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GIBRALTAR (AP) — With its hospital free of COVID-19 patients and only one new coronavirus infection reported in a full week, the tiny British overseas territory of Gibraltar is allowing itself some prudent celebration. The territory of 33,000, located in…

Texas officials have raised the death toll from February’s winter storm and blackouts to at least 111 people. That's nearly double the state’s initial tally following one of the worst power outages in U.S. history. The majority of the deaths are associated with hypothermia, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The number could continue to rise as officials link more deaths to the storm that knocked out power to more than 4 million customers in Texas. Many homes went without power or drinkable water for days after subfreezing temperatures, failing power plants and record demand for heat pushed Texas’ electric grid to the breaking point. Texas officials had put the initial tally of deaths at 57 but warned it would increase. 

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday misstated the reality at the U.S.-Mexico border when he asserted that “nothing has changed” when it comes to the number of children coming to the United States since his predecessor, Donald Trump,…

Max Abmas and Kevin Obanor have pushed each other to greatness. Oral Roberts’ star players room together on road trips and have formed a bond through it. It shows on the court. They have led 15th-seeded Oral Roberts to upset wins over No. 2 seed Ohio State and No. 7 seed Florida. Their Golden Eagles could keep defying the odds when they play No. 3 seed Arkansas on Saturday in the Sweet 16.

Buffalo Sabres interim coach Don Granato and assistant Matt Ellis have been placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. That means general manager Kevyn Adams will take over behind the bench for Buffalo’s game at Pittsburgh. The team made the announcement two hours before the opening faceoff. This marks the second time the Sabres have been hit by COVID-19 in two months. Buffalo’s season was paused for two weeks in early February after nine players and then-coach Ralph Krueger were placed in the protocol. Krueger was fired last week. The Sabres are on a 0-13-2 winless streak, a franchise record.

Loyola Chicago guard Lucas Williamson is lending his voice and perspective to an upcoming documentary. The film is about the Ramblers’ barrier-breaking team that won the 1963 NCAA championship. Filmmaker Patrick Creadon calls Williamson “our storyteller” whose “very unique perspective” helps connect the past and the present. Along with his work on “The Loyola Project,” he has another task at hand: Loyola is playing in the Sweet 16 in its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2018 Final Four. The Ramblers face Oregon State on Saturday.

President Joe Biden isn't ruling out the possibility of U.S. troops staying in Afghanistan through the end of the year. His comments at a White House new conference came not long after one of his top generals told Congress that Afghanistan’s military forces need American assistance to successfully counter the Taliban. Biden repeated his assessment that it will be hard for the U.S. to meet the May 1 deadline for full American troop withdrawal that was laid out in a peace agreement between the Trump administration and the Taliban. When asked whether U.S. troops will still be in Afghanistan next year, he said, ”I can’t picture that being the case.”

A Georgia man says he was given $915 worth of pennies as a form of payment from his previous employer. Andreas Flaten says he was shocked to see a pile of oily coins at the end of his driveway earlier this month. Atop the pile was an envelope with Flaten’s final paystub and an explicit parting message. Flaten says he left his job at A OK Walker Autoworks in November but had difficulty getting his final paycheck, even turning to the Georgia Department of Labor for help. In mid-March, Flaten says he found the pennies in the driveway. Shop owner Miles Walker says he doesn't remember dropping off the pennies. 

State legislatures are being forced to confront long standing dress codes that are increasingly viewed as sexist and racist. A Latino state senator in Rhode Island objects to his chamber’s jacket and collared shirt edict as a form of white oppression. Female lawmakers in Montana complain proposed rules dealing with skirt lengths and necklines are overly sexist. And a state representative in Iowa wore jeans to highlight the irony of legislative leaders refusing to mandate facemasks on the chamber floor but still banning casual clothes. The National Conference of State Legislatures says roughly half of state legislatures have a dress code.

Chicago White Sox slugger Eloy Jiménez is expected to be sidelined for five to six months because of a ruptured left pectoral tendon.  Jiménez was hurt trying to make a play in the outfield during an exhibition game Tuesday and the injury has put his season in jeopardy. The 24-year-old Jiménez needs surgery and general manager Rick Hahn says the team will know when he begins the rehab process. Hahn says Jiménez's injury is “a difficult loss.”  Jiménez batted .296 with 14 homers and 41 RBIs in 55 games during the pandemic-shortened season.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wrapping up the most tumultuous Senate start in recent memory, new Majority Leader Chuck Schumer took stock Thursday of accomplishments including the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue while vowing action ahead on voting rights, hate crimes and mounting…

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s top court on Thursday rejected an effort by a Scandinavian youth group and families around the world to force the EU to set more ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, arguing that they…

Congress is looking into the cause of last month's power blackouts across Texas. A House panel heard Wednesday from officials who oversee the state’s energy industry and electric grid. Bill Magness is the outgoing CEO of grid operator the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. He says that because of a loss of generating capacity, the grid operator had no choice but to order rolling outages to prevent an even more disastrous and longer blackout. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says Texas policymakers wrongly assumed that a severe winter storm in 2011 was an anomaly. The outages caused millions of Texans to lose power and heat during subfreezing temperatures. 

President Joe Biden says his administration is working on getting beds and other facilities up and running so children held in Border Patrol custody can be transferred. Biden says in his first news conference that most of the migrants who are coming to the U.S.-Mexico border are being sent back, except for children. He says his administration is working to ease delays so children can be released from government custody to sponsors. Biden says when parents send their children alone across the border, it’s a “desperate act.” The president says he wants to help change the conditions in Central American countries when the migrants are coming from, but he says there’s no easy answer.  

CAIRO (AP) — The foreign ministers of France, Italy and Germany met with Libyan officials Thursday to show support for the country's newly elected transitional authorities, who are expected to lead the war-stricken country through general elections by the end…

The NCAA men's hockey tournament bracket this year has a first: All five Division I programs from Minnesota made the 16-team field. The University of Minnesota is the No. 3 overall seed. The Gophers are joined by Minnesota State, Minnesota Duluth, St. Cloud State and Bemidji State. The late Minnesota coach Herb Brooks is best known for the U.S. Olympic victory known as the “Miracle On Ice.” But he spoke often of his desire to grow the college game in his home state. Regional play begins Friday.