will slow plane crash probe
The lack of a distress call and flight data recorder coupled with mangled and charred wreckage will make finding the cause of a fiery airplane crash in Louisiana extremely challenging, federal officials said Sunday. National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said at a news conference that it could...
U.S. Rep John Lewis of Georgia says he has pancreatic cancer
ATLANTA — Congressman John Lewis of Georgia announced Sunday that he has stage IV pancreatic cancer, vowing he will stay in office and fight the disease with the tenacity with which he fought racial discrimination and other inequalities dating to the civil rights era. Lewis, the youngest and last survivor...
LeBron James crowned as AP’s male athlete of decadeVideo
He left Cleveland for Miami, finally became a champion, went back to his beloved northeast Ohio, delivered on another title promise, then left for the Los Angeles Lakers and the next challenge. He played in eight straight finals. No NBA player won more games or more MVP awards over the...
Ohio boy dies after becoming entangled in blanket used as swing
GNADENHUTTEN, Ohio — An 11-year-old Ohio boy died after becoming entangled in a blanket that was tied to a basement beam and used as a swing, investigators said. The death of Jude Stevenson on Saturday appeared to be accidental, Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell told The Times-Reporter in New Philadelphia....
Dolphins stun Patriots, denying New England first-round bye
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick never have made the Super Bowl while playing in the wild-card playoff round. They will have to make some more franchise history to win another NFL title. It wasn’t quite like last season’s “Miami Miracle” loss. It...
Taliban council agrees to cease-fire in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban’s ruling council agreed Sunday to a temporary cease-fire in Afghanistan, providing a window in which a peace agreement with the United States can be signed, officials from the insurgent group said. They didn’t say when it would begin. A cease-fire had been demanded by Washington...
Andy Dalton enjoys fond farewell in leading Bengals over Browns
CINCINNATI — Andy Dalton threw for a touchdown and ran for another Sunday in his farewell as a franchise quarterback — a Joe Burrow banner in the upper deck reminded him what comes next — and the Cincinnati Bengals ended one of their most miserable seasons with a 33-23 victory...
Soul-searching in opera world after tumultuous #MeToo year
SAN FRANCISCO — It was a tumultuous year in the opera world, a year in which sexual harassment allegations against superstar Placido Domingo prompted his disappearance from American stages and sparked deep soul-searching. Opera performers are applauding new official efforts to create a workplace free of sexual misconduct, but they...
Mike Watkins leads No. 20 Penn State over Cornell at homeVideo
STATE COLLEGE — The smile on Mike Watkins’ face was nearly as large as the slam dunk Penn State’s big man had just thrown down. Watkins capped the nonconference schedule with another highlight-worthy dunk — a powerful first-half alley-oop — and had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the 20th-ranked...
