Associated Press stories, Page 2477
NASCAR Cup drivers eyeing playoff spots, job security at Bristol
BRISTOL, Tenn. — There is very little wiggle room in the race to make NASCAR’s playoffs, and as free agency hits full steam drivers are trying to secure their futures as fast as possible. Among those on the bubble is Clint Bowyer, in the 16th and final qualifying spot and...
Colorado OKs electric car requirement to fight air pollution
DENVER — Colorado tightened its air quality regulations on Friday, requiring that at least 5% of the vehicles sold in the state by 2023 emit zero pollution. The state Air Quality Control Commission, which passed the rule on an 8-1 vote, said the requirement applies to auto manufacturers, not buyers....
Sealed records on Dayton gunman pit safety against privacy
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Disturbing behavior that the Dayton gunman reportedly exhibited in his youth may be detailed in law enforcement and school files so far off limits to the public, records that could shed light on whether authorities properly handled early warning signs. The measures used to shield 24-year-old shooter...
US tells Congress of plans to sell F-16 fighters to Taiwan
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has informed Congress it plans to sell F-16 fighters worth $8 billion to Taiwan in a move that will inflame already high tensions with China. Two U.S. officials and a congressional aide say the administration informally notified lawmakers of the proposed sale late on Thursday....
Claim: Migrant children molested in US-funded foster care
WASHINGTON — Dozens of families separated at the border as part of the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy are preparing to sue the federal government, including several who say their young children were sexually, physically or emotionally abused in federally funded foster care. A review of 38 legal claims obtained...
Gov. Tom Wolf unveils gun violence effort after Philadelphia shooting
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf directed state police and other agencies under his control Friday to focus greater efforts on addressing gun violence, two days after a gunman shot six Philadelphia police officers. Wolf said set up a new Special Council on Gun Violence and gave it six months...
Trooper finds parked driver playing Pokemon Go on 8 phones
BURIEN, Wash. — A Washington state trooper who pulled over to help what he thought was a disabled vehicle found something else instead: The driver had eight phones simultaneously playing the video game Pokemon Go. The driver was stopped on the shoulder of Highway 518 in Burien, south of Seattle,...
Officers stake out 2 airports, nab accused turtle trafficker
ATLANTA — An investigation involving two of the world’s biggest airports and hundreds of turtles has led to federal charges that a man illegally shipped the reptiles to China. Nathan Horton is charged with violating the Lacey Act, which forbids illegal wildlife trafficking. Prosecutors took a slow-wins-the-race approach to filing...
Uber driver convicted of raping intoxicated passenger
An Uber driver has been found guilty of raping an intoxicated woman he picked up at a casino near Philadelphia. The jury deliberated for nearly 3 hours on Thursday before finding Ahmed Elgaafary guilty of rape of an unconscious person, sexual assault and indecent assault. Chester County District Attorney Tom...
Robin Thede looks to build legacy in HBO sketch comedy show
Robin Thede knew plenty of talented African-American female comedians, but only a few were getting hired on popular TV comedy shows such as “Saturday Night Live” and “Mad TV.” So, Thede decided to create her own show featuring some of the industry’s funniest black women. The comic-writer-producer-actress is breaking new...
Pa. Turnpike to close for bridge work from New Stanton to Breezewood
Motorists will face detours when a section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike closes for bridge work. The toll road will close in both directions between New Stanton Exit 75 and Breezewood Exit 161 starting at 11 p.m. Saturday until approximately 6 a.m. Sunday, weather permitting. The turnpike commission says the closure...
South Carolina man sues Walmart after gas can explosion
AIKEN, S.C. — A South Carolina man is suing Walmart, saying a gas can that exploded and set him on fire was defective and should never have been sold to him at a Walmart store in Barnwell. In a federal lawsuit filed this month, Jamie Grubbs says he was using...
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...
