Associated Press stories, Page 2506
Polanski asks court to restore his film academy membership
LOS ANGELES —Roman Polanski asked a judge Friday to restore his membership in the organization that bestows the Academy Awards nearly a year after he was expelled from it for sexual misconduct. Lawyers for the 85-year-old fugitive director petitioned Los Angeles Superior Court to compel the Academy of Motion Picture...
Heiress pleads guilty in NXIVM sex slave case
NEW YORK — An heiress pleaded guilty on Friday in a sensational case accusing a cult-like upstate New York group of creating a secret harem of sex slaves for the group’s self-anointed spiritual leader. Clare Bronfman admitted in her plea in federal court in Brooklyn that she harbored someone who...
Big Ten teams extend QB competitions into preseason
The week started with nine of the 14 Big Ten teams coming out of spring practices planning to continue quarterback auditions in August. The number was down to seven by Friday. First-year coach Ryan Day of defending conference champion Ohio State insisted after the Buckeyes’ spring game last Saturday he...
‘This Is Us’ star Chrissy Metz finds her film ‘Breakthrough’Video
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chrissy Metz says she believed in miracles well before getting the call to meet producer DeVon Franklin to discuss taking the lead in director Roxann Dawson’s just-released faith-based drama “Breakthrough.” Metz was already familiar with the film’s story of Joyce Smith, whose son, John, fell through...
Judge blocks part of Ohio ban on abortion procedure
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A federal judge blocked part of an Ohio law late Thursday that bans the abortion method of dilation and evacuation in most cases, adding to a list of restrictions on the procedure that are or soon could be in legal limbo. Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett...
From cherry pies to French dressing, FDA to ease some food rules
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump may soon be able to claim a sweet victory for his deregulation push, with officials preparing to get rid of the decades-old rules for frozen cherry pies. Emails show the Food and Drug Administration planned to start the process for revoking the standard for...
Red Wings to name Steve Yzerman general manager
DETROIT — The Captain is coming home. Hockey Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman will be named general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, two people familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Friday. Ken Holland will become the team’s senior vice president after being its general manager for...
Stephen Colbert donates $400K from book to N.C. hurricane relief
RALEIGH, N.C. — “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert has donated proceeds from his Hurricane Florence-related book to disaster-relief efforts in North Carolina. The Raleigh News & Observer reported Thursday that the comedian sent a check for $412,412 to Gov. Roy Cooper. The governor posted a “thank-you” on Facebook. Colbert...
Two-wave flu season is now the longest in a decade
NEW YORK — Three months ago, this flu season was shaping up to be short and mild. But a surprising second viral wave has made it the longest the United States has seen in 10 years. This flu season has been officially going for 21 weeks, according to reports collected...
Popular national park hub to start charging for parking
BAR HARBOR, Maine — A popular hub for visitors to Acadia National Park is going to start charging for parking. Bar Harbor, Maine, has set time limits on parking in much of the downtown village for many years, but it plans to begin charging to park next month. The Bangor...
Virginia governor wants Confederate arch gone from U.S. fort
RICHMOND, Va. — Gov. Ralph Northam is calling for the removal of an arch honoring the former president of the Confederacy at Fort Monroe, where the first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia 400 years ago. The Daily Press reports that Northam’s office presented a letter to the Fort Monroe Authority...
Journalist shot dead in Northern Ireland rioting
LONDON — Police in Northern Ireland said Friday they are searching for multiple suspects in the fatal shooting of a journalist during overnight rioting in the city of Londonderry. The dissident republican group, the New IRA, was most likely responsible for killing Lyra McKee, police said after a clear escalation...
Madonna, Maluma to perform new song at Billboard Awards
NEW YORK — Madonna and Colombian singer Maluma will bring their new collaboration to life when they perform at next month’s Billboard Music Awards. NBC and dick clark productions announced Friday the duo will sing “Medellin” at the May 1 event in Las Vegas. The song, released on Wednesday, is...
Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family,’ ‘Jeffersons’ rebooted for live specialVideo
LOS ANGELES — “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons” are coming back to TV, live and for one night only. Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei, Jamie Foxx and Wanda Sykes will star in re-creations of episodes from the influential sitcoms born in the 1970s. Norman Lear, who created “All in...
Notre Dame’s bees — yes, bees — survived the fire
PARIS — The 180,000 bees kept in hives in Notre Dame Cathedral that were thought to have perished in this week’s fire have been discovered alive. The monument’s beekeeper, Nicolas Geant, told the Associated Press on Friday: “I am so relieved. I saw satellite photos that showed the three hives...
Authorities use dating site to capture sex assault suspect
CINNAMINSON, N.J. — Authorities say a New Jersey man sexually assaulted a Philadelphia woman he met through an online dating site, but they then used the site to capture him. Cinnaminson police say Jerell Manson used the site to entice the woman to travel to southern Jersey on Monday. They...
Kremlin: No proof in Mueller’s report of Russian meddling
MOSCOW — The Kremlin argued on Friday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s 400-page report has not offered any credible evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The redacted report presented on Thursday said that there was no collusion between the Donald Trump campaign and Russian officials but...
Storms again roar across South, killing 2 in Mississippi
LEARNED, Miss. — Strong storms again roared across the South on Thursday, killing two Mississippi drivers and leaving more than 100,000 people without power across Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. National Weather Service forecasters said they believe multiple tornadoes hit southwest and central Mississippi, although they won’t be sure until...
Cancer-causing chemical taints water after California blaze
PARADISE, Calif. — The drinking water in Paradise, California, where 85 people died last year in the nation’s worst wildfire in a century, is contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical benzene, officials said. Officials said they believe the contamination happened after the November firestorm created a toxic combination of gases in...
Minister at secretive N Carolina church sentenced for fraud
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A minister at a secretive church in North Carolina has been sentenced to 34 months in prison and ordered to pay $466,960 in restitution for his role in an unemployment fraud scheme involving businesses owned by members of the congregation. Kent Covington, a minister at the Word...
Officer says partner fired before he could analyze threat
MINNEAPOLIS — The partner of a Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed woman testified Thursday that he didn’t fire his own weapon because he hadn’t fully analyzed the possible threat, agreeing with a prosecutor’s characterization that it would have been “premature” to use deadly force. Officer Matthew Harrity...
Oregon sheriff known for standoff to resign over funds
PORTLAND, Ore. — A small-town sheriff who gained national attention for his leadership during a 41-day standoff with armed occupiers at a wildlife refuge in Oregon is resigning, citing chronic underfunding for his department and concerns about liability caused by an outdated and understaffed jail. Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward...
Chem professor on leave after Nazi gas chamber exam question
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — A chemistry professor whose exam question asked students to calculate the lethal dose of a poisonous gas used in Nazi gas chambers during the Holocaust has taken a leave of absence, Middlebury College said. The Vermont liberal arts college said that it’s investigating under the terms of...
Mueller report: ‘This is the end of my presidency,’ Trump said after special counsel appointment
WASHINGTON — Public at last, special counsel Robert Mueller’s report revealed to a waiting nation Thursday that President Donald Trump tried to seize control of the Russia probe and force Mueller’s removal to stop him from investigating potential obstruction of justice by the president. Trump was largely thwarted by those...
Police official: Short-circuit likely caused Notre Dame fire
PARIS — Paris police investigators think an electrical short-circuit most likely caused the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, a police official said Thursday as France paid a daylong tribute to the firefighters who saved the world-renowned landmark. A French judicial police official told The Associated Press that investigators made an...
