Associated Press stories, Page 588
Judy Garland’s hometown is raising funds to purchase stolen ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby slippers
GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — The Minnesota hometown of Judy Garland, the actress who wore a pair of ruby slippers in “The Wizard of Oz,” is raising money to purchase the prized footwear after it was stolen from a local museum and then later turned over to an auction company. Grand...
Average long-term U.S. mortgage rate falls again, easing to lowest level since early April
LOS ANGELES — Home loan borrowing costs eased again this week as the average rate on a 30-year mortgage declined to its lowest level since early April. The rate fell to 6.87% from 6.95% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.67%. This...
Maryland cargo ship crew members can go home under agreement allowing questioning amid bridge collapse probes
BALTIMORE — Crew members on the cargo ship Dali can head home as soon as Thursday under an agreement that allows lawyers to question them amid ongoing investigations into what led to the deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. That would mark the first time any of the...
France coach says he assumes masked Mbappé will be available for Netherlands match at Euro 2024
LEIPZIG, Germany — France coach Didier Deschamps says he assumes Kylian Mbappé will be available for the Euro 2024 clash against the Netherlands on Friday. “Everything is going well, after the shock we had. He was able to take part is some light exercises yesterday and that will be the...
Supreme Court upholds conviction of woman who challenged expert testimony in a drug case
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the conviction of a California woman who said she did not know about a stash of methamphetamine hidden inside her car. In a ruling that crossed the court’s ideological lines, the 6-3 majority opinion dismissed arguments that an expert witness for the...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fails to qualify for CNN’s debate. It’ll be a showdown between Biden and Trump
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has failed to qualify for next week’s debate in Atlanta, according to host network CNN, falling shy of benchmarks both for state ballot qualification and necessary polling. The missed markers mean that the June 27 showdown will be solely between...
Rapper Travis Scott arrested in Miami Beach for misdemeanor trespassing and public intoxicationVideo
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Rapper Travis Scott was arrested by Miami Beach police early Thursday on misdemeanor charges of trespassing and public intoxication. Miami Beach police confirmed the arrest, but did not immediately provide any details. Scott, 33, posted his $650 bond, which means he will be released later...
Down a step from elite college football, officials pitch a model for a new sports landscape
Facing upheaval on the way in college athletics, a handful of administrators and athletes from smaller schools have been working on a new model of governance. The hope by members of the Football Championship Subdivision and Division I-AAA (programs without football) is to give their athletes more of a say...
The fight for abortion rights gets an unlikely messenger in swing state Pennsylvania: Sen. Bob Casey
HARRISBURG — Abortion rights, suddenly a potent political force in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to leave such matters to the states, have found an unlikely champion in swing state Pennsylvania. Sen. Bob Casey, who will appear on the November ballot beneath President Joe Biden as the...
So long plastic air pillows: Amazon shifting to recycled paper filling for packages in North America
Amazon is shifting from the plastic air pillows used for packaging in North America to recycled paper because it’s more environmentally sound, and it says paper just works better. The company said Thursday that it’s already replaced 95% of the plastic air pillows with paper filler in North America and...
Supreme Court upholds a tax on foreign income over a business-backed challenge
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a tax on foreign income over a challenge backed by business and anti-regulatory interests, declining their invitation to weigh in on a broader, never-enacted tax on wealth. The justices left in place a provision of a 2017 tax law that is expected...
Russia obliterates Ukraine’s front-line towns faster with hacked bombs and expanded air base network
KHARKIV, Ukraine — The first shock wave shattered aisles stacked almost to the ceiling with home improvement products. The next Russian bomb streaked down like a comet seconds later, unleashing flames that left the megastore an ashen shell. A third bomb failed to detonate when it landed behind the Epicenter...
Illegally brewed liquor kills at least 34 with dozens hospitalized in southern India
NEW DELHI — At least 34 people have died and dozens hospitalized after drinking illegally brewed liquor in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, local media reported on Thursday. The state’s chief minister M K Stalin said the 34 died after consuming liquor that was tainted with methanol, according...
U.S. jobless claims fall to 238,000 from 10-month high, remain low by historical standards
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits slipped last week as the U.S. labor market remained resilient. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims fell by 5,000 to 238,000 from a 10-month high of 243,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which evens out...
Texas A&M defeats Florida to make CWS finals for 1st time as Gators shut out 1st time in 2 years
OMAHA, Neb. — Texas A&M is going to play for a national championship in baseball for the first time in its program’s 130-year history. Jim Schlossnagle had a breakthrough, too. The 53-year-old coach has brought seven teams to the College World Series since 2010 — five when he was at...
Police credit New Yorkers for suspect’s arrest in the rape of a 13-year-old girlVideo
NEW YORK — Residents of a New York City neighborhood were praised for their role in the arrest of an Ecuadorian accused of raping a 13-year-old girl, a crime that the city’s police commissioner said “shocked our entire city.” Christian Geovanny Inga-Landi, 25, was arrested early Tuesday outside a deli...
Tennessee beats Florida State to become first No. 1 national seed since 2009 to reach CWS finalsVideo
OMAHA, Neb. — Tennessee will play in the College World Series finals for the first time in the modern era after it knocked out Florida State with a 7-2 victory on Wednesday to win its bracket. Zander Sechrist held the Seminoles scoreless for six innings and the Volunteers struck for...
Rory McIlroy’s time off ‘exactly what he should be doing,’ PGA Tour commissioner says
CROMWELL, Conn. — No hard feelings, Rory. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said he understands why Rory McIlroy withdrew from the Travelers Championship — the final signature event on the calendar — to recover from a late-Sunday meltdown at the U.S. Open. “Sometimes you just need to focus on what...
U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau pins Olympic hopes on Los Angeles
COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. — Bryson DeChambeau couldn’t play at the Tokyo Olympics because of covid-19. His decision to sign with LIV Golf is keeping him out of the Paris Games this summer. So the two-time U.S. Open champion is pinning his hopes on Los Angeles in 2028. “I’ve done my...
Vermont lawmaker apologizes for repeatedly pouring water in her colleague’s bagVideo
MONTPELIER, Vt. — A Republican state lawmaker from Vermont has apologized for repeatedly pouring water into a Democratic colleague’s bag, after he caught her doing it on video. State Rep. Mary Morrissey publicly apologized to state Rep. Jim Carroll, colleagues and the citizens of Vermont from the House floor on...
Panthers try to shrug off Stanley Cup Final pressure
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice sat behind a microphone again Wednesday, giving his daily news conference even though basically nothing new had happened in the 13 hours between then and the last time he spoke to reporters. He took a bunch of questions. He also had...
Caitlin Clark, WNBA getting attention for far more than basketball
NEW YORK — Oh, you thought going to a WNBA basketball game might be an escape from the arguments and polarization that are so common in American life these days? Ha, good one. Some of the atmosphere in the public and media that has swirled around the professional women’s league...
Willie Mays inspired generations of baseball players with talent, exuberance
SAN FRANCISCO — Long after “The Catch” and his 660 home runs, and the daring sprints around the bases with his hat falling off, Willie Mays could still command a room like no other. Mays was a frequent visitor to the downtown ballpark in San Francisco at 24 Willie Mays...
PGA Tour commissioner says sides are making progress on deal with Saudi backers of LIV Golf
CROMWELL, Conn. — PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said Wednesday the difficulty in finalizing a deal with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf isn’t a reason for concern. “With complexity comes opportunity,” he said before the start of the Travelers Championship at the TPC River Highlands. “There are a lot...
Kings acquire goaltender Darcy Kuemper from Capitals for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Kings acquired goaltender Darcy Kuemper from the Washington Capitals for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois in a trade of high-priced, underachieving players on Wednesday. Kuemper, who has three seasons remaining on a five-year $26.25 million contract he signed with Washington in 2022, ended up being the...
