Associated Press stories, Page 2365
Erik Jones’ win means Joe Gibbs Racing has 4 contenders for NASCAR Cup title
DARLINGTON, S.C. — Joe Gibbs has had the hottest hand in NASCAR this season. Now, after Erik Jones’ gritty, overnight victory at Darlington Raceway, the championship owner has four aces ready to contend for another title. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. have won four times each this...
Harry Potter removed from Tennessee Catholic school library
NASHVILLE — A Catholic school in Tennessee has removed the Harry Potter books from its library after the school’s priest decided they could cause a reader to conjure evil spirits. In an email obtained by The Tennessean, the Rev. Dan Reehil of Nashville’s St. Edward Catholic School said he consulted...
Double cuddle: Berlin zoo celebrates birth of 2 panda cubs
BERLIN — A zoo in Berlin is celebrating the arrival of two panda cubs, the first time one of the rare mammals has given birth in Germany. Zoo Berlin said Monday that mother Meng Meng gave birth to a hand-sized pink cub at 6:54 p.m. Saturday. According to the zoo,...
Iran warns of ‘strong step’ from atomic deal if no new terms
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran will “take a strong step” away from its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers if Europe cannot offer the country new terms by a deadline at the end of this week, a government spokesman said Monday as top Iranian diplomats traveled to France and Russia for...
Taliban attack Kabul as U.S. envoy says deal almost final
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban claimed responsibility for a large explosion in the Afghan capital Monday night, just hours after a U.S. envoy briefed the Afghan government on an agreement “in principle” with the insurgent group that would see 5,000 U.S. troops leave the country in five months. Interior Ministry...
Texas gunman was fired from job, called FBI before shooting
ODESSA, Texas — The gunman in a spate of violence after a routine traffic stop in West Texas had just been fired from his job and called both police and the FBI before the shooting began, authorities said Monday. Seth Aaron Ator, 36, was fired Saturday from Journey Oilfield Services,...
Former Steelers star Hines Ward joins Jets as offensive assistant
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets have hired former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward as a full-time offensive assistant. Ward worked with the Jets during the summer as a coaching intern and impressed coach Adam Gase and his staff. Wide receiver Robby Anderson praised Ward during camp...
Jalen Hurts has 6 TDs as No. 4 Oklahoma beats Houston
NORMAN, Okla. — Even one of the best nights ever for an Oklahoma player wasn’t good enough for Jalen Hurts. The new Sooners quarterback passed for three touchdowns and ran for three more, and No. 4 Oklahoma rolled past Houston 49-31 on Sunday night. It was Hurts’ first game for...
79 points by Terps, Nittany Lions tied for most since 2015
It’s the time of year when mismatches skew statistics. That said, there was some prodigious production worth noting in Week 1. Maryland and Penn State each scored 79 points in their openers, tied with Fresno State last year and Missouri in 2016 for the highest total since UNLV hung 80...
8 killed in deadly California boat fire; dozens missing
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — A fire raged through a boat carrying recreational scuba divers anchored near an island off the Southern California coast early Monday, leaving at least eight people dead and hope diminishing that any of the 26 people still missing would be found alive. Five crew members escaped...
Dorian triggers massive flooding in Bahamas; at least 5 deadVideo
FREEPORT, Bahamas — Hurricane Dorian unleashed massive flooding across the Bahamas on Monday, pummeling the islands with so much wind and water that authorities urged people to find floatation devices and grab hammers to break out of their attics if necessary. At least five deaths were blamed on the storm....
Police unsure why man went on West Texas shooting rampage
ODESSA, Texas — Police say they are not sure why a man with a misdemeanor on his record and no warrant for his arrest erupted in a spate of violence after a routine traffic stop in West Texas, killing seven, including a man slain outside his parents’ home and a...
Terracotta makes a color comeback in new home furnishings
There was a time not that long ago when designers were tearing out anything terracotta-colored, whether it was tile, painted walls or upholstered furniture. A darling hue of the ’80s, the brownish orange — evocative of terracotta earthenware — was considered dowdy and done. But like so many examples of...
Serena Williams shakes off ankle injury to advance at U.S. Open
NEW YORK — Serena Williams was in pain — “acceptable” pain, her coach called it — after rolling her right ankle during the second set of a U.S. Open victory. That was the bad news. The good news for Williams as she pursues a seventh championship at Flushing Meadows and...
Comedian Kevin Hart injured in Southern California car crash
LOS ANGELES — Actor-comedian Kevin Hart has been injured in the crash of a vintage muscle car in the hills above Malibu. A California Highway Patrol collision report says the 40-year-old Hart was a passenger in a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda that went off Mulholland Highway and rolled down an embankment...
Ohio prep game ended after player allegedly assaults refereeVideo
DAYTON, Ohio — Authorities say a high school football game was ended after a player assaulted a referee. The Dayton Daily News reports that officials stopped play with seven minutes to go in the first half and Cincinnati Roger Bacon holding a 23-8 lead Saturday night over Dayton Dunbar High...
Clock is ticking on New York deadline for student vaccinations
BUFFALO, N.Y. — When New York lawmakers revoked a religious exemption for mandatory school vaccinations, the change sent thousands of the state’s parents scrambling to get their kids shots — or get them out of the classroom entirely. Lawmakers did away with the exemption in June amid the nation’s worst...
Former Pro Bowler LeSean McCoy reunites with Andy Reid in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — LeSean McCoy is going from a rebuilding franchise in Buffalo to a Super Bowl contender in Kansas City, and he’s reuniting with his close friend and former coach Andy Reid, too. The Chiefs and the two-time All-Pro running back agreed to a $4 million, 1-year deal,...
Astros’ Justin Verlander throws no-hitter for 3rd time in careerVideo
TORONTO — Justin Verlander pitched his third career no-hitter, punctuating a dominant season with an overpowering performance to lead the Houston Astros past the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-0, on Sunday. Verlander struck out 14 and allowed just one runner, walking Cavan Biggio with one out in the first inning. “I...
Trump says he’ll work with Congress to stop mass shootings
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump expressed a commitment Sunday, hours after the latest deadly mass shooting, to work with a divided Congress to “stop the menace of mass attacks.” He said any measures must satisfy the competing goals of protecting public safety and the constitutional right to gun ownership and...
In escalating trade war, U.S. consumers may see higher prices
WASHINGTON — The United States and China on Sunday put in place their latest tariff increases on each other’s goods, potentially raising prices Americans pay for some clothes, shoes, sporting goods and other consumer items before the holiday shopping season. President Donald Trump said U.S.-China trade talks were still on...
Dorian strikes Bahamas with record fury as Category 5 stormVideo
McLEAN’S TOWN CAY, Bahamas — Hurricane Dorian struck the northern Bahamas as a catastrophic Category 5 storm Sunday, its record 185 mph wind ripping off roofs, overturning cars and tearing down power lines as hundreds hunkered down in schools, churches and shelters. Dorian slammed into Elbow Cay in Abaco island...
Police say no explanation yet for Texas shooting frenzyVideo
ODESSA, Texas — Authorities said Sunday they still could not explain why a man with an AR-style weapon opened fire during a routine traffic stop in West Texas to begin a terrifying, 10-mile rampage that killed seven people, injured 22 others and ended with officers gunning him down outside a...
Taliban attack 2nd Afghan city as U.S. envoy says deal is near
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban on Sunday launched an attack on a second Afghan city in as many days, an official said, even as a United States envoy says the U.S. and the Taliban are “at the threshold of an agreement” to end America’s longest war. The spokesman for the...
Defending champion Osaka eliminates American Gauff
NEW YORK — First, the tears came from Coco Gauff as the 15-year-old American’s U.S. Open came to an end against defending champion and No. 1 seed Naomi Osaka. Then it was Osaka’s turn to cry, moments after comforting Gauff with a hug and some words of encouragement Saturday night....

