Associated Press stories, Page 897
NHL free agency roundup: Hurricanes, Rangers turn rivalry into signing frenzyVideo
Don Waddell’s expectations were so low on the chances of improving the Carolina Hurricanes roster to open NHL free agency Saturday, the general manager told his staff they might not even have to come into the office. Some four hours into the signing period, Waddell came away with a big...
Mike Babcock back in NHL as coach of Blue Jackets
Mike Babcock is back in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets, confident he has evolved as a coach in his nearly four years out of a pro job. The 2008 Stanley Cup-winning coach with Detroit finally took over Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, introduced as the person the organization’s brass...
Summer movie season is in full swing. Here’s what’s coming through Labor Day
The summer movie season goes into high-gear in July, with the arrival of the seventh “Mission: Impossible”movie followed by the “Oppenheimer”and “Barbie”showdown on July 21. Not that you have to choose one or the other — as Tom Cruise said on Twitter, “I love a double feature, and it doesn’t...
Russian attacks in Ukraine leave 3 killed, 17 wounded
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials reported more civilian casualties from Russian shelling in the country’s east and south on Saturday, as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez began a visit to Kyiv as a show of continuing support from Madrid and the European Union for Ukraine’s fight to dislodge invading Russian...
Dutch king apologizes for country’s role in slavery on 150th anniversary of abolition
AMSTERDAM — Dutch King Willem-Alexander apologized Saturday for his country’s role in slavery and asked for forgiveness in a historic speech greeted by cheers and whoops at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the abolition of slavery. The king’s speech followed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s apology late last...
From human ashes to cellphones, what’s going on with concert fans lately?
NEW YORK — From flinging bras to tossing flowers, concertgoers have long been a bit extra in showing adoration for their beloved artists — but a recent spate of artists being hit by weightier projectiles raises concerns about extreme fan culture and security. Country singer Kelsea Ballerini was the latest...
AL West-leading Rangers acquire once-dominant closer Aroldis ChapmanVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — Aroldis Chapman is headed to the Texas Rangers in a trade after smoothing out his rough ending with the New York Yankees by impressing teammates and the front office during a brief stay with the Kansas City Royals. The AL West leaders acquired Chapman from the Royals...
50 shades of ballet? Melanie Hamrick on her steamy novel that makes ‘Black Swan’ seem tame
NEW YORK — Melanie Hamrick, who knows her way around a quick pirouette, had to move fast when her 6-year-old son Deveraux recently picked up a copy of her new novel, “First Position,” as she was signing books. “I didn’t realize how well he was reading,” the former ballerina and...
Cam Johnson stays with Nets on 4-year deal worth $108M
NEW YORK — Cam Johnson (Pitt, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) is staying with the Brooklyn Nets on a four-year deal worth about $108 million after quickly becoming one of their top players following his arrival in the trade for Kevin Durant. Johnson averaged 16.6 points in 25 starts...
Review: Harrison Ford gets a swashbuckling sendoff in ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’Video
Goodbyes don’t tend to mean much in the Hollywood franchise system. Death isn’t a reliable end for characters or, lately, even actors. Technology, nostalgia and the often-inflated value of brands and IP have created a nightmarish cycle of resurrection and regurgitation, curdling what we love most. And yet when someone...
Moore, Pendrith share Rocket Mortgage Classic lead at 13 under
DETROIT — Taylor Moore and Taylor Pendrith shared the Rocket Mortgage Classic lead at 13-under Friday, hoping to hold off a veteran trying to end a victory drought and a promising young pro aiming for his first PGA Tour victory. Pendrith shot an 8-under 64 at Detroit Golf Club, one...
Golden Knights re-sign goalie Adin Hill on eve of free agency
Adin Hill is returning to the Vegas Golden Knights after backstopping them to their first Stanley Cup title in franchise history. The Golden Knights re-signed their playoff hero goaltender Friday to a $9.8 million, two-year deal that carries an annual salary cap hit of $4.9 million through 2025. Hill is...
NBA free agency roundup: Kyrie Irving, Draymond Green, Kyle Kuzma staying putVideo
Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic are going to try again together in Dallas. Draymond Green is going to chase more championships with Stephen Curry in Golden State, just like Khris Middleton is alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee. And Jerami Grant is staying put in Portland, for serious money. All those...
Damar Hamlin’s vision for Chasing M’s Foundation coming to fruition
Damar Hamlin never doubted the Chasing M’s Foundation could do big things. He just didn’t exactly anticipate being able to do so many of them so quickly. Not that the 25-year-old Buffalo Bills safety and Central Catholic product is complaining. If anything, it’s the opposite. Actually, it’s exactly the opposite....
Downtown Chicago course presents significant challenge for NASCAR Cup SeriesVideo
CHICAGO — There are seven 90-degree turns. There are manhole covers, and transitions from concrete to asphalt and back. The margin for error is small, and any rain will make the course exponentially more difficult. Welcome to the first street race in NASCAR Cup Series history. NASCAR brings its 75th...
ESPN lays off Jeff Van Gundy, Suzy Kolber, Jalen Rose, Steve Young
Jeff Van Gundy, Suzy Kolber, Jalen Rose and Steve Young are among roughly 20 ESPN commentators and reporters who were laid off Friday as part of job cuts by the network. ESPN had planned this additional round involving on-air talent to prevent further reductions to off-air staff after two rounds...
Recovering Titan with the Odysseus underwater robot was complex, dangerous, emotional
BUFFALO, N.Y. — When Edward Cassano and his colleagues arrived in the remote stretch of ocean where the Titan submersible had gone missing, they quickly learned that they would have to do what other deep-sea experts had already tried unsuccessfully: to find the lost sub in some of the most...
Here’s how to keep cool and stay safe during a heat wave
LAS VEGAS — Scorching heat across the U.S. already has caused more than a dozen deaths in Texas alone and led to mounting misery for millions of people from the Pacific Northwest to the South. And the official end of summer is still months away. Here’s a guide on how...
State Department failed to plan or respond fast enough in Afghanistan collapse, new U.S. report finds
WASHINGTON — The State Department failed to do enough planning before the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan, according to a Biden administration review of the department’s performance during the chaotic evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies. The review repeatedly blames the administrations of both former President Donald Trump...
Supreme Court won’t hear challenge to Jim Crow-era Mississippi bans blocking some felons from voting
JACKSON, Miss. — The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday that it will not stop Mississippi from removing voting rights from people convicted of certain felonies — a practice that originated in the Jim Crow era with the intent of stopping Black men from influencing elections. The court declined to reconsider...
‘Watermelon snow’ piques curiosities in Utah after abnormally wet winter
LOGAN, Utah — High up in the mountains, amid pinyon pine and quaking aspen trees, the remaining remnants of the winter’s snow is dotted with hues of pinks, purples and oranges. Hikers, campers and church youth groups journeying by grasp it in their palms and liken it to flavored snow...
Georgia launches Medicaid expansion in closely watched test of work requirements
ATLANTA — Georgia is offering a new bargain to some adults without health insurance beginning Saturday: Go to work or school and the state will cover you. But advocates decry the plan, which will insure far fewer people than a full expansion of the state-federal Medicaid program, as needlessly restrictive...
Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney says Bud Light didn’t support her during backlash
Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney says she felt abandoned by Bud Light after facing “more bullying and transphobia than I could have ever imagined” over her partnership with the beer giant. In a video posted Thursday to Instagram and TikTok, she said she “was waiting for the brand to reach out...
Supreme Court to decide if some judges have gone too far in striking down gun restrictions
WASHINGTON — A year after its sweeping gun rights ruling, the Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether judges are going too far in striking down restrictions on firearms. The justices will hear the Biden administration’s appeal of one such ruling that struck down as unconstitutional a federal law meant...
Cuban boy castaway Elián González becomes a lawmaker
HAVANA — Elián González has the same big, expressive eyes he did 23 years ago when an international custody battle transformed him into the face of the long-strained relations between Cuba and the United States. Now 29, González is stepping into Cuban politics. He recently entered his country’s congress with...
