Associated Press stories, Page 796
Former North Carolina, NBA player Eric Montross dies at 52 after cancer fight
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Eric Montross, a former North Carolina and NBA big man, has died after a cancer fight, his family said. He was 52. The school released the family’s announcement Monday morning, saying Montross died Sunday surrounded by loved ones at his Chapel Hill home. He had been...
Purdue jumps back to No. 1 in AP top 25 men’s basketball poll
Purdue’s slide from No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll turned out to be brief. The Boilermakers headlined Monday’s latest poll for the second time this season after beating former No. 1 Arizona over the weekend. The Wildcats had spent two weeks at No. 1...
Book Review: The Velvet Underground’s story and afterlife told in oral history ‘Loaded’
Before they became synonymous with downtown cool, the Velvet Underground played a multi-band bill at a suburban New Jersey high school in 1965. Parents and kids in the crowd were repelled by the “screeching urge of sound” from Lou Reed and his bandmates, a local reviewer wrote, and retreated in...
That’s a wrap: Bryant Gumbel and HBO’s ‘Real Sports’ air their last episode after 29 years
NEW YORK — For the last few years of its life, HBO’s “Real Sports” taped its episodes on the same Manhattan block where CBS’ “60 Minutes” resides. They shared a sensibility along with a neighborhood. But while “60 Minutes” rolls along in its sixth decade, the monthly sports magazine helmed...
Effortlessly gorgeous and easy to ship, drop cookies are what to bake for Christmas
I’m as dazzled by a beautifully decorated holiday cookie as the next person, but when it comes to wielding a pastry bag myself, I’m not a pro. I’m much more about the cookies than the piping. And while elaborately crafted cookies shaped like delicate snowflakes or sporting ombre frostings are...
How to manage holiday spending when you’re dealing with student loan debt
NEW YORK — For Nicole Plauché and her family, Christmas is the time of the year where they can use their preferred love language: gift giving. This year, however, Plauché is worried about how much she can afford to spend on gifts. Her main struggle? Student loan payments. “It just...
EU hits Russia’s diamond industry with new round of sanctions over Ukraine war
BRUSSELS — The European Union said Monday that it has imposed fresh sanctions on Russia over its war against of Ukraine, targeting the lucrative diamonds industry, more than 140 officials and organizations, and closing loopholes that Moscow has used to bypass previous punitive measures. It’s the 12th round of sanctions...
European Union investigating Musk’s X over possible breaches of social media law
LONDON — The European Union on Monday made Elon Musk’s online platform X the first tech company to face an investigation under Europe’s tough new regulations designed to clean up social media and protect people from toxic online content. “Today we open formal infringement proceedings against X” under the Digital...
Pope approves blessings for same-sex couples that must not resemble marriage
ROME — Pope Francis formally approved letting Catholic priests bless same-sex couples, the Vatican announced Monday, a radical shift in policy that aimed at making the church more inclusive while maintaining its strict ban on gay marriage. But while the Vatican statement was heralded by some as a step toward...
Love it or hate it, self-checkout is here to stay. But it’s going through a reckoning
NEW YORK — The promise of self-checkout was alluring: Customers could avoid long lines by scanning and bagging their own items, workers could be freed of doing those monotonous tasks themselves and retailers could save on labor costs. All that has happened since the rollout of self-checkout but so has...
Ravens beat mistake-prone Jaguars 23-7 for 4th consecutive victory and clinch AFC playoff spot
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Lamar Jackson was sacked, or so it seemed. Jacksonville Jaguars pass rusher Dawuane Smoot had Jackson in his grasp — until he didn’t. The Baltimore Ravens star quarterback spun away from Smoot, rolled right and lofted a pass toward the goal line. Tight end Isaiah Likely outmaneuvered...
Some Trump fake electors from 2020 haven’t faded away. They have roles in how the 2024 race is run
VIRGINIA CITY, Nev. — Nearly two years after he signed documents attempting to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 loss in Nevada, Jim Hindle thanked everyone gathered in a historic Nevada boomtown’s commission chambers and asked them to bear with him while he learned how to oversee elections in rural Storey County....
Senate border security talks grind on as Trump invokes Nazi-era ‘blood’ rhetoric against immigrants
WASHINGTON — Time slipping, White House and Senate negotiators struggled Sunday to reach a U.S. border security deal that would unlock President Joe Biden’s request for billions of dollars worth of military aid for Ukraine and other national security needs before senators leave town for the holiday recess. The Biden...
In Israel, U.S. defense secretary is expected to press for a more targeted approach in Gaza
TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was expected to press Israel to wind down major combat operations in Gaza on a visit Monday, in the latest test of whether the U.S. can leverage its unwavering support for the offensive to blunt its devastating impact on Palestinian civilians....
Police say driver accidentally struck parked SUV in Biden’s motorcade near campaign headquarters
WILMINGTON, Del. — Wilmington police say a 46-year-old driver believed to be drunk accidentally plowed into a parked SUV that was guarding President Joe Biden’s motorcade Sunday night while the president was leaving a visit to his campaign headquarters. The president and first lady Jill Biden were unharmed. While Biden...
Florida State RB Trey Benson, DT Fabien Lovett entering NFL Draft
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State’s leading rusher, Trey Benson, will enter the NFL Draft and is opting out of the Orange Bowl game. Benson made the announcement on Sunday on his Instagram. One of the Seminoles’ top defensive tackles, Fabien Lovett, also announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he would...
Former Ohio State QB Kyle McCord plans to transfer to Syracuse
Quarterback Kyle McCord, who started every game this season for Ohio State, announced Sunday he is transferring to Syracuse. McCord passed for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions in his third season at Ohio Sate, but first as a starter for the seventh-ranked Buckeyes (11-1). He was a four-star...
Texas defends volleyball title with sweep of No. 1 Nebraska
TAMPA, Fla. — Madisen Skinner had 16 kills and Ella Swindle became the fourth true freshman setter to lead her team to a national championship as Texas defended its NCAA Volleyball title by dominating No. 1 overall seed Nebraska 3-0 on Sunday. With Skinner, named the Most Outstanding Player with...
Penn State working to hire former Indiana coach Tom Allen as defensive coordinator, AP sources say
Penn State is working to complete a deal to make former Indiana coach Tom Allen its new defensive coordinator, two people with knowledge of the negotiations told the Associated Press on Sunday. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because contract details and school approval were still being finalized. ESPN...
NFL roundup: Texans come back to edge Titans in OT
Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a 54-yard field goal as time expired in overtime, and the Houston Texans rallied from a 13-point deficit without C.J. Stroud to beat the Tennessee Titans, 19-16, on Sunday. The Texans (8-6) entered the day one spot outside of the AFC’s seven-team playoff field. They kept pace...
Joe Flacco passes for 374 yards as banged-up Browns rally past Bears
CLEVELAND — For Myles Garrett, there’s no explanation for the Browns’ strange season. It’s been crazy, zany, wild and weird. “Who could have wrote this story?” Cleveland’s star defensive end asked. “Not even Dr. Seuss. It doesn’t get more abstract than what we’ve gone through.” Joe Flacco passed for 374...
‘Wonka’ waltzes to $39 million opening, propelled by Timothée Chalamet’s starring role
NEW YORK — “Wonka” debuted with $39 million in box office sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. That made it a strong start for the Timothée Chalamet -starring Willy Wonka musical that underscored the young star’s draw. Musicals have been tough sells...
Cardinal is convicted of embezzlement in big Vatican financial trial, sentenced to 5½ years
VATICAN CITY — A Vatican tribunal on Saturday convicted a cardinal of embezzlement and sentenced him to 5½ years in prison in one of several verdicts handed down in a complicated financial trial that aired the city state’s dirty laundry and tested its justice system. Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the first...
Pope Francis’ 87th birthday closes out a big year of efforts to reform the church, cement his legacy
ROME — Pope Francis turned 87 on Sunday, closing out a year that saw big milestones in his efforts to reform the Catholic Church as well as health scares that raise questions about his future as pope. Francis celebrated his birthday with cake during a festive audience with children Sunday...
As 2023 holidays dawn, face masks have settled in as an occasional feature of the American landscape
NEW YORK — The scene: A crowded shopping center in the weeks before Christmas. Or a warehouse store. Or maybe a packed airport terminal or a commuter train station or another place where large groups gather. There are people — lots of people. But look around, and it’s clear one...
