New state fund will underwrite counseling for victims with old sexual abuse claims
Survivors of sexual abuse now can access trauma counseling and therapy under a provision quietly inserted in a Pennsylvania statute of limitations reform bill late last fall. In addition to extending the time for survivors of child sexual abuse to file lawsuits until their 55th birthday and eliminating the statute...
Even before Iowa fiasco, caucuses were on their way out
WASHINGTON — It didn’t take the high-profile disaster that was last week’s Iowa caucus for state political parties to move away from the party-run presidential preference system. Even before the Iowa debacle, caucuses were on their way out across the country. Ten states that hosted caucuses in 2016 — Alaska,...
Pennsylvania hemp farmers look to future at conference
Pennsylvania hemp farmers saw a lot less green than they were hoping for in 2019. A sudden glut of supply and lack of infrastructure caused national hemp prices to plummet throughout the year. “We had a bunch of people who threw hemp in the ground and expected at the end...
Unlikely allies push the White House to back cleaning pollution from the Tijuana River
For decades, millions of gallons of raw sewage and trash have flowed from the Tijuana River to the Pacific Ocean, fouling beaches, angering Southern Californians and getting worse by the year. An estimated 143 million gallons of waste from Tijuana spilled into the river valley in 2017, overwhelming a treatment...
Police: Driver traveling 79 mph when Oklahoma students hit
OKLAHOMA CITY — A pickup truck was traveling 79 mph in a 25 mph zone when it struck members of a high school cross-country team on a sidewalk in suburban Oklahoma City, killing two and injuring the others, a police sergeant said Tuesday. A police report said the driver, Max...
Trump Store has all the ’45’ swag you could wantVideo
They’re on a MAGA mission: to deliver the goods to the faithful followers of President Donald Trump. T-shirts and hats, sure. But also buttons, bracelets, koozies, water bottles, pens. All bearing either the likeness or name of the 45th president. There’s even MAGA magnets. Michael Domanico and his wife, Monica,...
Couple weds in Northern Ireland’s first same-sex marriage
LONDON — Two women tied the knot Tuesday in Northern Ireland’s first same-sex wedding, after the region became the last part of the United Kingdom to legalize gay marriage. Care worker Robyn Peoples, 26, and waitress Sharni Edwards, 27 married at a ceremony in Carrickfergus, near Belfast. The couple said...
Students in Dubai, UAE no longer have to do homework
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Students at more than 250 government-run schools in the United Arab Emirates are officially done with homework. The local National newspaper reports that, starting next week, the Education Ministry is abolishing homework in public schools in the emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi to help...
Guardian for elderly arrested on abuse, neglect charges
ORLANDO, Fla. — A former guardian for the elderly and incapacitated who was accused of filing “do not resuscitate” orders without her clients’ permission has been arrested in Florida on felony charges. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said local authorities arrested Rebecca Fierle-Santoian in a county northwest of Orlando...
Nelson Mandela’s release 30 years ago birthed a new South AfricaVideo
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Thirty years ago, Nelson Mandela was released from 27 years of imprisonment by South Africa’s apartheid regime and instantly galvanized the country, and the world, to dismantle the brutal system of racial oppression. Raising a clenched-fist salute and striding purposefully from the gates of Victor...
Small New Hampshire town votes for Bloomberg in primary
DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H. — Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is not even on the ballot, won the votes of a tiny New Hampshire community that barely hung onto its tradition of being among the first to make their picks in the presidential primary. Dixville Notch’s five residents...
Global energy-related carbon emissions flat in 2019
BERLIN — Global energy-related emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide remained steady last year, with declines in rich countries balancing out a rise in poor nations, according to data published Tuesday. The International Energy Agency said emissions of the main man-made greenhouse gas stayed at 33 gigatons in 2019, even as...
Rohingya boat capsizes in Bay of Bengal; at least 15 dead
DHAKA, Bangladesh — An overcrowded boat carrying about 138 Rohingya refugees from Bangladeshi camps sank Tuesday in the Bay of Bengal, leaving at least 15 confirmed dead, mostly women, Bangladeshi officials said. The coast guard, navy divers and other rescuers recovered the bodies after the wooden boat capsized off St....
What’s this ‘broom challenge,’ and why are people believing it?Video
Can a broom stand on its own? Yes. Still, videos of people standing up brooms and walking away, leaving them upright, has captivated social media enough to spur a viral trend: the broom challenge. So the challenge didn’t work with me but it worked with my dad?♀️? #broomchallenge pic.twitter.com/PfGV1yt1qQ— Nallely...
4 lawyers quit case as a result of DOJ decision on Roger Stone prison timeVideo
WASHINGTON — Four lawyers who prosecuted Roger Stone quit the case Tuesday after the Justice Department said it would take the extraordinary step of lowering the amount of prison time it would seek for President Donald Trump’s longtime ally and confidant. The decision by the Justice Department came just hours...
UN meeting ponders fast-track drugs, vaccines for new virusVideo
GENEVA — The World Health Organization convened outside experts Tuesday to fast-track promising tests, drugs and vaccines to help slow the outbreak of a new virus that emerged in China that has killed more than 1,000 people and spread to two dozen other countries. The new coronavirus was only identified...
Queen’s grandson Peter Phillips and wife Autumn to divorceVideo
LONDON — Peter Phillips, the eldest grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, and his wife Autumn are divorcing after 12 years of marriage. The couple said in a statement Tuesday that the separation was sad but amicable. They plan to share custody of daughters Savannah, 9 and Isla, 7. The 42-year-old...
Budgets boost plans to deepen Mississippi River in Louisiana
WASHINGTON — The Army Corps of Engineers plans to spend more than $85 million this year on a project to deepen the main channel of the Mississippi River in Louisiana. U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana announced the funding in a news release Monday. It comes after the Corps endorsed...
EU official rejects Johnson’s idea of loose U.K. trade deal
BRUSSELS — The European Union will only offer Britain unique access to its vast single market if the U.K. agrees to stick to the bloc’s standards, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday, dismissing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s idea of brokering a loose trade deal with the...
Head of German Catholics says he’ll step down at end of term
BERLIN — The Roman Catholic cardinal who leads the German Bishops’ Conference said Tuesday he plans to step down at the end of his term in March. Cardinal Reinhard Marx, 66, said in a letter to fellow bishops in Germany that he would not seek a second term leading the...
Legal sportsbooks in U.S. take $13 billion in action in 2019; Pa. 3rd with $1.5B
Last year marked the first full year of legal sports betting in the United States, and Pennsylvania was one of just three states to take in more than $1 billion in wagers in 2019, according to the American Gaming Association. Pennsylvania was one of the first states to launch legal...
Quinn on Nutrition: Treats for your sweet — not all are bad
February brings us to Valentine’s Day. And it’s also American Heart Month. Quick, it’s time to give something special to someone you love this week. And surprise, some of our favorite Valentine treats can also be good to our hearts. Chocolate: There is room for chocolate in a healthy diet,...
Older adults susceptible to pertussis, vaccine may be warranted
Dear Mayo Clinic: Why is my health care provider recommending that I get the Tdap vaccine now to prevent whooping cough, even though I am in my late 70s? Doesn’t whooping cough usually affect young children? Answer: While it’s true that babies are most at risk of pertussis infection and...
What to do if your home health care agency ditches you
Craig Holly was determined to fight when the home health agency caring for his wife decided to cut off services. The reason he was given by an agency nurse? His wife was disabled but stable, and Medicare was changing its payment system for home health. Euphrosyne “Effie” Costas-
Holly, 67, has...
Health Happenings: Week of Feb. 10
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: — Noon-5:30 p.m. today, Saint Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Unity — 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday , Seton Hill University
McKenna Center, Seton Hill Drive, Greensburg Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome Classes/programs • Tours of the Family...
