AP-National

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The man once known as Alabama’s longest-serving sheriff has been granted parole and is due to be released soon from prison. The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles voted 2-1 Thursday to parole former Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely. He has been serving a three-year sentence for his 2021 conviction on

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has mocked a planned round of Ukraine peace talks in Switzerland, warning that Moscow will not accept any enforced agreements ignoring its interests. Switzerland’s government said Wednesday it will host a high-level international conference in June to help chart a path toward peace in Ukraine after more than

By MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have passed a bill to restore the voting rights of those convicted of felonies upon the completion of their sentences, including prison and parole time. The bill has been introduced for years by Omaha state Sen. Justin Wayne. It passed Thursday by a

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal authorities allege Ippei Mizuhara, the former longtime interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, stole more than $16 million from the two-way baseball sensation to cover his gambling debts. The charges were outlined in a complaint filed with the United States District Court for the Central District of California

By MARTÍN ADAMES ALCÁNTARA Associated Press SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic say they have launched an investigation after an immigrations officer was accused of raping a 14-year-old girl. The mother of the girl, who is from neighboring Haiti, alleged the assault occurred last week near the upscale resort town

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Oakland officials have voted in favor of changing the name of the city’s airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, despite San Francisco threatening a lawsuit over what it says is a trademark violation. The Board of Commissioners for the Port

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The head of traffic police has been shot to death in Mexico’s troubled Pacific coast resort of Acapulco. The city government said Thursday that gunmen killed Eduardo Chávez, the head of municipal traffic police. The assailants opened fire on Chávez on a street relatively far away from the resort’s beaches. It

By KEN RITTER and LINDA DEUTSCH Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — For a long time, O.J. Simpson was the man who had it all. He lived the American dream as a sports legend, movie actor, commercial pitchman and millionaire. With his wildly successful career, startling good looks and a gorgeous wife, he became an

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press Two of America’s leading gun parts manufacturers have agreed to temporarily halt sales of their products in Philadelphia and elsewhere in Pennsylvania, city officials said Thursday, announcing a settlement of their lawsuit against the companies. Philadelphia filed suit against Polymer80 and JSD Supply in July, accusing the manufacturers of perpetuating

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has approved construction of a deepwater oil export terminal off the Texas coast that would be the largest of its kind in the United States. Environmentalists have called the move a betrayal of President Joe Biden’s climate agenda and say it would lead to

By HOLLY RAMER Associated Press BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) — Attorneys defending the state of New Hampshire have begun highlighting the past misdeeds of man who says he suffered horrific physical and sexual abuse as a teenager at the state’s youth detention center. Eleven former state workers have been arrested since the state launched an unprecedented

DETROIT (AP) — Federal investigators say the driver of a Ford electric SUV involved in a February fatal crash in Texas was using the company’s partially automated driving system before the wreck. The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that data from the 2022 Mustang Mach E SUV showed that Ford’s “Blue Cruise” driver-assist system

By TED ANTHONY AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A dog’s plaintive wail. A courtroom couplet-turned-cultural catchphrase about gloves. A judge and attorneys who became media darlings and villains. A slightly bewildered houseguest elevated, briefly, into a slightly bewildered celebrity. Troubling questions about race that echo still. The beginning of the Kardashian dynasty. An

By BEN FINLEY and DENISE LAVOIE Associated Press NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — Prosecutors in Virginia say that a criminal investigation into staff members at a school where a 6-year-old shot his teacher will continue. The announcement comes a day after a former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary was charged with felony child neglect.  Newport

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Former basketball star Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored a victory Thursday as a leading advocate for a new Kentucky law that will expand insurance coverage for people seeking treatment for stuttering. Kidd-Gilchrist, who played on a national championship team at the University of Kentucky and spent several years

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Children age 4 and under in Florida were undercounted by almost 10% during the 2020 census. The estimated error was the largest undercount of young children by any U.S. state. That’s according to estimates released Thursday by the Census Bureau. More than 112,000 children age 4

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Fiery debate over a bill to protect health care workers who provide abortion and gender-affirming care from out-of-state lawsuits crossed a line in the Maine House, leading lawmakers to formally censure a pair of colleagues on Thursday. Rep. Michael Lemelin, R-Chelsea, said the mass shooting last

By ED WHITE Associated Press A judge has turned down a request to release a Wisconsin woman from a psychiatric hospital, a decade after she nearly killed a girl at age 12. Morgan Geyser is now 21 and no longer takes antipsychotic medicine. She and another girl confessed quickly after the stabbing in 2014, saying

By JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Under heavy U.S. pressure, Israel has promised to ramp up aid to Gaza dramatically, saying last week it would open another cargo crossing and surge more trucks than ever before into the besieged enclave. But days later, there are few signs of those promises materializing and international

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A photographer slain in a drive-by shooting. An 80-year-old patient executed in a hospital surgery room. A couple decapitated as they closed their small store for the day. A new report released by a Haitian human rights group details the horrific violence unleashed this