Associated Press stories, Page 2493
St. Lucia quarantines Church of Scientology cruise ship as a result of measles case
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Authorities on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Lucia said Thursday that they quarantined a cruise ship with some 300 people aboard after discovering a confirmed case of measles aboard. Dr. Merlene Fredericks-James, the island’s chief medical officer, told The Associated Press the ship was...
2 former Penn State players on Women’s World Cup roster
Former Penn State players Ali Krieger and Alyssa Naeher were among the 23 players named to the U.S. soccer roster that will compete in the Women’s World Cup this summer in France. Krieger, a 34-year-old right back, will be playing in her third World Cup and helped the 2015 team...
Government to house more immigrants in tents at the border
EL PASO, Texas — About 50 asylum seekers stood this week in a circle near a bridge between the U.S. and Mexico to hear an American attorney explain what would happen to them when they entered U.S. custody. The attorney, Jodi Goodwin, told them they would probably end up at...
Drug firm founder John Kapoor guilty of bribing doctors to push opioid
BOSTON — A pharmaceutical company founder accused of bribing doctors across the United States to prescribe a highly addictive fentanyl spray was convicted Thursday in a case that exposed such marketing tactics as using a stripper-turned-sales-rep to give a physician a lap dance. John Kapoor, the 76-year-old former chairman of...
Pa. lawmaker’s ‘Nazi’ remark over pipeline fight draws criticism
A Pennsylvania state lawmaker who opposes a gas pipeline project says she meant no harm when she said “Nazis were just doing their jobs too” in response to complaints that protesters were preventing workers from doing their jobs. Democratic Rep. Danielle Friel Otten, of Chester County, contended Wednesday that she...
Cocaine deaths up in U.S., and opioids are a big part of it
NEW YORK — Cocaine deaths have been rising in the U.S., health officials said Thursday in their latest report on the nation’s deadliest drug overdose epidemic. After several years of decline, overdose deaths involving cocaine began rising around 2012. And they jumped by more than a third between 2016 and...
Lawmakers to see empty chair, not AG Barr, at House hearing
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr plans to skip a House Judiciary hearing Thursday on special counsel Robert Mueller’s report , escalating an already acrimonious battle between Democrats and the Justice Department. Barr’s decision — he cites a disagreement over the questioning — came the day the department missed a...
Assange refuses extradition to U.S.; long legal fight expected
LONDON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told a London court on Thursday that he would not agree to be extradited to the United States, where he is accused of conspiring to hack into a Pentagon computer. Assange, appearing by video link from a London prison, said he would not “surrender...
Coroner: Woman obsessed with Columbine died before search
DENVER — A Florida teenager obsessed with the Columbine school shooting had already killed herself by the time authorities launched a manhunt for her after learning that she had traveled to Colorado just days before the 20th anniversary of the massacre, a coroner’s report said Wednesday. An autopsy summary by...
‘Riley Howell is a hero’: Student who attacked gunman lauded
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — David Belnap stood on his North Carolina college campus aching from the latest U.S. school shooting as he held a candle and wore a homemade T-shirt with “Riley Howell is a hero” written on the back. Howell died in his classroom Tuesday at the University of North...
Former Penguins coach Red Kelly dies at 91
Red Kelly, the defenseman-turned-center whose Hall of Fame career included eight Stanley Cups while playing for Detroit and Toronto, died Thursday at the age of 91. Kelly was also a former coach and GM for the Penguins. He finished with a 90-132-52 record. He took the team its first NHL...
Florida lawmakers pass bill allowing more armed teachers
TALLAHASSEE — More Florida classroom teachers could carry guns in school under a bill passed Wednesday by state lawmakers, the latest response to last year’s mass shooting at a Parkland high school. The Republican-led House voted 65-47 on Wednesday to send the bill to GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is...
Drake has huge night at Billboard Awards, wins top artist
Mother’s Day is in a couple weeks, but rap star Drake honored his mom when he won the night’s top honor at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards. Drake picked up top artist — besting Cardi B, Ariana Grande, Post Malone and Travis Scott — in Las Vegas on Wednesday night....
NASCAR throws in the flag on trying to liven up qualifying
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR abandoned its yearslong bid to add excitement to qualifying and announced Wednesday it will return to single-car laps after the current format became a laughingstock. All three national series will make the change at all oval tracks, starting this weekend at Dover. NASCAR for more than...
Lionel Messi hits 600 goals with a brace, Barca blanks LiverpoolVideo
BARCELONA, Spain — Facing its toughest opponent of the season, Barcelona once again turned to Lionel Messi to move the team within one step of reaching its first Champions League final in four seasons. Messi scored his 599th and 600th goals for Barcelona to subdue a Liverpool lineup that had...
Texas officer charged with homicide for shooting black manVideo
DALLAS — A Texas grand jury indicted a suburban Dallas police officer Wednesday on a charge of criminally negligent homicide for fatally shooting a black man during a traffic stop last year. The Tarrant County grand jury indicted Arlington Officer Bau Tran eight months after he shot 24-year-old O’Shae Terry...
Booger McFarland to be lone ‘Monday Night Football’ color analyst
ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” will return to a two-man booth when it kicks off its 50th season later this year. The network announced Wednesday that Joe Tessitore will be back doing play-by-play, and Booger McFarland will move up to the booth after being a field-level analyst. ESPN also announced Lisa...
Recording: Sean Miller involved in paying Deandre Ayton $10K monthly
NEW YORK — A former aspiring business manager for NBA players took the witness stand at a college basketball bribery trial Wednesday to deny charges that he paid off coaches at major programs to get their help in landing clients with potential for lucrative pro contracts. “I never paid a...
Kentucky Derby favorite Omaha Beach drops out
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Suddenly, the Kentucky Derby is wide open. Favorite Omaha Beach was scratched because of a breathing problem Wednesday night, leaving a pair of Hall of Famers on the sideline: trainer Richard Mandella and jockey Mike Smith. Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia revised the morning line to make...
Maine becomes 1st state to ban single-use foam containers
AUGUSTA — Maine has banned single-use food and drink containers made from polystyrene foam, commonly known as Styrofoam, becoming the first state to do so. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed the bill, which takes effect in 2021, into law Tuesday. Environmental groups have sought such bans amid rising public awareness...
Blue Jackets seek more history with every playoff game
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to journey deeper into uncharted territory with each win in these playoffs. Among the franchise firsts so far: Winning a playoff series (they swept Tampa Bay in the opening round), first appearance in the second round, first second-round game played — and...
Defecating superintendent sues over release of mug shot
NEWARK, N.J. — A former New Jersey school superintendent who pleaded guilty to defecating on another high school’s track has sued the local police department for releasing his mug shot to news outlets. Thomas Tramaglini said in a federal lawsuit filed late Tuesday that Holmdel police violated his constitutional rights...
Rookie Bryan Reynolds continues hot start as Pirates top Rangers 7-5
ARLINGTON, Texas — Rookie Bryan Reynolds is closing in on teammate Gregory Polanco for a little piece of Pittsburgh Pirates history. Polanco is enjoying the view. Reynolds kept up his impressive start, hitting a three-run double as the Pirates completed a two-game sweep in Texas by topping the Rangers, 7-5,...
White House wants $4.5 billion in emergency border funding
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Wednesday asked Congress for an additional $4.5 billion in emergency funds for the U.S.-Mexico border as the administration contends with a surge of Central American migrant families, with the bulk of the money for shelter and care. The number of families and children arriving...
Chinese fossil sheds light on mysterious Neanderthal kin
NEW YORK — Nearly 40 years after it was found by a monk in a Chinese cave, a fossilized chunk of jawbone has been revealed as coming from a mysterious relative of the Neanderthals. Until now, the only known remains of these Denisovans were a few scraps of bone and...
