Associated Press stories, Page 1373
German court convicts Catholic priest of abusing girls
BERLIN — A German court on Friday convicted a Catholic priest of sexual abuse of children in cases that spanned many years and sentenced him to 12 years in prison. The Cologne state court also ordered the 70-year-old to pay three co-plaintiffs in the cases damages totaling $56,000, news agency...
Pope Francis voices concern in visit to Russian embassy in Rome
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis went to the Russian embassy in Rome on Friday to personally express his concern about the war in Ukraine, in an extraordinary papal gesture that has no recent precedent. Popes usually receive ambassadors and heads of state in the Vatican. For Francis to travel a...
Ukrainian president expects conflict with Russia to intensify
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian troops bore down on Ukraine’s capital Friday while the president grimly predicted that the conflict would soon intensify, and fears of wider war in Europe triggered new international efforts to make Moscow stop, including direct sanctions on President Vladimir Putin. Amid reports of hundreds of casualties...
Oscar-nominated ‘M*A*S*H’ actor Sally Kellerman dies at 84
LOS ANGELES — Sally Kellerman, the Oscar and Emmy nominated actor who played Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in director Robert Altman’s 1970 film “M*A*S*H,” died Thursday. Kellerman died of heart failure at her home in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles, her manager and publicist Alan Eichler said. She...
Former WVU star Jevon Carter signs with defending NBA champion BucksVideo
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks signed point guard Jevon Carter on Thursday, adding another former Brooklyn Nets player to their roster. The defending champion Bucks signed Carter, who faced Milwaukee with Phoenix last year in the NBA Finals, two days after the Nets waived him. The addition comes just over...
Late-season surge puts Rutgers in NCAA Tournament conversationVideo
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — After 31 years of coaching, Steve Pikiell is looking forward to the time when he can roll a basketball onto the court, sit back and watch Rutgers win game after game. As soon as the words came out his mouth Thursday, the 54-year-old Scarlet Knights coach started...
Mental issue raised in boy’s body in freezer case in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — A defense attorney said Thursday he wants a mental health evaluation for a Las Vegas man now jailed in protective custody after being accused of keeping a widow and her daughter captive at his home, killing the woman’s 4-year-old son and storing the boy’s body in a...
Nebraska AD: Men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg to return next seasonVideo
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg will return for a fourth season but has agreed to a pay cut and a reduced buyout if he’s fired after next season, athletic director Trev Alberts said Thursday night. Hoiberg is 21-65 overall and 6-49 in the Big Ten, with...
CDC to significantly ease pandemic mask guidelines Friday
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines to protect against covid-19 transmission on Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter, meaning most Americans will no longer be advised to wear masks in indoor public settings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday...
Troy Aikman expected to leave Fox for ESPN ‘Monday Night’ booth
NFL free agency doesn’t begin for a few more weeks, however business is about to pick up when it comes to shuffling among the network broadcast teams with perhaps the biggest surprise of them all. Troy Aikman is expected to become the lead analyst on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” after...
U.S. regulators lift in-person restrictions on abortion pillVideo
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday permanently removed a major obstacle for women seeking abortion pills, eliminating a long-standing requirement that they pick up the medication in person. Millions of American women will now be able to get a prescription via an online consultation and receive the...
Surprise: Kurt Kitayama shoots 64 to lead Honda ClassicVideo
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Kurt Kitayama came into the Honda Classic with 25 previous appearances on the PGA Tour, most of them ending by missing the cut. He’s on track to do a bit better this week in the Honda Classic. Kitayama — ranked No. 289 in the world...
Alexander Zverev fined $40K, loses prize money, points for outburstVideo
ACAPULCO, Mexico — Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Alexander Zverev was fined $40,000 by the men’s professional tennis tour and will forfeit more than $30,000 in prize money and all rankings points from the Mexican Open after hitting the chair umpire’s stand with his racket following a loss in doubles. In...
3 ex-cops convicted of rights violations in George Floyd killingVideo
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Three former Minneapolis police officers were convicted Thursday of violating George Floyd’s civil rights. Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane were charged with depriving Floyd of his right to medical care when Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2...
Parents of Michigan teen charged in school shooting to stand trial
A judge on Thursday ordered the parents of a 15-year-old boy charged with killing four students at his Michigan high school to stand trial on involuntary manslaughter charges. Rochester Hills District Court Judge Julie Nicholson said following the preliminary examination for Jennifer and James Crumbley that she found enough evidence...
Florida House passes GOP ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill
TALLAHASSEE — Republicans in the Florida House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill to limit discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, advancing a measure that has drawn widespread condemnation from LGBTQ activists and the White House. The House passed the bill on a party-line vote, with...
Wintry weather disrupts travel across the heartland
DALLAS — Freezing rain and drizzle is disrupting travel from Central Texas to the Great Lakes, with ice-glazed roads leading to hundreds of traffic accidents, including one in Kentucky that killed a toddler. Hundreds of flights were canceled Wednesday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas...
Hundreds arrested as shocked Russians protest Ukraine attackVideo
MOSCOW — Shocked Russians turned out by the thousands Thursday to decry their country’s invasion of Ukraine as emotional calls for protests grew on social media. Some 1,702 people in 53 Russian cities were detained, at least 940 of them in Moscow. Hundreds of posts came pouring in condemning Moscow’s...
Labor talks resume with MLB deadline looming
JUPITER, Fla. — With less than 4 1/2 days until Major League Baseball’s deadline for a labor deal to salvage opening day and a 162-game season, New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, Houston pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and Miami infielder Miguel Rojas joined negotiations Thursday. The sides met for the...
Marshall granted restraining order in Conference USA arbitration bid
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Marshall was granted a temporary restraining order Thursday against Conference USA after the league filed a request for arbitration in the school’s bid to expedite an early move to the Sun Belt. The order by Cabell County Circuit Judge Christopher Chiles prohibits Conference USA from proceeding with...
Biden hits Russia with new sanctions, says Putin ‘chose’ war
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a new round of sanctions targeting Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, charging that Russian leader Vladimir Putin “chose this war” and that his country will bear the consequences of his action. The sanctions target Russian banks, oligarchs and high-tech sectors, Biden...
Tennis pro Nick Kyrgios writes about ‘suicidal thoughts,’ depression
Tennis pro Nick Kyrgios says he had “suicidal thoughts” and dealt with depression and abuse of drugs and alcohol in the past, the latest in a series of high-profile athletes to speak publicly and frankly about their mental health. The 26-year-old Australian, who has been ranked as high as No....
Officials say Ukraine no longer in control of Chernobyl site
KYIV, Ukraine — A presidential adviser says Ukraine lost control of the Chernobyl nuclear site, where Ukranian forces had waged a fierce battle with Russian troops. Adviser Myhailo Podolyak told The Associated Press that Ukrainian authorities did not know the current condition of the facilities at Chernobyl, the site of...
Balancing hopes, dreams and a low-paying college major
Humanities majors are more than a punchline. Not everyone can or wants to be a STEM major, and the world would be a poorer place if they were. To have great things to read, music that inspires, perspectives that challenge us — to have a sense of reward and meaning...
Books about war, poverty among finalists for Lukas awards
NEW YORK — Books about war, poverty and the rule of law are among the finalists for Lukas Prizes given for work that combines literary excellence, deep research and social consciousness. The nominees were announced Thursday for three categories: The $10,000 J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, the $10,000 Mark Lynton...
