TribLive stories, Page 2043

To the mothers, the 13-year-old boy appeared largely unsupervised as he roamed among the clusters of townhomes on the U.S. Air Force base in Japan. It would have been unremarkable — the neighborhood was full of kids — except that young girls were starting to report the boy had led...

BALTIMORE — U.S. Catholic bishops voted Wednesday to create a new national sex-abuse hotline run by an independent entity, a decision that represents one of the church’s most tangible steps yet in confronting its sex-abuse crisis. The hotline, which would field allegations that bishops committed abuse or covered it up,...

LONDON — Katie Jones sure seemed plugged into the Washington’s political scene. The 30-something redhead boasted a job at a top think tank and a who’s-who network of pundits and experts, from the centrist Brookings Institution to the right-wing Heritage Foundation. She was connected to a deputy assistant secretary of...

LOS ANGELES — The Utah man accused of shooting an off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Monday and killing another man an hour earlier had told his family he wanted to “make it on his own or die,” police said Wednesday. The family of Rhett Nelson, 30, contacted St. George...

DURHAM, N.C. — Moments after a North Carolina man pleaded guilty to gunning down three Muslim university students, a prosecutor played a cellphone video of the slayings in court Wednesday as one of the victims’ relatives fainted, others wept and a man cursed the confessed killer openly. Craig Stephen Hicks,...

NEW ORLEANS — The son of a Louisiana sheriff’s deputy is facing federal hate crime charges in connection with three fires that destroyed African American churches this year. Holden Matthews , 21, was charged in a six-count federal indictment that was unsealed Wednesday. The indictment charges Matthews with three counts...

WASHINGTON — With a familiar chant, President Trump’s backers regularly called for Hillary Clinton to be thrown in prison during the 2016 campaign. Now top Democrats are grappling with fraught questions about whether to lock HIM up. As Democrats in Congress press for continued investigation of Trump while he remains...

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Senate is advancing legislation that backers say will help make health care more available through nurses, and less expensive. The Senate voted 44-6 Wednesday to allow certified nurse practitioners to practice independently of physicians. Supporters say 22 other states have similar laws. The Pennsylvania Medical Society opposes...

LAS VEGAS — Two backers of a pioneering Nevada law to prevent employers from rejecting job-seekers based on a pre-employment marijuana test cast the effort Wednesday as an anti-discrimination measure in a state where recreational pot sales are booming and rules about legal marijuana consumption are evolving. The law, which...

AUSTIN, Texas — A Dallas-based law firm placed the winning $1.435 million bid for a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that the city put in an online auction almost two years after removing it from a state park. Holmes Firm PC made the top offer for the bronze...

About 30 people die in an impaired driving crash every day, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That is one every 48 minutes. It’s a horrifying figure but considerably less grim than 30 years ago when it was one death every 15 minutes. We know that people pay...

WASHINGTON — A House committee voted Wednesday to hold two top Trump administration officials in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas for documents related to a decision adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The Democratic-controlled House Oversight Committee voted 24-15 to advance contempt measures against...

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine legalized medically assisted suicide Wednesday, becoming the eighth state to allow terminally ill people to end their lives with prescribed medication. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who had previously said she was unsure about the bill, signed it in her office. Oregon was the first state to...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Pope Francis on Wednesday deemed the first known black Roman Catholic priest in the United States to be “venerable,” positioning the former slave for possible sainthood. The pontiff’s designation of the Rev. Augustine Tolton as venerable, meaning the church intensely scrutinized his life and recognizes it as...

WASHINGTON — Former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks has agreed to a closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee, the panel announced Wednesday. The panel subpoenaed Hicks last month as part of its investigation into special counsel Robert Mueller’s report and obstruction of justice. The interview will be held...

WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously in support of a bill that would give fresh money to a compensation fund for those who are sick or dying from illnesses linked to their work amid the toxic debris at 9/11 attack sites. The vote comes a day...

New Kensington is moving ahead with the installation of new LED streetlights downtown. City council on Monday authorized City Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti and City Engineer Tony Males to enter into negotiations for the new lights. They will be negotiating with representatives from Connected Energ Group and Tudi Mechanical Systems. Scarpiniti...

Slide remediation work is complete on Red Mud Hollow Road in Ohio Township. PennDOT District 11 announced Route 4043 (Red Mud Hollow Road) opened to traffic Wednesday after having been closed since April 29 between Mt. Nebo and Creese roads. PennDOT conducted the work....

Shaun Tomaszewski once dreamed of becoming a doctor. Then, he fell in love with teaching. As someone who thrives in areas where he’s passionate, Tomaszewski jumped ship on his initial plans to enter the medical field and went for a job he loved. After nearly a decade in education serving...

New Kensington officials are steering the city on a course that not only will bring growth, they say, but do it in an intelligent manner. That was the message Brian Clark, a consultant working with city council and the city’s redevelopment authority, had for city residents this week. Clark gave...

The public will get a chance to weigh in on a challenge already underway from 104 Jefferson Hills residents who are appealing the issuance of a zoning permit to UPMC that would help make way for a proposed hospital. Eight public hearings already have been held over the residents’ challenge...

I know where to begin, letter-writer Al Duerig, (“Misinformed on Obama vs. Trump,”) on Ron Raymond’s letter (“Obama vs. Trump.”) Raymond’s letter speaks the truth. I support every word he wrote. Raymond compared Presidents Obama and Trump — one was likable, loved by the media, and the other was despised....

The Highlands School District administration continues stonewalling residents with recent comment policy change, and only relented to newspaper inquiries when faced with legal sanctions for violation of the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act (“Highlands comment policy causes confusion, raises concerns,” May 23, TribLIVE). Homeowners may exercise civil disobedience by withholding school tax...

Sixty-one Riverview High School seniors were declared graduates during the 2019 Commencement exercise at Riverside Park on Friday. “Pomp and Circumstance” was performed by the concert band during the processional. Grace Ison, salutatorian, and Cassandra DeBacco, valedictorian, were among those to give addresses during the ceremony....