Associated Press stories, Page 1419
Kids’ low covid-19 vaccination rates called a ‘gut punch’
Suspicion, misinformation, complacency and delays because of the holidays and bad weather have combined to produce alarmingly low covid-19 vaccination rates in U.S. children ages 5 to 11, authorities say. As of Tuesday, just over 17% were fully vaccinated, more than two months after shots for the age group became...
IOC major sponsors mostly muted in runup to Beijing Olympics
The Beijing Winter Olympics are fraught with potential hazards for major sponsors, who are trying to remain quiet about China’s human rights record while protecting at least $1 billion they’ve collectively paid to the IOC. That could reach $2 billion when new figures are expected this year. Sponsors include big...
Will Smith, Lady Gaga, Ben Affleck score SAG nominations
NEW YORK — Hollywood’s awards season may be missing in-person glitz this year, but it doesn’t lack for star power. Will Smith, Lady Gaga and Ben Affleck landed individual nominations for the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards on Wednesday, while the casts of “Belfast” and “CODA” were among those nominated...
Former Cubs, Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester announces retirement
CHICAGO — Jon Lester, a durable left-hander who won three World Series titles during 16 years in the majors, has announced his retirement. Lester, who turned 38 on Friday, finishes with a 200-117 record and a 3.66 ERA in 452 career games, including 451 starts. He also has been a...
Canada electric school bus maker to locate in West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Canadian electric school bus manufacturer will produce buses in West Virginia, bringing up to 200 jobs, Gov. Jim Justice announced Wednesday. GreenPower Motor Co. signed a lease-purchase agreement for a 9.5-acre manufacturing facility in South Charleston, Justice said in a statement. The move has the potential...
Stocks rise as inflation report keeps Fed on track for hikes
Wall Street capped a day of wobbly trading with modest gains for stocks Wednesday, as investors weighed the implications of the latest economic snapshot showing rising inflation. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% after veering between a loss of 0.1% and a gain of 0.8% over the course of the day....
Giuffre’s Prince Andrew suit goes ahead despite Epstein deal
A judge gave the green light Wednesday to a lawsuit against Prince Andrew by an American woman who says he sexually abused her when she was 17. U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan wrote in an opinion that Andrew’s lawyers failed to successfully challenge the constitutionality of the lawsuit Virginia...
Anti-vaccine protesters try to storm Bulgarian parliament
SOFIA, Bulgaria — Protesters opposing covid-19 restrictions in Bulgaria clashed Wednesday with police as they tried to storm the Parliament in the capital of Sofia. A heavy police presence prevented protesters from entering the building and some were detained. Several people, including police officers, were injured during the clashes. Eventually,...
Jalen Bridges leads the way in West Virginia’s win over Oklahoma State
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Jalen Bridges tied a career-high 22 points making all 10 of his foul shots and Gabe Osabuohien had a season-high 12 points, and West Virginia pulled away from Oklahoma State for a 70-60 win on Tuesday night. Kedrian Johnson made two foul shot to give the...
Biden is sending more covid tests to schools to keep them open
The Biden administration is increasing federal support for covid-19 testing for schools in a bid to keep them open amid the omicron surge. The White House announced Wednesday that a dedicated stream of 5 million rapid tests and 5 million lab-based PCR tests will be made available to schools starting...
Inflation at 40-year high pressures consumers, Fed and BidenVideo
WASHINGTON — Inflation jumped at its fastest pace in nearly 40 years last month, a 7% spike from a year earlier that is increasing household expenses, eating into wage gains and heaping pressure on President Joe Biden and the Federal Reserve to address what has become the biggest threat to...
Car bomb hits outside Mogadishu airport in Somalia; 8 killed
MOGADISHU, Somalia — A car bomb exploded Wednesday outside the international airport in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, killing at least eight people and wounding nine others, a local doctor said. The al-Shabab extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was targeting “white officials” passing by. Dr. Abdulkadir Adam with...
NATO, Russia in high-level talks as Ukraine tensions simmer
BRUSSELS — Senior NATO and Russian officials were meeting Wednesday to try to bridge seemingly irreconcilable differences over the future of Ukraine, amid deep skepticism that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s security proposals for easing tensions are genuine. The talks come during a week of high-stakes diplomacy and a U.S.-led effort...
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice tests positive for covid-19
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice tested positive for covid-19 on Tuesday, his office announced. Justice had a sudden onset of symptoms, then was administered a PCR test that was positive for the coronavirus. A test by a state laboratory confirmed the initial result and an additional test...
Man arrested for damaging American jet in Honduras released
A passenger arrested in Honduras for damaging the cockpit of an American Airlines jet during boarding was released by authorities hours later. The flight scheduled to depart for Miami on Tuesday afternoon was delayed for hours until a replacement plane could be arranged. The flight arrived in Florida early Wednesday,...
Balanced Penn State never trails during victory over RutgersVideo
UNIVERSITY PARK — Sam Sessoms scored 17 points to lead four in double figures as Penn State never trailed and cruised to a 66-49 victory over Rutgers on Tuesday night. John Harrar added 16 points, and Jalen Pickett had 15 for Penn State (8-6, 3-3 Big Ten), which has won...
Christmas tree behind Philadelphia fire that killed 12, officials confirm
PHILADELPHIA — A Christmas tree fire caused the blaze that killed 12 relatives in a Philadelphia rowhome duplex, investigators confirmed Tuesday as they identified victims and announced preliminary findings, but stopped short of officially saying a 5-year-old boy playing with a lighter was behind it. Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel hesitated...
Raiders coach Rich Bisaccia making case to remove interim tagVideo
HENDERSON, Nev. — Rich Bisaccia had just completed his first game as interim coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in mid-October, a 34-24 road win over the Broncos, and star running back Josh Jacobs described the atmosphere on the sideline. “It was like (there was no) anxiety. It was weird....
Busy, crucial offseason begins for Jets’ Zach WilsonVideo
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Zach Wilson is heading into the offseason armed with a lengthy list. The New York Jets quarterback intends to work on his weaknesses and solidify his strengths after a down-and-up rookie season. Wilson is keeping the specific to-do items on the list to himself, hoping the...
Goalie Tuukka Rask returns to Bruins after agreeing to 1-year dealVideo
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins on Tuesday signed Tuukka Rask for the rest of the season, bringing back the winningest goalie in franchise history after he recovered from offseason hip surgery. General manager Don Sweeney said Rask will back up Linus Ullmark for Wednesday night’s game against the rival Montreal...
U.S. Steel to build $3 billion mill in northeast Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — United States Steel Corp. on Tuesday announced it’s building a $3 billion mill in northeast Arkansas that’s expected to employ at least 900 people. The Pittsburgh-based company announced it has chosen Osceola for the site of its new mill, with construction expected to begin early this...
49ers-Cowboys playoff rivalry resumes after long waitVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Kyle Shanahan was a teenager watching on the sideline when the heated playoff rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers reached a fever pitch with three straight NFC title game matchups. Now Shanahan will take a starring role when one of the NFL’s great...
Medicare limits coverage of $28,000-a-year Alzheimer’s drug
WASHINGTON — Medicare said Tuesday it will limit coverage of a $28,000-a-year Alzheimer’s drug whose benefits have been widely questioned, a major development in the nation’s tug-of-war over the fair value of new medicines that offer tantalizing possibilities but come with prohibitive prices. The initial determination from the Centers for...
Speeding, erratic driving led to Geno Smith DUI arrestVideo
BELLEVUE, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Geno Smith’s arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence came after the Washington State Patrol pulled him over for going 96 mph in a 60 mph zone and driving erratically across several lanes of traffic, according to an arrest report released Tuesday....
Giants fire Joe Judge as coach after 10-23 record in 2 yearsVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants have cleaned house, firing coach Joe Judge a day after general manager Dave Gettleman retired. The Giants announced the move late Tuesday afternoon, ending some brief speculation that the owners planned to hire a new general manager and let him determine the...
