Associated Press stories, Page 2575
Patriots owner Robert Kraft charged with soliciting prostitution in Florida
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is being charged with misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution after he was twice videotaped paying for a sex act at an illicit massage parlor, police in Florida said Friday. Jupiter police told reporters Friday that the 77-year-old Kraft hasn’t been arrested. A warrant will be...
EU says it’s ready to hit back if U.S. imposes car tariffs
BUCHAREST, Romania — A European Union official says “there is full support” from member states to hit back if President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on cars and car parts. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said EU trade ministers had discussed the bloc’s trading relationship with Washington during an informal meeting...
Church of England says Sunday services no longer mandatory
LONDON — The Church of England has acknowledged the reality of shrinking congregations and overworked priests and lifted a 400-year-old rule requiring that all churches hold services every Sunday. Canon law dating from 1603 required priests to hold morning and evening prayers and a communion service each Sunday in every...
Swede gets 4½ years for royal jewels heist
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A 22-year-old Swede was sentenced Friday to four and a half years in prison after he was convicted of stealing 17th-century Swedish royal treasures estimated to be worth $7 million from a cathedral last year. The Eskiltuna District Court said Johan Nicklas Backstrom stole two crowns and...
Powerful 7.5-magnitude quake hits eastern Ecuador
LONDON — A very powerful magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck southern Ecuador in the early hours of Friday close to the country’s border with Peru, although no immediate reports of possible casualties or damage were available. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake happened at 5:17 a.m. (EST) 71 miles southeast...
Ex-Lackawanna County prison guard gets probation for sex with inmate
SCRANTON — A former guard at a Pennsylvania prison has been sentenced to nine months of probation for having sex with an inmate while she was out on work release nearly a decade ago. Jeffrey Staff was one of seven guards to be charged with sexually abusing inmates at Lackawanna...
Police: Stolen rare coins ended up in change machines
NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. — Authorities say a Florida man stole collectible coins worth tens of thousands of dollars, then ran them through grocery store change machines that returned just a fraction of their value. The Palm Beach Post report s 20-year-old Shane Anthony Mele of Riviera Beach told investigators...
Stocks climb, giving S&P 500 its 4th straight weekly gain
Technology and health care companies led U.S. stocks higher Friday, erasing some of the market’s losses from a day earlier and giving the benchmark S&P 500 its fourth straight weekly gain. The broad rally came as investors grew hopeful that the latest round of talks between the U.S. and China...
New York mother killed by driver who plowed into family called a hero
HAVERSTRAW, N.Y. — The 32-year-old mother who was killed when an enraged driver plowed into a family of six young children outside a 7-Eleven store in Rockland County is being called a hero. Melissa DeLoatch was killed when police say 35-year-old Jason Mendez, of Washingtonville, deliberately rammed his car twice...
Israel flying to moon as a result of SpaceX launch
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — An Israeli spacecraft rocketed toward the moon for the country’s first attempted lunar landing, following a launch Thursday night by SpaceX. A communications satellite for Indonesia was the main cargo aboard the Falcon 9 rocket, which illuminated the sky as it took flight. But Israel’s privately...
White House says U.S. will keep 200 troops in Syria
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration, which abruptly announced in December that it was pulling out of Syria, said Thursday that it will keep 200 U.S. troops in the country for now. “A small peace keeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for period of time,” White House press...
Tennessee gov. says he regrets wearing Confederate uniform
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee was 17 when he joined the Kappa Alpha fraternity at Auburn University, which every spring held an “Old South” party where he and other members dressed in Confederate uniforms. The fraternity has since ended the tradition, and Lee, four decades removed from his...
Judge: U.S. violated victim rights in Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse case
FORT LAUDERDALE — Federal prosecutors in Florida violated the rights of victims by secretly reaching a non-prosecution agreement with a wealthy financier accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, a federal judge ruled Thursday. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra said in a 33-page decision that victims of financier Jeffrey...
New election ordered in disputed North Carolina House race
RALEIGH — North Carolina’s elections board Thursday ordered a new election in the nation’s last undecided congressional race after the Republican candidate conceded that his apparent victory was tainted by evidence of ballot-tampering by political operatives working for him. The State Board of Elections voted 5-0 in favor of a...
New election ordered in disputed North Carolina House race
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s elections board Thursday ordered a new election in the nation’s last undecided congressional race after the Republican candidate conceded that his apparent victory was tainted by evidence of ballot-tampering by political operatives working for him. The State Board of Elections voted 5-0 in favor of...
Penn State ex-president Graham Spanier’s request for appeal denied
HARRISBURG — Penn State’s president when the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal erupted may soon be going to jail after Pennsylvania’s highest court declined Thursday to hear the appeal of his conviction for child endangerment. The state Supreme Court ruled it will not take up Graham Spanier’s appeal of the...
Former Kansas volleyball coach catalogued stolen underwear
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Court documents say a former volunteer volleyball coach at the University of Kansas stole dozens of pairs of underwear from players and catalogued them in labeled plastic storage containers. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the police affidavit released Wednesday says that a search of 23-year-old Skyler Yee’s...
Pacific typhoon expected to lash Guam with gusty wind, rain
HAGATNA, Guam — A growing typhoon in the Pacific is heading toward the Mariana Islands and could lash Guam with strong winds, rain and surf this weekend. The U.S. National Weather Service in Guam reports Typhoon Wutip was packing 100 mph winds and will continue to intensify through Saturday. The...
New Harry Potter roller coaster opening at Universal Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. — Harry Potter fans should get ready to rev their engines. A new roller coaster modeled after the character Hagrid’s motorcycle will open at Universal Orlando Resort in June. The theme park resort said Thursday that Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure will take riders on a trip with...
Capitals acquire ex-Penguin Carl Hagelin from Kings
The Washington Capitals have acquired winger Carl Hagelin from the Los Angeles Kings for a 2019 third-round pick and a conditional sixth-round pick in the next year’s entry draft. The teams announced the trade Thursday after Washington winger Devante Smith-Pelly cleared waivers and was assigned to Hershey of the American...
‘Ugly produce’ trend may have limits, as grocers end tests
URBANDALE, Iowa — Is the “ugly produce’” trend already reaching the end of its shelf life in supermarkets? Walmart and Whole Foods in recent years tried selling some blemished fruits and vegetables at a discount, produce they said might otherwise be trashed because it’s not quite the right size, shape...
Authorities: 3 people found stabbed in Delaware County home
FOLSOM, Pa. — Authorities say three people have been stabbed at Pennsylvania home. But it’s not yet clear what sparked the stabbings, which occurred around 10 a.m. Thursday in Ridley. Authorities say the victims are all related. But their names and further details about them were not disclosed. The injuries...
Police: Alabama woman burglarized homes during funerals
PRICEVILLE, Ala. — An Alabama woman is accused of breaking into the homes of people who were attending relatives’ funerals. A statement released Thursday by police in the north Alabama town of Priceville says they’ve arrested 43-year-old Jennifer Lynn Azizian on four counts of burglary. Police say evidence obtained in...
Pope offers 21 proposals to fight abuse at start of summit
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis opened a landmark sex abuse prevention summit Thursday by offering senior Catholic leaders 21 proposals to punish predators and keep children safe, warning that the faithful are demanding concrete action and not just words. The tone for the high stakes, four-day summit was set at...
Police: Man says he stole Pepsi truck to get to the airport
TULSA, Okla. — Authorities say an Oklahoma man stole a Pepsi truck as the driver was unloading soda in the back. Tulsa police say no one was hurt. The driver jumped out of the back when he felt his rig move. A trail of sodas spilled out as the truck...
