Associated Press stories, Page 1238

CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks settled a lawsuit by a former player who said he was sexually assaulted by assistant coach Brad Aldrich during the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup title run. After representatives for the Blackhawks and former first-round pick Kyle Beach met Wednesday with a mediator for the first...

With the number of coronavirus cases and game postponements climbing, the NHL is reintroducing enhanced covid-19 protocols that include restricting players to staying in their hotels while on the road in a bid to limit a growing outbreak among players and staff. The enhanced protocols will be put into effect...

WASHINGTON — The National Archives on Wednesday made public nearly 1,500 documents related to the U.S. government’s investigation into the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The disclosure of secret cables, internal memos and other documents satisfies a deadline set in October by President Joe Biden and is in...

WASHINGTON — Congress sent President Joe Biden a $768.2 billion defense bill on Wednesday that makes landmark changes to the way the military handles sexual assaults, keeps women out of the draft and lays the groundwork for a new war memorial on the National Mall. The annual bill, which has...

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve will quicken the pace at which it’s pulling back its support for the economy as inflation surges, and it expects to raise interest rates three times next year. In an abrupt policy shift, the Fed announced Wednesday that it will shrink its monthly bond purchases...

NEW ORLEANS — A federal appeals court panel on Wednesday lifted a nationwide ban against President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for health care workers, instead blocking the requirement in only certain states and creating the potential for patchwork enforcement across the country. The decision by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S....

Stocks fell in afternoon trading on Wall Street Wednesday as investors wait to hear from the Federal Reserve after its last policy meeting of the year. The S&P 500 index fell 0.2% as of 1:32 p.m. Eastern and is coming off of two days of losses. The Dow Jones Industrial...

HAMBURG — Four people were killed Tuesday night in two related crashes on an eastern Pennsylvania interstate, state police said. The first crash happened around 8:30 p.m. when a 69-year-old Georgia woman who was driving an empty school bus failed to stop in a construction zone on Interstate 78 near...

BRUSSELS — Omicron is expected to be the dominant coronavirus variant in the European Union’s 27 nations by mid-January, the bloc’s top official said Wednesday amid concerns that a dramatic rise in infections will leave Europe shrouded in gloom during the holiday season. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen...

WASHINGTON — Negotiations between President Joe Biden and Sen. Joe Manchin over the Democrats’ huge social and environment bill are going poorly, a person familiar with the talks said Wednesday, the latest sign that leaders’ hopes of moving the bill through the Senate before Christmas were increasingly bleak. Manchin, D-W.Va.,...

BLAINE, Minn. — A Minnesota grocery delivery driver accused of running over bags of food she had dropped off in a Twin Cities suburb because she didn’t like the homeowners’ pro-police yard sign has been cited for criminal damage to property, authorities said. The incident happened Dec. 6 after the...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — A small fire at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom started in a tree and may have been caused by fireworks debris, officials said Wednesday. The blaze broke out Tuesday after fireworks were set off near the Cinderalla Castle, Reedy Creek Fire Association president Jon Shirey...

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges of violating George Floyd’s civil rights, averting a trial but likely extending the time he is already spending behind bars on a state conviction. Chauvin, who is white, was convicted this spring of state...

SPRINGDALE, Ark. — A former city council member and a retired U.S. Navy captain are headed toward a runoff for the Republican nomination for an Arkansas state Senate seat, beating out candidates in a special primary that included “19 Kids and Counting” father Jim Bob Duggar. The poll results from...

CLEVELAND — The Browns’ covid-19 outbreak has widened and worsened. Quarterback Baker Mayfield and coach Kevin Stefanski tested positive for covid-19 on Wednesday and will likely miss Saturday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders as Cleveland deals with a widespread outbreak during its playoff pursuit. Stefanski’s positive test was first...

TEHRAN, Iran — The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog and Iran reached a deal Wednesday to reinstall cameras damaged at an Iranian site that manufactures centrifuge parts, though inspectors remain limited on what footage they can access. The agreement will see cameras put back at Karaj, which came under what Iran...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Broward County, Fla., school district will pay more than $26 million to the families of 17 people killed and some of those injured in the 2018 Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Board members approved the two legal settlements on Tuesday. A...

NEW YORK — Americans slowed their spending in November from October, but continued shopping despite higher prices and shortages in stores. Retail sales rose a modest seasonally adjusted 0.3% in November from the month before when sales rose a revised 1.8%, the U.S. Commerce Department said Wednesday, a bit weaker...

HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania courtroom on Wednesday became the latest battleground over claims the 2020 presidential election was rigged, as Republicans around the country pressed ahead with efforts to investigate the voting despite a lack of evidence of widespread fraud. A five-judge panel in Harrisburg heard Democrats’ arguments to block...

LAS VEGAS — O.J. Simpson is a free man. The 74-year-old former football hero and actor, acquitted California murder defendant and convicted Las Vegas armed robber was granted good behavior credits and discharged from parole effective Dec. 1, Nevada State Police spokeswoman Kim Yoko Smith said Tuesday. “Mr. Simpson is...

BERLIN — Police in eastern Germany carried out raids Wednesday in an investigation of alleged threats to kill a state governor and others by opponents of coronavirus restrictions and vaccinations. They said they found weapons including crossbows, but it wasn’t clear whether they were usable. Five properties in Dresden and...

HONG KONG — Firefighters on Wednesday rescued hundreds of people who fled to the rooftop of a Hong Kong skyscraper and became trapped there after a major fire broke out. Hours later, the fire service said the blaze was extinguished. In addition to those on the roof, dozens jammed into...

1925 — The first NHL game is played at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The Americans score first, but the Montreal Canadiens prevail 3-1, before 17,000 in attendance. 1929 — The Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 in their first game at Chicago Stadium. Vic Ripley scores twice in...