By MAYSOON KHAN Associated Press/Report for America ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A deal to raise minimum wages in New York would keep the state near the top of the list of places with the highest base pay for low-paid workers, but the raise amount is disappointing some labor activists who had hoped for a bigger
Continue Reading By SCOTT SONNER Associated Press RENO, Nev. (AP) — For the third time in a decade, federal wildlife officials are contemplating whether the bi-state sage grouse deserves protection under the Endangered Species Act. Conservationists blame “political gamesmanship” for leaving the bird in regulatory limbo since 2013. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday it’s
Continue Reading By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press As transgender people have increasingly gained acceptance and visibility, conservative lawmakers have zeroed in on restricting their rights: keeping transgender children off girls’ sports teams and out of certain bathrooms, and blocking them from receiving gender-affirming medical care. In response, a growing number of Democratic-controlled states have moved to protect
Continue Reading By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The first episode of “100 Days to Indy” featured a behind the scenes look at the IndyCar series and its personalities, and even a shirtless Josef Newgarden. It’s meant to lure in new fans, after all. “They made sure that Josef Newgarden was shirtless for
Continue Reading By HAVEN DALEY and AMY TAXIN Associated Press TWIN BRIDGES, Calif. (AP) — After winter storms dumped massive amounts of snow on California’s mountains, visitors to the state’s famed Yosemite National Park can catch a glimpse of rushing streams, scenic waterfalls and hillsides covered in white. But some views will be off limits starting late
Continue Reading By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer ChatGPT’s maker said Friday that the artificial intelligence chatbot is available again in Italy after the company met the demands of regulators who temporarily blocked it over privacy concerns. OpenAI said it fulfilled a raft of conditions that the Italian data protection authority wanted satisfied by an April 30
Continue Reading By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon should prepare for the U.S. government eventually legalizing marijuana and position the state, with its huge stockpiles of the drug, as a national leader in the industry, state auditors said Friday. Oregon, long known for its potent marijuana, would be competing with other pot-producing states
Continue Reading By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Lawmakers from several western states want the U.S. Forest Service to do more to address a wildfire crisis that they say will surely destroy more landscapes, communities and livelihoods as long-term drought persists around the West. They grilled Forest Service Chief Randy Moore during a
Continue Reading By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Lawmakers from several western states want the U.S. Forest Service to do more to address a wildfire crisis that they say will surely destroy more landscapes, communities and livelihoods as long-term drought persists around the West. They grilled Forest Service Chief Randy Moore during a
Continue Reading By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — It was 1977, and Andy Warhol was at work on his “Athletes” series, portraits of top sports personalities who, he felt, were gaining cultural prominence just like “the movie stars of yesterday.” One of them was then the star running back of the Buffalo Bills:
Continue Reading By ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — The number of applications for visas used in the technology industry soared for a second straight year, raising “serious concerns” that some are manipulating the system to gain an unfair advantage, authorities said Friday. There were 780,884 applications for H-1B visas in this year’s computer-generated lottery,
Continue Reading By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The tech entrepreneurs who flocked to San Francisco two decades ago bringing jobs and wealth, and also soaring housing prices and gentrification, are becoming a rising political force in a city they say is woefully off track. They are forming advocacy organizations — among them
Continue Reading SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (AP) — A landslide in Southern California has closed a historic cultural center, shut down rail service in the area and forced the evacuation of nearby residences, officials said. The slope below the ocean-view terrace at Casa Romantica and Cultural Center and Gardens in San Clemente dropped about 20 feet (about 6
Continue Reading By ISABELLA O’MALLEY Associated Press Portland General Electric, the utility serving Portland, Oregon, announced Friday it is putting in the second-largest battery storage installation in the United States, at 400 MW of power. The significance of such projects is they diminish the need for power plants that burn fossil fuels that warm the planet. The
Continue Reading By W.G. RAMIREZ Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Vegas Golden Knights saved their best performance of the opening round for last and dominated the Winnipeg Jets with their first chance in an elimination game. Chandler Stephenson scored twice and Vegas ousted the Jets from their Western Conference opening-round series with a 4-1 victory
Continue Reading By W.G. RAMIREZ Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Chandler Stephenson scored twice and the Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Winnipeg Jets from their Western Conference opening-round series with a 4-1 victory on Thursday night. The Golden Knights became the first team to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vegas, which
Continue Reading By ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press James Corden used part of his farewell speech on Thursday’s final episode of CBS’ “ The Late Late Show” to address the deep rift in America over hot button issues including politics and ideology. “We started this show with Obama, then Trump and a global pandemic. I’ve watched America change
Continue Reading By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday heading to the U.S. amid wider tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program, the latest-such capture in a waterway crucial for global energy supplies. The U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet identified
Continue Reading By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Pro Football Writer EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Jordan Addison could hardly have found a better place to break into the NFL than Minnesota, with Justin Jefferson in place to learn from. The Vikings selected the USC wide receiver with the 23rd overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night, giving
Continue Reading By ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press James Corden used part of his farewell speech on Thursday’s final episode of CBS’ “ The Late Late Show” to address the deep rift in America over hot button issues including politics and ideology. “We started this show with Obama, then Trump and a global pandemic. I’ve watched America change
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