FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — A fire that killed a Missouri mother and four children was intentionally set by the mother, police said. St. Louis County police announced late Wednesday that a preliminary investigation ruled that the deaths of Bernadine “Birdie” Pruessner, her twin 9-year-old daughters Ivy and Lillie Pruessner, and her children 5-year-old Jackson Spader and 2-year-old Millie Spader was …

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky lawmakers on Thursday started advancing an ambitious measure aimed at stimulating cutting-edge research while promoting teamwork among the state’s public universities. The Senate Education Committee quickly advanced the bill that would create a framework for cross-campus projects pairing up researchers at various schools. The measure is sponsored by Republican Senate President Robert Stivers and is …

The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. Oregon Ducks (17-8, 9-5 Pac-12) at Stanford Cardinal (12-13, 7-8 Pac-12) Stanford, California; Thursday, 11 p.m. EST FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cardinal -1; over/under is 150.5 BOTTOM LINE: Oregon …