Associated Press stories, Page 2369
Jet-car speed racer, ‘Mythbusters’ host Jessi Combs dies in Oregon jet-car crashVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — Jet-car speed racer Jessi Combs, known by fans as the “fastest woman on four wheels,” has died in a crash in Oregon’s Alvord Desert while trying to break a speed record, local authorities said Wednesday. Combs, 39, died Tuesday afternoon while racing in a dry lake bed...
FEMA, Coast Guard money moved to border programs
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security is moving $271 million from other agencies such as FEMA and the U.S. Coast Guard to increase the number of beds for detained immigrants and support its policy forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases play out. The news comes...
Fans guide to Penn State football
Penn State football fans will notice changes on gamedays this season, notably when trying to accomplish the day’s most difficult task: parking their cars. Penn State has overhauled traffic and parking plans around Beaver Stadium, meaning the way fans arrive and depart will be much different than last year. Athletic...
West Virginia state senator charged with prostitution
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia state Sen. Mike Maroney has been charged with soliciting a prostitute. The Republican lawmaker turned himself in and was arraigned Wednesday morning, a Marshall County court clerk said. He has pleaded not guilty and paid a $4,500 bond. Maroney exchanged text messages to discuss prices...
McDonald’s offering harassment training to all U.S. workers
McDonald’s is introducing a new training program for its U.S. employees after dozens of workers complained of sexual harassment. The Chicago-based company says its 2,000 U.S. franchisees have committed to provide the training to 850,000 employees. The online and in-person training will begin in October. It will educate workers about...
Union, AT&T say 20,000 striking workers coming back to work
NEW YORK — AT&T and the Communications Workers of America said that the 20,000 AT&T workers in the Southeast who went on strike over the weekend were coming back to work Wednesday. The union said Wednesday that it had a “handshake deal” on a new agreement with AT&T and that...
26 killed in fiery attack on bar in southern Mexico
MEXICO CITY — An attack on a bar in Mexico’s Gulf coast city of Coatzacoalcos killed 26 people and injured about a dozen, officials said Wednesday, and they said it was apparently overseen by a man who had been recently arrested but released. “The criminals went in, closed the doors,...
Marvel celebrates 80th anniversary with massive comic
LOS ANGELES — Marvel Comics is celebrating its 80th anniversary with a massive issue that pays tribute to its history and introduces a new object with implications for the superhero universe going forward. The Marvel Comics 1000 issue, available Wednesday, pays homage to many of Marvel’s most recognizable characters, including...
Manhunt ends with capture of naked man in family’s slaying
KEELING, Va. — Police in Virginia apprehended a naked 18-year-old after an intense manhunt in the slayings of two women and a child. Authorities said Matthew Thomas Bernard is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor indicated he’s related to the victims. Police warned of...
Epstein accuser says Prince Andrew should ‘come clean’
LONDON — An alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein who claims she was also delivered to Britain’s Prince Andrew for paid sex as a teenager has challenged the British royal to speak up, saying: “He knows exactly what he’s done and I hope he comes clean about it.” The jet-setting middle...
Hurricane Dorian moves away from Puerto Rico, with Florida now in its sightsVideo
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Hurricane Dorian caused limited damage in the northern Caribbean as it left the region Wednesday night, setting its sights on the U.S. mainland as it threatened to grow into a dangerous Category 3 storm. Power outages and flooding were reported across the U.S. Virgin Islands,...
Defense: Man who mounted Pa. blast furnace has mental health issues
ALLENTOWN — A defense attorney says a man who climbed atop the rusting blast furnace at a former eastern Pennsylvania steel mill last month, prompting evacuation of an arts and entertainment venue now at the site, has mental health issues. The (Allentown) Morning Call reports that defense attorney Rory Driscole...
U.K.’s Johnson moves to suspend Parliament ahead of Brexit
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson maneuvered Wednesday to give his political opponents even less time to block a no-deal Brexit before the Oct. 31 withdrawal deadline, winning Queen Elizabeth II’s approval to suspend Parliament. His critics were outraged. Though Johnson previously had refused to rule out such a...
The week’s best images from AP: Aug. 17-23
Here’s your look at highlights from the weekly AP photo report, a gallery featuring a mix of front-page photography, the odd image you might have missed and lasting moments our editors think you should see. This week’s gallery includes twins participating in a tango world championship in Argentina; a robot...
Pinterest to direct vaccine-related searches to health orgs
NEW YORK — Pinterest says it will try to combat misinformation about vaccines by showing only information from health organizations when people search. Social media sites have been trying to combat the spread of misinformation about vaccines. Pinterest previously tried blocking all searches for vaccines with mixed results. Now it...
Survey finds new auto technology can annoy drivers
A survey shows that alerts from new driver assist systems are so annoying that some motorists are turning the features off. The 2019 J.D. Power Tech Experience study also found that frustrated drivers may avoid the systems in future vehicle purchases. J.D. Power says the findings are a major concern...
Italy’s Stromboli volcano erupts anew, spewing fiery lava
ROME — The Stromboli volcano has erupted, spewing fiery chunks of lava onto the tiny Italian island and alarming residents and tourists. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology says a strong volcanic explosion just after noon Wednesday sent flaming lava rolling down the volcano’s slopes to the edge of...
Pirates gives Phillies fans more reasons to boo after winVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Rhys Hoskins kept Philadelphia Phillies fans booing when he inexplicably dropped a routine throw at first base in the ninth, turning what appeared to be an inning-ending double play into the go-ahead run for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 5-4 win Tuesday night. After a pair of one-out...
Ex-Google engineer Anthony Levandowski charged in Uber self-driving theft case
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A former Google engineer was charged Tuesday with stealing self-driving car technology from the company shortly before he joined Uber’s efforts to catch up in the high-stakes race to build robotic vehicles. The indictment filed by the U.S. attorney’s office in San Jose, Calif., is an...
FanDuel debuts sportsbook app in West Virginia
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — A West Virginia resort owned by Gov. Jim Justice has launched a sportsbook app this week with fantasy sports company FanDuel. The app debuted Monday for use by bettors inside West Virginia’s border. Last year, New York-based FanDuel reached an agreement for retail, online and...
Wimbledon darling Coco Gauff opens U.S. Open with rousing victory
NEW YORK — Here’s how new all of this is to Coco Gauff: She didn’t quite realize she only has to play every other day at the U.S. Open. “I’m still used to playing juniors,” the American said with a chuckle, “so I forgot about the day off.” She’s just...
WVU coach Neal Brown humbled by visit to coal mine
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — One of Neal Brown’s priorities during his first fall camp at West Virginia was to learn more about the Mountaineers’ fanbase, so the coach took his team to a working coal mine. Brown took three busloads of players and coaches earlier this month to Arch Coal’s Leer...
Blood clots sideline Patriots center David Andrew
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — With time growing short before their season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New England Patriots have an unexpected hole in the middle of their offensive line following the weekend hospitalization of starting center David Andrews because of blood clots in his lung. Andrews, 27, was...
Patriots try to sort out tight end situation in post-Gronk era
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — For nearly a decade, the tight end position was one of the greatest strengths of the New England Patriots’ offense. But that changed quickly. First came the retirement of Rob Gronkowski, one of the most productive tight ends in NFL history, after the 13-3 victory over the...
Basketball-sized world-record grapefruit grown in Louisiana
BATON ROUGE, La. — A basketball-sized grapefruit has brought two world records to a Louisiana couple. The giant citrus grew in the yard of Mary Beth and Doug Meyer of Slidell. The Guinness Book of World Records says it’s the world’s heaviest and largest in circumference. It weighed 7 pounds,...
