Associated Press stories, Page 1424
Treasury: November saw highest disbursement of rental aid
States and localities in November paid out the largest amount of rental assistance to cash-strapped tenants since a federal program began, the Treasury Department said in a statement Friday. The $2.9 billion paid out is the latest sign that the program’s early hiccups have been mostly been resolved and it...
Slain officer’s sister sues Facebook for wrongful death
OAKLAND, Calif. — The sister of a slain federal security officer is suing Facebook, alleging the tech giant played a part in the radicalization of two men who are accused of planning the killing on its platform. David Patrick Underwood was fatally shot and his partner was wounded while guarding...
Biden’s economic challenge: Finding workers and goods
President Joe Biden enters the midterm election year of 2022 determined to address what economists call a “supply” problem — there aren’t enough jobseekers or goods to meet the country’s needs. This is also a political problem. The mismatch has obscured the strong growth and 3.9% unemployment rate achieved during...
Where are the covid-19 tests that Biden promised?
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced last month that the federal government will buy half a billion covid-19 rapid test kits and distribute them free to people to use at home. But despite high public demand for tests, it will still be several more weeks before these kits are available...
Sen. Ted Cruz apologizes for describing Jan. 6 attack as terrorism
NEW YORK — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz had desperation written on his face. The conservative ideologue and potential 2024 presidential contender appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” show Thursday to apologize for describing the Jan. 6 insurrection as “a violent terrorist attack on the Capitol” a day earlier,...
Ahmaud Arbery killers get life in prison; no parole for father, son
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery were sentenced Friday to life in prison, with a judge denying any chance of parole for the father and son who armed themselves and initiated the deadly pursuit of the 25-year-old Black man. Murder carries a mandatory sentence...
Stalemates, court battles could squeeze Pennsylvania primary election
HARRISBURG — More extreme time pressures could push the bounds of how Pennsylvania’s elections are run in 2022, with wide-open races for a U.S. Senate seat and the governor’s office driving voter interest and partisan stalemates in the statehouse sowing uncertainty. It is barely a month before candidates can legally...
Kazakh president: Forces can shoot to kill to quell unrest
MOSCOW — Kazakhstan’s president authorized security forces on Friday to shoot to kill those participating in unrest, opening the door for a dramatic escalation in a crackdown on anti-government protests that have turned violent. The Central Asian nation this week experienced its worst street protests since gaining independence from the...
Louis Riddick happy at ESPN, yet still has goal of running a team
Louis Riddick realizes he is in a favorable position. He is an analyst on the NFL’s most iconic television package — ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” — and still has hopes of running a franchise as a general manager. But with the offseason starting for many teams on Monday, will this...
Cone, Perez, Ravech replace A-Rod, Vasgersian on ESPN Sunday
BRISTOL, Conn. — Former players David Cone and Eduardo Perez are joining Karl Ravech to form a new broadcast team for ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” telecasts. Alex Rodriguez, the scandal-tainted three-time MVP who had been on the telecasts during the past four seasons, will shift to eight Sunday night alternate...
Havin’ a record year: NFL marks set to fall in Week 18
When Eric Church sang about “havin’ a record year,” he wasn’t referring to the NFL. The country music star could have been. For the 2021 season that ends this weekend with the first set of 17th games in league history, a slew of marks are about to be set. Major...
Sidney Poitier — Oscar winner, groundbreaking star — dead at 94
Sidney Poitier, the groundbreaking actor and enduring inspiration who transformed how Black people were portrayed on screen, became the first Black actor to win an Academy Award for best lead performance and the first to be a top box-office draw, has died. He was 94. Poitier, winner of the best...
Teen in Michigan school shooting waives key court hearing
DETROIT — A teenager charged with killing four students at their Michigan high school waived a key hearing Friday, a decision that moves his case straight to a trial court, while his parents faced a separate court appearance to try to get out of jail. Prosecutors in Michigan typically have...
Families despair over post-holiday return to remote learning
DETROIT — Parent Latonya Peterson sums up her frustration over Detroit schools returning — at least temporarily — to virtual learning in three short words: “I hate it.” Facing a surge in covid-19 cases, the Detroit district this week joined a growing number of others in moving classes online after...
This date in sports history: Jan. 7
1920 — Joe Malone of Quebec scores two goals to become the NHL’s career leader with 59 and leads the Bulldogs to a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Arenas. 1925 — Harry Broadbent of the Montreal Maroons scores five goals in a 6-2 triumph over Hamilton. 1972 — The Los...
Video shows Ohio cop shoot without warning at man firing into airVideo
CLEVELAND — Police in Ohio released body camera footage Thursday showing an officer firing multiple rounds through a wooden privacy fence without warning at someone shooting gunfire into the air on the other side. James Williams, 46, of Canton, was shot in the chest minutes into the new year and...
Winter storm blanketing parts of South with snow, iceVideo
NASHVILLE — A winter storm blanketed parts of the South with snow, freezing rain and sleet Thursday, tying up roads in Tennessee and Kentucky as the system tracked a path through Appalachia toward the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The storm began hitting greater Nashville on Thursday morning. About 4 to 6...
Rams’ Cooper Kupp closing in on triple crown of receiving
LOS ANGELES — Cooper Kupp only knows he’s finishing up one of the greatest seasons by a receiver in NFL history because people won’t stop telling him about it. The Los Angeles Rams’ star wideout insists he doesn’t watch any sports television heralding his achievements, and he refuses to read...
With spring season behind them, North Dakota State seeks another FCS titleVideo
FARGO, N.D. — Nearly one year after a bizarre spring season that cost perennial FCS power North Dakota State its three best players and a chance for a ninth national championship, the Bison feel like it is business as usual entering Saturday’s championship game against Montana State. The Bison (13-1)...
Investigators: Fire at Tennessee Planned Parenthood intentionally set
KNOXVILLE — A fire that destroyed a Tennessee Planned Parenthood clinic was intentionally set, fire officials said Thursday. Officials are looking for a suspect and asked the public to provide tips to the Knoxville Fire Department, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported. The building erupted in flames last Friday, with fire...
New York Times buys sports site The Athletic for $550M
The New York Times Co. is buying sports news site The Athletic for $550 million, the latest move in its strategy to expand its audience of paying subscribers as the newspaper print ads business fades. The Times, unlike many local news outlets, has thrived in the past several years. It...
Warrant: 5-year-old might have started deadly Philly blaze
PHILADELPHIA — Investigators are looking into whether a 5-year-old who was playing with a lighter set a Christmas tree on fire, sparking a conflagration that killed 12 family members in a Philadelphia rowhome, officials revealed Thursday. That disclosure was included in a search warrant application as city and federal investigators...
Novak Djokovic in limbo as he fights deportation from Australia
Locked in a dispute over his covid-19 vaccination status, Novak Djokovic was confined to an immigration detention hotel in Australia on Thursday as the No. 1 men’s tennis player in the world awaited a court ruling on whether he can compete in the Australian Open later this month. Djokovic, a...
4th resident of Florida retirement haven charged with voter fraud
THE VILLAGES, Fla. — A fourth resident of a massive Florida retirement community has been arrested on a charge of voter fraud. Charles Barnes, 64, was arrested Tuesday and charged with voter fraud for casting more than one ballot, according to an arrest affidavit filed in court. The arrest affidavit...
Longtime NFL, college coach Greg Robinson dies at 70
Greg Robinson, who won two Super Bowl rings with the Denver Broncos while spending nearly four decades coaching in the NFL and college, has died. He was 70. Robinson’s wife, Laura, said he died Wednesday from a form of Alzheimer’s Disease. “A lot of special memories,” she said Thursday. “That’s...
