Associated Press stories, Page 2568
California river floods
GUERNEVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A two-day winter storm rendered two Northern California communities reachable only by boat. The rain-swollen Russian River reached nearly 46 feet (14 meters) Wednesday night, its highest level in more than 20 years. About 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures were flooded by water up to...
John Mayer launches foundation focused on veterans
NEW YORK (AP) — John Mayer is launching a foundation focused on improving the health of veterans through scientific research. The Grammy-winning singer on Friday announced The Heart and Armor Foundation, which plans to focus on veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and meeting the emerging needs of women veterans. Though...
EBay rethinking future of StubHub and classified business
NEW YORK — EBay said Friday that it is considering the sale or spin-off its ticket-reselling site StubHub and its classified ads business after a push from an activist investor. Back in January, Elliott Management said in a letter to the company in that it believed the e-commerce company would...
Arizona man accused of killing his service dog, dumping it in trash
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Police in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale say a man is accused of killing his 4-year-old golden retriever service dog at his home and dumping the dog’s body in a garbage can where it was found by family members. Police say in a statement that 29-year-old Jacob...
Chaos erupts, 2 arrested during Texas execution
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Chaos erupted outside Texas’ death chamber Thursday night when the son of the condemned inmate pounded on the chamber windows, shouted obscenities and threw fists after his father spoke his final words. Billie Wayne Coble, a Vietnam War veteran who killed his estranged wife’s parents and brother...
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee joins Democratic presidential field
SEATTLE — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will seek the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, mixing calls for combating climate change and highlights of his liberal record with an aggressive critique of President Donald Trump. The 68-year-old governor is launching his bid Friday in Seattle, following recent visits to the first primary...
U.S. consumer spending fell sharp 0.5 percent in December
WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer spending tumbled 0.5 percent in December, the biggest decline in nine years. Meanwhile, incomes were rose sharply in December but edged down in January. The Commerce Department says the fall in consumer spending followed sizable gains of 0.7 percent in October and 0.6 percent in November....
Walmart to make ‘every effort’ to keep disabled greeters
After more than a week of backlash, Walmart is pledging to make “every effort” to find other roles for disabled workers who’d accused the retailer of targeting them as it prepares to eliminate the “people greeter” job at 1,000 stores. Greg Foran, president and CEO of Walmart’s U.S. stores, said...
Ex-Vegas headliner faints at 20-year sentence in porn case
LAS VEGAS — A former Las Vegas illusion show headliner from Germany appeared to faint Thursday while being sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined more than $500,000 in a federal child pornography case. Jan Rouven Fuechtener, 40, stiffened and fell backward over his chair after Chief U.S. District...
Martha Stewart partners with Canadian cannabis firm
No, you’re not smoking something. Martha Stewart has entered the fast-growing — but still legally murky — cannabis market. The domestic diva who brought us hemp yarn is now partnering with Canada’s Canopy Growth Corp. to develop new products containing CBD, a compound derived from hemp and marijuana that doesn’t...
Heisman winner Kyler Murray measures up at NFL CombineVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Kyler Murray might not show off his arm or his legs at the NFL Combine, but Thursday he assuaged colossal concerns about his size. The Heisman Trophy-winning dual-threat quarterback and speedy outfielder from the University of Oklahoma checked in at just over 5-foot-10 and 207 pounds with a...
Vegas takes first-round lead at PGA Tour’s Honda Classic
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — A year ago at The Honda Classic, Jhonattan Vegas made seven birdies all week. He is off to a much better start this time. Vegas made six birdies and no bogeys Thursday, shooting a 6-under-par 64 to open a two-stroke lead after the first round....
Ohio man who pleaded guilty in 4 slayings sentenced to death
IRONTON, Ohio — A man who pleaded guilty in the deadly Ohio shootings of four relatives, including a young boy, has been sentenced to the death penalty. A panel of three judges sentenced 24-year-old Arron Lawson on Thursday in the 2017 slayings near Ironton in southern Ohio’s Lawrence County. Prosecutors...
Former governor Paul LePage: Dissolving Electoral College would hurt whites
BANGOR, Maine — Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage says any elimination of the Electoral College would hurt white people. LePage told WVOM radio that allowing the popular vote to choose the president would give minorities more power and that “white people will not have anything to say.” Proposals to eliminate...
German town defends seizing family’s pet, selling it on eBay
BERLIN — Officials in Germany are defending their decision to seize an indebted family’s pet pug and sell it on eBay, saying the move was a last resort because authorities were unable to find anything else to take. The incident in the western town of Ahlen prompted criticism on social...
Jason Witten rejoining Cowboys after year as broadcasterVideo
FRISCO, Texas — Jason Witten said the hardest thing about deciding to retire nine months ago was leaving football without winning a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys. The 36-year-old tight end is giving it another shot. Witten announced Thursday he is coming out of retirement and rejoining the Cowboys...
Bryce Harper, Phillies agree to record $330 million contractVideo
NEW YORK — Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a $330 million, 13-year contract Thursday, the largest deal in baseball history, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Thursday because the agreement is subject to...
Judge won’t make Mongols biker gang surrender trademark logo
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A California federal judge has refused to order the Mongols motorcycle gang to forfeit its trademarked logo, delivering a blow to prosecutors. U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter said Thursday that such an order would have been unconstitutional. Mongols attorney Joe Yanny says the ruling...
Trump accepts Kim’s ‘word’ he had no role in Otto Warmbier death
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday he takes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “at his word” that Kim was unaware of the alleged mistreatment of an American college student who died after being imprisoned there. Trump said in Vietnam that Kim “tells me he didn’t know about it,...
J.C. Penney closes more stores as sales deteriorate
NEW YORK — J.C. Penney is closing more stores after a weak holiday sales season. Net income tumbled nearly 70 percent and revenue slid 8 percent in the fourth-quarter, the most crucial period of the year for retailers who bank on a surge in holiday sales. The company did beat...
Cohen returns to Capitol Hill after slamming Trump as liar
WASHINGTON — In a damning depiction of Donald Trump, the president’s former lawyer cast him as a racist and a con man who used his inner circle to cover up politically damaging allegations about sex and who lied throughout the 2016 election campaign about his business interests in Russia. A...
Trump, Kim summit collapses amid failure to reach deal
HANOI, Vietnam — The nuclear summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un collapsed Thursday after the two sides failed to reach a deal due to a standoff over U.S. sanctions on the reclusive nation, a dispiriting end to high-stakes meetings meant to disarm a global threat....
Israel AG recommends charging Netanyahu with with bribery, breach of trust
JERUSALEM — Israel’s attorney general on Thursday recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with bribery and breach of trust in a series of corruption cases, a momentous move that shook up Israel’s election campaign and could spell the end of the prime minister’s illustrious political career. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit...
Busch Brothers headlining NASCAR’s West Coast swingVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Busch Brothers lead NASCAR into its three-race West Coast swing coming off another set of accomplishments that have established them among the all-time greats of the sport. The Las Vegas natives return home as two of the headliners of NASCAR’s young season. Kyle Busch on Thursday...
Michael Jackson brothers say accusers’ film neglects facts
LOS ANGELES — The family of Michael Jackson had a feeling the years-old child molestation allegations against the pop superstar would resurface at some point. So they say they weren’t entirely surprised to learn that a forthcoming HBO documentary would feature two of his accusers. “I thought, ‘Oh here we...
