Associated Press stories, Page 2694
Tide change: Top of golf now belongs to youth
HONOLULU — Leave it to the oldest rookie to best illustrate how the PGA Tour has become such a young man’s game. Chris Thompson tried for 19 years to reach the highest level of golf, and he finally earned a PGA Tour card when he was 42. With every year...
Nadal: Andy Murray will be big loss but show must go on
MELBOURNE, Australia — Rafael Nadal knew it was inevitable that sooner or later the Big Four would become the Big Three. That Andy Murray is the first of the longtime leading four in men’s tennis to signal the end of his career is something Nadal has to keep in perspective....
Ferro Corp. to shut down Washington County plant, affecting 210 jobs
WASHINGTON, Pa. — An international chemical company has announced plans to shut down a western Pennsylvania plant, cutting about 160 jobs and relocating 50 more. Ferro Corp. said Friday the Canton Township plant in Washington County that produces functional coatings and color solutions will close in late 2019 or early...
Pitt gives undermanned N.C. State scare in ACC loss
RALEIGH, N.C. — No. 15 North Carolina State lost both a starting big man and its point guard. Good thing for the Wolfpack their depth is the envy of most teams. DJ Funderburk scored 12 of his career-high 18 points in the second half, and N.C. State beat Pitt, 86-80,...
Stephen King complaint spurs newspaper subscription drive
PORTLAND, Maine — A Maine newspaper that horrified author Stephen King by dropping its local book review coverage used his complaint to boost digital subscriptions. King, who lives in Bangor, complained Friday about the Portland Press Herald’s decision to stop publishing freelance-written reviews of books about Maine or written by...
GOP rejected Obama’s executive reach, but accepts Trump’s
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama stunned Republicans when he bypassed Congress and — relying on what he called his pen and his phone — used executive powers to enact his agenda, including protecting millions of young immigrants from deportation. Now, with President Donald Trump proposing an even more dramatic end-run...
In states, Democrats start delivering on health care pledges
SEATTLE — Riding the momentum from November’s elections, Democratic leaders in the states are wasting no time delivering on their biggest campaign promise — to expand access to health care and make it more affordable. The first full week of state legislative sessions and swearings-in for governors saw a flurry...
Bare-handed surgeries as Zimbabwe’s health system collapses
HARARE, Zimbabwe — A doctors’ strike in Zimbabwe has crippled a health system that was already in intensive care from neglect. It mirrors the state of affairs in a country that was full of promise a year ago with the departure of longtime leader Robert Mugabe but now faces economic...
Former Obama housing chief Julian Castro joins 2020 campaign
SAN ANTONIO — Assailing President Donald Trump for “a crisis of leadership,” former Obama Cabinet member Julian Castro joined the 2020 presidential race Saturday as the rush of Democrats making early moves to challenge the incumbent accelerates, while anticipation grows around bigger names still considering a White House run. Castro,...
After Wisconsin girl’s safe return, question is: Why?
BARRON, Wis. — The grandfather of a northwestern Wisconsin girl who was abducted during a home invasion that left her parents dead said Saturday that the family has no connection to the suspect and doesn’t understand why he targeted her, deepening a mystery that has captivated the state for months....
Kemp prepares to lead Georgia after rough, partisan campaign
ATLANTA — Georgia’s new governor campaigned as a self-described “politically incorrect conservative” who sealed support among fellow Republicans with an endorsement from President Donald Trump and eked out a close November victory after lobbing a last-minute accusation that the state Democratic Party tried to hack the election. Now the question...
Guy, No. 4 Virginia stay perfect with 63-43 win over Clemson
CLEMSON, S.C. — Kyle Guy had 13 points, De’Andre Hunter scored 12 and No. 4 Virginia improved to 15-0 with a 63-43 victory over Clemson on Saturday. Clemson started the day with a national championship football parade and celebration just a few steps away at Death Valley. The basketball Tigers...
Jake Guentzel’s hat trick helps Penguins storm past Ducks
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jake Guentzel scored three times, Phil Kessel got the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied from an early three-goal deficit for a 7-4 victory over the Ducks on Friday night, sending Anaheim to its 10th consecutive loss. Tanner Pearson scored the...
Lawyer: R. Kelly denies all sexual misconduct allegations
CHICAGO — An attorney for R. Kelly said Friday that the R&B star denies all allegations of sexual misconduct involving women and underage girls, including those made in a recent documentary, although he says neither he nor Kelly has watched the entire movie. Attorney Steve Greenberg offered his most full-throated...
US starts withdrawing supplies, but not troops, from Syria
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Friday it has started pulling equipment, but not troops, out of Syria as a first step in meeting President Trump’s demand for a complete military withdrawal. The announcement fueled concern about how quickly the United States will abandon its Kurdish allies, amid contradictory statements...
Trump says changes coming in U.S. handling of high-tech visas
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday promised changes in the way the United States handles temporary visas that allow American companies to bring high-tech and other skilled workers into the country In a tweet, Trump said those who hold the temporary H1-B visas can “rest assured” because changes were coming...
Priest who abused boys, made 1 confess, sentenced to prison
BROOKVILLE, Pa. — A Pennsylvania Roman Catholic priest who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two boys and making one of them say confession after the assaults was sentenced Friday to 2½ to 14 years in prison. David Lee Poulson was sentenced in Jefferson County after pleading guilty in October to...
Previewing Saturday’s NFL playoff games
Former local college football standouts Aaron Donald and Tavon Austin take center stage Saturday in the NFL playoffs. Donald’s Los Angeles Rams face Austin’s Dallas Cowboys in the NFC divisional round. The winner faces the winner of the Philadelphia Eagles-New Orleans Saints game, which will be played Sunday. A look...
Rams, Cowboys seek long-awaited postseason breakthroughsVideo
LOS ANGELES — As if the pressure of playing for the Los Angeles Rams’ first playoff victory in 14 years wasn’t enough, Todd Gurley carries an extra imperative into the Coliseum on Saturday night. “Basically, everybody I know hates the Cowboys,” the Rams’ All-Pro running back said. “They’ve been hitting...
Colts hope history repeats vs. Chiefs; K.C. hopes to reverse fortunes
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Given the postseason history involving Indianapolis and Kansas City over the years, Andrew Luck and the Colts have every reason to feel confident heading to Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday. The Chiefs have every reason to believe they are due. Four times the teams have met in...
Judge: Women could lose birth control coverage under new Trump rules
OAKLAND, Calif. — A U.S. judge said Friday that a “substantial number” of women would lose free birth control coverage under new rules by the Trump administration that allow more employers to opt out of providing the benefit on religious and moral grounds. Judge Haywood Gilliam made the comment at...
Flyers puzzled by fall from playoff team to bottom-dweller
PHILADELPHIA — The vendor at the Flyers merchandise kiosk on the main concourse scrolled through his phone as disinterested fans breezed by the $70 Stadium Series sweatshirts and $250 jerseys that suddenly seem as unwanted as a face value ticket. Shortly before faceoff, customers! A Flyers fan stops by and...
NHL tests puck and player tracking in regular-season games
LAS VEGAS — The NHL for the first time has tested real-time puck and player tracking in regular-season games and intends to have it in place across the league next season. Microchips were added to players’ shoulder pads and fitted inside specially designed pucks for two Vegas Golden Knights home...
U.S. flu season appears milder, one year after brutal one
NEW YORK — It’s early, but the current flu season is shaping up to be gentler than last winter’s unusually brutal one, U.S. health officials said. In most parts of the country, most illnesses right now are being caused by a flu strain that leads to fewer hospitalizations and deaths...
Florida pardons 4 black men accused of 1949 rape
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and a Cabinet granted posthumous pardons Friday to four African-American men accused of raping a white woman nearly 70 years ago in a case now seen as a racial injustice. The unanimous vote came minutes after alleged victim pleaded with DeSantis and the...
