Associated Press stories, Page 564
U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks dies at 80 after being struck by vehicle near Nevada courthouse
RENO, Nev. — Larry Hicks, a federal judge in Nevada for more than 20 years, died after being struck by a vehicle near the courthouse in Reno, authorities and his family said. He was 80. Hicks was a pedestrian struck at an intersection Wednesday afternoon, taken to a hospital and...
Schools in basketball-centric leagues face different economic challenges with NCAA settlement
Bernadette McGlade leads an Atlantic 10 built around basketball and focused on getting multiple bids to the NCAA men’s tournament much more than anything tied to big-time football. Yet her league is among dozens of conferences and scores of schools that will feel the impact from the NCAA and major...
At 100, this vet says the ‘greatest generation’ moniker fits ‘because we saved the world’
HELEN, Ga. — A profile of Andrew “Andy” Negra Jr., of Helen, Georgia, one of a dwindling number of veterans took part in the Allies’ European war effort that led to the defeat of Nazi Germany. Born: May 28, 1924, near Avella, Pennsylvania. Service: Army’s 128th Armored Field Artillery Battalion,...
McDonald’s says $18 Big Mac meal was an ‘exception’ and news reports overstated its price increases
McDonald’s is fighting back against viral tweets and media reports that it says have exaggerated its price increases. In a post on the company’s website Wednesday, McDonald’s U.S. President Joe Erlinger said reports suggesting the price of the average Big Mac has doubled since 2019 were false. McDonald’s said the...
The U.S.-built pier in Gaza broke apart. Here’s how we got here and what might be next
WASHINGTON — A string of security, logistical and weather problems has battered the plan to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza through a U.S. military-built pier. Broken apart by strong winds and heavy seas just over a week after it became operational, the project faces criticism that it hasn’t...
Israel says it’s taken control of key area of Gaza’s border with Egypt awash in smuggling tunnels
JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said Wednesday it seized control of a strategic corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt to cut off smuggling tunnels as it tries to destroy the militant Hamas group in a war now in its eighth month. The capture of the Philadelphi Corridor could complicate Israel’s relations...
The Panda Party is back on as giant pandas will return to Washington’s National Zoo
WASHINGTON — Months after the nation’s capital bid an emotional farewell to its giant pandas, the National Zoo is expecting a renewed surge in panda-mania with the announcement that two more of the furry black-and-white icons will be coming to Washington. The zoo announced Wednesday that a fresh agreement had...
Gymnastics star Gabby Douglas pulls out of U.S. Championships, ending bid for 3rd Olympics
FORT WORTH, Texas — Gabby Douglas’ long shot bid to make the U.S. women’s gymnastics team for the Paris Olympics is over. The 2012 Olympic all-around champion withdrew from the USA Gymnastics Championships on Wednesday, citing an ankle injury. The 28-year-old Douglas, who also helped the U.S. win gold in...
Front Row buys NASCAR charter to expand to 3 Cup Series cars in ’25, does not disclose seller, price
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Front Row Motorsports said Wednesday it has purchased a charter that will expand the NASCAR team to three cars in the Cup Series in 2025. Front Row did not reveal the seller, but the announcement comes one day after Stewart-Haas Racing said it was shuttering its four-car...
Minnesota beats Boston for inaugural Walter Cup as Professional Women’s Hockey League champs
LOWELL, Mass. — Minnesota won the inaugural championship of the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Wednesday night, getting 17 saves from Nicole Hensley to beat Boston, 3-0, in a winner-take-all Game 5 and claim the Walter Cup. Three nights after prematurely celebrating a would-be winner in double overtime that was...
Charges against world’s top golfer Scottie Scheffler dropped after arrest outside PGA Championship
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship. Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell asked a judge Wednesday afternoon to drop the four charges against...
Iga Swiatek saves a match point and comes back to beat Naomi Osaka at the French Open
PARIS — Iga Swiatek played like the current No. 1 and the two-time defending champion at the French Open. No surprise there. That Naomi Osaka looked like the former No. 1 that she is — and on clay, no less — amounted to an announcement that she is still quite...
Tied going into Game 5, Rangers-Panthers series in East final is quite the show
SUNRISE, Fla. — Some tickets to Thursday’s Game 5 of the Florida-New York series at Madison Square Garden are listed for more than $4,000 apiece on the secondary markets. For Saturday’s Game 6 in South Florida, listings for similar seats at ice level are reaching around $3,000. Obviously, that’s big...
Harvey Weinstein may face new charges as more accusers come forward, New York prosecutors say
NEW YORK — Manhattan prosecutors told a judge Wednesday they are evaluating more claims of sexual misconduct made against Harvey Weinstein and could potentially seek a new indictment against him before his scheduled retrial on rape and sexual assault charges. Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said during a court hearing...
Biden and Harris will launch a Black voter outreach effort as they see signs of diminished support
PHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are stepping up their reelection pitch to Black voters, a key part of their 2020 winning coalition that has shown signs of fraying. They’ll launch a new Black voter outreach effort during a visit to the battleground state of Pennsylvania...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. files complaint over rules for CNN’s presidential debate next month
PHOENIX — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed an election complaint Wednesday alleging CNN is colluding with Democratic President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump to exclude him from a debate the network is hosting next month. Kennedy alleges the requirements to participate in the June...
Alito rejects calls to step aside from Supreme Court cases because of flag controversies
WASHINGTON — Justice Samuel Alito is rejecting calls to step aside from Supreme Court cases involving former President Donald Trump and Jan. 6 defendants, saying his wife hoisted the two controversial flags that flew above their homes. “My wife is fond of flying flags. I am not,” Alito wrote Wednesday....
Charges against world’s top golfer Scottie Scheffler dropped after arrest outside PGA ChampionshipVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship. Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell asked a judge Wednesday afternoon to drop the four charges against...
Israel’s military says it’s taken control of a strategic corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt
TEL AVIV, Israel — Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in an ambush by an explosive device in Rafah, the military and media reported, as the Israeli national security adviser said that the war against Hamas militants would likely last through the end of the year. Three other soldiers were...
Inflation pressures lingering from pandemic are keeping Fed rate cuts on pause
WASHINGTON — Hopes for interest rate cuts this year by the Federal Reserve are steadily fading, with a stream of recent remarks by Fed officials underscoring their intention to keep borrowing costs high as long as needed to curb persistently elevated inflation. A key reason for the delay in rate...
Bronny James is staying in the NBA draft, agent Rich Paul announces
Bronny James is keeping his name in the NBA draft, with the hopes of joining his father in the league next season. “He’s a really good prospect who has a lot of room for growth,” Rich Paul, the CEO of Klutch Sports Group, told ESPN, which first reported the decision....
An Iceland volcano starts erupting again, spewing lava into the sky
GRINDAVIK, Iceland — A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Wednesday for the fifth time since December, spewing red streams of lava in the latest display of nature’s power and triggering the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. The eruption began in the early afternoon following a series of...
New Hampshire’s limits on teaching on race and gender are unconstitutional, judge says
CONCORD, N.H. — A federal judge has struck down New Hampshire’s nearly 3-year-old law limiting what teachers can say about race, gender, sexual orientation, disability and other topics in public schools as unconstitutionally vague. The ruling could revive the topic as an election year campaign issue. Republicans pitched the 2021...
Jurors in Trump hush money trial end 1st day of deliberations after asking to rehear testimony
NEW YORK — The jury in Donald Trump’s hush money trial ended its first day of deliberations without a verdict Wednesday but asked to rehear potentially crucial testimony about the alleged hush money scheme at the heart of the history-making case. The 12-person jury was sent home around 4 p.m....
ConocoPhillips buying Marathon Oil for $17.1B in all-stock deal as energy prices rise
ConocoPhillips is buying Marathon Oil in an all-stock deal valued at approximately $17.1 billion as energy prices rise and big oil companies reap massive profits. The deal is valued at $22.5 billion when including $5.4 billion in debt. Crude prices have jumped more than 12% this year and the cost...
