Associated Press stories, Page 2582
Payless ShoeSource to shutter all of its remaining U.S. stores
NEW YORK — Payless ShoeSource is shuttering all of its 2,100 remaining stores in the United States and Puerto Rico, joining a list of iconic names like Toys R Us and Bon-Ton that have closed down in the last year. The Topeka, Kan.-based chain said Friday it will hold liquidation...
Pa. candy company exec who mass-produced Peeps gets his own day
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — With prime Peeps season about to get underway, the Pennsylvania city where they’re “born” is honoring the man who brought marshallow chicks to the masses. The (Allentown) Morning Call reports that Bethlehem Mayor Robert Donchez proclaimed Friday as “Bob Born Day” in a ceremony at company offices....
9/11 fund running out of money for those with illnesses
NEW YORK — The compensation fund for victims of 9/11 is running out of money and will cut future payments by 50 to 70 percent, officials announced Friday. September 11th Victim Compensation Fund special master Rupa Bhattacharyya said she was “painfully aware of the inequity of the situation” but stressed...
Gunman kills 5 people, wounds 5 police at Illinois business
AURORA, Ill. — An employee of a manufacturing company opened fire at its suburban Chicago plant Friday, killing five people and wounding five police officers before he was fatally shot, police said. Aurora, Illinois, Police Chief Kristen Ziman told a news conference that the gunman was 45-year-old Gary Martin and...
Beer from 1886 shipwreck may yield new brew
COBLESKILL, N.Y. — Ahoy, beer lovers: A bottle from a 133-year-old shipwreck may yield yeast for a new brew in upstate New York. Biotechnology students at the State University of New York at Cobleskill uncorked a bottle from the shipwrecked SS Oregon on Thursday. Serious Brewing Company of Howes Cave...
Amazon dumped New York, but cities still wooing the company
Amazon’s breakup with New York was still fresh when other cities started sending their own valentines to the online giant. Officials in Newark, New Jersey, one of the 18 finalists that Amazon rejected in November when it announced plans to put its new headquarters in New York and northern Virginia,...
Chicago police arrest 2 suspects in attack on Smollett
CHICAGO — The investigation into black actor Jussie Smollett’s account of being beaten in a racist, anti-gay attack took another turn Friday when Chicago police said two men arrested in the case are also black. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the two were arrested for “probable cause” of committing assault...
Amazon’s stormy week will blow over, but debris will stay
SAN FRANCISCO — It’s been a complicated few weeks for Amazon, what with its abrupt pullout from a massive New York City development, extortion claims related to intimate photos taken by its founder Jeff Bezos and increasing antitrust scrutiny in Europe . For now, these events seem unlikely to pose...
Man charged with setting Ohio sheriff’s deputy on fire
RAVENNA, Ohio — Authorities say a man tossed a flammable liquid on an Ohio sheriff’s deputy trying to arrest him and set him on fire, causing severe burns. The Portage County Sheriff’s Office says the deputy was injured Thursday evening in Rootstown Township, about 55 miles south of Cleveland. The...
A few feel-good moments to remember from NY Fashion Week
NEW YORK (AP) — Fashion Week has ended in New York, leaving a trail of sequins and feathers, worn-out stilettos and blisters and traffic jams. But sometimes, fashion feels good: there were some moments of genuine, happy emotion. Here are a few feel-good moments of the week: —— BARRY IN...
Trump declares emergency to build border wall
President Donald Trump announced Friday that he will declare a national emergency to fulfill his pledge to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump said he will use executive powers to bypass Congress, which approved far less money for his proposed wall than he had sought. He plans to...
U.S. adopts new rules for handling child bride petitions
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has announced new rules for scrutinizing requests to bring minor spouses to the United States. That word comes from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — the agency that considers whether to approve such requests. The Associated Press reported last month that thousands of requests...
Main suspect in Sweden’s royal jewels heist confesses
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The main suspect in the theft of royal funeral artifacts from a Swedish cathedral confessed Friday to stealing them after his DNA was found on the items that were pulled out last week from a garbage bin north of Stockholm. Swedish broadcaster SVT, reporting Friday from a...
Body found on island 26 years ago has been identified
NORWALK, Conn. — A body found on an island off Connecticut 26 years ago has finally been identified. The Hour reports that Norwalk police on Thursday announced that using fingerprints they have figured out the identity of the man discovered April 18, 1996, on city-owned Shea Island in Long Island...
Ohio children’s hospital ends use of cats for medical procedure class
CINCINNATI — Cats will no longer be used by an Ohio children’s hospital for teaching doctors a method of examining human airways and lungs. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals had complained to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center about practicing bronchoscopy procedure on cats. The animal rights group says...
Pa. man gets life for murder, attempted rape of teen cousin
CROYDON — A Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty to the murder and attempted rape of his 14-year-old cousin who was stabbed dozens of times and also shot inside a home where they both lived. Colin Haag III entered his plea Thursday and was sentenced to life in prison without parole....
Pa. husband accidentally runs over, kills wife in their driveway
PALMER — Authorities say a man accidentally ran over and killed his wife in the driveway of their Pennsylvania home. Palmer Township police say the accident occurred around 3 p.m. Thursday, moments after 66-year-old Debra Mitchell got out of the car. Mitchell was walking toward the back of the vehicle...
Vice president Mike Pence makes his 1st visit to Auschwitz
WARSAW, Poland — U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is visiting the memorial site of Auschwitz along with the Polish president. It was the first visit for Pence, a conservative Christian, to the site where German forces murdered 1.1 million people, most of them Jews but also Poles, Roma and others,...
Top Vatican priest in Paris facing ‘sexual aggression’ probe
PARIS — A French judicial official says the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into alleged “sexual aggression” by Catholic priest Luigi Ventura, the Apostolic Nuncio to France. Confirming a report published by Le Monde newspaper on Friday, the official said the investigation will be conducted by Paris police...
Former drama teacher charged with having sex with a student
WASHBURN, Mo. — A former Missouri drama teacher has been charged with having sex with a 16-year-old student at the high school. The Springfield News-Leader reports that 23-year-old Chelsie Leroy, of Washburn, was charged last week with four felonies, including two counts each of second-degree statutory rape and sexual contact...
Avenatti says he has new video evidence against R. Kelly
CHICAGO — Attorney Michael Avenatti said Thursday that he has given Chicago prosecutors new video evidence of R&B star R. Kelly having sex with an underage girl. Avenatti said the video is not the same evidence used in Kelly’s 2008 trial, when he was acquitted on child pornography charges. CNN,...
Risk of flooding, mudslides remains after California storm
SAUSALITO, Calif. — Authorities warn that mudslides are still possible Friday even after a damaging storm moved through California, trapping people in floodwaters, triggering a debris flow that destroyed homes, and forcing residents to flee communities scorched by wildfires last year. The powerful system swept in from the Pacific Ocean...
Robert Morris loses to Mount St. Mary’s, drops 4th in 5 games
EMMITSBURG, Md. — Vado Morse had 21 points as Mount St. Mary’s got past Robert Morris, 76-62, on Thursday night. Morse shot 10 for 12 from the foul line. Josh Williams had 16 points for the Colonials (13-13, 8-5). Jon Williams added 14 points. Charles Bain had nine rebounds. Jalen...
Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick lead Ford sweep in Daytona qualifying
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano won the Daytona 500 qualifying races in a pair of Ford sweeps that have the new Mustang positioned for a strong showing in “The Great American Race.” Harvick won the first of the 150-mile qualifying races Thursday night that set the...
Arch Coal plans to open W.Va. mine, add nearly 600 jobs
CHARLESTON, W.Va.— Arch Coal Inc. says it plans to open a longwall mine in northcentral West Virginia and employ nearly 600 employees when it’s fully operational. The St. Louis-based coal producer announced the plans in a news release Thursday. The Leer South mine in Barbour County is expected to produce...
