Associated Press stories, Page 2529
Winning $768M Powerball ticket sold in Wisconsin
NEW BERLIN, Wis. — A single ticket that matched all six Powerball numbers to win the estimated $768.4 million jackpot — the third-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history — was sold in a Milwaukee suburb, Wisconsin Lottery officials said Thursday. The ticket, worth a cash option of $477 million, was...
NASCAR’s winners/losers from radical schedule changes
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An entire generation of NASCAR has spent its life tuned to a schedule so predictable events could be planned years in advance and race dates marked milestones. Daytona meant the beach — a week out of school in February, the Fourth of July for vacation — and...
New-look Reds await Pirates in season opener
CINCINNATI — The MLB commissioner is grand marshal of the pregame parade. All major league teams are wearing patches commemorating Cincinnati’s first all-professional team. A new manager and an overhauled lineup provide intrigue. The Reds haven’t been in the Opening Day spotlight this way for years. The last time Cincinnati...
Alaska white supremacist gang members face federal charges
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Filthy Fuhrer and five other members of a white supremacist gang that was spawned in prisons in Alaska, Arizona and Colorado have been charged in the gruesome beating death of a member whose Nazi tattoo was burned off his rib cage with a hot knife. Fuhrer, who...
Arizona lawmaker resigns amid probe of 1983 sex charges
PHOENIX — Arizona Rep. David Stringer resigned Wednesday amid an ethics investigation of 1983 sex charges and his comments on race and immigration. The Prescott Republican lawmaker stepped down as he faced a 5 p.m. deadline to hand over documents demanded by the House Ethics Committee. Earlier in the day...
Man pleads guilty to kidnapping Jayme Closs, killing parents
BARRON, Wis. — A Wisconsin man pleaded guilty Wednesday to kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents, in a move that spares the girl held captive in a remote cabin for three months from the possible trauma of having to testify at his trial. Jake Patterson, 21, sniffled and...
MLB moves into new era: No players left from 20th century
Four-man outfields. High-tech anti-spying rules. A starting pitcher facing just one batter in a playoff game. But beyond all the shifts, analytics and social media outreach, here’s the best way to tell MLB has zoomed into a new era: There’s not a single active player left from the 20th century....
Cameron Reddish coming up clutch for Duke
DURHAM, N.C. — When Duke needs a clutch 3-pointer, the best option might be Cameron Reddish. The freshman has been solid overall, hitting one-third of his 3s, but that number jumps to 42 percent in the second halves of games that are either tied or within a possession. And as...
Police: 2 killed in ‘random’ shooting, crash in Seattle
SEATTLE — A man opened fire on motorists in a Seattle neighborhood in what authorities are calling a “random” attack that left two dead and two injured Wednesday afternoon. One man was fatally shot and another killed in an automobile crash, authorities said. Two other people were shot but survived,...
Federal judge blocks Medicaid work rules in blow to Trump
WASHINGTON — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Medicaid work requirements undermine the program’s mission of providing health care for the needy, dealing a blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to push the poor toward self-sufficiency. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg in Washington, D.C., blocked work requirements for low-income...
Tiger returns to Match Play with a win
AUSTIN, Texas — Tiger Woods made a successful return to Dell Technologies Match Play with a victory. Jordan Spieth found some success with a tie. The most unpredictable tournament in golf began Wednesday with only a few surprises as only four of the top 16 seeds in group play failed...
Houston’s resurgence rekindles memories of Phi Slama Jama
HOUSTON — When the Houston Cougars were last in the Sweet 16, Hakeem Olajuwon starred and coach Guy V. Lewis stalked the sideline in his trademark plaid jackets. Thirty-five years later, a new generation of Cougars led by Houston native Galen Robinson Jr., Armoni Brooks and Corey Davis Jr. finally...
Woman who shoved friend off bridge gets jail, work crewVideo
VANCOUVER, Wash. — A woman who pleaded guilty to pushing her 16-year-old friend from a bridge at a popular swimming area near Vancouver has been sentenced to two days in jail and 38 days on a county work crew. Clark County District Court Judge Darvin Zimmerman sentenced 19-year-old Tay’lor Smith...
FAA defends its reliance on aircraft makers to certify jets
WASHINGTON — Under fire from lawmakers on Capitol Hill over the two deadly Boeing crashes, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday defended the FAA’s practice of relying on aircraft makers to help certify their own planes for flight. Acting FAA Administrator Daniel Elwell said the strategy has...
Phil Cofer on minds of Florida State players, coach
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Phil Cofer is not with Florida State, but he was very much on the minds of his teammates as they practiced Wednesday. The Seminoles are in the Sweet 16 for the second straight year, but the senior forward is in Georgia preparing for his father’s funeral Saturday....
Man awarded $80M in lawsuit claiming Roundup causes cancer
SAN FRANCISCO — A jury on Wednesday awarded $80 million in damages to a California man who blamed Roundup weed killer for his cancer, in a case that his attorneys say could help determine the fate of hundreds of similar lawsuits. The six-person jury in San Francisco returned its verdict...
Get ready for a Sweet 16 filled with favorites, star players, great matchups
Last year’s NCAA Tournament was an epic ride for the underdogs, from UMBC’s historic takedown of No. 1 Virginia to Loyola-Chicago’s march to the Final Four. This year, Cinderella stayed home to get some beauty sleep. Top seeds and power programs only, please. The top three seeds are still alive...
2,000 at Temple University get shots amid mumps outbreak
PHILADELPHIA — More than 2,000 students and staffers at Temple University took advantage of free vaccine booster shots Wednesday as the number of mumps cases at the school topped 100. Philadelphia health officials said 2,285 people were given shots during the first of two clinics offering the MMR vaccine. The...
James Fields changes plea to guilty on hate crimes in Charlottesville car attack
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A man convicted on state murder charges in a deadly car attack at a white nationalist rally in Virginia pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal hate crime charges in a case that stirred racial tensions across the country. James Alex Fields Jr., of Maumee, Ohio, pleaded guilty to...
MLB hopes to gain control of local broadcast deals
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball hopes to gain control of local broadcasting agreements involving its teams, the reason behind its bid to purchase regional sports networks from The Walt Disney Co. Disney acquired 22 RSNs as part of its $71 billion purchase of 21st Century Fox’s entertainment business this...
Julia Louis-Dreyfus reveals last season story line of ‘Veep’
NEW YORK — Julia Louis-Dreyfus still had tears to shed as she said her official farewell to “Veep.” The only problem is she forgot to bring tissues. Shooting wrapped for the series in December, but those tearful goodbyes were not enough as she and the cast of the HBO comedy...
Official: Norway cruise ship engines failed from lack of oil
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A cruise ship that was the focus of a daring rescue operation off Norway’s frigid North Sea coast became disabled because its engines didn’t have enough lubricating oil, the country’s top maritime official said Wednesday. Low oil levels were the “direct cause” of the engine failure that...
Texas retailer gives 60,000 bump stocks to feds to destroy
FORT WORTH, Texas — A Texas retailer of now-banned bump stocks has transferred about 60,000 of the gun-related items to the federal government to be destroyed. RW Arms of Fort Worth turned over the bump stocks to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The products will be shredded...
Facebook extends ban on hate speech to ‘white nationalists’
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook is extending its ban on hate speech to prohibit the promotion and support of white nationalism and white separatism. The company previously allowed such material even though it has long banned white supremacists. The social network said Wednesday that it didn’t apply the ban previously to...
U.S.: North Korean nuke work ‘inconsistent’ with disarmament
WASHINGTON — North Korea’s work on nuclear weapons and missiles is “inconsistent” with its stated intent to move toward nuclear disarmament on the Korean Peninsula, the commander of American and allied forces in South Korea said Wednesday. Army Gen. Robert Abrams, in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, also...
