Associated Press stories, Page 2591
3.5 magnitude quake shakes parts of northwest Oklahoma
CHEROKEE, Okla. — No damage has been reported following a 3.5 magnitude earthquake in northwestern Oklahoma. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake was recorded at 9:54 a.m. Thursday in Alfalfa County near Cherokee, about 100 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. The temblor was recorded at a depth of about...
Trump-GOP meeting boosts optimism about reaching border deal
WASHINGTON — President Trump appears to be taking a more positive view of Capitol Hill talks on border security, according to negotiators who struck a distinctly optimistic tone after a White House meeting with a top Republican on the broad parameters of a potential bipartisan agreement. Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard...
Browns’ Baker Mayfield will use NFL rookie runner-up as motivatorVideo
CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield stepped onto the stage and took a handoff from former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar. At least he got one postseason trophy. Mayfield, who finished second to New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley in voting for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, was named Cleveland’s...
Duquesne rally falls short against St. Bonaventure
Kyle Lofton scored 16 points, Osun Osunniyi grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds with six blocks and St. Bonaventure held on to defeat Duquesne, 51-49, on Wednesday night. After Osunniyi missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 23 seconds left and the Bonnies up 50-49, he responded by blocking a...
Reporter alleges Jill Abramson lifted material for her book
NEW YORK — Former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson is facing allegations that she lifted material from other sources for her new book, “Merchants of Truth.” A Twitter thread posted Wednesday by Vice correspondent Michael Moynihan lists several examples of passages in “Merchants of Truth: The Business of...
Paul Erickson, boyfriend of admitted covert Russian agent, accused of fraud
PIERRE, S.D. — The boyfriend of a Russian woman who admitted she was a secret agent for the Kremlin has been charged with fraud in South Dakota, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday. Businessman and conservative political operative Paul Erickson, 56, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 11 counts of wire...
Rick Hendrick vows rebound from worst season in team history
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Rick Hendrick worked too hard building NASCAR’s top organization to tolerate mediocrity. If his teams had simply been average last season, he might not rate it as one of the worst in team history. The Hendrick cars were pretty bad — seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson...
House Democrats to seek ‘sensible’ gun laws
WASHINGTON — Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee said Wednesday they will push for “sensible” gun safety laws that the public is demanding after a series of mass shootings in recent years. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the panel’s chairman, said he was disappointed that President Trump did not mention gun...
Gas line explosion in San Francisco sets buildings on fire
SAN FRANCISCO — A gas explosion in a San Francisco neighborhood shot flames high into the air Wednesday and was burning four buildings as utility crews scrambled to shut off the flow of gas. Construction workers cut a natural gas line, San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said. Authorities initially...
Michigan man dies trying to get daughter’s dead cat out of roadway
MERRILL, Mich. — Authorities say a Michigan man was fatally struck by a car while trying to remove his daughter’s dead cat from a roadway before she saw it. Saginaw County sheriff’s officials say 50-year-old Andrew Rosas of Merrill was struck before sunrise Tuesday by a woman who was driving...
Report shows economic clout of Kentucky bourbon over decade
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A decade ago, bourbon barons poured bottles of their precious amber liquid on the Kentucky Capitol steps to protest a looming tax hike. On Wednesday, industry officials stood with lawmakers to cheer another round of growth in the spirits sector. The cause for celebration was a new...
Teen who attacked mom with Molotov cocktail charged as adult
DAVIE, Fla. — A Florida teen will be tried as an adult on charges that he beat his mother with a baseball bat and lit her on fire with a Molotov cocktail because she scolded him about sneaking out of the house and using social media. James Edward Monroe faces...
Conviction upheld for woman who urged boyfriend’s suicide
BOSTON — A young woman who as a teenager encouraged her boyfriend through dozens of text messages to kill himself is responsible for his suicide, Massachusetts highest court ruled Wednesday in upholding her involuntary manslaughter conviction. The Supreme Judicial Court said in a unanimous decision in the novel case that...
Virginia AG says he wore blackface at college party
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia sank deeper into political turmoil Wednesday when another top Democrat — Attorney General Mark Herring — admitted putting on blackface in the 1980s, when he was a college student. With Gov. Ralph Northam’s career in extreme peril over a racist photo in his 1984 medical school...
Patient at Philadelphia hospital is being tested for Ebola
PHILADELPHIA — A patient is being tested for Ebola at a hospital in Philadelphia, although officials don’t believe the patient has the potentially deadly illness. Penn Medicine says preliminary testing at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania indicates the person has another condition. They did not release the patient’s...
London grave of Karl Marx vandalized in hammer attack
LONDON — Custodians of a London cemetery say the tombstone of Karl Marx has been damaged in a hammer attack. The German philosopher and economist was buried in Highgate Cemetery after his death in 1883, and his grave was later topped with a large bronze bust atop a base bearing...
Police: School bus driver shot after crash in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — Authorities say a school bus driver was wounded in a shooting that followed a crash with another vehicle on a snowy interstate near downtown Minneapolis. Minneapolis Public Schools said in a statement that one student was on the small bus Tuesday afternoon and was not hurt. Police spokesman...
Art exhibit shows Ivanka Trump lookalike vacuuming up crumbs
WASHINGTON — A new art exhibit at a Washington museum shows an Ivanka Trump lookalike pushing a vacuum cleaner and invites spectators to toss crumbs for her to clean up. The art piece by Jennifer Rubell, titled “Ivanka Vacuuming,” opened Feb. 1 and continues through Feb. 17 at the Flashpoint...
Craigslist founder donates $15 million for journalism ethics
PASADENA, Calif. — The founder of Craigslist says he will donate $15 million to Columbia University and the Poynter Institute for separate efforts promoting ethics in journalism. The announcement on Wednesday establishes Craig Newmark in the forefront of philanthropists focused on journalism, a cause he’s supported with some $85 million...
United to pursue high-fare travelers with more premium seats
United Airlines will woo high-fare passengers by retrofitting more than 100 planes to add more premium seats on key routes. The airline also plans to start using a new 50-seat jet with mostly premium seats on some key business-travel routes. United announced the moves Wednesday. They are part of an...
Arizona city officials decry new razor wire on border fence
NOGALES, Ariz. — Elected officials in an Arizona border city are decrying the installation of new razor fencing that now covers a border fence through downtown. The city of Nogales, Arizona, which sits on the border with Nogales, Mexico, is contemplating a proclamation Wednesday night condemning the use of concertina...
Pebble Beach won’t offer U.S. Open preview this week
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Only four American courses have hosted a PGA Tour event and a major championship in the same year, a concept that USGA chief executive Mike Davis does not consider to be ideal. One big exception is Pebble Beach. “I think this is great,” Davis said Wednesday...
Abrams rebuts Trump: ‘We do not succeed alone’
ATLANTA — Stacey Abrams stepped onto the biggest stage of her political career Tuesday and accused President Trump and his fellow Republicans of abandoning working Americans and fomenting partisan and cultural discord. The Georgia Democrat introduced herself to the nation months after narrowly losing her bid to become America’s first...
Fact check: What Trump got right and wrong in his State of the Union address
WASHINGTON — The Associated Press is fact-checking remarks from President Trump’s State of the Union speech. Here’s a look at some of the claims we’ve examined: TRADE-NAFTA TRUMP: “Our new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement — or USMCA — will replace NAFTA and deliver for American workers: bringing back our manufacturing jobs, expanding...
As she has done most of her career, Vonn must bounce back from yet another crash
ARE, Sweden — One of the hallmarks of Lindsey Vonn’s career has been the way she bounces back from major crashes. So perhaps it’s fitting the most successful female skier of all time will enter her last race before retiring after yet another tumble into the safety netting. Vonn straddled...
