Associated Press - page 622

The Miami Dolphins opted for small-college talent on the final day of the NFL draft Saturday, adding a cornerback, tight end, linebacker, receiver and defensive end. Their selections included Liberty cornerback Walt Aiken in the fourth round, Montana linebacker Jordan Tripp in the fifth round, Coastal Carolina receiver Matt Hazel in the sixth round, and defensive end Terrence Fede of Marist in the seventh round. New general manager Dennis Hickey also added one major-college player, Georgia tight end Arthur Lynch…

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A woman nicknamed Rocky. A daughter of former migrant farmworkers. A child of politics. These female candidates for the House embody Democratic hopes in a rough election year. President Barack Obama’s unpopularity is a drag on his fellow Democrats, and no one is talking seriously about breaking the GOP lock on the House in midterm elections, when the president’s party traditionally loses seats. But Democrats, after robust recruiting of female candidates, are counting on women to knock out a few…

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Federal officials say a U.S. jet airliner nearly collided in March with an airborne drone in the sky over Tallahassee, Florida. Jim Williams of the Federal Aviation Administration’s unmanned aircraft systems office acknowledged the incident Thursday at a San Francisco drone conference, citing it as an example of the risks posed by integrating drones into U.S. airspace. “The risk for a small UAS (unmanned aircraft system) to be ingested into a passenger airline engine is very real,” Williams told the…

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Fighting to revive his political prospects, Sen. Marco Rubio is returning to the presidential campaign circuit and beefing up a political organization that could lay the groundwork for a White House bid. In the clearest sign yet of his interest in a presidential run, the Florida Republican plans to visit New Hampshire on Friday, his first appearance in an early-voting state in more than a year. He is set to headline a pair of fundraisers in Republican-rich counties and meet…

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Less than a quarter of Florida high school seniors scored as proficient or advanced on a national math exam. Results released Wednesday from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show just 19 percent of Florida 12th grade students demonstrated solid academic performance in subjects like geometry and algebra. Thirty-six percent of students scored as proficient or advanced in reading on the exam, also known as the Nation’s Report Card. Florida’s math scores were seven points lower than the national average…

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Orlando’s Major League Soccer team will eventually play its games in a new downtown, soccer-specific stadium, but several Orange County commissioners said Tuesday they felt misled by the MLS after Atlanta was awarded a team that will play in a hybrid football-soccer stadium. In October, the county commission approved $20 million in tourism taxes to help fund the new $80 million facility that met MLS requirements, which called for 18,000-25,000 seats, a grass playing surface, covered stands and an urban…

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The mayor of Miami-Dade County has asked David Beckham and his investors to consider a new site for their proposed soccer stadium. The Miami Herald reports Mayor Carlos Gimenez sent a letter late Monday to Beckham’s real estate adviser asking the group to consider filling a massive boat slip downtown between Museum Park and AmericanAirlines Arena. Beckham’s team has been pushing to build their Major League Soccer stadium at PortMiami. But the plan has provoked considerable backlash. An alliance led…

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