Associated Press stories, Page 2315
Vanessa Bryant statement: ‘We are completely devastated’
Vanessa Bryant made her first public comment Wednesday since the helicopter crash that killed husband Kobe Bryant, one of their daughters and seven other people, taking to Instagram to thank people for the global outpouring of support since the tragedy. She also announced the formation of a fund to help...
No. 12 West Virginia loses at Texas TechVideo
LUBBOCK, Texas — Davide Moretti had a career-high 25 points and a pair of Texas Tech freshmen also scored more than 20 as the Red Raiders snapped a two-game losing streak with an 89-81 win over No. 12 West Virginia on Wednesday night. Terrence Shannon Jr. added 23 points, including...
Lamar Stevens leads No. 24 Penn State over IndianaVideo
UNIVERSITY PARK — Lamar Stevens scored nine of his 17 points in the second half and grabbed nine rebounds to lead No. 24 Penn State over Indiana, 64-49, on Wednesday night. Curtis Jones Jr. scored 12 points for the Nittany Lions (15-5, 5-4 Big Ten), who won their third straight...
Browns hire ex-Pitt, NFL QB Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinatorVideo
CLEVELAND — New Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is hiring former Pitt and NFL quarterback Alex Van Pelt as his offensive coordinator, a person familiar with the Browns’ latest front office shakeup told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Van Pelt, who played at Pitt from 1989-92, spent the past two...
3rd-degree murder charge filed in death of 91-year-old grandfatherVideo
WILKES-BARRE — Authorities allege that a man charged in the death of his 91-year-old grandfather last week ingested LSD and exhibited “violent and erratic behavior” that prompted his friends to leave the northeastern Pennsylvania home hours before the victim’s body was found. Nineteen-year-old Joshua Bacon is charged in Luzerne County...
Authorities find longest Southwest border smuggling tunnelVideo
SAN DIEGO — U.S. authorities on Wednesday announced the discovery of the longest smuggling tunnel ever found on the Southwest border, stretching more than three-quarters of a mile from an industrial site in Tijuana, Mexico, to the San Diego area. The tunnel featured an extensive rail cart system, forced air...
Pennsylvania has early primary envy, plots to move up in 2024
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania wants to be a player in the presidential primary, instead of an afterthought. The state Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would move up Pennsylvania’s primary elections in presidential election years by five weeks, starting in 2024, in a state where critics say its presidential...
Illinois a factor as Big Ten race reaches midway pointVideo
After a dramatic victory at Michigan last weekend, Illinois coach Brad Underwood was asked about the fact his team had taken sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. “I don’t even think like that,” he said. “I’m thinking about enjoying this one for a minute and figuring out...
Kobe’s boyhood hero Oscar Schmidt celebrates ‘annoying kid’Video
SAO PAULO — For little Kobe Bryant growing up in Italy, the player who amazed him as a child was a skinny and half-bald Brazilian guard who often beat his father’s teams with long-distance shots. Oscar Schmidt, one of basketball’s all-time leading scorers with almost 50,000 points, played with Italian...
Grieving Lakers return to practice, plan to make Kobe Bryant ‘proud’Video
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers ended practice with a few somber laughs. As they left the court, they passed under the oversized 8 and 24 outlined in white on the black wall above the door to their locker room. Anthony Davis and several other Lakers paused and...
Roger Goodell: Diversity in coach/executive hirings must improveVideo
MIAMI — Stopping short of saying the Rooney Rule is not working, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday the league needs change to its minority hiring policy. Though the league requires teams to interview minority candidates, only two African-Americans have been hired for 19 open head coaching spots over the...
Justice Department won’t oppose probation for ex-Trump aide Mike Flynn
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Wednesday that it would not oppose probation for former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn — a more lenient stance than prosecutors took earlier this month, when they said he deserved prison time. The latest sentencing filing still seeks a sentence of up...
Top-seeded Rafael Nadal bested in epic Australian Open quarterfinalVideo
MELBOURNE, Australia — Outplayed at his own brand of physical tennis for much of the match, Rafael Nadal finally claimed a set to try to start a comeback against Dominic Thiem. Nadal marked the moment by hopping in a crouch at the baseline and vigorously pumping his right arm four...
Roger Goodell concerned with Antonio Brown’s health, not return to NFLVideo
MIAMI — The NFL’s main goal regarding the case involving receiver Antonio Brown is to help him be successful in life, commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday during a news conference. “The first thing always is to think about the well-being of Antonio, to understand what Antonio is going through,” Goodell...
Ethics panel warns House members not to share fake images
The House Ethics Committee is warning lawmakers not to share doctored images or videos that could “erode public trust, effect public discourse, or sway an election,” guidance that comes during a proliferation of online misinformation in the run-up to the 2020 elections. In a memo sent to House members Tuesday,...
Health experts: Human-to-human spread of new virus worrying
BEIJING — World health officials expressed “great concern” Wednesday that a dangerous new virus is starting to spread between people outside of China, a troubling development as China and the world frantically work to contain the outbreak. For a second day, the number of infections grew dramatically. The new virus...
Women, 5 children among 8 victims of Alabama dock fireVideo
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — A woman and her five children were among the eight people who died in a dock fire at a north Alabama marina, authorities and relatives said. Grace Annette Watson Miles, 40, was killed in the blaze early Monday, along with Dezli Nicole Miles, 7; Kesston Damien Miles,...
UPS to expand operations in Pennsylvania, hire 1,700 workers
HARRISBURG — Package delivery company United Parcel Service has committed to spending $1.4 billion to expand its operations in Pennsylvania and hire more than 1,700 new full-time employees, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said Wednesday. Wolf’s administration said it offered UPS $2.7 million in tax credits and more than $6 million...
Fed leaves key rate alone but sees virus among global risks
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve kept its key interest rate unchanged at a low level Wednesday amid an economy that looks solid but faces potential global threats, including from China’s viral outbreak. The Fed sketched a mostly bright picture of the U.S. economy in a statement it released after its...
Trump celebrates major rewrite of North American trade rulesVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed into law a major rewrite of the rules of trade with Canada and Mexico, celebrating the fulfillment of one of his top campaign promises while declining to share the moment with Democratic lawmakers whose support was essential to getting it over the...
Unwed, pregnant teacher in Pennsylvania can sue Catholic school over bias
SUNBURY — A Pennsylvania teacher who alleges that she was fired from her job at a Roman Catholic school because the diocese was upset she was pregnant and unmarried has lost another bid for reinstatement, but she will be allowed to proceed with her discrimination lawsuit. A judge in Northumberland...
Bond denied for Maryland officer in handcuffed man’s fatal shooting
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — A judge denied bond Wednesday for a Maryland police officer who has been charged with murder after being accused of fatally shooting a handcuffed man in his patrol car. Judge Robert Heffron Jr. said he found convincing evidence that Prince George’s County Police Cpl. Michael Owen...
Gov. Wolf floats plan to attack lead, asbestos in Pa. schools
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled a new $1.1 billion package Wednesday intended to help eliminate lead and asbestos contamination in Pennsylvania’s schools, homes, day care facilities and public water systems. The five initiatives include money in Wolf’s upcoming budget proposal and expanding existing grant programs, his administration said. One...
‘I thought I was going to die’: Tenants flee LA high-rise fire
LOS ANGELES — Firefighters made a dramatic ladder rescue of a man about to jump from a burning Los Angeles apartment building on Wednesday and helicopters plucked people from the roof of the 25-story high-rise as other terrified residents fled through smoke-choked stairwells to safety. Six people were hospitalized, including...
Trump trial gets more pointed with Bolton book at the center
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial shifted to sharply pointed, back-and-forth questioning Wednesday as Republicans strained to contain the fallout over John Bolton’s forthcoming book, which threatens their hopes of ending the trial with a quick acquittal. The day started simply enough. Three Republican senators asked Trump’s legal team:...
