AP-Newswatch

Russian missile and drone attack in Ukraine kills 19 people

UMAN, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has fired more than 20 cruise missiles and two drones at Ukraine in attacks that killed at least 19 people. Three children were among the dead. Most of the victims died when two cruise missiles slammed into an apartment building in central Ukraine early Friday. The attacks included the first one on Ukraine’s capital in nearly two months. The Kyiv government said Ukraine’s air force intercepted 11 missiles and two drones, and no hits on any targets in the city were reported. The strikes on the apartment building occurred in Uman, around 215 kilometers (134 miles) south of Kyiv. Seventeen people died in that attack, according to the interior ministry, including two 10-year-old children and a toddler.

NFL draft dominated early by QBs, including top pick Young

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Quarterbacks dominated the first part of the NFL draft. Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson were among the top four picks Thursday night, an expected result in a league where teams know finding a franchise QB is the quickest path to success. The Carolina Panthers selected Young, the slender and dynamic Alabama quarterback, with the No. 1 pick, seven weeks after making a blockbuster trade with Chicago to move up to get their choice of potential franchise players. The Panthers chose the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner over Ohio State’s Stroud, Florida’s Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis. New coach Frank Reich said earlier in the week that the organization reached a consensus Monday after several weeks of deliberation.

A NJ pastor-politician is gunned down, and a community reels

SAYREVILLE, N.J. (AP) — Family members of a slain New Jersey pastor who served on her town council say they do not know of anything that had been troubling her. The parents and new husband of 30-year-old Eunice Dwumfour (JEWM’-for) worry her death will go unsolved as officials say little about the investigation. They are still reeling from the Feb. 1 evening when Dwumfour was gunned down as she arrived home in Sayreville, a suburb about 30 miles from New York City. Dwumfour’s 11-year-old daughter says her mother had just returned from grocery shopping with a friend from her church, Nigerian-based Champions Royal Assembly.

Pence testifies before election probe grand jury: AP source

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence has testified before a federal grand jury investigating efforts by then-President Donald Trump and his Republican allies to overturn the 2020 election. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the private appearance before the grand jury. Thursday’s appearance by Pence came hours after a federal appeals court denied a bid by Trump’s lawyers to block Pence’s testimony. Pence was subpoenaed to testify earlier this year, but Trump’s lawyers objected, citing executive privilege concerns. Pence’s grand jury appearance in Washington is a milestone in the Justice Department’s investigation into the conversations and events preceding the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol.

School superintendent who criticized DeSantis could lose job

Florida officials are threatening to revoke the teaching license of a school superintendent after he criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis. Education officials have accused Leon County Superintendent Rocky Hanna of violating several education statutes and DeSantis directives and allowing his “personal political views” to guide his leadership. Such a revocation could allow DeSantis to remove Hanna from office. Hanna ordered students to wear COVID-19 masks during the pandemic in 2021, violating a DeSantis directive. He has also criticized a 2022 law that the Republican governor signed that bars the discussion of gender and sexuality in lower grades. Hanna said the threat against his license is a violation of his free speech rights.

2 US Army helicopters crash in Alaska, killing 3 soldiers

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Army says three soldiers have been killed and another has been injured after two helicopters collided and crashed in Alaska while returning from a training flight. The Army says two soldiers died at the scene of Thursday’s crash and a third died on the way to a hospital in Fairbanks. The Army statement says a fourth soldier was being treated at a hospital for injuries. The names of those killed are being withheld until relatives can be notified. The AH-64 Apache helicopters were from Fort Wainwright, based near Fairbanks. Officials say the crash is under investigation, and more details will be released when they become available.

Levis, Hooker among top prospects for Day 2 of NFL draft

Kentucky’s Will Levis and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker are two quarterbacks who are tantalizing prospects for teams on Day 2 of the NFL draft. Levis and Hooker slipped into the second round as the run on quarterbacks came to a screeching halt after the Colts selected Florida’s Anthony Richardson Jr. with the fourth overall pick. The 2023 NFL draft began with the Panthers making Alabama’s Bryce Young the top overall pick and the Texans chose Ohio State’s CJ Stroud next. Levis was projected to go as high as that No. 2 pick but instead fell to Day 2.

Error, confusion plague review kicking millions off Medicaid

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some Medicaid recipients tell The Associated Press errors and confusion are leading to them being kicked off the federally and state-funded health coverage program. States are undertaking an unprecedented review of the 84 million Medicaid enrollees nationwide. The federal government will require states to remove people whose incomes are too high for the program. Millions are expected to lose insurance. Some advocacy groups and Medicaid recipients in states that have started the process say they’ve been mistakenly removed. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says it’ll work with states inundated with calls from enrollees. For the past three years during the coronavirus pandemic, the government had barred states from removing anyone deemed ineligible.

New Orleans student’s scholarship offers surpass $9 million

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — He is a senior at 16. His grade point average is 4.98. Even before graduating from high school, he has earned 27 college credits. But perhaps the most impressive numbers for Dennis Maliq Barnes of New Orleans are the roughly 130 college scholarship offers he has received totaling more than $9 million so far. Barnes’ achievements at the International High School of New Orleans are a source of pride for school administrators who are looking into whether Barnes has set a record. Barnes said his goal is to find the right fit educationally coupled with the best financial offer. He plans to major in computer science as an undergraduate. And he’s thinking about law school.