Trump ally Roger Stone sentenced to 40 months in prisonVideo
WASHINGTON — Trump loyalist and ally Roger Stone was sentenced Thursday to 40 months in federal prison, following an extraordinary move by Attorney General William Barr to back off his Justice Department’s original sentencing recommendation. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said Stone’s crimes demanded a significant time behind...
Lyme patient hopes to raise awareness through ‘tickmojis’ tracking appVideo
It may seem a little odd to want emojis on your smartphone that depict 10 of the most common varieties of tick in North America. Then again, if you spot one attached to your leg, it’s nice to know you can actually identify it by using Olivia Goodreau’s “tickmojis,” which...
Trapped paraglider rescued from power lines in California
OLIVEHURST, Calif. — A paraglider spent three hours trapped in power lines before being rescued in northern California. The paraglider, who was not immediately identified, was facing the ground with the wires as his only support when first responders arrived Wednesday night, according to officials with the Olivehurst Fire Department....
South Sudan rival leaders agree to form coalition government
JUBA, South Sudan — South Sudan’s rival leaders on Thursday announced they have agreed to form a coalition government just two days before the deadline, a breakthrough after months of delays and a major step in the emergence from a five-year civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people in the...
Vatican sees intense interest in opening of Pius XII archive
VATICAN CITY — More than 150 historians and researchers have signed up to access the soon-to-open Vatican archives of Pope Pius XII, evidence of the intense scholarly interest into the World War II-era pope and his record during the Holocaust, officials said Thursday. Cardinal José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça, the...
Hair Club for Men founder — and client — Sy Sperling diesVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Hair Club for Men founder Sy Sperling, famous for the TV commercials where he proclaimed “I’m not only the Hair Club president but I’m also a client,” died Thursday in Florida. He was 78. Sperling died in Boca Raton after a lengthy illness, spokeswoman Terri Lynn...
‘Leaning Tower of Dallas’ is online star after implosion
DALLAS — A social media sensation dubbed the “Leaning Tower of Dallas” was born when a portion of a building survived an implosion in Dallas. After the implosion Sunday failed to bring down the core of the 11-story former Affiliated Computer Services building, the online jokes and photos began. Many,...
Trump taps loyalist Richard Grenell as nation’s top intel official
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced that Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, will become acting director of national intelligence, a move that puts a staunch Trump ally in charge of the nation’s 17 spy agencies, which the president has only tepidly embraced. “Rick has represented our Country exceedingly...
South Korea reports 1st virus death; 2.5M urged to stay home
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea reported its first death from the new virus on Thursday while the mayor of a southeastern city urged its 2.5 million people to stay inside as infections linked to a church congregation spiked. The death was the ninth confirmed from the virus outside mainland...
9 killed in suspected far-right attack in Germany
HANAU, Germany — A 43-year-old German man shot and killed nine people at several locations in a Frankfurt suburb in attacks that appeared to have been motivated by far-right beliefs, officials said Thursday. The gunman first attacked a hookah bar and a neighboring cafe in central Hanau at about 10...
Census Bureau finds Pa. divorce rates declined over the last decade
Maybe those branding experts had it right when they attempted to adopt the “Pennsylvania is for lovers” slogan a few years back. Or, at least it is a land of lasting love. No less authority than the U.S. Census Bureau — that fountain of all things numerical across America —...
AP fact check: Dems’ debate flubs; Trump untruths at rally
WASHINGTON — The latest Democratic presidential debate was a raucous one, ripe for exaggerations and distortions as Mike Bloomberg made his debut on the debate stage and rivals went after him and each other. President Donald Trump weighed in on the feisty performance at a rally where he mischaracterized what...
Takeaways from the Democratic debate
LAS VEGAS — Six Democratic presidential hopefuls met on the debate stage in Las Vegas, but it was the newcomer, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who received the most attention, and none of it positive. Here are some key takeaways from the debate. THE $60 BILLION PUNCHING BAG Bloomberg...
Debate night brawl: Bloomberg, Sanders attacked by rivals
LAS VEGAS — From the opening bell, Democrats savaged New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg and raised pointed questions about Bernie Sanders’ take-no-prisoners politics during a contentious debate Wednesday night that threatened to further muddy the party’s urgent quest to defeat President Donald Trump. Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who...
U.S. judge sides with migrants in case against Border Patrol
PHOENIX — Conditions at most Border Patrol facilities in Arizona are punitive and unconstitutional, a U.S. judge in Arizona said Wednesday while ruling in favor of migrants who have long-complained about inhumane and unsanitary conditions in holding cells. The ruling came weeks after the conclusion of a seven-day trial in...
‘Fat broads and horse-faced lesbians:’ Elizabeth Warren says Mike Bloomberg can’t beat TrumpVideo
Massachuetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren wasted no time attacking former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg during Wednesday night’s Democratic presidential debate. Less than five minutes into the debate, Warren appealed to half of the country’s voting bloc in attempt to thwart Bloomberg’s attempts at the throne. “I’d like to talk...
Police: 8 killed in shootings in the German city of HanauVideo
HANAU, Germany — Eight people were killed in shootings on Wednesday evening in the German city of Hanau, authorities said. Two hookah lounges reportedly were targeted. Authorities were searching for the perpetrators early Thursday, three hours after the shootings which took place at about 10 p.m. A short police statement...
Police say 8 killed in shootings in the German city of Hanau
HANAU, Germany — Eight people were killed in shootings in the German city of Hanau on Wednesday evening, authorities said. Two hookah lounges reportedly were targeted. Authorities were searching for the perpetrators early Thursday, three hours after the shootings which took place at about 10 p.m. (2100 GMT). A short...
Trump expected to tap loyalist Richard Grenell as intel officialVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, will become acting director of national intelligence, a move that puts a staunch Trump ally in charge of the nation’s 17 spy agencies, which the president has only tepidly embraced. “Rick has represented our...
Court: Florida can’t bar felons from vote over fines, fees
TALLAHASSEE — Florida cannot, for now, bar felons who served their time from registering to vote simply because they have failed to pay all fines and fees stemming from their cases, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a...
Berks County man accused of killing his dog with ax for refusing to go outside
A wife called cops on her husband after state police say he threw the family’s dog against the wall and then killed it with an ax, after the Chihuahua mix refused to go outside. As WFMZ-69 News reports, Joshua Leneweaver, 41, of Earl Township, Berks County, was jailed Monday evening...
George Zimmerman sues Buttigieg, Warren over Trayvon Martin birthday tweets
ORLANDO, Fla. — George Zimmerman, the former Sanford, Fla., resident acquitted of murder in the 2012 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, is suing Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg over tweets they posted to commemorate the teenager’s birthday. The lawsuit was reported Wednesday morning by Newsweek. The...
Lawyer: Julian Assange was offered U.S. pardon if he cleared Russia of link to hacking
LONDON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to claim during an extradition hearing that the Trump administration offered him a pardon if he agreed to say Russia was not involved in leaking Democratic National Committee emails during the 2016 U.S. election campaign, a lawyer for Assange said Wednesday. Assange is...
Connellsville man a ‘staunch volunteer’ who loved local history
If it was about Connellsville, Tom Rusnack was interested. Mr. Rusnack was a life member of the Connellsville VFW and AMVETS, a regular member of the American Legion and the Knights of Columbus, part of the Fayette County Cultural Trust and a board member at the Wesley Health Center. “He...
Another Catholic diocese seeks bankruptcy after abuse deals
HARRISBURG — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, six months after disclosing it had paid millions of dollars to people sexually abused as children by its clerics. The diocese joins at least 20 others across the United States in seeking protection from creditors through the...
