Associated Press stories, Page 931
Golden Knights aim for closeout win vs. Stars in Western Conference finalVideo
LAS VEGAS — Alec Martinez was part of the 2014 Los Angeles Kings team that erased a 3-0 first-round series deficit and beat Joe Pavelski and the San Jose Sharks in Game 7. Pavelski and coach Pete DeBoer were the centerpiece of a Sharks comeback from 3-1 down in the...
Ganassi vs. McLaren headlines Indianapolis 500 title fight, some 300,000 fans expectedVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Four custom McLaren GTs lined the curb in front of St. Elmo’s Steak House, the see-and-be-seen spot in downtown Indianapolis, in a massive flex by the race team trying to win the Indianapolis 500. The rebuilt, rebranded and rebounded Arrow McLaren organization has turned the buildup to the...
Pennsylvania college baseball player dies while dismantling unapproved dugout
HARRISBURG — A college baseball player died after he was struck in the face when a makeshift dugout he was helping to dismantle collapsed on him this week. Angel Mercado, 19, was a middle infielder who had just completed his freshman season at Division II Central Penn College. He was...
‘Block’ party over at Colonial for PGA Championship sensation club proVideo
FORT WORTH, Texas — Michael Block walked out after signing his scorecard Friday afternoon at Colonial with his cap turned backward, his shirt untucked and still with a smile after a grueling 36 holes and being at the bottom of the 120-player field. A week after the club pro from...
Column: Remembering Georgia Tech’s Clint Castleberry, who paid ultimate price of warVideo
ATLANTA — Clint Castleberry had one glorious season at Georgia Tech, a whirlwind of a player whose star burned bright. A newspaper scribe dubbed him “Jackrabbit” — a testimonial to his blinding speed on the gridiron. In an era when players lined up on both offense and defense, Castleberry seemed...
New York City mayor signs ban on weight and height discrimination
New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed legislation Friday that will ban discrimination based on body size by adding weight and height to the list of protected categories such as race, sex and religion. “We all deserve the same access to employment, housing and public accommodation, regardless of our appearance,...
From the Civil War to today’s mattress sales, Memorial Day is full of contradiction
NORFOLK, Va. — Memorial Day is supposed to be about mourning the nation’s fallen service members, but it’s come to anchor the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of discounts on anything from mattresses to lawn mowers. Auto club AAA said in a travel forecast that this holiday...
Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina lead women entering French OpenVideo
PARIS — All of those questions about who would step to the fore once Serena Williams walked away from the tennis tour — joining more recent No. 1 Ash Barty in retirement — seem to be getting answered with three names: Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. As the...
Mother of man who killed Gabby Petito said in letter she would help son ‘dispose of a body’
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The mother of the man who killed Gabby Petito told her son in an undated letter that she would “dispose of a body” if needed because she loved him so much, according to copies of the note shared publicly for the first time this week by attorneys...
U.S. cities reporting fewer killings hope crime strategies prevent a summer surge
CHICAGO — An expected bump in violent crime this summer has mayors and police officials around the U.S. rolling out familiar strategies of making officers more visible and engaging with community groups, in some cases leaning on civilians to enforce curfews and keep the peace. Chicago is among the U.S....
Aide: North Dakota Gov. Burgum planning run for GOP presidential nomination
Two-term North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a former computer software entrepreneur, is expected to run for the Republican presidential nomination, a political aide familiar with the plans told The Associated Press on Friday, putting him in an already crowded field dominated by ex-President Donald Trump. The aide said Burgum plans...
No ‘joke’: Biden celebrating LSU, UConn champion basketball teams at White House
WASHINGTON — It’s sports Friday at the White House. President Joe Biden was hosting the NCAA championship men’s and women’s basketball teams at separate events. His wife, Jill, planned to join the celebration for Louisiana State’s women’s team. After the Tigers beat Iowa for the title in April in a...
Arizona Cardinals release receiver DeAndre Hopkins
TEMPE, Ariz. — The DeAndre Hopkins era is over for the Arizona Cardinals, who are on the hook for quite an expensive breakup. The Cardinals released the three-time All-Pro wide receiver in a salary cap move Friday after they failed to find a trading partner in the offseason. Arizona made...
Iowa law limits gender identity instruction, removes books depicting sex acts from school libraries
DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa teachers will be banned from raising gender identity and sexual orientation issues with students through grade six, and all books depicting sex acts will be removed from school libraries, under a bill Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Friday. The new law is among similar...
Latest GOP 2024 hopeful DeSantis ‘blazing a trail’ on book bans in Republican-controlled states
TALLAHASSEE, Florida— As he vies for the Republican presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is touting a series of measures he has pushed that have led to an upswing in banned or restricted books — not just in Florida schools but in an increasing number of other conservative states. Florida...
Judge halts South Carolina’s new stricter abortion law until state Supreme Court review
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A judge on Friday put a temporary halt to South Carolina’s new law banning most abortions around six weeks of pregnancy until the state Supreme Court can review the measure. The ruling by Judge Clifton Newman came just about 24 hours after Gov. Henry McMaster signed the...
Disney opposes DeSantis request to disqualify judge in free speech lawsuit
ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney is opposing a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis to disqualify a judge overseeing the company’s First Amendment lawsuit against the Florida governor and others in which Disney says it was punished for speaking out against Florida legislation that critics have dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.” Disney said...
Suspect in death of Migos rapper Takeoff indicted on murder charge
A grand jury has indicted the man accused of killing Migos rapper Takeoff on a murder charge, according to the district attorney in Harris County, Texas. The 28-year-old recording artist, whose real name was Kirsnick Khari Ball, was killed Nov. 1, 2022 when shots were fired outside a Houston bowling...
Grand Canyon’s Jacob Wilson, son of former Pirates shortstop, has 12 strikeouts in last 478 plate appearances
Jacob Wilson came of age in baseball when the dictates of analytics removed the shame of striking out if it meant hitting more home runs. The Grand Canyon shortstop considers himself a throwback to the time when striking out equated to failure. “Striking out,” he said, “is not OK.” His...
Pa. baseball player fatally struck in face while dismantling unapproved dugout
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A college baseball player died after he was struck in the face when a makeshift dugout he was helping to dismantle collapsed on him this week. Angel Mercado, 19, was a middle infielder who had just completed his freshman season at Division II Central Penn College. He...
Biden releases new strategy to tackle rise in antisemitism, says ‘hate will not prevail’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday announced what he said is the most ambitious and comprehensive undertaking by the U.S. government to fight hate, bias and violence against Jews, outlining more than 100 steps the administration and its partners can take to combat an alarming rise in antisemitism. Speaking...
Even after his latest ejection, Yankees manager Aaron Boone doesn’t want robo umps
NEW YORK — Ejected for the fourth time this season and second time in a four-game span, Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn’t think there was a need for robot umpires. “I don’t want that,” Boone said after Thursday night’s 3-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Boone was tossed in the...
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick refuses to say if Texas Senate has votes to convict AG Ken Paxton
AUSTIN — Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick declined to say if enough senators would vote to remove Attorney General Ken Paxton from office should the Capitol’s high chamber hold an impeachment trial. The Texas House is poised to vote on articles of impeachment for Paxton, which include allegations of bribery...
Pope runs fever, skips meetings, Vatican says
Pope Francis skipped meetings Friday because he was running a fever, the Vatican said. There were no details about how sick Francis was. The last time he spiked a serious fever, in March, the 86-year-old pontiff was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with acute bronchitis. He received...
Flight cancellations, strikes raise fears of new summer travel chaos in Europe
LONDON — British Airways canceled dozens of flights Friday, blaming computer problems for disrupting plans for thousands of passengers at the start of a busy holiday weekend — a rocky kickoff to the summer travel season in Europe. The technical glitches and strikes by airport staff across Europe are stirring...
