AP-National

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina House has given key approval to a bill allowing liquor stores to open for a few hours on Sunday if their local governments allow it. Supporters say it is time to get rid of another antiquated rule based on religion that designated Sunday

By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI and SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON Associated Press/Report For America COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Prosecutors in the murder trial of a former Ohio sheriff’s deputy say his claims that the man he fatally shot posed a threat are not credible. Also Wednesday, defense lawyers insisted that testimony and evidence presented at trial has been consistent

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The signs are all around downtown Indianapolis now. NBA All-Star weekend has finally arrived. Yes, nearly seven years after Larry Bird drove a blue-and-gold IndyCar down New York’s Fifth Avenue to hand-deliver the city’s bid and three years after the league’s midseason classic was scheduled to

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A former Philadelphia police inspector has been acquitted of assault in the use of a baton during an encounter with a protester during a racial injustice demonstration in 2020. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports jurors in Philadelphia acquitted 57-year-old Joseph Bologna on Wednesday of charges of simple assault and possessing an instrument of

By BASSEM MROUE and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The slow-simmering cross-border conflict between Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group and Israeli forces escalated Wednesday, reviving fears that the daily clashes could expand into an all-out war. A rocket fired from Lebanon struck the northern Israeli town of Safed, killing a 20-year-old female soldier and

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A St. Louis man was sentenced Wednesday to 60 years in prison for a series of carjackings, including one in which a high school football coach was killed. U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White handed down the sentence for 31-year-old Kurt Wallace, who pleaded guilty in September to four counts of

By CARLOS MUREITHI Associated Press A team of scientists says extreme wind and rain may contribute to bigger and worse desert locust outbreaks. A study published in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday found a strong link between the magnitude of desert locust outbreaks and climate dynamics such as air temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, and

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The 29-year-old filmmaker Sean Wang can’t believe it, himself, but he’s going to the Oscars with his grandmothers. His Oscar-nominated short “Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó” is a deeply charming portrait of his two grandmothers: 96-year-old Yi Yan Fuei and 86-year-old Chang Li Hua. They’re

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Federal authorities announced they have charged over 40 gang members in Boston with a range of federal crimes including drug trafficking, racketeering and COVID-19 fraud. The Heath Street Gang, which mostly operated out of a public housing development in a Boston neighborhood, was also allegedly involved in

By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Representatives of several human rights organizations have held a press conference demanding the immediate release of a prominent attorney and activist detained last week. They expressed concern on Wednesday over Rocio San Miguel’s well-being and condemned her inability to access legal representation of her choice.

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A coalition of environmental groups is suing the federal government to try to force the finalization of ship speed rules the groups say are critically important to save a vanishing species of whale. The proposed ship speed rules would require vessels off the East Coast to

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia’s parliament speaker has formally set early parliamentary and presidential elections in the spring. Following opposition pressure, North Macedonia’s main political parties agreed in December to organize general elections on May 8, two months early. A caretaker government was appointed last month. Whoever forms the next government will face

By SARAH RANKIN Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A GOP legislative effort to prevent Virginia children from using the video-sharing app TikTok died this week in the Democratic-controlled Legislature. The bill was left in a House of Delegates committee after concerns were raised about how the ban would be enforced. Lawmakers also questioned why

By MATT BROWN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Black History Month, often a time to recognize the contributions of African Americans in U.S. history, was marked in the nation’s capital this week with a focus on present divides and the November election when Black turnout will be integral to the outcome. At the White House,

By MATTHEW LEE, KEVIN FREKING, ELLEN KNICKMEYER and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has gathered highly sensitive intelligence about Russian anti-satellite weapons that has been shared in recent weeks with the upper echelons of government. That’s according to four people who have been briefed on the intelligence but were not authorized

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Associated Press says it will be making some of its U.S. election data available for free this year to more than 400 nonprofit news organizations for the first time. The program is being funded by the Google News Initiative, and affects small newsrooms across

The Associated Press Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said he went too far when he bumped into coach Andy Reid and screamed at him during the Super Bowl. Kelce addressed the situation Wednesday on New Heights, his podcast with his brother, longtime Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce. “Big Red, sorry if I caught

By The Associated Press PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Former South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg is urging the state Supreme Court to dismiss an effort to suspend his law license. Ravnsborg argued that he took responsibility and acted professionally following a deadly accident with a pedestrian during a hearing Wednesday. That accident precipitated his political

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia has received another arms delivery from its ally Russia despite international sanctions on Moscow over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Serbian populist President Aleksandar Vucic presented a Russian anti-drone system for electronic jamming known as Repellent that he recently said “is in our hands.” He spoke ahead of Serbia’s national

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP Associated Press IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Fans who want to be able to say they were in the arena when Caitlin Clark set the NCAA women’s career scoring record will be paying an unprecedented premium at this point. No. 4 Iowa’s game against Michigan at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday night was