Associated Press stories, Page 2331
West Virginia mayor won’t rename Christmas parade
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The mayor of West Virginia’s capital city on Thursday reversed a decision to change the name of the annual holiday parade after intense backlash from church leaders and conservatives. Mayor Amy Goodwin announced on Monday that she planned to rename the “Charleston Christmas Parade” the “Charleston Winter...
Empire State Building shows off new $165 million observatory
NEW YORK — The observatory atop the Empire State Building has a dizzying new look with floor-to-ceiling, 360-degree windows 102 floors above New York City. The remodeled observatory opens to the public Saturday. It was unveiled to the media Thursday. More than 4 million annual visitors will get a bird’s-eye...
Bernie Sanders says he will resume campaign ‘as soon as possible’Video
WASHINGTON — Bernie Sanders said Thursday that he’s getting his endurance back and growing “stronger every day” after suffering a heart attack last week, and he promised to return to the presidential campaign trail “as soon as possible.” In the meantime, he’s batting baseballs around the yard. “I am feeling...
Cuba Gooding Jr. faces new charge in NYC sex misconduct case
Cuba Gooding Jr. learned on Thursday that he’s facing a new undisclosed charge in his sexual misconduct case, a development that came as jury selection was set to begin for his trial. At a court hearing in Manhattan, Assistant District Attorney Jenna Long revealed the charge is contained in a...
Aaron Paul: ‘El Camino’ answers ‘What happened to Jesse?’Video
Aaron Paul’s character in the popular series “Breaking Bad” was supposed to get killed off at the end of the first season. But producers had a change of heart after witnessing the strong chemistry between his Jesse Pinkman character and Bryan Cranston’s Walter White in a pilot. The decision to...
UK, Irish leaders see ‘pathway’ to elusive Brexit dealVideo
LONDON — The leaders of Britain and Ireland said Thursday they had spotted a “pathway” to an elusive Brexit deal, keeping hopes of a breakthrough alive just three weeks before the U.K.’s deadline to leave the European Union. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Irish leader Leo Varadkar provided a...
Killer of black man in parking dispute gets 20 years
CLEARWATER, Fla. — A white Florida man who told detectives he was irritated by people who illegally park in handicapped spots was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in prison for the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man outside a convenience store. Circuit Judge Joseph Bulone called 49-year-old Michael...
Boxer Errol Spence seriously injured in Dallas Ferrari crash
DALLAS — Welterweight boxing champion Errol Spence crashed a speeding Ferrari in Dallas early Thursday and was badly injured but is expected to survive, police said. The crash happened just before 3 a.m., when Spence’s Ferrari crossed a median into oncoming traffic and flipped over several times, ejecting Spence, who...
Georgia mall featured in ‘Stranger Things’ to go up for saleVideo
DULUTH, Ga. — Most of the Georgia mall heavily featured in the latest season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” is going up for sale. News outlets report Moonbeam Capital Partners is ready to sell its portion of the long-struggling Gwinnett Place Mall, which has been so empty that a body went...
U.S. Navy to build ship named for Harrisburg
HARRISBURG — Trump administration officials say the U.S. Navy will name a ship that has yet to be built after the city of Harrisburg. The naming of the future USS Harrisburg was announced Thursday in the Capitol Rotunda, at an event that included federal, state and local officials. The $800...
Social Security checks to rise modestly amid push to expand benefitsVideo
WASHINGTON — Millions of retirees will get a modest 1.6% cost-of-living increase from Social Security in 2020, an uptick with potential political consequences in an election year when Democrats are pushing more generous inflation protection. The increase amounts to $24 a month for the average retired worker, according to estimates...
Good Grief: Owners of Charlie Brown song sue DollywoodVideo
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The copyright owners of the “Charlie Brown Christmas” theme song have sued Dollywood in federal court for copyright infringement. News outlets report the complaint says the East Tennessee theme park named for country star Dolly Parton has used the song without permission in live Christmas performances since...
Public to get access to Nuremberg trials digital recordings
PARIS — Audio recordings from the Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders will be made available to the public for the first time in digital form after nearly two years of work conducted in secret. The Memorial of the Shoah in Paris will officially accept the recordings at a ceremony Thursday...
2 Florida men tied to Guiliani arrested on campaign charges
WASHINGTON — Two Florida businessmen tied to President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani have been arrested on campaign finance violations resulting from a $325,000 donation to a political action committee supporting Trump’s reelection. Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman were arrested on a four-count indictment that includes charges of conspiracy,...
Police: Drexel student raped in off-campus apartment
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia police are searching for a suspect who they say raped a Drexel University student in an off-campus apartment. Police say the attack took place just before 1 p.m. Wednesday in the apartment on Winter Street. Authorities have not said how the man got into the apartment. Students...
Florida man accused of forcing small alligator to drink beer
PALM CITY, Fla. — Authorities say they’ve arrested a Florida man who provoked a small alligator into biting his arm and poured beer into the animal’s mouth. News outlets report 27-year-old Timothy Kepke and 22-year-old Noah Osborne were charged last week with unlawfully taking an alligator. Florida Fish and Wildlife...
Season greeting: Fall snowstorm pushing through Great Plains
RAPID CITY, S.D. — A powerful winterlike storm moving through the Great Plains was closing schools and causing travel headaches in several states, authorities said Thursday. Winter storm warnings and watches stretched from Wyoming and Montana through western Nebraska and into the Dakotas and Minnesota. Forecasters said the storm packs...
Olga Tokarczuk, Peter Handke win Nobel literature prizes
STOCKHOLM — Polish novelist Olga Tokarczuk and Austrian writer Peter Handke won the 2018 and 2019 Nobel Prizes for literature on Thursday, a rare double announcement that came after no prize was announced last year due to sex abuse allegations that tarnished the group awarding the prizes. The Swedish Academy...
Ukraine president: ‘No blackmail’ in conversation with Trump
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Thursday there was “no blackmail” in the phone call with President Donald Trump that helped spark an impeachment inquiry. Zelenskiy is trying to save his reputation and distance himself from the U.S. political drama. In an all-day “media marathon” held in a...
White House aides try disappearing act amid impeachment talk
WASHINGTON — They’ve skipped the high-profile Sunday TV shows and avoided driveway chat sessions with reporters. Few who are typically eager to defend the president have appeared at all on television this month. White House officials close to President Donald Trump are pulling off a disappearing act, remaining largely absent...
Howie Kendrick grand slam in 10th lifts Nationals over Dodgers, into NLCSVideo
LOS ANGELES — Howie Kendrick hit a tiebreaking grand slam off in the 10th inning and the Washington Nationals, boosted by a stunning rally against Clayton Kershaw, beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-3 Wednesday night and advanced to the NL Championship Series against St. Louis. Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto...
Rape accusations against Lauer ensnares NBC managementVideo
NEW YORK — Two years after Matt Lauer was abruptly fired by NBC News for sexual misconduct, more questions are emerging about the former “Today” show host’s behavior and whether bosses looked the other way at problems involving one of the network’s biggest stars. A new book by Ronan Farrow,...
Pence aiming to release records of his own Ukraine calls
WAUKEE, Iowa — Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday he is working with the White House counsel’s office to release transcripts of his own calls with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Pence said records of his two phone conversations would help exonerate President Donald Trump of any wrongdoing. Pence was asked...
Jets’ Copeland finishes suspension, suing supplement companyVideo
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Brandon Copeland is back from his suspension and he’s taking aim at a company he says sold him “contaminated” supplements. The New York Jets linebacker is suing the company after he took a recovery supplement that contained a banned substance that didn’t appear on the product’s...
‘Welcome to Minneapolis’: Trump rally roils liberal bastion
MINNEAPOLIS — The conflict and Twitter battles arrived in Minnesota well ahead of President Donald Trump’s touchdown in the state. Trump traded Twitter insults with the Minneapolis mayor over who should pay more than $500,000 in security costs for Thursday’s rally at a downtown arena. He denounced Jacob Frey as...
