Boy Scouts suit filed as Hawaii shuts abuse claims window
HONOLULU — Eight men were sexually abused when they were Boy Scouts in Hawaii in the 1960s and 1970s, they alleged in a lawsuit filed Friday as the state’s window closed on allowing child sex abuse claims that would have been barred under a statute of limitations. Various states and...
Advocates with mask donation turned away from San Diego immigration detention center
SAN DIEGO — Staff at Otay Mesa Detention Center did not allow Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez to donate masks to help protect detainees from the COVID-19 outbreak inside when she showed up at the facility gate on Friday. Gonzalez, whose district includes the detention center, joined with several immigrant rights advocacy...
Polish government gets pushback on postal presidential vote
WARSAW — The Polish government’s determination to move forward with a scheduled presidential election next month by making it an all-postal vote has sparked anxiety and anger amid the coronavirus pandemic, with critics slamming the plan as a threat to the health of both the public and Poland’s democracy. Health...
US states begin easing lockdowns as virus weakens in Asia
SAVANNAH, Ga. — The U.S. states of Georgia, Oklahoma and Alaska began loosening lockdown orders on their pandemic-wounded businesses, even as the confirmed U.S. death toll from the coronavirus soared past 50,000 and despite warnings from health experts that such steps may be coming too early. The news came as...
Cuomo: ‘I dare you’ to let states declare coronavirus bankruptcy in scathing attack on GOP
NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo angrily challenged Republicans to force hard-hit states to declare bankruptcy instead of giving them stimulus aid to cope with the coronavirus crisis. “Pass the law. I dare you,” he said. “You want to send a signal to the markets that this nation is in...
Trump claims sarcasm in comments about injecting disinfectants
WASHINGTON — Don’t inject disinfectants, health officials leapt to warn on Friday, reacting to President Donald Trump’s comment that disinfectants perhaps could be injected or ingested to fight covid-19. His suggestion even prompted the maker of Lysol to warn its product should never be used internally. “As a global leader...
Navy recommends reinstatement of fired carrier captain
WASHINGTON — The top Navy officer has recommended the reinstatement of the aircraft carrier captain fired for sending a fraught email to commanders pleading for faster action to protect his crew from a coronavirus outbreak, officials familiar with the investigation said Friday. Adm. Mike Gilday recommended that Navy Capt. Brett...
Astronomer files trademark lawsuit against American Girl
MADISON, Wis. — An astronomer in Chicago has sued the maker of American Girl dolls, alleging the Wisconsin company stole her likeness and name to create its astronaut doll. The federal trademark lawsuit filed in Madison this week by Lucianne Walkowicz asks American Girl and its parent company, Mattel, to...
U.S. states build stockpiles of malaria drug touted by Trump
SALT LAKE CITY — State and local governments across the United States have obtained 30 million doses of a malaria drug touted by President Trump to treat patients with the new coronavirus, despite warnings from doctors that more research is needed. At least 21 states and Washington, D.C. secured shipments...
Canada mass shooting started with assault on girlfriend
TORONTO — Canada’s worst mass shooting erupted from an argument between the gunman and his girlfriend, who survived the attack, police confirmed Friday. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Supt. Darren Campbell said the weekend shooting rampage started with an assault by the suspect on his girlfriend and ended with 22 people...
‘Disappointing’ week of divorce talks between EU, Britain
BRUSSELS — Key players and the economies on both sides of the Brexit divide have been hammered by the corona crisis. Yet, even this common enemy is not enough to bring the European Union and Britain closer together in talks about their post-Brexit relationship. After another week of deeply frustrating...
Sizing up Trump’s green-card halt: Is it just temporary?
SAN DIEGO — Pamela Austin, a recruiter at Adventist Health Bakersfield in California, made seven job offers to foreign nurses in February and just finished a first round of interviews with 12 more candidates. They are from all over the world, including the United Kingdom, Philippines, Australia and Malaysia. The...
From guns to GoPros, Asian Americans seek to deter attacks
When Eddie Song leaves his Manhattan home, it can feel like heading into battle. The Korean American startup founder and avid rider dons his armored motorcycle jacket, motorcycle gloves, a skull face mask and a GoPro camera. “The GoPro is on all the time whenever I leave the house now....
Georgia businesses reopen cautiously amid coronavirus worry
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Some businesses in Georgia reopened cautiously Friday as the Republican governor eased a monthlong shutdown amid experts’ warnings of a potential new surge in coronavirus infections and a potent objection from President Donald Trump. Georgia has ranked in the bottom per capita for testing — a key...
Pennsylvania rivals Sheetz, Wawa team up to help food banks
The novel coronavirus knows no borders, and neither does arguably the biggest rivalry in Pennsylvania. Western Pennsylvania favorite Sheetz teamed up with Philadelphia-area favorite Wawa to provide emergency food bank relief in the eastern part of the state for those in need during the coronavirus pandemic, the chains announced Friday....
Penn State to furlough staff, cut spending after $100 million in losses
Penn State will reduce spending for the coming year by 3% and furlough some 2,000 employees at half pay, effective May 4 through June 30, as officials struggle to balance their books in the face of a $100 million loss. The sprawling university, with a budget of $6.8 billion this...
Makers of Lysol warn about ingesting disinfectants following Trump’s coronavirus statements
WASHINGTON — The parent company of Lysol disinfectant warned Friday that its products should not be used internally to treat covid-19 after President Donald Trump wondered about the prospect during a White House briefing. Trump noted Thursday that researchers were looking at the effects of disinfectants on the virus and...
Kentucky mayor finds woman hiding in his home’s cellar
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A Kentucky mayor said he found a woman hiding in his cellar. Bowling Green Mayor Bruce Wilkerson said he found the woman Wednesday morning after he heard noises and smelled cigarette smoke outside a home he was renovating, WNKY-TV reported. When he checked the cellar, he...
Humphreys woman loved working with 4-H
Sandy L. Lucas Ruggiero became involved in 4-H many years ago when her daughter wanted to raise rabbits. Although she grew up in Pittsburgh, not out in the country, Mrs. Ruggiero took to helping Jamie raise rabbits and served as a 4-H leader for many years, said her daughter, Jamie...
Judge blocks background checks that denied ammo to law-abiding gun owners in California
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal judge has blocked California’s ammunition background check program, which had prevented nearly one in five law-abiding gun owners from purchasing ammunition because of database glitches and other record-keeping problems. In a 120-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez said the state’s program has been...
Trump touts idea of injecting disinfectant, light into the body to combat coronavirusVideo
President Trump suggested that medical experts should somehow try to find a way to inject light or disinfectants into the human body as a means to kill coronavirus — methods that are either not possible or highly dangerous. Trump touted the idea Thursday after William Bryan, who leads the Department...
Pentagon to send Blue Angels, Thunderbirds to honor essential workers during pandemic
The famed Blue Angels and Thunderbirds will perform a multicity tour over the United States to honor health care workers and other essential employees during the coronavirus pandemic. The air shows will occur over “America’s major cities and some of the cities that aren’t so major,” President Trump said this...
Pennsylvania climate report predicts wetter, warmer future, livestock expansion
A predicted increase in rainfall in Pennsylvania may lead to more flooding and threats to infrastructure in the decades ahead, but some agricultural sectors could experience growth as conditions change, according to a report issued this week by state officials. Created by the Penn State University Environment and Natural Resources...
Mother, son duo accused of shooting at FedEx driver who ran over family dogVideo
Authorities in North Carolina arrested a mother and son Monday after police said they retaliated with gunshots when their pet dog was run over. According to Charlotte-based ABC affiliate WSOC-TV, Catawba County deputies said a FedEx driver accidentally ran over the dog and was accosted by the owners. Following FedEx...
Congress passes expanded small-business loan funding to address coronavirus shutdowns
WASHINGTON — With unemployment claims topping 26 million in the last five weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic, the House voted Thursday to approve another half-trillion dollars in federal relief to replenish a depleted small-business loan program and provide money for hospitals and testing. The bill includes $310 billion for...
