Associated Press stories, Page 2346
Happy 2020: Server at Michigan restaurant gets $2,020 tip
ALPENA, Mich. — The restaurant bill was $23. But the tip at a small-town restaurant in Michigan was much larger: $2,020. “Things like this don’t happen to people like me,” server Danielle Franzoni told The Alpena News. Franzoni, 31, got the tip while working Sunday at Thunder Bay River Restaurant...
In 2019, the box office belonged to Disney
NEW YORK — Every movie year offers up a parade of hits and flops. But in 2019, no winner was in the same galaxy as the Walt Disney Co. And the biggest loser might have been anyone less thrilled about the box-office domination of franchise films. When the year closes...
Cheers, tears, prayers for 2020: A new decade is ushered in around the world
Revelers around the globe are bidding farewell to a decade that will be remembered for the rise of social media, the Arab Spring, the #MeToo movement and, of course, President Donald Trump. A look at how the world is ushering in 2020: ——— AUSTRALIA More than a million people descended...
Raging wildfires trap 4,000 at Australian town’s waterfront
PERTH, Australia — Wildfires burning across Australia’s two most populous states Tuesday trapped residents of a seaside town in apocalyptic conditions and killed at least two people while more property along the country’s east coast fell victim to a devastating fire season. About 4,000 residents in the southeastern town of...
Remains of Korean War soldier from Pittsburgh confirmed
PITTSBURGH — Federal authorities said Monday the remains of an American soldier killed during the Korean War have been accounted for and will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that in August it verified the remains of Army 1st Lt. Robert C. Styslinger, 28,...
Lifetime returns to R. Kelly with a new powerful seriesVideo
Few TV documentary series can boast having a more powerful real world impact than “Surviving R. Kelly.” Though allegations of sexual abuse against minors followed R&B superstar R. Kelly for years, it was a six-part series aired by Lifetime last January featuring testimonials by alleged survivors that sparked new attention...
West Virginia governor fires 34 prison guard trainees who gave Nazi salute
CHARLESTON, W. Va. — West Virginia’s governor has fired 34 correction officer trainees who were photographed giving a Nazi salute, and he fired their instructor. He also says four instructors are being suspended without pay. Republican Gov. Jim Justice announced his decision Monday after receiving a report from state investigators...
Ex-Nissan boss Ghosn in Lebanon, left Japan over ‘injustice’
TOKYO — Nissan’s former Chairman Carlos Ghosn said Tuesday from Lebanon that he was not fleeing justice but instead left Japan to avoid “injustice and political persecution” over financial misconduct allegations during his tenure leading the automaker. Ghosn had been released on bail by a Tokyo court while awaiting trial...
Protesters attack U.S. Embassy in Baghdad after airstrikesVideo
BAGHDAD — Angered by deadly airstrikes targeting an Iran-backed militia, dozens of Iraqi Shiite militiamen and their supporters broke into the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday, smashing a main door and setting fire to a reception area in one of the worst attacks on the embassy in recent...
Florida gets 3 TDs from Perine to defeat Virginia in Orange BowlVideo
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Lamical Perine scored on a 61-yard run in the opening minute and didn’t stop after that, totaling 181 yards rushing and receiving with three touchdowns Monday to help No. 6 Florida beat Virginia, 36-28, in the Orange Bowl. Perine carried 13 times for a career-high 138...
Trump ally Erik Prince may have broken Venezuela sanctions
MIAMI — Erik Prince, a major Republican donor and founder of controversial security firm Blackwater, has been referred to the U.S. Treasury Department for possible sanctions violations tied to his recent trip to Venezuela for a meeting with a top aide of President Nicolas Maduro, two senior U.S. officials said....
Ravens prepare for playoffs and potential exit by offensive coordinatorVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The mastermind behind the Baltimore Ravens’ prolific offense might be headed elsewhere after the team has completed its playoff run. Coach John Harbaugh confirmed Monday the Cleveland Browns have asked permission to talk to offensive coordinator Greg Roman about their vacant head coaching job, and the...
Ohio State RB J.K. Dobbins leaving to enter NFL DraftVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Record-breaking Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins is leaving school early to enter the NFL Draft. Dobbins’ decision was expected. He announced it in a Twitter post Monday in which he thanked everyone at the university and said “coming to Ohio from Texas has been nothing short...
Board issues letter to Lancaster County judge over his traffic stop behaviorVideo
HARRISBURG — A written reprimand from the entity that investigates claims of judicial misconduct in Pennsylvania was made public Monday, describing a county judge’s behavior, captured on video, challenging a patrolman who stopped his SUV. The Judicial Conduct Board’s ” letter of counsel ” to Lancaster County Common Pleas Judge...
Chase Garbers leads California past Illinois in Redbox BowlVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Chase Garbers threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score, leading California to a 35-20 win over Illinois on Monday in the Redbox Bowl. Christopher Brown Jr. ran for 120 yards on 20 carries, and Makai Polk caught five passes for a season-high 105 yards...
Micale Cunningham shines, Louisville wins Music City BowlVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Micale Cunningham threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 81 yards, and Louisville capped coach Scott Satterfield’s debut season by beating Mississippi State, 38-28, on Monday in the Music City Bowl. The Cardinals (8-5) rallied from a 14-point deficit by scoring 31 straight to...
Judge dismisses impeachment suit from ex-White House aide Charles Kupperman
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit from a former White House official who had challenged a congressional subpoena in the impeachment inquiry involving President Donald Trump. Charles Kupperman, a former deputy national security adviser, sued in October after being subpoenaed by House Democrats to testify in...
Alabama police chief apologizes for officer’s ‘homeless quilt’ post
MOBILE, Ala. — A police chief in the south Alabama city of Mobile is apologizing for an officer’s social media post appearing to ridicule homeless people that was shared widely over the holidays. The Facebook post showed two Mobile Police officers, holding what the post called a “homeless quilt” made...
Western Kentucky wins First Responder Bowl on last-second field goalVideo
DALLAS — Freshman Cory Munson kicked a career-long 52-yard field goal with no time left after a rules review to give Western Kentucky a 23-20 victory over Western Michigan in the First Responder Bowl on Monday. The Hilltoppers (9-4) drove 36 yards in 27 seconds before Munson kicked his third...
Kansas officer resigns, faked story of expletive on his coffee cupVideo
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. — A Kansas police officer has resigned after he admitted to making up a story that a McDonald’s employee wrote an expletive and the word “pig” on a coffee cup, the police chief announced Monday. Herington Police Chief Brian Hornaday said at a news conference that the...
Report: West Virginia cadets gave Nazi salute as ‘sign of respect’
CHARLESTON, W. Va. — Correction officer trainees in West Virginia regularly gave the Nazi salute “as a sign of respect” for their instructor in the weeks prior to the release of a photo of the cadets with arms raised that triggered widespread outrage, state investigators said in a report Monday....
Browns set to interview Josh McDaniels, others for coaching jobVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Jarvis Landry believes he knows what the Browns are missing more than anything else. “Leadership,” the star wide receiver said Monday. A day after their season of great expectations ended in bitter disappointment, failure and another year out of the playoffs, the Browns began their search for...
Browns request to interview Josh McDaniels, Greg RomanVideo
BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns have asked permission to speak with New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Baltimore offensive coordinator Greg Roman about their head coaching vacancy, a person familiar with the requests told the Associated Press on Monday. Cleveland fired Freddie Kitchens on Sunday night after a...
Father who made kids panhandle for drug money gets 20 years
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A judge sentenced a New Mexico father to 20 years in prison after he was convicted of forcing his children to panhandle to get him money for drugs. The office of Attorney General Hector Balderas said Monday the man was sentenced in Albuquerque, nearly three months after...
With births down, U.S. had slowest growth rate in a centuryVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — The past year’s population growth rate in the United States was the slowest in a century because of declining births, increasing deaths and the slowdown of international migration, according to figures released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The U.S. grew from 2018 to 2019 by almost...
