Month: February 2024

By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON Associated Press/Report For America COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio commission has awarded bids to frack oil and gas under state parks despite statewide backlash and an ongoing investigation into possibly fraudulent support. The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission granted the mineral rights to several out-of-state oil and gas companies.

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Organizers of the longest sled dog race in the eastern United States say they are canceling the event due to a lack of snow on the ground. The Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races have taken place in northern Maine for more than three decades, and

SEATTLE (AP) — Former NFL star Richard Sherman’s bail has been set at $5,000 following his weekend arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence. The Washington State Patrol says Sherman was pulled over early Saturday for driving 79 mph  in a 60 mph  zone on Interstate 405 south of Seattle, and that his eyes

Associated Press HAWLEY, Minn. (AP) — Residents of a small Minnesota town were asked to go without water as firefighters from 17 departments battled a huge blaze that destroyed a grain elevator. School also was canceled in Hawley, Minnesota, for lack of spare water. The fire was reported around 11 p.m. Sunday, and it took

MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan man who pleaded guilty in the starvation death of his disabled brother was sentenced Monday to a minimum of 30 years in prison. Twenty-one-year-old Paul Ferguson had pleaded guilty in December to first-degree child abuse in the death of 15-year-old Timothy Ferguson. He was sentenced Monday to a minimum

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine’s first new license plate in a quarter century gives homage to an old flag that’s growing in popularity and reappearing on hats, totes and T-shirts. The plate unveiled Monday features a simple pine tree and the North Star, both featured on the state’s first official flag in 1901. Maine residents

BY FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — An Australian tourist reported missing late last week in Zimbabwe near Victoria Falls already had been missing for nearly a week before that. That’s according to new information released Monday by national park officials. The 67-year-old tourist, whose name has not been released, was reported missing

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan voters are poised to cast ballots in their respective presidential primaries on Tuesday but a feeling of voter apathy has swept over the state. Both major parties have said that they must win Michigan to secure the White House this year but they’re struggling to

LONDON (AP) — Love letters to Pattie Boyd from both George Harrison and Eric Clapton are going up for sale at Christie’s auction house. They form part of an auction alongside clothing, jewelry and other memorabilia from the renowned model and musicians’ muse. Boyd was previously married both to Beatle Harrison and to guitar legend

Associated Press Microsoft announced an artificial intelligence partnership Monday with the French startup Mistral AI that could lessen the software giant’s reliance on ChatGPT-maker OpenAI for supplying the next wave of chatbots and other generative AI products. Microsoft and Mistral AI didn’t disclose the financial terms of the deal, though Microsoft said it involves a

By MOLLY QUELL Associated Press THE HAGUE (AP) — The United Nations top court has wrapped up historic proceedings into the legality of Israel’s occupation of lands sought by Palestinians for a future state. The International Court of Justice heard from an unprecedented number of countries over six days of hearings which ended on Monday.

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer The Federal Trade Commission sued to block a proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, saying the $24.6 billion deal would eliminate competition and lead to higher prices for millions of Americans. The FTC filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Oregon on Monday. It was joined

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde is launching his first television ad of the race on Tuesday, part of a seven-figure statewide buy his campaign said Monday will include multiple spots over the next month. Hovde is a multimillionaire businessman running to take on Democratic U.S.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Shoe and sports clothing maker Adidas says it has started a third sale of the Yeezy sneakers it was left with after severing ties with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. The company has accompanied the sales with donations to groups fighting antisemitism and other forms of hate. Adidas

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police have identified three suspects in the killing of a man on a subway car last week. Transit authorities are meeting Monday to discuss crime in the city’s transit system. The NYPD said Sunday that its seeking Justin Herde, Betty Cotto and Alfredo Trinidad in the killing of

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — A powerful winter storm is expected to dump several feet of snow in parts of West starting Monday while much of the central U.S. will be basking in unseasonably warm conditions. Windy conditions are also raising the potential for fires in several states. The National Weather Service

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian authorities on Monday imposed an entry ban on two Russian citizens suspected of espionage for Moscow’s foreign intelligence service. Bulgaria’s agency for national security identified the two as 39-year-old Vladimir Nikolayevich Gorochkin and 37-year-old Tatiana Anatolievna Gorochkina, and barred them from entering European Union member states for a period of

By ELOGE WILLY KANEZA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — An official in Burundi says nine people have been killed in an attack by rebels opposed to his government and again accuses neighboring Rwanda of supporting the armed group. Government spokesman Jérôme Niyonzima described a “cowardly attack” by assailants in western Bubanza province Sunday night.

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Hungary’s parliament has approved Sweden’s application to join NATO, paving the way for the Scandinavian country to become the alliance’s 32nd member. Hungary was the last holdout after Turkey agreed to Sweden’s accession in January. Newcomers need to be approved by all existing NATO members. Once neutral Sweden and neighboring Finland decided

By ZEKE MILLER and JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to sit down with late-night comic Seth Meyers in New York on Monday. That’s according to a person familiar with his plans who insisted on anonymity to discuss Biden’s plans to chat with the host of the NBC show “Late

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Tep Vong, the senior monk who headed Cambodia’s Buddhist community and was vital for its rejuvenation in the wake of the Khmer Rouge genocide in the late 70s, has died. He was 93. Cambodia’s Ministry of Cult and Religion said Tep Vong died Monday after an extended illness. He was

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden’s bid to join NATO — held up for almost two years — cleared its last hurdle when Hungary gave its go-ahead Monday to let the Nordic country into the alliance. It brought an end to more than 18 months of delays by the nationalist government in Budapest that have frustrated Hungary’s

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Police in Grenada say they believe an elderly U.S. couple aboard their catamaran that was hijacked by three escaped prisoners last week were killed and thrown into the Caribbean Sea. Monday’s announcement is a blow to those who were independently helping search for Ralph

By SEUNG MIN KIM, COLLEEN LONG and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will travel to the U.S.-Mexico border this week. That’s according to three people familiar with his plans, and it comes as the administration grapples with the fallout from a failed border deal in Congress and the increasing number

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A private lunar lander is expected to cease operations Tuesday, its mission cut short after landing sideways near the south pole of the moon. Intuitive Machines, the Houston company that built and flew the spacecraft, said Monday it will continue to collect data until

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump has appealed his $454 million New York civil fraud judgment, challenging a judge’s finding that he lied about his wealth as he grew the real estate empire that launched him to stardom and the presidency. The former president’s lawyers filed a notice of

LONDON (AP) — You gotta have more than “Faith” to pocket the new George Michael coin. A commemorative minting rolled out on Monday ranges in price from a couple of banknotes to a small fortune as the late musician continues to rack up posthumous honors. The coins made by the Royal Mint depict Michael’s likeness

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The trial surrounding pages of draft lyrics to “Hotel California” and other Eagles hits is set to feature a star witness: Don Henley. The Eagles co-founder is scheduled to testify Monday at the criminal trial of three collectibles professionals. They’re charged with colluding to veil the

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has made clear that he remains reluctant to send Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, pointing to a risk of his country becoming directly involved in the war. Germany is now the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States and is further stepping up

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City is marking the anniversary of the 1993 bombing at the old World Trade Center that blew apart a van parked in an underground garage, killing six people and injured more than 1,000. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is holding a memorial Mass on Monday

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian authorities say a ferry carrying day laborers sank in the Nile just outside the Egyptian capital, killing at least 10 of the 15 people on board. The five who survived were transported to a hospital and later discharged, the Ministry of Manpower said in a statement. The cause of the sinking

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Babies born this coming Saturday could get a birthday present featuring a guy who knows how to have fun — The Cat in the Hat. Dr. Seuss Enterprises is celebrating the iconic children’s author’s 120th birthday with a free giveaway of “The Cat in the

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Basketball Writer On the same night Caitlin Clark was adding to her NCAA women’s basketball scoring record before a packed house in Indiana, and a national audience on television, the Iowa sensation was losing ground to the most prolific active scorer in her sport. In a gymnasium smaller than those of

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Suspected illegal loggers have shot and killed three forest rangers and wounded a fourth on patrol in central Mexico, near the slopes of the Iztaccihuatl volcano. Police in the central state of Puebla, east of Mexico City, said late on Sunday that the killings took place earlier in the day. Police

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The prime ministers of Canada and Poland have discussed boosting exports of Ukrainian grain to the world’s poorest countries to ease protests by farmers in Europe who see the Ukrainian goods as a market threat. Farmers in Poland and elsewhere say food imports from Ukraine are undercutting their livelihoods, even as

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up challenges to state laws Monday that could affect how Facebook, TikTok, X and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users. The cases are among several this term in which the justices could set standards for free speech in

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece has formally agreed to participate in and lead a European Union maritime security operation in the Red Sea, to protect commercial shipping from attacks by Houthi militants in Yemen. A governmental security committee ordered the deployment of a Greek frigate in the Aspides operation – named from the Greek word

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Two officers in New York have shot and killed a man, prompting authorities to launch an investigation and his family to demand answers. Edward Holmes, 58, was fatally shot Saturday in Buffalo after police say he discharged his shotgun and officers returned fire. Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said Saturday that