Associated Press stories, Page 2527
U.S. new-home sales increased 4.9 percent in February
WASHINGTON — Sales of new U.S. homes climbed 4.9 percent in February, an indication that falling mortgage rates have given a boost to demand from buyers. The Commerce Department said Friday that new homes sold at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 667,000 in February, an increase from an upwardly...
Libyan official: Migrants used metal tools to threaten crew
VALLETTA, Malta — A Libyan official says the migrants who commandeered an oil tanker that had rescued them in the Mediterranean Sea used metal tools to threaten the crew, forcing them to direct the ship toward Europe. Maltese armed forces stormed the vessel Thursday and detained five men suspected of...
Man charged with killing toddler in stroller dead in jail
CINCINNATI — Authorities say a man charged with driving over a curb, killing a toddler in a stroller and fleeing the scene has died of an apparent drug overdose at a county jail in Cincinnati. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office says 31-year-old Satwinder Singh was found unresponsive in his cell...
Doctor: Florida man believed he was ‘half-man, half-dog’
STUART, Fla. — A forensic psychologist says a former college student believed he was “half-dog, half-man” when he fatally attacked a man and woman at their home and was found biting one of their faces. The Palm Beach Post reports Dr. Phillip Resnick made the conclusion in a 38-page mental-health...
Syracuse star Tyus Battle won’t come back for senior year
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse star Tyus Battle is not coming back for his senior year. In an open letter to fans published Friday in The Post-Standard of Syracuse, Battle made his decision after reports he’d leave surfaced when the Orange were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament....
U.S. consumer spending edges up weak 0.1 percent in January
WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer spending edged up a tiny 0.1 percent in January, while incomes advanced a modest 0.2 percent in February, further evidence that economic activity may have decelerated after strong growth for most of last year. The Commerce Department said Friday that the weak gain in consumer spending...
Reputed ‘Ripper Crew’ member, killer released from prison
CANTON, Ill. — Authorities say a man convicted of murder as a suspected member of the notorious “Ripper Crew” that killed as many as 20 Chicago-area women in the 1980s has been released from prison. An alert from Illinois’ victim notification system was issued Friday saying 58-year-old Thomas Kokoraleis had...
‘Filthadelphia’ tries to shed nickname
PHILADELPHIA — The City of Brotherly Love was once revolutionary when it came to clean streets, gutters and sidewalks. Benjamin Franklin launched one of America’s first street sweeping programs here in the late 1750s. In 1952, the city tied with Memphis, Tennessee, as the nation’s cleanest. Those distinctions are long...
City leaders: Jussie Smollett owes Chicago $130K for investigation
CHICAGO — City officials have ordered Jussie Smollett to pay $130,000 to cover the cost of the investigation into his report of a street attack that Chicago police say was staged to promote his career. A letter from the city’s legal department sent Thursday to Smollett and his attorneys said...
Pope mandates reporting of sex abuse claims in Vatican City
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Friday issued sweeping new sex abuse legislation for Vatican personnel and Holy See diplomats that requires the immediate reporting of abuse allegations to Vatican prosecutors, a policy shift aimed at being a model for the Catholic Church worldwide. The mandatory reporting provision of the...
Report: ‘Serial’ slaying DNA evidence doesn’t match Adnan Syed
BALTIMORE — Prosecutors in the murder case chronicled on the podcast “Serial” tested evidence from the 1999 crime last summer and found that none matched DNA from the convicted killer. Defense attorney C. Justin Brown tweeted Thursday that no forensic evidence links his client Adnan Syed to the killing of...
Rangers free 6 trapped baby elephants in Thailand
BANGKOK — Rangers at a national park in northeastern Thailand have rescued six baby elephants that were trapped in a mud pit. Park officials say the elephants were unable to climb up the pit’s slippery banks. Rescuers took five hours on Thursday to dig a path for them to clamber...
Trump’s small-business health insurance plan struck down
WASHINGTON — A federal judge is striking down the Trump administration’s highly touted small-business health insurance plan, calling it an “end run” around consumer protections. The ruling Thursday by U.S. District Judge John Bates in Washington, D.C., is the second setback in a week for the administration’s health care initiatives....
Pet zebra escapes Florida home, is fatally shot by its owner
CALLAHAN, Fla. — Authorities say a pet zebra escaped from a Florida home and was shot and killed by its owner, who wasn’t licensed to own the animal. News outlets report the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office says the zebra, named Shadow, injured itself somehow while escaping Wednesday in the town...
Duke avoids upset, edges Virginia Tech to reach Elite 8
WASHINGTON — Zion Williamson soared for a two-handed, rim-rattling, crowd-thrilling alley-oop that gave Duke its biggest lead during a tight tussle against Virginia Tech in the East Region semifinals. He is known for his dunks, to be sure, but he can do more. So much more. And now Williamson and...
FBI could review the many suspicions around Smollett case
CHICAGO — The FBI was already investigating Jussie Smollett before President Donald Trump tweeted that the agency and the Department of Justice would review the case, which the president called “an embarrassment” to the nation. Trump’s tweet on Thursday came two days after a surprise decision by Cook County prosecutors...
Harry Reid testifies exercise device injury cost him Senate
LAS VEGAS — Former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid told a Nevada jury Thursday that his career was cut short by injuries he suffered when a TheraBand exercise device slipped from his hand and he fell in his home bathroom in 2015. From a wheelchair on the witness stand in a...
Scherzer highest-paid player, Red Sox top payroll list again
NEW YORK — Washington pitcher Max Scherzer took over from Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout as baseball’s highest-paid player at $37.4 million and the World Series champion Boston Red Sox remained the sport’s biggest spender for the second straight year, according to a study of major league salaries by...
‘Texas 7’ prison-break gang member gets execution reprieve
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A member of the “Texas 7” gang of escaped prisoners won a reprieve Thursday night from execution for the fatal shooting of a suburban Dallas police officer after claiming his religious freedom would be violated if his Buddhist spiritual adviser wasn’t allowed to be in the death...
‘Fake’ Botticelli work turns out to be original from artist’s studio
LONDON — Art experts in Britain have discovered that a painting long thought to be a fake Sandro Botticelli in fact came from the master’s own Florence workshop. After stripping back a century of yellowing varnish and surface dirt, conservators confirmed Thursday that “Madonna Of The Pomegranate” — a smaller...
Purdue reaches Elite 8 with overtime win vs. Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Carsen Edwards scored 29 points as Purdue advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000, needing overtime to beat Tennessee, 99-94, on Thursday night after blowing an 18-point lead. The third-seeded Boilermakers (26-9) will play either top-seeded Virginia or No....
Gonzaga bests Florida State, advances to Elite 8
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Gonzaga is in the Elite Eight for the fourth time following a 72-58 victory over Florida State in the opening West regional semifinal on Thursday night. Rui Hachimura scored 17 points to lead the top-seeded Bulldogs, and Brandon Clarke had 15 points and 12 rebounds as Gonzaga...
Trump turns Mueller probe’s findings into political weapon
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Presenting himself as both vindicated and vindictive, a fired-up President Trump on Thursday turned the findings of the special counsel’s Russia investigation into a political weapon at a boisterous Michigan rally that was part victory lap, part 2020 campaign push. With Robert Mueller’s investigation largely over,...
Tiger Woods down but not out at Match Play
AUSTIN, Texas — The magical escape by Tiger Woods didn’t keep him from losing Thursday in the Dell Technologies Match Play. He just didn’t lose hope of playing on the weekend. The same couldn’t be said for defending champion Bubba Watson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed and a host...
Tourist taking photos dies in fall at Grand Canyon
GRAND CANYON WEST, Ariz. — Two people have died at the Grand Canyon in separate incidents this week that included one man stumbling over the edge of the rim while trying to take pictures, officials said. A helicopter lifted the body of the Hong Kong man from 1,000 feet below...
