Associated Press stories, Page 2582
Florida firefighter blames coca tea for failing drug test
ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida firefighter fired for a positive drug test got his job back after arguing the cocaine in his system was from a tea made with coca leaves. The Orlando Sentinel reports that public records show firefighter Kevin Reynolds told investigators he brought a box of coca...
Gone in a New York minute: How the Amazon deal fell apart
NEW YORK — In early November, word began to leak that Amazon was serious about choosing New York to build a giant new campus. The city was eager to lure the company and its thousands of high-paying tech jobs, offering billions in tax incentives and lighting the Empire State Building...
Climate change means more floods, great and localized
COLUMBIA, S.C. — When he took the job 15 years ago, Horry County Emergency Manager Randy Webster figured his biggest disasters would be wind and surge rolling over his county’s beaches, South Carolina’s top tourist destination. Instead, his worries have shifted inland, where rivers overflowing their banks have caused two...
Elizabeth Warren returns to Nevada, heart of 2008 economic crisis
LAS VEGAS — Democrat Elizabeth Warren, who made her name as a consumer advocate following the 2008 financial crisis, will make her first appearance Sunday as a presidential candidate in Las Vegas, the boom-and-bust town that made Nevada the epicenter of the country’s foreclosure crisis. The Massachusetts senator is trying...
Coroner: Cambria Co. woman, 97, found dead in home died of hypothermia
PORTAGE, Pa. — A coroner says a woman found dead inside her western Pennsylvania home earlier in the week died of hypothermia. Cambria County Coroner Jeffrey Lees says 97-year-old Mary Sopata was found by a neighbor Tuesday in her Portage Township home. The (Johnstown) Tribune-Democrat reports that the home apparently...
Mikaela Shiffrin fights illness, wins 4th straight slalom at worlds
ARE, Sweden — An unprecedented victory for Mikaela Shiffrin. And easily the most dramatic. Skiing through illness, the American barely had the energy to celebrate becoming the first ski racer — male or female — to win the same event at four straight world championships. The 23-year-old Shiffrin won the...
21 Savage ‘wasn’t hiding’ being British, feared deportation
ATLANTA — The Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage said in an interview aired Friday that he didn’t talk about his British citizenship before because he didn’t want to get deported. The Grammy-nominated artist, whose given name is She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was arrested Feb. 3. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement called it...
Swiss actor Bruno Ganz, star of ‘Downfall,’ dies at 77
BERLIN — Swiss actor Bruno Ganz, who played Adolf Hitler cooped up in his Berlin bunker in “Downfall” and an angel in Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire,” has died. He was 77. German news agency dpa reported that Ganz’s management said Saturday he died in Zurich. Ganz, a prominent figure...
Ballpark mustard maker drops Indians’ Chief Wahoo logo
CLEVELAND — The maker of Cleveland’s ballpark mustard is removing the Chief Wahoo logo from its branding and packaging to maintain longstanding ties with the Cleveland Indians baseball team. Cleveland.com reports the Indians have told official partners like Bertman Foods Co., the maker of Bertman Original Ballpark Mustard, those relationships...
Austin Hill earns 1st Truck Series victory in Daytona opener
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Austin Hill blocked his way to his first career Truck Series victory in a crash-marred season-opener Friday night at Daytona International Speedway. With only nine of the 32 trucks still running in the second overtime, Hill had to block Grant Enfinger for most of the final...
Chicago police release 2 men questioned in Jussie Smollett case
CHICAGO — Chicago police released without charges two Nigerian brothers arrested on suspicion of assaulting “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett and said they have new evidence to investigate as a result of questioning them. “The individuals questioned by police in the Empire case have now been released without charging and detectives...
2nd arrest made in robbery that led to NYPD friendly fire death
NEW YORK — Police arrested a man Friday suspected of being the lookout during a robbery that led to the friendly fire death of a New York City police detective, an official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press. The man was taken into custody in Queens hours after...
Vatican defrocks former U.S. cardinal Theodore McCarrick over sex abuse
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has defrocked former U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick after Vatican officials found him guilty of soliciting for sex while hearing Confession and sexual crimes against minors and adults, the Holy See said Saturday. The punishment for the once-powerful prelate, who had served as the archbishop of...
Academy reverses plans, will air all awards live at Oscars
NEW YORK — Bowing to a backlash that had threatened to engulf an already blunder-plagued Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday reversed its decision to present four awards during the commercial breaks of this year’s Oscar broadcast. All 24 categories will be shown live,...
Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid settle collusion grievances with NFL
NEW YORK — With a public hearing looming and the threat of owners and league officials facing depositions, the NFL settled collusion cases brought by Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid. The league, about to celebrate its 100th season, faced criticism from all sides thanks to the protest movement started by...
Women filmmakers have record showing at Berlin Film Festival
BERLIN — The voice of the female filmmaker was louder than ever at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, with seven out of the 16 films in the competition section helmed by women, and female directors from all corners of the globe featured prominently. Women directors represented 63 percent of the...
Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows
WASHINGTON — Guest lineups for the Sunday TV news shows: ABC’s “This Week” — Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.; Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; California Attorney General Xavier Becerra; former Gov. William Weld, R-Mass. ——— NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio; Tom...
Alabama police officer shot, suspects die in subsequent fire
AUBURN, Ala. — An Alabama police officer who was shot multiple times after responding to reports of an armed robbery was recovering Saturday, while two suspects are believed to have died in a fire following a shootout. The incident began about 5:30 p.m. Friday, the Opelika-Auburn News reported. An Auburn...
Snow too thick to plow keeps skiers from California resorts
SAN FRANCISCO — Winter weather enveloping California’s mountains for a fourth straight day Friday kept skiers from hitting the slopes at the start of the Presidents Day holiday weekend, with snow so deep that plows could not tackle it and cities scrambled to find places to pile it. Several routes...
Kyle Busch chases Richard Petty for 200 NASCAR wins
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Busch had been sprayed with champagne and hoisted his winner’s trophy last July at Pocono Raceway when fans sitting high above the stage shouted his name so they could snap a quick photo. Busch craned his neck to oblige the requests, and the signage on...
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...
