Associated Press stories, Page 2381
U.S. home construction fell 4% in July
WASHINGTON — U.S. housing starts fell 4.0% in July, driven by a decline in the construction of apartment buildings. The Commerce Department says that housing starts slipped last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.19 million units. So far this year, housing starts have declined 3.1%. While there...
Elvis admirers remember his death 42 years ago with vigil
Elvis Presley fans carrying lit candles in the Tennessee night are visiting the rock ‘n’ roll icon’s grave at Graceland during the annual vigil commemorating his death 42 years ago. Presley admirers from all over the world descend on Memphis every year to honor his life and career during Elvis...
Russian pilot says landing in corn field was his only chance
MOSCOW — A Russian pilot who managed to smoothly land his disabled plane in a corn field after birds hit both engines said Friday that a quick landing was his only chance and he was not afraid of handling it. The experienced captain, 41-year-old Damir Yusupov, said when one of...
U.K. police officer slain investigating robbery, 10 arrested
LONDON — British police say a police officer investigating a reported burglary in southeast England has been killed, and they have arrested and detained 10 males in the case, including a 13-year-old. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he is “deeply shocked and appalled” by the death of Thames Valley police...
Maine finds homes for several hundred African asylum seekers
PORTLAND, Maine — Most African asylum seekers who made the perilous journey through Central America to the southern U.S. border and flooded shelters in Maine’s largest city have new homes. Thursday marked the closing of an emergency shelter set up in a basketball arena in Portland after several hundred African...
Tennessee inmate executed in electric chair for killings
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee executed its third inmate in the electric chair since November, killing a man Thursday who maintained that he didn’t stab a mother and her 15-year-old daughter to death in 1986. State officials pronounced 56-year-old Stephen West dead at 7:27 p.m. at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in...
Lawsuit challenges California’s assault weapons ban
SAN DIEGO — A gun-rights group sued Thursday to block California from enforcing its assault weapons ban, contending it violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The lawsuit was the latest among gun advocacy and lobbying groups to challenge California’s firearms laws, which are among the strictest in the...
Trump asks aides about U.S. buying Greenland
WASHINGTON — Aiming to put his mark on the world map, President Donald Trump has talked to aides and allies about buying Greenland for the U.S. A Trump ally told The Associated Press on Thursday that the Republican president had discussed the purchase but was not serious about it. And...
Nick Kyrgios fined more than $100,000 for vulgar conductVideo
MASON, Ohio — Nick Kyrgios was fined $113,000 by the ATP for expletive-filled outbursts in which he smashed rackets, insulted a chair umpire and refused to get ready to return serve during a second-round match at the Western & Southern Open. The tour announced the penalties Thursday, a day after...
Justin Thomas turns it around, shares lead at Medinah
MEDINAH, Ill. — On the range, Justin Thomas had no idea where the ball was going. Some five hours later, he had a share of the course record at Medinah. Ultimately, all that mattered Thursday in the BMW Championship was taking a good step toward an important goal. Thomas already...
Stock indexes end mostly higher after volatile day
Investors rode out another turbulent day on Wall Street on Thursday that kept stock indexes flipping between gains and losses until a late-day bounce gave the market a modest gain. Worries about a possible recession collided with hopes that the strongest part of the economy — shoppers spending at stores...
4 children saved from St. Louis fire; apparently left aloneVideo
ST. LOUIS — Four children under the age of 5 who fire officials believe were left without adult supervision were pulled from a burning home by St. Louis firefighters on Thursday. One child is in critical condition. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch photographer captured an image of a firefighter working to...
Dale Earnhardt Jr., family ‘safe’ from fiery plane crash in TennesseeVideo
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is safe and in a hospital for evaluation after his plane crashed in east Tennessee, the NASCAR television analyst and retired driver’s sister tweeted. Earnhardt’s sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, tweeted that the driver’s wife, Amy, and 15-month-old daughter, Isla, also were on the plane along with two...
USA Football pilots program to spark youth interest
USA Football is piloting the game’s first long-term development program in the hopes of growing the game and catching up to other sports around the world. The sport’s governing body launched its Football Development Model on Thursday, announcing six youth leagues will team up with USA Football in the hopes...
Panel upholds ruling that kids held at border have adequate food, sanitation
SAN FRANCISCO — A panel of judges on Thursday dismissed an appeal by the U.S. government that contended detained immigrant children might not require soap during shorter stints in custody under a longstanding settlement agreement. A three-judge panel for the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco dismissed...
Virgin Galactic reveals futuristic outpost for space tourism
UPHAM, N.M. — Spaceport America is no longer just a shiny shell of hope that space tourism would one day launch from this remote spot in the New Mexico desert. The once-empty hangar that anchors the taxpayer-financed launch and landing facility has been transformed into a custom-tailored headquarters where Virgin...
Police: W.Va. shootings leave 1 dead, 5 hurt, including suspect
NEW CUMBERLAND, W.Va. — Authorities in West Virginia say a woman was killed and five others — including the suspect — were hurt in a series of shootings. Hancock County Sheriff Ralph Fletcher said the suspect, later identified as 45-year-old Michael Angelo McClanahan, was shot and wounded by officers and...
Iowa becomes 11th state to allow sports gambling
DES MOINES, Iowa — Six Iowa casinos began accepting bets on sporting events Thursday, making the state the 11th in the nation and first in the Midwest to allow such wagering. Casinos in Altoona, Bettendorf, Osceola and Waterloo offered betting on-site and through a mobile app, while casinos in Burlington...
Metallica donates to Romanian pediatric cancer hospital
BUCHAREST, Romania — Metallica says it has donated $277,600 to support the construction of Romania’s first pediatric oncology hospital. The American heavy metal band, which is very popular in Romania, made the donation ahead of their sold-out show Wednesday in Romania’s National Arena, according to the band’s All Within My...
Gov’t wants a new 911-like number just for suicide hotline
NEW YORK — With suicides on the rise , the U.S. government wants to make the national crisis hotline easier to reach. Once implemented, people will just need to dial 988 to seek help. Currently, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline uses a 10-digit number, 800-273-TALK (8255). Callers are routed to...
U.K. judge sentences David Schwimmer lookalike to 9 months in jail
LONDON — A British judge has sentenced a lookalike of “Friends” actor David Schwimmer to nine months in prison for theft and fraud. Judge Sara Dodd sentenced Abdulah Husseni on Thursday for using a stolen bank card to make or attempt to make fraudulent purchases at four shops in Blackpool,...
U.S. makes new push for graphic warning labels on cigarettes
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials are making a new attempt at adding graphic images to cigarette packets to discourage and Americans from lighting up. If successful, it would be the first change to U.S. cigarette warnings in 35 years. The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday proposed 13 new warnings...
Scientists confirm July was hottest month record
BERLIN — July was the hottest month measured on Earth since records began in 1880, the latest in a long line of peaks that scientists say backs up predictions for man-made climate change. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday that July was 1.71 degrees warmer than the...
Israel bars entry to outspoken U.S. congresswomen
JERUSALEM — Israel said Thursday that it will bar two Democratic congresswomen from entering the country ahead of a planned visit over their support for a Palestinian-led boycott movement, a decision announced shortly after President Donald Trump tweeted that it would “show great weakness” to allow them in. The move...
Gibraltar releases Iran supertanker that US sought to seize
MADRID — Gibraltar on Thursday allowed a detained Iranian supertanker to leave the British overseas territory despite a last-minute U.S. attempt to seize the vessel, potentially defusing tensions between London and Tehran as a British-flagged tanker remains held by the Islamic Republic. The release of the Grace 1 comes amid...
