Month: February 2024

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer Two people with knowledge of the agreement say ESPN and the College Football Playoff have agreed to a six-year deal worth $1.3 billion annually that will allow the network to keep exclusive rights to the 12-team playoff through the 2031 season. The people spoke to The Associated

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The independent commission investigating the deadliest shooting in Maine history now has the power to compel witnesses to testify or produce documents. The governor signed bipartisan legislation Tuesday granting subpoena power after commissioners said they needed the ability to ensure access to testimony and documents. The shooter who killed 18 people

By PHILIP MARCELO and ANNIE MA Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Four years after the coronavirus pandemic first sent students and teachers into online learning, some school systems in the U.S. are returning to the method during inclement winter weather. They’re doing so in place of scheduling old-fashioned snow days. As a major winter

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A U.S. government audit has found that after two devastating hurricanes and a string of strong earthquakes, Puerto Rico is still trudging through reconstruction work. A report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office on Tuesday found that the U.S. territory has spent less

By JOHN RABY Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia legislation that limits counties from regulating agricultural operations is stoking fears that a logging company could resurrect plans to build a toxic-spewing facility. The House of Delegates approved the bill Tuesday after it previously passed the Senate. It would bar counties from overstepping state

By TARA COPP Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to be released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday. Austin was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit on Sunday for a bladder issue. He has had ongoing health issues since undergoing surgery in December

By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Less than a year after Tennessee Republicans attempted to expel her from the state House, Democrat Gloria Johnson is seeking another term there while simultaneously waging an uphill campaign for U.S. Senate. Republicans are trying to force her to choose one. Voters might do a double

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Veteran baseball broadcaster Jenny Cavnar is the new primary play-by-play announcer for the Oakland Athletics, hired by NBC Sports California. The company made the announcement Tuesday. Cavnar becomes the first woman to handle primary play-by-play duties in major league history — set to be the voice for most of the A’s

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — When Jessie Schook shares the joyful news that she’s pregnant with her first child, she says the response is often the same — especially among other female working professionals. “The excitement is immediately followed by: ‘Are you on a list?’” Schook says. What they’re asking is

By CLAIRE RUSH and JENNIFER KANE Associated Press VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is in the Pacific Northwest visiting a major bridge that’s slated for a multibillion-dollar replacement. The Interstate 5 bridge spans the Columbia River and connects Portland, Oregon, with southwest Washington state. It’s a vital transport and commerce link

By AMY TAXIN Associated Press A group of Disneyland performers in California are considering joining a union. While most workers at Disney’s California theme parks already have unions, roughly 1,700 performers and support staff don’t. Workers who have gone without union representation until now include those who meet and greet guests and stroll in parades

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Former Rep. Alyce Clarke is the first Black woman elected to the Mississippi Legislature. And now, she is the first Black person — and first woman — to have a portrait on display in the state Capitol. The 84-year-old smiled Tuesday as fellow lawmakers, friends

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s foreign minister says a Polish doctor kidnapped in Chad has been freed and is unharmed. Private Polish broadcaster Polsat News says the woman was volunteering at a hospital when attackers pretending to be patients abducted her and a Mexican doctor on Monday. A fellow doctor told The Associated Press that

By SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Mayor Brandon Johnson says Chicago isn’t renewing its ShotSpotter contract and will stop using the controversial gunshot detection system later this year. The system relies on an artificial intelligence algorithm and microphones to identify gunshots. But it has been criticized for inaccuracy, racial bias and law enforcement

By ZEKE MILLER and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday said Donald Trump’s comments calling into question the U.S. commitment to defend its NATO allies from attack were “dangerous” and “un-American,” seizing on the former president’s comments that sowed fresh fears among U.S. partners about its dependability on the

By The Associated Press Two climate activists have targeted Botticelli’s masterpiece “The Birth of Venus” hanging at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, attaching images of recent flood damage in the Tuscany region on the protective glass. Authorities immediately cleared the room and the two protesters were taken by carabinieri for questioning. Under a new law, the protesters

By RUTH ALONGA Associated Press GOMA, Congo (AP) — A group of rebels bombed a displacement camp in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province killing three civilians and injuring eight others, a local civil society group says. The announcement comes as violence in the conflict-hit region escalates and a humanitarian group warns that thousands are facing

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pearl Jam ‘s forthcoming album is called “Dark Matter,” its first single of the same title has been released, and the band will start a world tour in May. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers revealed the new details on the project and their 2024 plans on Tuesday. “Dark Matter,”

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — The party of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and its allies announced late Tuesday that they will jointly form a coalition government, ending the uncertainty since last week when no party won a simple majority in parliamentary elections. The latest development came hours after the parties

By VERDA SUBZWARI Associated Press Looking for a last-minute gift for Valentine’s Day? One that’s sustainable, beautiful and meaningful? Consider a houseplant. They last longer than cut flowers. And there are many with heart-shaped leaves or flowers that have traditionally been associated with love.  Consider the hoya heart succulent, which looks like cute, plump, green

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Two fired top executives of FirstEnergy Corp. and Ohio’s former top utility regulator have pleaded not guilty in connection with a $60 million bribery scheme. The state announced a combined 27 criminal charges against former CEO Chuck Jones, Senior Vice President Michael Dowling and former

By THOMAS ADAMSON Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has canceled plans to move Paris’ famed second-hand booksellers’ boxes from the banks of the Seine River in preparation for the opening ceremony of the Olympics in July. A statement from the Elysee presidential palace on Tuesday said Macron asked France’s interior minister

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A witness has testified at the murder trial of a former Ohio sheriff’s deputy that he saw the man who was killed not long before the shooting but that he didn’t see a gun. The defendant, Jason Meade, testified that he feared for his life after Casey Goodson Jr. waved a