Associated Press stories, Page 2693
Willie Nelson, George Strait perform 1st ever duet together
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country icon Willie Nelson has sung with just about everyone, from Snoop Dogg to Frank Sinatra, but one surprising omission was fellow Texas troubadour George Strait. The two country singers sang their first ever duet together on Saturday night in Nashville, Tennessee, during a tribute show honoring...
DNA of wolf declared extinct in wild lives on in Texas pack
DALLAS — Researchers say a pack of wild canines found frolicking near the beaches of the Texas Gulf Coast carry a substantial amount of red wolf genes, a surprising discovery because the animal was declared extinct in the wild nearly 40 years ago. The finding has led wildlife biologists and...
Patriots without Wise; Gordon and Henry active for Chargers
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Patriots will be without defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. when New England hosts the Chargers in the divisional playoffs. Wise was limited all week with an ankle injury. His absence is a blow to the Patriots’ pass rush as they prepare to attack Los Angeles quarterback...
Trump dodges question on whether he has worked for Russia
WASHINGTON— President Donald Trump avoided giving a direct answer when asked if he currently is or has ever worked for Russia after a published report said federal law enforcement officials were so concerned about his behavior after he fired James Comey from the FBI that they began investigating whether Trump...
Beef-friendly Nebraska eyes regulations on the word ‘meat’
LINCOLN, Neb. — More than four months after Missouri became the first U.S. state to regulate the term “meat” on product labels, Nebraska’s powerful farm groups are pushing for similar protection from veggie burgers, tofu dogs and other items that look and taste like real meat. Nebraska lawmakers will consider...
Pope to parents: It’s OK to fight, just not in front of kids
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis offered new parents a bit of advice Sunday, telling them it’s perfectly normal to fight, but just not in front of the children. Francis warned of the “anguish” of children who see their parents fight during a ceremony to baptize 27 newborns, an annual tradition...
Penguins fall to Kings, goalie Jonathan Quick
LOS ANGELES — Jonathan Quick got another memento to add to the plastic tub in his attic filled with pucks commemorating important achievements. Quick stopped 38 shots to get his 301st win, leading the Kings to a 5-2 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday night, snapping the Penguins’ six-game road winning...
Explosions bring down roof of Milwaukee Bucks’ former homeVideo
MILWAUKEE — Dozens of small, simultaneous explosions have brought down the steel roof of the Bradley Center, the former home of the Milwaukee Bucks. The controlled demolition Sunday morning left debris scattered in the street. The Bradley Center closed last summer and the Bucks moved next door to the $524...
Patriots roll past Chargers, return to AFC championship game
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady recognizes there are some who believe the Patriots are nearing the end of their run of unprecedented playoff success. New England took its first step toward possibly silencing those voices for a little longer. Sony Michel ran for 129 yards and had three touchdowns, and...
Saints rally past Eagles to reach NFC title game
NEW ORLEANS — When the New Orleans Saints finally found their rhythm, they marched one step closer to the Super Bowl. Using a dominant ball-control offense and a few gambles that paid off, the Saints got two touchdown passes from Drew Brees and two interceptions from Marcus Lattimore in a...
Rams run past Cowboys into NFC championship
LOS ANGELES — C.J. Anderson rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and Todd Gurley rushed for 115 more yards and another TD in the Los Angeles Rams’ first playoff victory in 14 years, 30-22 over the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round Saturday night. Gurley and Anderson punished the...
Shirley Boone, wife of Pat Boone and philanthropist, dies
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Shirley Boone, the longtime wife of singer Pat Boone as well as a philanthropist, has died. She was 84. She passed away Friday surrounded by her four daughters, Cherry, Lindy, Debby and Laury, who sang to her, Milt Suchin, Pat Boone’s manager, said in a statement....
Coal mine collapses in China, killing at least 21
BEIJING — Twenty-one coal miners were killed when a mine collapsed in northern China, state media reported Sunday. The disaster occurred Saturday in Shenmu in Shaanxi province in the heart of the country’s coal-mining belt, according to state TV and the Xinhua News Agency. Sixty-six other miners were rescued, the...
Joe Gibbs’ eldest son dies at 49 from neurological disease
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — J.D. Gibbs, eldest son of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, was remembered as the visionary behind the stellar career of several NASCAR stars following his death from complications a long battle with a degenerative neurological disease. He was 49. Joe Gibbs Racing announced Gibbs’...
Ready Freddie: Kitchens hired by Browns after offensive run
CLEVELAND — Freddie Kitchens had something on his coaching resume no other candidate could match. He made Baker Mayfield a better quarterback. Kitchens, who helped Mayfield turn his rookie season into a record-breaking one during an impressive eight-game stint as the Browns offensive coordinator, on Saturday was named Cleveland’s 17th...
Ex-Cardinal McCarrick accuser cooperates with NYC prosecutors on Catholic Church sex abuse
VATICAN CITY — The key accuser in the sex abuse case against ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has met with New York City prosecutors, evidence that the scandal that has convulsed the papacy is now part of the broader U.S. law enforcement investigation into sex abuse and cover-up in the Catholic Church....
Jeannette’s Batts helps LIU Brooklyn top Robert Morris
NEW YORK — Raiquan Clark scored 24 points, Jashaun Agosto added 21 with nine assists and Jeannette graduate Julian Batts hit a big 3-pointer as LIU Brooklyn beat Robert Morris, 80-73, on Saturday. Tyrn Flowers scored 16 points with eight rebounds and the trio of Blackbirds (8-8, 2-2 Northeast Conference)...
Duquesne rallies then holds off St. Joseph’s
PITTSBURGH — Michael Hughes had 17 points and eight rebounds, and Duquesne overcame a 15-point deficit to beat Saint Joseph’s, 85-84, on Saturday at Palumbo Center. The Dukes (11-5, 2-1 Atlantic 10) went on an 11-2 run to lead 82-75 on Hughes’ pair of free throws with 44 seconds left...
Chiefs roll past Colts, reach AFC title gameVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes picked apart the Colts in his postseason debut, the Chiefs defense answered their chorus of critics with a stout performance, and Kansas City rolled to a 31-13 victory over Indianapolis in the divisional round Saturday to end 25 years of playoff frustration. Mahomes threw...
Storm moves to Mid-Atlantic; at least 5 dead in crashes
ST. LOUIS — A massive winter snowstorm that blanketed several Midwest states was a factor in at least five road deaths on Saturday and forced the grounds crew to scramble to clear snow from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City ahead of the NFL divisional playoff game. The storm moved into...
Requests to bring in child brides OK’d; legal under U.S. laws
WASHINGTON — Thousands of requests by men to bring in child and adolescent brides to live in the United States were approved over the past decade, according to government data obtained by The Associated Press. In one case, a 49-year-old man applied for admission for a 15-year-old girl. The approvals...
WVU loses to Oklahoma State, remains winless in Big 12
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Oklahoma State’s Isaac Likekele is having fun. West Virginia’s players, not so much. Likekele scored a career-high 23 points with nine rebounds to lead the Cowboys to their first true road win, beating West Virginia, 85-77, on Saturday. The loss gives the Mountaineers their first 0-4 start...
Sean Payton: Playoff stakes more important than perceived slightsVideo
NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton dismisses the premise the Philadelphia Eagles could derive extra motivation from the widespread perception New Orleans ran up the score on them when they met in November. “My question would be: We’re all playing hard in these divisional playoff games, right?”...
Philip Rivers, Chargers look to end dominance by Tom Brady, PatriotsVideo
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady typically shrugs off any mention of records or milestones he sets. But even he had to chuckle at the one he and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers will mark when they meet in Sunday’s divisional playoffs. Brady, who will be 41 years and 163...
Previewing Sunday’s NFL divisional playoff games
Is this the year Philip Rivers finally gets past the New England Patriots? Is the speculation of the Patriots’ demise premature? Can Nick Foles continue his Cinderella story with the Philadelphia Eagles in their matchup at New Orleans? Here’s a look at Sunday’s NFL divisional playoff games: LOS ANGELES CHARGERS...
