COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — After months of just talking among themselves, lawmakers in South Carolina are finally debating making changes in how the General Assembly chooses judges. Senators on Thursday took up a bill altering the procedure for picking who sits on the bench. But there are plenty of warnings that wholesale changes aren’t going to happen in the process …

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. BOSTON (AP) — Reece Beekman had 18 points and eight assists and Virginia held off a last-minute rally to defeat Boston College 72-68 on Wednesday night. Quinten Post’s …

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union took a major step Thursday in ending its standoff with member state Poland, saying it would start releasing billions of euros that were frozen over what the bloc said were the previous Polish government’s backsliding on democratic principles. The move is an important reward for Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who has sought relentlessly …