Associated Press stories, Page 2528
NHL notebook: Flyers sign center Kevin Hayes
The Philadelphia Flyers signed center Kevin Hayes to a $50 million, seven-year contract. Hayes becomes the Flyers’ third-highest paid player with a deal worth $7.14 million per season and should step in as their new No. 2 center behind Sean Couturier. General manager Chuck Fletcher announced the signing Wednesday, saying...
Christen Press stays positive entering World Cup match vs. Sweden
LE HAVRE, France — A devastating missed penalty kick by Christen Press in a loss at the Olympics could have been the lowest point of her career. Instead, it was a motivator and defining moment for the American forward. “I think when I look back on my career, all the...
Police release video, search for brawlers at youth baseball game
LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Colorado authorities said they are investigating a fist fight between adults over a teenage umpire’s calls during a youth baseball game involving 7-year-olds. Video shot by spectators shows men exchanging punches on the field. Lakewood police spokesman John Romero said police want help identifying a man shown...
NHL salary cap could initiate trade free-for-all
Matt Niskanen wasn’t totally shocked when the Washington Capitals traded him to Philadelphia last week. One look at their salary cap picture explained it. “I know what kind of situation Washington was in, so I knew there was a possibility,” he said. General managers say there is more trade chatter...
Michel Platini: ‘It hurts,’ soccer star says of police questioning
PARIS — After a day of police questioning centering on his former role as a top decision-maker in soccer, Michel Platini was released from custody without charge in the early hours Wednesday and said he found the experience painful given “everything I’ve done” in the sport. Summoned Tuesday morning to...
Zion’s time: Williamson center of attention at NBA draft
NEW YORK — Zion Williamson smiled his way through nearly half an hour of questions, trying to portray himself like any player just hoping to be drafted. Suddenly, a tall, thin newcomer pushed his way to the front of the shoulder-to-shoulder swarm surrounding Williamson and shot down that idea. “What...
After piggybacking on baseball, NFL stood tall in expansion
George Halas wanted an NFL team in Dallas, and in 1960 the influential founder of the Chicago Bears helped Clint Murchison get one. Less than 10 years later, a league that for decades piggybacked geographically on baseball went from 16 to 26 franchises in a merger with the rival American...
Man arrested for slapping reporter’s hand at Trump’s Florida rallyVideo
ORLANDO — Authorities in Florida say a man was arrested outside the arena where President Trump made his reelection announcement for trying to slap a cellphone out of a journalist’s hand. The Orlando Police Department said Wednesday that 51-year-old Daniel Kestner is facing a battery charge for trying to slap...
Florida city pays $600,000 ransom to save computer records
A Florida city agreed to pay $600,000 in ransom to hackers who took over its computer system, the latest in thousands of attacks worldwide aimed at extorting money from governments and businesses. The Riviera Beach City Council voted unanimously this week to pay the hackers’ demands, believing the Palm Beach...
Alabama man denies feeding meth to ‘attack squirrel’Video
BIRMINGHAM — An Alabama man wanted on drug and weapons charges has posted a video denying he fed methamphetamine to a so-called “attack squirrel” that he considers a pet. Mickey Paulk posted the video on his Facebook page Tuesday night as authorities continued searching for him. It shows him stroking...
Pennsylvania enshrines recognition of Juneteenth into law
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is permanently recognizing Juneteenth, the cultural holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved black people in the United States. Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday signed legislation designating June 19 as Juneteenth National Freedom Day. Most states recognize it, and Pennsylvania lawmakers typically recognize the day by passing non-binding...
St. Louis prosecutor adds 22 cops to list banned from presenting cases
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis’ top prosecutor has added 22 more names to a list of city police officers who are not allowed to bring cases to her office, after a national group accused the officers of posting racist and anti-Muslim comments on social media. The 22 new names brings...
MediaNews plans to cut 81 jobs at Reading Eagle
The new owners of the Reading Eagle plan to lay off more than a third of the staff after they assume control of the 150-year-old newspaper and the company’s other assets later this month. MediaNews Group stepped forward to buy the Reading Eagle Co. for $5 million after the family-owned...
Scientists record singing by 1 of rarest whales
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Federal marine biologists have recorded singing by one of the rarest whales on the planet. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers used moored acoustic recorders to capture repeated patterns of calls made by male North Pacific right whales, the first time any right whale songs in any...
Fed leaves its key rate unchanged but hints of future cuts
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday but signaled that it’s prepared to start cutting rates if needed to protect the U.S. economy from trade conflicts and other threats. The Fed kept its benchmark rate — which influences many consumer and business loans — in...
Grizzlies trade Mike Conley to Jazz for 3 players, 2 picks
The Memphis Grizzlies traded away the final piece of the franchise’s best years Wednesday, sending veteran point guard Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz for a trio of players, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press. The Grizzlies swapped Conley for forward Jae Crowder, guard/forward Kyle Korver...
Thief takes Marilyn Monroe statue from Hollywood gazebo
LOS ANGELES — Goodbye, Norma Jean? Officials say someone climbed a more than two-story tall Hollywood public art piece and stole a statue of Marilyn Monroe. The statue depicting Monroe in her iconic pose from the 1955 film “The Seven Year Itch” went missing early Monday from the “Four Ladies...
Survey: Owners having problems with driver-assist systems
As auto companies continue to fix buggy touch-screen infotainment systems, a survey of new-vehicle buyers has found there’s a different technology posing problems: driver assist systems such as automatic emergency braking. The annual survey by J.D. Power found that as the electronic safety systems find their way into more mainstream...
Pennsylvania moves to expand limits on opioid prescriptions
Legislation to further clamp down on powerful painkiller prescriptions in Pennsylvania has the state Senate’s approval, although Democrats tried unsuccessfully to put limits on an exception for major surgery. The Senate voted unanimously Wednesday, nearly three years after lawmakers passed a package of legislation to limit opioid prescriptions to fight...
Pa. Senate vote puts victims’ rights amendment before voters
Pennsylvania voters will decide whether to enumerate victims’ rights in the state constitution, a proposal likely to appear on the November ballot. The state Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to give its final approval, putting the state’s version of Marsy’s Law on the ballot as a constitutional amendment referendum. The proposed...
Self-help guru convicted in lurid sex-trafficking case
NEW YORK — The former leader of a purported self-help group was convicted Wednesday of federal charges that centered on lurid details of what prosecutors called a secret society of “sex slaves” within a community of followers in upstate New York. A jury in federal court in Brooklyn took less...
The legacy of Denzel: Key moments from Washington AFI honors
A night dedicated to an artist as prolific as Denzel Washington is bound to be an emotional one. The Oscar-winning actor, director, and producer is the face of some of the best-known films of the last few decades, including “Fences,” ”Training Day,” ”Malcolm X,” and “Philadelphia.” Naturally, he’s touched a...
Netflix’s first Arabic original sparks backlash on home turf
AMMAN, Jordan — On a high school trip to Jordan’s ancient city of Petra, a group of teenagers sneak out at night to drink beer, smoke weed and gossip around a bonfire. A girl asks her frisky boyfriend to take things slow. By global Netflix standards, its first original Arabic...
American Airlines deal boosts Airbus’s new long-range jet
PARIS — American Airlines is buying 50 new long-range planes from Airbus, giving a big boost to the just-launched A321XLR model and spurring Boeing to push ahead to develop a rival aircraft. Airbus and the American Airlines — the world’s largest carrier — announced the deal Wednesday at the Paris...
Cracker Barrel bars church event over LGBT execution remarks
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Cracker Barrel says it won’t host an event by a Tennessee church whose pastor was a detective who preached that the government should execute gay people. Cracker Barrel said Tuesday on Twitter that it’s not affiliated with All Scripture Baptist Church or its pastor, ex-Knox County sheriff’s...
