AP-National

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Karol G made history at Wednesday night’s Billboard Women in Music awards ceremony. “This is the first time, ever, a Latina is named woman of the year,” Karol G began her acceptance speech after a fiery performance of her reggaetón hit, “Amargura.” And so, in

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Court of Appeals has denied a request to reconsider its earlier opinion stating that a former Grand Rapids police officer should stand trial for murder in the 2022 killing of a Black motorist. The court ruled 2-1 on Jan. 25 that it agreed there was “at least sufficient

By MORGAN LEE Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s State Land Office will withhold lease sales indefinitely on its most promising tracts for oil and gas development in the Permian Basin as it seeks approval by the state Legislature to increase top-tier royalty rates. Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard confirmed the decision

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer LOWELL, Mass. (AP) — Body checking is a thing in the new PWHL women’s hockey league, which is a change from the past. Players say the leeway gives them a better chance to show their skills and strength and restores the traditional balance between finesse and physicality familiar to

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democratic state Sen. Dave Min and Republican Scott Baugh will face off this November in California’s competitive 47th Congressional District. The Orange County seat may be key to determining which party controls the House. It’s currently held by Democratic Rep. Katie Porter. She decided not to seek re-election and instead ran

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina top-flight club Vélez Sarsfield has suspended four players after a woman accused them of raping her last week. Velez says it suspended goalkeeper Sebastián Sosa, defender Braian Cufré, midfielder José Ignacio Florentín and striker Abiel Osorio after learning that prosecutors had launched an investigation. A sexual-abuse complaint was filed

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Police say three people have been shot in a park in Salem, Oregon, and that one of them has died. The Salem Police Department says officers were called to a reported shooting near Bush’s Pasture Park at about 1:45 p.m. Thursday. Police say officers found three males with gunshot wounds. One

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Sitting at her kitchen table in Alabama, Sen. Katie Britt called President Joe Biden a “dithering and diminished leader” and warned of a bleak American future under his presidency in the Republican rebuttal to his State of the Union address Thursday evening. The first-term Alabama Republican,

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers have passed a campaign finance reform bill that limits the amount of money people can donate to political candidates. Oregon is one of roughly a dozen states that has no limits on campaign contributions. Under the bill given final passage Thursday, individuals and corporations

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida school districts could opt to allow volunteer chaplains in schools under a bill the Legislature sent to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Senate passed the bill Thursday over the objections of opponents who argued religion should be kept out of schools. Supporters argued the legislation

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans City Council has voted to change the locks on a coveted city-owned apartment in its latest dispute with Mayor LaToya Cantrell. The mayor’s use of the French Quarter property drew scrutiny and figured in a failed recall effort against Cantrell. The apartment in

By PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Fear of crime on subways and buses is back as a top concern in some U.S. cities, and so are efforts to persuade public officials to take the issue seriously. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday she would task 750 members of the National Guard

By KANIS LEUNG and ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong has proposed a law that threatens life imprisonment for residents who “endanger national security.” The bill unveiled Friday is deepening worries about erosion of the city’s freedoms four years after Beijing imposed a similar law that all but wiped out public

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un has supervised artillery firing drills aimed at boosting combat readiness posture. The drills comes as North Korea vows to take corresponding military steps against the ongoing South Korean-U.S military training that it regards as an invasion rehearsal. The

By MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia city official arrested during a traffic stop says she started recording because she feared for her husband’s life. LGBTQ+ leader Celena Morrison says she “feared the worst” when the trooper handcuffed him on an elevated highway. She says that’s when she tried to explain she

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer A federal judge has ruled that Norfolk Southern alone will be responsible for paying for the cleanup after last year’s fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio. The decision that was issued Wednesday threw out the railroad’s claim that the companies that made the chemicals that spilled during the derailment

By TRISHA AHMED Associated Press/Report for America MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis City Council has passed a measure that would increase wages for drivers of ride-hailing services to an equivalent of more than $15 an hour. Opponents say this might increase costs to customers. Mayor Jacob Frey says he will veto the measure due to

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Senate voted on Thursday to expand insurance coverage for people seeking treatment for stuttering, and the bill’s sponsor credited a former basketball star with the assist. The Senate action to advance the bill came after Michael Kidd-Gilchrist endorsed the measure at a Senate committee

By JANIE HAR Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Mayor London Breed is pledging even greater improvements under a pair of controversial public safety proposals voters approved this week. In her State of the City address Thursday, Breed touted recent accomplishments and made a case for another term in office. She faces a tough reelection

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Steve Lawrence, a singer and top stage act who as a solo performer and in tandem with his wife Eydie Gorme kept Tin Pan Alley alive during the rock era, died Thursday. He was 88. Lawrence, whose hits included “Go Away Little Girl,” died from