Authorities search for ‘Glee’ star Naya Rivera believed to have drowned
Authorities planned Friday to renew the search for “Glee” star Naya Rivera, who is believed to have drowned in a Southern California lake while boating with her 4-year-old son. Rivera, 33, disappeared after renting the pontoon boat for three hours Wednesday afternoon and taking it out on Lake Piru in...
Carnegie Museum of Natural History reopens with world premiere exhibition Dinosaur Armor
With everyone planning their staycations for July and August, it’s always nice to know a local favorite has something new for the family to see. Carnegie Museum of Natural History opened its doors again June 29 with timed ticketing and a new exhibition all about the evolutionary development of body...
What you need to know about Supreme Court ruling over Trump’s tax returns
NEW YORK — The Supreme Court ruled that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. can obtain President Donald Trump’s tax returns for a criminal investigation but sent a second request by Congress for the records back to lower courts. Here are some key questions and answers stemming from Thursday’s...
Election experts warn of November disaster
WASHINGTON — After a presidential primary season plagued by long lines, confusion over mail-in voting and malfunctioning equipment, election experts are increasingly concerned about the resiliency of American democracy in the face of a global pandemic. With four months until the presidential election, the litany of unresolved issues could block...
Watchdog details storm of political pressure in Sharpiegate
Political pressure from the White House and a series of “crazy in the middle of the night” texts, emails and phone calls caused top federal weather officials to wrongly admonish a weather office for a tweet that contradicted President Donald Trump about Hurricane Dorian in 2019, an inspector general report...
Biden pledges New Deal-like economic agenda to counter TrumpVideo
DUNMORE, Pa. — Democrat Joe Biden turned his campaign against President Donald Trump toward the economy Thursday, introducing a New Deal-like economic agenda while drawing a sharp contrast with a billionaire incumbent he said has abandoned working-class Americans amid cascading crises. The former vice president presented details of a comprehensive...
Mississippi seeing big coronavirus outbreak in state legislatureVideo
JACKSON, Miss. — Packed elevators and crowded committee rooms. Legislators sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the House and Senate floor. People standing close to each other and talking, sometimes leaning in to whisper, without a mask in sight. Those were common scenes at the Mississippi Capitol in June — a month that...
The Nest co-owner welcomed diners at Jeannette restaurant with friendly nature, flair for decor
Toni Nestico was a familiar, friendly face at The Nest Restaurant in Jeannette, where she served seafood dishes to customers for close to 30 years and was co-owner of the establishment, with her husband. “People loved her,” said her daughter, Alana, who used to wait tables at the restaurant along...
Florida reports highest single-day jump in covid-19 deathsVideo
TALLAHASSEE — Health authorities in Florida reported 120 new deaths from the new coronavirus on Thursday, grimly marking the highest one-day jump yet amid a surge in new infections that continues to befuddle the state’s attempts to contain the outbreak. The number of deaths was the highest since the 113...
Ousted New York prosecutor tells Congress that Attorney General Barr ‘urged’ him to resignVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr was so determined to get the top federal prosecutor leading investigations into President Donald Trump’s allies off the case that he offered multiple cushy jobs for the taking, according to a statement he gave to the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Geoffrey Berman,...
West Virginia mail carrier admits attempted election fraud
ELKINS, W.Va. — A West Virginia postal carrier pleaded guilty Thursday to altering mail-in requests for absentee voter ballots. Thomas Cooper entered the plea in federal court in Elkins to attempted election fraud and injury to the mail, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell said in a statement. Cooper was charged in...
D.C. judge asks for full appeal review of Michael Flynn dismissal
WASHINGTON — The U.S. District Court judge who oversaw the criminal case of President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn has requested a full appeals court review after a three-judge panel ordered him to dismiss it. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan made the highly unusual the request Thursday....
WHO: Indoor airborne spread of coronavirus possible
LONDON — The World Health Organization is acknowledging the possibility that covid-19 might be spread in the air under certain conditions — after more than 200 scientists urged the agency to do so. In an open letter published this week in a journal, two scientists from Australia and the U.S....
Tropical Storm Fay edges north from off North Carolina coastVideo
MIAMI — Tropical Storm Fay, the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, began to edge away from the North Carolina coast Thursday evening, its sights set on the mid-Atlantic coast and southern New England. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Fay was about 70 miles east of...
CDC: No rewriting of guidelines for reopening schoolsVideo
WASHINGTON — Despite President Donald Trump’s sharp criticism, federal guidelines for reopening schools are not being revised, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. Dr. Robert Redfield said the agency would be issuing “additional reference documents” for parents and schools to facilitate the reopening and...
NYC mayor helps paint ‘Black Lives Matter’ on street outside Trump TowerVideo
NEW YORK — Mayor Bill de Blasio joined protesters Thursday in painting a vibrant yellow “Black Lives Matter” mural on the street outside Trump Tower, delivering a message to the president on his old home turf. “No justice, no peace!” chanted the demonstrators, raising their fists in solidarity as an...
Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen back in federal prison
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, was returned to federal prison, weeks after his early release to serve the remainder of his sentence at home because of the coronavirus pandemic, the federal Bureau of Prisons said Thursday. In a statement to The Associated...
Pentagon: U.S. will respond if Russia bounty reports are trueVideo
WASHINGTON — Top Pentagon leaders told Congress on Thursday that reports of Russia offering Taliban militants bounties for killing Americans were not corroborated by defense intelligence agencies, but said they are looking into it and the U.S. will respond if necessary. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said his military commanders heard...
Pennsylvania to date distributes nearly $25B in unemployment claims
Pennsylvania has distributed nearly $25 billion in unemployment compensation as of this week, state officials said Thursday. However, the week ending July 25, however, will mark the final claim week for additional $600 payments through the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program. “Unless further action comes from Congress and the federal...
Ban on evictions, foreclosures in Pa. extended until Aug. 31
Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday extended a moratorium on evictions amid the covid-19 pandemic until Aug. 31, protecting renters and homeowners who are unable to pay their rent or mortgage from losing their homes. Wolf originally signed an executive order pausing evictions earlier this year as millions of Pennsylvanians lost...
Pennsylvania fast food fans are still loving McDonald’s
McDonald’s fans are lovin’ it … at least in Pennsylvania. A Top Data analysis determined that McDonald’s was the top fast food destination in the state. (It make sense, as the Big Mac was first introduced in 1967 by Jim Delligatti, who owned a franchise in Uniontown.) In Pennsylvania, McDonald’s...
Pennsylvania offers $10M in grant funding for food retailers affected by pandemic
Pennsylvania businesses working to maintain access to fresh, healthy food during the covid-19 pandemic are eligible for grants from $10 million in CARES Act funding, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Thursday. The Fresh Food Financing Initiative Covid-19 Relief Fund is available to food-centered organizations and businesses impacted by the pandemic, including...
Supreme Court rulings keep Trump’s financial records private for now
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court issued a mixed verdict Thursday on demands for President Donald Trump’s financial records that will keep his tax returns, banking and other documents out of the public eye for the time being. The court rejected broad arguments by Trump’s lawyers and the Justice Department that...
Layoffs stuck at high level as 1.3 million seek jobless aid
WASHINGTON — More than 1.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a historically high pace that shows that many employers are still laying people off in the face of a resurgent coronavirus. The persistently elevated level of layoffs are occurring as a spike in virus cases has forced...
Authorities: 1 dead after tornadoes hit western Minnesota
DALTON, Minn. — Two powerful tornadoes damaged farms, left one person dead and at least one other injured in western Minnesota as severe storms moved across parts of the Midwest, authorities said. The National Weather Service told the Otter Tail County sheriff’s office that two tornadoes touched down near Dalton...
