Associated Press stories, Page 1028
Unwelcome spotlight falls on NHL team Pride night events
Pride nights, held annually for several years by National Hockey League teams to show support for the LGBTQ community, are in the spotlight following several high-profile incidents this season. A handful of players have objected to participating in pregame warmups that included Pride-themed jerseys, most recently Florida’s Eric and Marc...
Much of drought-plagued West Coast faces salmon fishing ban
SAN DIEGO — As drought dried up rivers that carry California’s newly hatched Chinook salmon to the ocean, state officials in recent years resorted to loading up the fish by the millions onto trucks and barges to take them to the Pacific. The surreal and desperate scramble boosted the survival...
Gwyneth Paltrow expected to testify in ski collision trial
PARK CITY, Utah — Gwyneth Paltrow is expected to testify Friday in a trial over a 2016 ski collision at a Utah ski resort, where a man claims that the movie star’s recklessness on the slope caused broken ribs, brain damage and lasting physical injuries. Paltrow and Terry Sanderson, the...
Hong Kong fire forces 3,400 people to evacuate
HONG KONG — Hong Kong firefighters were battling a blaze Friday at a warehouse that forced 3,400 people to evacuate, including students, police said. Thick smoke was seen pouring out from the building where the fire broke out around 2 p.m. at the warehouse on Fat Tseung Street in Cheung...
North Korea claims ‘radioactive tsunami’ weapon test at sea
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea claimed Friday to have tested a nuclear-capable underwater drone designed to generate a gigantic “radioactive tsunami” that would destroy naval strike groups and ports. Analysts were skeptical that the device presents a major new threat, but the test underlines the North’s commitment to raising...
Radioactive water leaks at Minnesota nuclear plant for 2nd time
MONTICELLO, Minn. — Water containing a radioactive material has leaked for a second time from a nuclear plant near Minneapolis and the plant will be shut down, but there is no danger to the public, the plant’s owner said Thursday. A leak of what was believed to be hundreds of...
Florida Atlantic makes first Elite Eight, bounces Tennessee
NEW YORK — When the horn sounded on the greatest victory in the history of Florida Atlantic athletics, Nick Boyd and Bryan Greenlee hopped onto the press row table to celebrate. Instead of going to the locker room, some of the Owls players made their way up into the stands...
Gonzaga beats UCLA 79-76 in Sweet 16 on Strawther’s shot
LAS VEGAS — Gonzaga and UCLA played one NCAA Tournament game that left the Zags’ star player bawling, and another game that stunned the Bruins. Add another to the list. Maybe the maddest one in March yet. Julian Strawther hit a 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds left to answer a 3-pointer...
U.S. launches airstrikes in Syria after drone kills American worker
BEIRUT — A strike Thursday by a suspected Iranian-made drone killed a U.S. contractor and wounded five American troops and another contractor in northeast Syria, the Pentagon said. American forces said they retaliated soon after with “precision airstrikes” in Syria targeting facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard,...
UConn a step from Final Four after 88-65 blowout of ArkansasVideo
LAS VEGAS — Jordan Hawkins scored 24 points for UConn, and the Huskies are one step away from the Final Four after an 88-65 rout of Arkansas 88-65 in a West Region Sweet 16 matchup Thursday. The fourth-seeded Huskies (28-8) will play the winner of UCLA or Gonzaga in an...
Nowell breaks NCAA assist record, Kansas State beats Michigan State in OTVideo
NEW YORK — Markquis Nowell broke the NCAA Tournament record for assists in a game with 19, his last two on spectacular passes in the final minute of overtime, and Kansas State beat Michigan State, 98-93, on Thursday night in a Sweet 16 thriller at Madison Square Garden. Playing in...
John Tortorella earns 700th career win as Flyers top WildVideo
PHILADELPHIA — James van Riemsdyk scored the only goal in a shootout, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Minnesota Wild, 5-4, on Thursday night for coach John Tortorella’s 700th career victory. Tortorella is 700-573-181 in 1,454 games as an NHL head coach. His 700 wins rank 12th in NHL history,...
Phillies’ Rhys Hoskins tears ACL, expected to miss significant timeVideo
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins needs surgery for a torn ACL after injuring his left knee Thursday fielding a grounder in a spring training game and is expected to miss a significant amount of time. The Phillies did not say when Hoskins would have the surgery...
Court blocks covid-19 vaccine mandate for U.S. government workers
NEW ORLEANS — President Joe Biden’s order that federal employees get vaccinated against covid-19 was blocked Thursday by a federal appeals court. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans rejected arguments that Biden, as the nation’s chief executive, has the same authority as the CEO of a...
Rory McIlroy powers his way to another win in Match PlayVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — Rory McIlroy had every reason to love the long ball Thursday. Taken to the 18th hole in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, McIlroy unleashed the shot of the tournament. He smashed a drive on the 375-yard closing hole so magnificently that it pitched on the green and...
Surge in eating disorders spurs state legislative action
DENVER — Stranded at home amid pandemic lockdowns in spring 2020, Emma Warford stumbled down a social media rabbit hole in her quest to get in shape. Viral 28-day fitness challenges. YouTubers promising “hourglass abs.” Diet videos where slim-stomached influencers peddled calorie-tracking apps. Warford, then a 15-year-old starting volleyball player,...
Disney World reaches union deal with minimum $18 hourly wage
ORLANDO, Fla. — Unions for service workers at Walt Disney World reached a tentative deal with the company on Thursday that would raise the starting minimum wage from $15 to $18 an hour in a pact that could set the basement for starting pay throughout central Florida’s sprawling tourism industry....
Soundtrack of this year’s March Madness begins with ‘CLANK!’Video
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Folks across the country watching the first round of the NCAA Tournament last week thought it rightfully funny when they saw a couple of stadium workers scurry up a ladder and place a construction level across the rim. Turns out Iowa State players, puzzled by their...
Autism now more common among Black, Hispanic kids in U.S.
NEW YORK — For the first time, autism is being diagnosed more frequently in Black and Hispanic children than in white kids in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. Among all U.S. 8-year-olds, 1 in 36 had autism in 2020, the CDC estimated. That’s up...
Sloppy racing could make it tough for NASCAR road ringersVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The NASCAR field Sunday will be stacked with two former Formula One world champions, an IndyCar driver and a sports car star who has a 24 Hours of Le Mans win on his resume. What can these so-called ringers expect on the road course at Circuit of...
Track bans transgender athletes, tightens rules for Caster SemenyaVideo
Track and field banned transgender athletes from international competition Thursday, while adopting new regulations that could keep Caster Semenya and other athletes with differences in sex development from competing. In a pair of decisions expected to stoke outrage, the World Athletics Council adopted the same rules as swimming did last...
Blackhawks won’t wear Pride jerseys, citing new Russian lawVideo
The Chicago Blackhawks, who have a Russian player, have decided against wearing special warmup jerseys to commemorate Pride night, citing an anti-gay Kremlin law that could imperil Russian athletes when they return home. The Blackhawks, who also have two players with connections to Russia, will not wear the jerseys before...
Democrats, marchers press gun violence debate at Pa. Capitol
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Anti-gun violence advocates rallied Thursday and packed into a friendly legislative hearing in Pennsylvania, where a politically divided government has fought firearms policy to a virtual standstill for decades, and rising gun violence has gripped the state’s largest city. The March For Our Lives at the state...
Skeptical U.S. lawmakers grill TikTok CEO over safety, content
WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers grilled the CEO of TikTok over data security and harmful content Thursday, responding skeptically during a tense committee hearing to his assurances that the hugely popular video-sharing app prioritizes user safety and should not be banned. Shou Zi Chew’s rare public appearance came at a crucial...
Pentagon: Budget readies U.S. for possible China confrontation
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military must be ready for possible confrontation with China, the Pentagon’s leaders said Thursday, pushing Congress to approve the Defense Department’s proposed $842 billion budget, which would modernize the force in Asia and around the world. “This is a strategy-driven budget — and one driven by...
