Associated Press stories, Page 2491
Pressure grows to loosen party grip on Pennsylvania primary
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania: Land of Disenfranchisement? It’s not the state slogan, but Pennsylvania is in the minority of states with closed primary elections as the number of independent voters grows quickly and sparks a debate in Pennsylvania’s Legislature for the first time in memory about opening up party primaries. It...
Jimmie Johnson will have to wait to try for 12th win at Dover with NASCAR race postponed
DOVER, Del. — Jimmie Johnson posed for a photo with Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Richard Petty from an appearance this weekend and wrote the caption “367 and counting.” Johnson’s combined win total has been stuck on that number since June 4, 2017, when Johnson won the last of...
Police find body in Cyprus lake, tie rape to serial killings
NICOSIA, Cyprus — Police in Cyprus recovered a second suitcase containing decomposing human remains Sunday from a contaminated lake where a military officer who confessed to killing seven foreign women and girls told authorities he dumped the bodies of three victims. The lake is part of an abandoned copper pyrite...
At least 40 dead in Russian plane’s fiery emergency landingVideo
MOSCOW — At least 40 people died when an Aeroflot airliner burst into flames while making an emergency landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport Sunday evening, officials said. The Sukhoi SSJ100 operated by national airline Aeroflot had 73 passengers and five crew members on board when it touched down and sped...
Passenger video shows people lining up on wing of plane in Florida river
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A passenger shouted “Watch out! Watch out!” as other passengers and crew members cautiously walked out on a wing of the Boeing 737, just moments after it had landed at a Florida military base, crashed through a stone seawall, and ended up in a river. Another passenger...
Critical injuries avoided as military-chartered jet ends up in river
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A military-chartered jet carrying 143 people landed hard, then bounced and swerved as the pilot struggled to control it amid thunder and lightning, ultimately skidding off the runway and coming to a crashing halt in a river at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. It meant chaos and terror...
Preparation limits toll of cyclone
DHAKA, Bangladesh — A mammoth preparation exercise that included the evacuation of more than 1 million people appears to have spared India a devastating death toll from one of the biggest storms in decades, though the full extent of the damage was yet to be known, officials said Saturday. Cyclone...
Appeals made to military in Venezuela power struggle
CARACAS, Venezuela — When a protester handed over a written appeal for the military’s support on Saturday, a Venezuelan policeman burned the document and let the ashes fall to the ground. The armed forces “won’t be blackmailed or bought,” said a second officer standing nearby. Benito Rodriguez fumed as he...
Trump critical of social media sites after Facebook bans
STERLING, Va. — President Trump criticized social media companies after Facebook banned a number of extremist figures, declaring he was “monitoring and watching, closely!!” Trump, who tweeted and retweeted complaints Friday and Saturday, said he would “monitor the censorship of AMERICAN CITIZENS on social media platforms.” He has previously asserted...
Maximum Security owner calls Derby DQ ‘egregious’
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Maximum Security co-owner Gary West criticized race stewards’ disqualification of his horse’s Kentucky Derby victory as “egregious” and said he was pondering his next step, including a possible appeal. “I think this is the most egregious disqualification in the history of horse racing, and not just because...
Long shot Country House wins Kentucky Derby after favorite is DQ’ed
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Maximum Security led the Kentucky Derby every step of the way except for the last one — into the winner’s circle. The colt became the first winner disqualified for interference in the Derby’s 145-year history, leading to an agonizing wait and an eventual stunning reversal that made...
Kyle Busch has shot at tying NASCAR record Sunday at Dover
DOVER, Del. — Morgan Shepherd pushed his No. 89 Chevrolet for a few feet through the garage with all the might a 77-year-old NASCAR driver could muster before yielding to his crew. Pushing 80, Shepherd might race long enough for his age to match his car number. “Oh, yeah. That...
Man reflects on being part of 1st gay prom couple in 1979
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A man who was one half of the first gay couple to attend a high school prom says he didn’t expect to become entrenched in LGBTQ rights history and that he looks back on the event in South Dakota 40 years later as “just a moment.”...
Expelled in 1956, black woman gets doctorate at U of Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Autherine Lucy Foster, the first African-American student to attend the University of Alabama, received an honorary doctorate degree Friday from the university where her presence brought mobs of protesters in 1956. The Tuscaloosa News reported that Foster, 89 received the degree during graduation ceremonies. She enrolled at...
SpaceX launches supplies to space station after power delays
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched a load of supplies to the International Space Station on Saturday following a pair of unusual power delays. A Falcon rocket raced into the pre-dawn darkness, carrying a Dragon capsule with 5,500 pounds (2,500 kilograms) of goods. This recycled Dragon — which is making...
Curacao officials board quarantined ship in measles case
WILLEMSTAD, Curacao — Authorities in Curacao on Saturday boarded a ship that arrived in the Dutch Caribbean island under quarantine, to start vaccinating people to prevent a measles outbreak. Health officials said only those who already have been vaccinated or have previously had measles will be free to leave the...
Israel strikes Gaza targets in response to heavy rocket fire
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired scores of rockets into southern Israel on Saturday, wounding at least two Israeli civilians and triggering retaliatory airstrikes and tank fire against militant targets in the blockaded enclave and shattering a month-long lull in violence. Israeli officials said...
No deaths as plane carrying US military crashes into river
A chartered jet carrying 143 people from the U.S. military base in Cuba tried to land in a thunderstorm in north Florida and ended up in the river next to Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Authorities said everyone on board emerged without critical injuries, climbing onto the wings to be rescued....
Vince Vaughn convicted of reckless driving for DUI arrest
LOS ANGELES — Actor Vince Vaughn has been convicted of reckless driving after his arrest for failing a drunken driving test last year. An attorney for the 49-year-old “Wedding Crashers” star entered a no contest plea to the misdemeanor count Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court. Vaughn was arrested June...
Felon voting bill goes to Florida governor amid outcry
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida felons will have to pay court-ordered financial obligations if they want their voting rights restored under a bill sent to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday that would implement a voter-approved constitutional amendment. The bill, though, caused outrage among Democrats who say Republicans are adding hurdles...
VP Pence praises members of black churches torched by arson
OPELOUSAS, La. — Vice President Mike Pence praised the parishioners of three African American churches Friday for the inspiring way they responded to the destruction of their sanctuaries by an arsonist and lamented that attacks on communities of faith have become “all too frequent.” Pence and President Trump had been...
Pa. Turnpike toll evader named Stiff to pay up; had $128K in tolls, fines
PHILADELPHIA — The worst toll evader in Pennsylvania is being ordered to pay up. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Jarrett Stiff didn’t pay for trips on the Pennsylvania Turnpike 2,264 times from 2012 to 2017, more than anyone else in the state. The 36-year-old from suburban Philadelphia racked up nearly...
Bob Baffert eyes history, another wet Kentucky Derby on tap
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bob Baffert times three. In a Kentucky Derby lacking a dominant favorite, the two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer saddles the top three choices. On what could be a wet day at Churchill Downs, Game Winner is the pre-race favorite, albeit a tepid one at 9-2. Improbable and Roadster...
Kentucky Derby notebook: Hall of Famer Mike Smith gets mount
Triple Crown-winning jockey Mike Smith will ride in the Kentucky Derby after all. He picked up the mount on 30-1 shot Cutting Humor, trained by Todd Pletcher, race officials said Friday. The 53-year-old rider had been on the early 4-1 favorite, Omaha Beach, until the colt was scratched because of...
Chase Elliott wins Dover pole, but all talk centers on qualifying speeds
DOVER, Del. — Chase Elliott took a solo run on the track for qualifying and was alone atop the Dover speed chart. Elliott followed his first win of the season with a pole at Dover International Speedway, topping the speed chart on a blistering day at the track with a...
