Associated Press stories, Page 2671
Steelers fan among 3 with perfect attendance for Super Bowl
ATLANTA — Don Crisman knows precisely when the streak began: Jan. 15, 1967. The ticket price for the Super Bowl at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was $12. “Good seats,” Crisman, 82, said. “You could buy $6 tickets, and $10. There were three prices.” On Sunday, Crisman, Pittsburgh Steelers fan...
After latest goodbye, Rams’ Aqib Talib says hello to another Super Bowl
ATLANTA — It might seem as though Aqib Talib says “goodbye” as often as the flight attendant standing at the front of the plane. And yet, he keeps resurfacing on good teams — and at the Super Bowl. The colorful cornerback brought his necklaces, his personality and, yes, even defensive...
Patriots right where they want to be entering Super Bowl
ATLANTA — The Super Bowls have become a yearly ritual for the New England Patriots under Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. They’re back for the third straight year and the ninth time overall despite a taxing season that seemed doomed after Julian Edelman’s four-game suspension for performance-enhancers, a 1-2 start...
Rams really ready to knock off Patriots in Super Bowl
ATLANTA — The Los Angeles Rams aren’t ready to beat the Patriots, according to much of the conventional wisdom around the Super Bowl. Only four members of the upstart NFC champions have played in a Super Bowl. Even though the Rams are coming off a 13-3 regular season and two...
Trump’s State of the Union to focus on ‘choosing greatness’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is ready to deliver his State of the Union speech following a roller-coaster will-it-or-won’t-it-happen ride. His topic is to be “choosing greatness.” White House officials say Trump is not expected to dwell on the government shutdown or on the looming Feb. 15 deadline for a...
A deluge of drones fly over Super Bowl stadium, despite ban
ATLANTA — The sky above the stadium that will host Sunday’s Super Bowl is being “inundated” with an alarming number of drones, raising the specter of injuries to tourists or others — or a possible collision with aircraft, the FBI said Friday. That’s despite an ongoing restriction that bans the...
Judge in Roger Stone case says she’s considering gag order
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Friday cautioned longtime Donald Trump confidant Roger Stone not to treat the charges against him like a public relations campaign or book tour, and said she may issue a gag order in the case. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said she had already...
Trump suspends arms treaty to focus on China, Russia threats
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is pulling the plug on a decades-old nuclear arms treaty with Russia, lifting what it sees as unreasonable constraints on competing with a resurgent Russia and a more assertive China. The move announced Friday sets the stage for delicate talks with U.S. allies over potential...
Stocks eke out gains after a bumpy day
NEW YORK — Stocks held on to tiny gains at the end of an up-and-down day of trading on Wall Street. Major indexes were higher for much of the morning as investors applauded the latest burst of hiring by U.S. employers. The enthusiasm was tempered, however, by a disappointing revenue...
‘Empire’ actor says account of attack has been consistent
CHICAGO — “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett said Friday that he has been “consistent on every level” with the police during their investigation into what he says was a racist and homophobic attack on him in downtown Chicago earlier this week. In his first public comments since he says two masked...
Man gets 48-year sentence after fatal argument over popcorn
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A man who got in an argument with his cousin over popcorn and struck him in the head with a baseball bat has been sentenced to 48 years in prison for manslaughter. The Montgomery Advertiser reports 29-year-old Richard Wilson was sentenced Thursday in Johnny Waits’ 2016 death....
Lawsuit: Pennsylvania officer coerced 2 women into sex to avoid arrest
ASHLEY — Two women who say they were coerced into sex with a Pennsylvania police officer have filed a federal lawsuit alleging he violated their constitutional rights. The Citizens’ Voice reports 29-year-old Mark Icker, of Dickson City, is facing sexual assault, official oppression and related charges alleging he pressured the...
Trump health chief asks Congress to pass drug discount plan
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s top health official asked Congress on Friday to pass its new prescription drug discount plan and provide it to all patients, not just those covered by government programs like Medicare. The plan would take now-hidden rebates among industry players like drug companies and insurers and...
Palestinians, Israeli troops clash in West Bank, Gaza
JERUSALEM — Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops skirmished Friday as hundreds demonstrated against violence by Jewish settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and thousands more against a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade in the militant Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. In Gaza, mass demonstrations along the perimeter fence with Israel have been a weekly...
‘Empire’ actor defends himself in 1st comments since attack
CHICAGO (AP) — “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett is disputing rumors circulating on social media that he has been less than cooperative with the investigation into a racially-charged attack in which he says two masked men beat him and wrapped a rope around his neck in downtown Chicago. In his first...
Lindsey Vonn to retire after world championships
Lindsey Vonn says she will retire from ski racing after this month’s world championships in Sweden. The women’s all-time leader in World Cup wins had been planning to retire in December but changed her plans because of persistent pain in both of her knees, which she fully realized after failing...
Lawsuit: Dorney Park’s Halloween monsters went too far
ALLENTOWN — A woman and her teen daughter are suing a Pennsylvania amusement park, saying the costumed ghouls at its Halloween attraction were too terrifying. The (Allentown) Morning Call reports that Shannon Sacco and her daughter are seeking more than $150,000 from Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom and its parent...
NHL to celebrate Black History Month for 1st time
The NHL will celebrate Black History Month for the first time, shifting its focus in February from its wide-ranging “Hockey Is For Everyone” campaign to emphasize racial diversity in the sport. The league and NHL Players’ Association will announce the joint initiative Friday morning. It includes a traveling mobile museum...
U.S. employers add robust 304K jobs; joblessness up to 4%
WASHINGTON — U.S. employers shrugged off last month’s partial government shutdown and engaged in a burst of hiring in January, adding 304,000 jobs, the most in nearly a year. The healthy gain the government reported Friday illustrated the job market’s durability nearly a decade into the economic expansion. The U.S....
U.S. announces pullout from key arms treaty with Russia
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Friday it is withdrawing from a treaty that has been a centerpiece of superpower arms control since the Cold War. Some analysts worry the move could fuel a new arms race. President Donald Trump said in a statement that Russia, “for far too long,”...
Teen held after apparent school shooting joke involving Siri
VALPARAISO, Ind. — Authorities say a 13-year-old Indiana boy is charged with intimidation after he told Apple’s digital assistant Siri that he planned a school shooting and posted an iPhone screenshot of the response on social media as an apparent joke. The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports the middle school student...
Missing Maryland man found dead in West Virginia
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Police in Hagerstown, Md., say a missing man has been found dead in Berkeley County, W.Va. News outlets report Hagerstown police say the body 27-year-old Christopher Turner was found Wednesday. Police say the manner and condition of the body indicated that Turner was killed. Police say Turner’s...
3 students killed in South Africa school walkway collapse
JOHANNESBURG — At least three students are dead after a walkway collapsed at a school outside Johannesburg, a South African official said Friday, and 23 were injured. Panyaza Lesufi, the head of education for Gauteng province, posted the toll on Twitter shortly after the collapse at the Hoerskool Driehoek high...
Hong Kong court denies male status to 3 transgender men
HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s High Court has refused to allow three transgender men to be recognized as males on their official identity cards because they have not undergone full sex-change operations. Friday’s ruling was seen as a blow to the fledgling LGBT movement in the semiautonomous Chinese city of...
Lawsuit: Pennsylvania officer coerced 2 women into sex to avoid arrest
ASHLEY — Two women who said they were coerced into sex with a Pennsylvania police officer filed a federal lawsuit alleging he violated their constitutional rights. Mark Icker, 29, of Dickson City is facing sexual assault, official oppression and related charges alleging he pressured the two women into performing oral...
