AP-Breaking
Florida supermarket shooter had recently declared bankruptcy
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) The gunman who killed a grandmother and her 1-year-old grandson inside a Florida supermarket had declared bankruptcy earlier this year after falling deeply into debt, federal court records show, though detectives don t know of any connection between him and his victims.Timothy J. Wall, 55, carried out the slayings Thursday at a Publix in Royal Palm Beach, Palm Beach County sheriff s spokeswoman Teri Barbera said Friday.The shooting sent dozens of employees and customers fleeing the store as Wall then killed himself. No other injuries were reported. The sheriff s office scheduled a Friday afternoon news conference to provide an update. Authorities have not released the victims names, citing a state law that allows survivors to block their release.Wall listed in his bankruptcy filing $6,000 in assets, including $9 in checking, $18 in savings, $4,100 in a stock trading account, $740 in bitcoin and a $300 gun. He said he earned $24,000 last year as a laborer working through a temp agency and his mode of transportation was a $600 scooter.Meanwhile, he had accumulated more than $215,000 in debts, most of it owed on the home his ex-wife now owns, the bankruptcy file shows. She divorced him in 2018 and he had signed over their house to her in 2019, Palm Beach County court records show.State records show that the couple once owned a dry cleaning business in the Publix shopping center. It is unclear when it closed, but Wall last filed an annual report with the state in 2012.No previous criminal record for Wall could be found. Neither Wall s bankruptcy lawyer, Ryan Loyacano, nor his ex-wife immediately returned calls Friday seeking comment. The Associated Press is not naming her to protect her privacy.The shooting happened shortly after 11:30 a.m. Thursday in the produce section of a Publix located in a strip mall that also houses small shops and restaurants. Detectives initially said the shooter and the victims may have known each other, but their investigation has turned up no link, Barbera said.Publix is Florida s largest grocery chain and has more than 1,200 stores in the Southern United States. The company said in a Thursday statement that it was cooperating with law enforcement. The sheriff s office said the supermarket would be closed until Saturday.Royal Palm Beach is a middle-class suburb of 40,000 residents, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) inland from Palm Beach.
Auger-Aliassime in Stuttgart semifinals, Shapovalov out
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) One up-and-coming Canadian tennis player edged into the semifinals of the Stuttgart Open on Friday but another fell short.Felix Auger-Aliassime needed two tiebreaks to beat Ugo Humbert of France 7-6 (5), 7-6 (8).Canada s Auger-Aliassime failed to convert three match points in the second-set tiebreak and had to save set point twice before winning three straight points to seal the quarterfinal.That set up a semifinal for Auger-Aliassime against Sam Querrey of the United States, who recovered from a set down to beat fast-climbing Swiss 18-year-old Dominic Stricker, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-3.Top-ranked Canadian Denis Shapovalov lost another close match 7-5, 7-6 (3) against veteran former U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic. It was always likely to be a tough match for Shapovalov because he was playing for the second time on Friday after ousting Feliciano Lopez 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-3 in the finish of a second-round match delayed from Thursday because of rain.Cilic s semifinal opponent is Austrian Jurij Rodionov, who upset fourth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).___More AP tennis: https: apnews.com hub tennis and https: twitter.com AP_Sports
Teen who recorded Floyd s arrest, death wins Pulitzer nod
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The teenager who pulled out her cellphone and recorded the police restraint and death of George Floyd, helping to launch a global movement to protest racial injustice, was on Friday awarded a special citation by the Pulitzer Prizes.Darnella Frazier was cited for courageously recording the murder of George Floyd, a video that spurred protests against police brutality, around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists quest for truth and justice, the Pulitzer Prizes said.Frazier s publicist did not immediately respond to an Associated Press message seeking comment.Frazier was 17 when she recorded the arrest of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, on May 25, 2020. Her video, which she posted to Facebook hours after it happened, sparked a reckoning on race in America and demands for an end to police brutality.The video was seen worldwide and was prominent in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd s neck, pinning him to the pavement for 9 minutes, 29 seconds, as he said repeatedly that he couldn t breathe. Chauvin was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. He will be sentenced June 25.Frazier was also honored last year by PEN America, a literary and human rights organization. She was awarded the PEN Benenson Courage Award.PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said at the time: With nothing more than a cellphone and sheer guts, Darnella changed the course of history in this country, sparking a bold movement demanding an end to systemic anti-Black racism and violence at the hands of police.Frazier also testified at Chauvin s trial, telling jurors that she looks at her father and other Black men in her life and thinks about how that could have been one of them.It s been nights I stayed up, apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more, and not physically interacting and not saving his life, she testified, adding of Chauvin: But it s like, it s not what I should ve done, it s what he should ve done.The three other officers involved in Floyd s arrest are scheduled to face trial next year on aiding and abetting counts. All four officers are also charged with violating Floyd s civil rights.___Find AP s full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https: apnews.com hub death-of-george-floyd
Pulitzers honor coronavirus pandemic, US protest coverage
The Associated Press won two Pulitzer Prizes in photography Friday for its coverage of the racial injustice protests and the coronavirus s toll on the elderly, while The New York Times received the public service award for its detailed, data-filled reporting on the pandemic.In a year dominated by COVID-19 and furious debate over race and policing, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis won the breaking news prize for its coverage of George Floyd s murder and its aftermath, while Darnella Frazier the teenager who recorded the killing on a cellphone received a special citation.Frazier s award was intended to highlight the crucial role of citizens in journalists quest for truth and justice, the Pulitzer Board said.The AP and The New York Times each won two Pulitzers, the most prestigious prize in journalism, first awarded in 1917.The feature photography prize went to AP s chief photographer in Spain, Emilio Morenatti, who captured haunting images of an older couple embracing through a plastic sheet, mortuary workers in hazmat gear removing bodies, and people enduring the crisis in isolation.The breaking news photography prize was shared by 10 AP photographers for their coverage of the protests set off by Floyd s killing. One widely published photograph by Julio Cortez on the night of May 28 in riot-torn Minneapolis showed a lone, silhouetted protester running with an upside-down American flag past a burning liquor store.It is a tremendous honor to win not only one, but two Pulitzer Prizes for photography, and a true testament to the talent and dedication of AP photojournalists, said AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt. These photographers told the stories of the year through remarkable and unforgettable images that resonated around the world.The New York Times received its public service prize for pandemic coverage that the judges said was courageous, prescient and sweeping coverage and filled the data vacuum for the public. Wesley Morris of the Times won for criticism, for his writing on the intersection of race and culture.Star Tribune journalists covered the rage in Minneapolis, where protesters burned buildings, including a police station, in the wake of Floyd s death. The Black man died after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground with his knee on Floyd s neck for up to 9 1 2 minutes. The officer was later convicted of murder.The Boston Globe received the investigative reporting Pulitzer for a series demonstrating the systematic failure by state governments to share information about dangerous truck drivers.Brendan McCarthy, the editor on the series, said the Globe quickly found that this kind of tragedy had been happening year after year for decades. The problems were in plain sight but had never been addressed.Prizes for explanatory reporting went to two recipients. Ed Yong of The Atlantic won for a series of deeply reported articles about the pandemic. Andrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley, Andrea Januta, Jaimi Dowdell and Jackie Botts of Reuters were honored for a look at the legal concept of qualified immunity and how it shields police from prosecution.Two prizes for feature writing were also awarded. Nadja Drost won for her freelance piece in The California Sunday Magazine on global migration, and freelance contributor Mitchell S. Jackson for an account in Runner s World on the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was chased down and shot while jogging in Georgia.The national reporting prize went to the staffs of The Marshall Project, AL.com, IndyStar and the Invisible Institute for an investigation into police K-9 units.The winner of the public service Pulitzer is honored with a gold medal. The awards in the other categories carry a prize of $15,000 each.
European ministers vow to protect reporters, free expression
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) Ministers from 47 Council of Europe member states have agreed to seek new regulations to protect freedom of expression online and in news media amid growing concerns that artificial intelligence may be used to curtail the right, officials said Friday.The ministers in charge of media and information society have also asked the Council of Europe the continent s top human rights organization to help draft national action plans to protect journalists whose safety has recently come under increasing threat.The pledges were included in documents the ministers adopted at the end of a two-day conference organized by the Council of Europe and the government of Cyprus in the Cypriot capital Nicosia.The ministers agreed to develop a regulatory framework ensuring that automated tools for creating and distributing news content don t curtail the right to freedom of expression.They would also work together with developers of artificial intelligence technology designed to create and distribute online content on drafting rules to safeguard free expression. Journalists would be invited to jointly develop ethical codes promoting the transparent and responsible use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom and to protect people online from personal data exploitation.It is an important commitment of states to be able to say, this freedom of expression is one of the cornerstones of our societies and we need to protect it, said Patrick Penninckx, head of the CoE Information Society Department.In order to protect democracy, in order to protect the societies as we know, and despite the pandemic, we can ensure that media freedom is not being curtailed.The ministers pledged to support independent media outlets as a bulwark against increased disinformation and called on the CoE to toughen up standards for online content.They also expressed a commitment to remove all unnecessary obstacles to freedom of expression in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Florida recovering from $54.5M shortfall amid pandemic
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Florida s athletic department had a $54.5 million shortfall during the 2020-21 fiscal year because of the coronavirus pandemic, significant financial losses the Gators were able to weather with a supplement from the Southeastern Conference and a sizeable reserve.The University Athletic Association released its annual budget summary amid the school s two-day board of trustees meeting that ended Friday, and athletic director Scott Stricklin expressed optimism that one of the country s most successful sports programs would rebound without any long-term setbacks.It s something we hope we never have to do again, Stricklin said. Glad it s behind us. Looking forward to normality.Stricklin said there was a sense of organizational pride that Florida didn t have any layoffs, furloughs or salary cutbacks during the pandemic. The Gators did stop pension payments for a year and eliminated bonuses for everyone on their payroll, including coaches.They saved money by reducing operating costs, some because of canceled sporting events last spring and others because of changes in recruiting and other travel policies.Florida also added one huge expense: $3.5 million spent on COVID-19 testing during the fiscal year.The Gators budgeted $140.7 million for 2020-21 but generated $86.2 million in revenue. Reduced football ticket sales, as expected, caused the heftiest losses. Fewer booster contributions and sponsorship dollars were contributing factors.The SEC responded by giving its 14 member institutions $23 million each to help offset the losses. The league plans to use future conference revenues from an increased television rights contract to pay for the one-time supplement.The SEC said its schools averaged roughly $45 million in shortfalls, with losses ranging from $17 million to $85 million. Florida was on the higher side because it chose not to take some of the more drastic measures like layoffs and furloughs,That supplement helps, but it didn t solve it all, Stricklin said, adding that Florida dipped into its $51 million reserve to cover the rest.What the SEC money is going to do is allow us to replenish that (reserve) to a degree, Stricklin added.The pandemic delayed progress on Florida s $85 million football standalone, which is now scheduled to be completed next May. It s the latest in a series of facility upgrades on campus. The Gators have spent nearly $280 million over the last six years on capital improvements affecting academics, football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse.We have a really strong balance sheet and we re really strong financially, and if we didn t have those things, we would not have been able to kind of move forward with some projects, Stricklin said.The 142,000-square-foot football standalone and a $7.4 million renovation to the school s soccer lacrosse facility are the final pieces of a three-phase master plan. After that, the Gators will turn their attention to Florida Field, which hasn t seen a major remodel since 2007.The aging stadium is long overdue for upgrades that are likely to include adding chairback seats and shade structures and could top $200 million.We re going to have to be creative to spend the kind of money we need to spend there, Stricklin said.Florida s operational budget for 2021-22 is $143.8 million, and the school is expecting a return to normal revenue since attendance restrictions have been lifted.Stricklin praised the school s medical staff for helping navigate all the unknowns that followed the coronavirus shutdown in March 2020 and was most proud of the constant communication piece that involved staff, student-athletes, parents and fans.Stricklin went months without watching the Gators compete and more than a year before experiencing a full sporting venue.That pit in your stomach that you get, that s what makes it great, he said. The fact that there s competition and we re going up against somebody, the drama and the friction that creates is why we re in athletics.We just didn t have it and you didn t realize how much you missed that until it was May and nobody was competing.___More AP college football: https: apnews.com Collegefootball and https: twitter.com AP_Top25
Oregon GOP legislator ousted over state Capitol breach
SALEM, Ore. (AP) Republican lawmakers voted with majority Democrats in the Oregon House of Representatives to take the historic step of expelling a Republican member who let violent, far-right protesters into the state Capitol on Dec. 21.Legislators said on the House floor that this could be the most important vote they ever cast. They then proceeded Thursday night to expel an unapologetic Rep. Mike Nearman with a 59-1 vote, marking the first time a member has been expelled by the House in its 160-year history. The only vote against the resolution for expulsion was Nearman s own.The facts are clear that Mr. Nearman unapologetically coordinated and planned a breach of the Oregon State Capitol, House Speaker Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said after the vote. His actions were blatant and deliberate, and he has shown no remorse for jeopardizing the safety of every person in the Capitol that day.Rep. Paul Holvey, a Democrat who chaired a committee that earlier Thursday unanimously recommended Nearman s expulsion, reminded lawmakers of the events of Dec. 21, which were an eerie foreshadowing of the much more serious Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.On the morning of Dec. 21st, a couple hundred protesters some of them heavily armed and wearing body armor arrived at the Capitol for a protest, with the intent to illegally enter and presumably occupy the building and interrupt the proceedings of the Oregon Legislature, Holvey said. Staff and legislators were terrified. We can only speculate what would have happened if they were able to get all the way in.Nearman said he let the protesters in because he believes the Capitol, which has been closed to the public to protect against spread of the coronavirus, should have been open. The assault happened during a peak of the pandemic.But even Republicans, who are often bitterly opposed to Democratic initiatives on climate change and some other bills, said the crowd outside the Capitol that day was not made up of constituents who wanted to peacefully engage in the democratic process.Some were carrying guns. Some shouted false QAnon conspiracy theories about Democrats kidnapping babies. They carried American flags, banners for former President Donald Trump and a sign calling for the arrest of Democratic Gov. Kate Brown. They broke windows and assaulted journalists.Nobody should have opened the door to the people who were here that day, said Rep. Daniel Bonham, a Republican and a member Holvey s special committee.The final straw for Republican House members came on June 4, when video emerged showing Nearman choreographing how he would let protesters into the Capitol a few days before it actually happened. For his fellow lawmakers, that was proof it was a premeditated act, which Nearman acknowledged. All 22 of his fellow House Republicans wrote him on Monday, strongly recommending he resign.As lawmakers gathered to decide Nearman s fate, a few dozen people waving American flags and one carrying a sign saying I am Mike Nearman gathered outside the Capitol. One repeatedly kicked a metal door, sending booms through a marble hallway of the building.Nearman was seen on security video opening a door to protesters on Dec. 21 as lawmakers met in emergency session to deal with economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Protesters barged into the building, which was closed to the public because of coronavirus safety protocols, got into shoving matches with police and sprayed officers with bear spray.It s impossible to overstate the seriousness of the reason we are here today, Holvey said during the committee hearing. Rep. Nearman enabled armed, violent protesters to enter the Capitol, breaching the security of the Capitol, which was officially closed to the public, and also endangered the authorized staff and legislators inside the building.Hundreds of people provided written testimony to the House Special Committee On December 21, 2020, which was composed of three Democrats and three Republicans.Some who testified excoriated Nearman as a seditionist. Others praised him for letting people into the Capitol, saying residents should be allowed to attend even though hearings are livestreamed on video.Mike Nearman s behavior ... was abhorrent and anti-democratic, David Alba said. Furthermore, by aiding and supporting extremists, he has placed people s lives in danger. He should be removed from office and he is not fit to represent my district.But Nearman s supporters said they elected him and the House should not expel him. One supporter suggested the 22 GOP lawmakers who asked him to resign should be voted out of office.May your Republican constituents take no mercy on you, Casey Ocupe said in written testimony.Kotek credited riot police, who finally pushed out the Dec. 21 protesters, with preventing a full-scale assault.Nearman also faces two misdemeanor criminal charges and has said he will seek a trial by jury.___Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https: twitter.com andrewselsky
Copyright holder settles lawsuit with LOVE artist s estate
ROCKLAND, Maine (AP) The estate of pop artist Robert Indiana has reached a settlement that keeps intact a longstanding relationship with Morgan Art Foundation, which holds the copyright for his iconic 1960s LOVE series, to promote and preserve his work, officials said Friday.New York-based Morgan Art Foundation intends to work with the Maine-based Star of Hope Foundation, which aims to transform Indiana s island home into a museum to display and celebrate his work.The future is bright for the market and legacy of Robert Indiana, and the estate is pleased to have helped create this success, James Brannan, a Rockland attorney for the estate, said in a statement.Indiana s estate had been entangled in a lawsuit brought by Morgan Art Foundation. The lawsuit was filed the day before Indiana s death on May 19, 2018, at age 89 on Vinalhaven Island, 15 miles (25 kilometers) off Rockland, Maine.It accused the reclusive artist s caretaker and an art publisher of taking advantage of Indiana and producing forgeries accusations the pair denied. That led to more claims and counter claims.Under the agreement, Morgan dropped its lawsuit against the estate and Indiana s caretaker but not against the art publisher.It also doesn t resolve a case brought by Maine s attorney general, who claims the estate paid excessive legal fees during litigation. That lawsuit contends $3.7 million paid to four law firms and about $400,000 collected by the estate s personal representative were excessive.Indiana created a lifetime of art but he s best known for LOVE, spelled with two letters to a line and with a tilted O.It s been transformed into sculptures around the world, and was featured on a U.S. postage stamp.
The Night Watchman, Malcolm X biography win arts Pulitzers
NEW YORK (AP) One of the country s most esteemed novelists, Louise Erdrich, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for The Night Watchman.Other winners for books include the late Les Payne and daughter Tamara Payne for their Malcolm X biography The Dead Are Arising.The awards were announced Friday during a remote ceremony that honored the best work in journalism and the arts in 2020, a year upended by the coronavirus pandemic, the racial reckoning after the police killing of George Floyd and the U.S. presidential election.Marcia Chatelain s Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America won for history. Natalie Diaz s Postcolonial Love Poem was the poetry winner and David Zucchino s Wilmington s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy was cited for general nonfiction.Tania Le n composition Stride won for music. The judges commended for being a musical journey full of surprise, with powerful brass and rhythmic motifs that incorporate Black music traditions from the U.S. and the Caribbean into a Western orchestral fabric.The Hot Wing King by Katori Hall, a play set around a hot wing cooking competition, won the prize for drama during a theater season that saw most venues largely shuttered.The drama award, which includes a $15,000 prize, is for a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life.The Pulitzer board hailed The Hot Wing King for its look at masculinity and how it is filtered by the experiences of a loving gay couple and their extended family as they prepare for a culinary competitionFinalists included Circle Jerk by Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley, and Stew by Zora Howard.With most theaters closed during the pandemic, the Pulitzer Prize Board altered the requirements for this year s drama award, allowing postponed or cancelled works, as well as plays produced and performed in places other than theaters, including online, outside or in site-specific venues during calendar 2020. The Hot Wing King opened off-Broadway just days before the city s theaters were closed.Hall is the author of the Olivier Award-winning The Mountaintop and is a Tony Award-nominated co- playwright of Broadway s Tina The Tina Turner Musical.Previous playwrights honored include August Wilson, Edward Albee, Eugene O Neill, Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams. Recent winners include Annie Baker s The Flick, Ayad Akhtar s Disgraced, Stephen Adly Guirgis s Between Riverside and Crazy, and Lin-Manuel Miranda s Hamilton.
Shakib apologizes for kicking stumps in Bangladesh cricket
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) Celebrated Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan has apologized after kicking over the stumps in a wild reaction to a cricket umpire s decision on Friday.In a Dhaka Premier League match between traditional rivals, Mohammedan Sporting Club captain Shakib was bowling against Abahani Limited captain Mushfiqur Rahim, a fellow Bangladesh international.When Shakib s appeal for lbw was denied by the umpire, he kicked at the stumps, uprooted them and threw them. He left the field because of a rain delay but his side eventually won.Kazi Inam, the chairman of the body which runs the DPL, said any disciplinary action will depend on the report of the umpires and match referee.If someone breaches the discipline, action will be taken as per the rules, he said.But after Shakib s misbehaviour drew heavy public criticism and some support on social media, he apologised.I am extremely sorry for losing my temper and ruining the match for everyone and especially those who are watching from home, he wrote on Facebook. An experienced player like me should not have reacted that way but sometimes against all odds it happens unfortunately.I apologise to the teams, management, tournament officials and organizing committee for this human error. Hopefully, I won t be repeating this again in the future.Cricket s former No. 1 allrounder is no stranger to controversy.Bangladesh suspended him for six months in 2014 for attitude problems that included a lewd gesture on TV, beating a spectator in the stadium, and travelling to the Caribbean Premier League without a clearance.Also, he was banned by the International Cricket Council for two years in 2019, with one year of that suspended, due to his failure to report corrupt approaches from bookies. He returned to national duty this year against the West Indies.___More AP sports: https: apnews.com hub apf-sports and https: twitter.com AP_Sports