Girl’s fall into grease pit prompts W.Va. bill to hike fines
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — After a 5-year-old girl fell into a restaurant grease pit and was rescued, West Virginia’s Senate has passed legislation that would toughen fines for restaurants that have unsecured lids on the containers. The state Senate passed the bill Tuesday, 33-0. One member was absent. It now goes...
McConnell blasts impeachment, will vote to acquit Trump
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday slammed House Democrats’ drive to impeach President Donald Trump as “the most rushed, least fair and least thorough” in history and confirmed that he will vote to acquit him. McConnell said the two impeachment charges against Trump — that he abused...
Trump faces accusers: What to watch during State of the Union address
WASHINGTON — Who’s clapping now? On the brink of his Senate acquittal, President Donald Trump will be unleashing “relentless optimism” during his third State of the Union address, a speech designed to pivot from his impeachment to his drive for reelection. Trump is speaking from a position of strength, with...
What went wrong: A look at tech troubles in Iowa voting
DES MOINES, Iowa — A new mobile app was supposed to help Democratic officials quickly gather information from some 1,700 caucus sites throughout Iowa. Instead, it’s being blamed for delays that left the results unknown the morning after the first-in-the nation nominating contest. Glitches with a new mobile app Monday...
At least half Iowa results expected by day’s end, Dems sayVideo
DES MOINES, Iowa — Clouded by doubts on a chaotic day-after, Democratic Party officials planned to release a majority of Iowa’s delayed presidential caucus results by late Tuesday, according to details shared with campaigns on a private conference call. The news did little to stem rising confusion and concern more...
Health Happenings: Week of Feb. 3
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: —1-5:30 p.m. Feb. 7, North Huntingdon Town House, 11279 Center Highway,
North Huntingdon — Noon-4:30 p.m.
Feb. 10, Excela Square Norwin, 8775 Norwin Ave., North Huntingdon — Noon-5:30 p.m. Feb. 11, Saint Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Unity...
Cervical cancer is almost 100% preventable. And Chicago is making a move to eradicate it
CHICAGO — “It happens when you least expect it. … It was my last semester before it was time for me to graduate. That’s when I found out.” Morgan Park, Ill., resident Angela Williams was 40 years old in 2015 when she received a diagnosis of cervical cancer following a...
Sepsis: A team response to a potential killer
Our bodies are very good at fighting infection. The immune system reacts and attacks bacteria and viruses that make us sick. But sometimes the immune reaction is so strong that it damages the body. This is called a septic reaction or sepsis, and the mortality rate associated with it can...
What you may not know about carrots
How do you know when a carrot is dehydrated? Why should we care? I found the answer plus other interesting facts about my favorite vegetable in a recent article by registered dietitian Bethany Oxender in Food & Nutrition magazine, a publication of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. I’ve highlighted...
Caucus voting underway; Iowa may clarify Democratic fieldVideo
DES MOINES — Iowa voters packed caucus sites across the state Monday night as Democrats balanced a strong preference for fundamental change with an overwhelming desire to defeat President Donald Trump in the opening contest of the 2020 presidential primary season. State party officials were counting votes amid reports of...
Lawmakers seek to end Florida’s key role in shark fin trade
TALLAHASSEE — While Florida gains notoriety as the epicenter of the shark trade in the United States, state lawmakers there advanced legislation Monday that would ban the possession of shark fins. The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee endorsed that proposal, as well as another bill that would stiffen penalties...
Closing arguments delivered in Trump’s impeachment trialVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s lawyers and House impeachment managers issued their closing arguments Monday, with Democrats arguing the Senate has a “duty” to convict Trump and the president’s legal team saying senators would “vindicate” the right to vote by leaving the matter to voters in November. With Trump’s acquittal...
‘Othered’ in America: An old story, still playing out
CHICAGO — Activist Hoda Katebi rarely takes a break from organizing. As tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalated in recent weeks, she became even busier. On a recent Sunday afternoon, the 25-year-old Iranian American sat in her Chicago apartment shifting between monitoring her Twitter feed, taking phone calls and...
Dog sleuths sniff out crop disease hitting citrus trees
WASHINGTON — Dog detectives might be able to help save ailing citrus groves, research published Monday suggests. Scientists trained dogs to sniff out a crop disease called citrus greening that has hit orange, lemon and grapefruit orchards in Florida, California and Texas. The dogs can detect it weeks to years...
Tennessee man found dead in donation bin
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee man was found dead in a donation bin outside a Walmart. Police responded Sunday afternoon to a report of a man stuck inside the bin in Clarksville. When emergency crews arrived at the scene, they found a 48-year-old man with the lower part of his...
Pennsylvania hunters killed record 4,653 black bears in 2019
HARRISBURG — Wildlife authorities say Pennsylvania hunters killed 4,653 black bears last year, setting a new record. The Pennsylvania Game Commission said Monday the total is far above last year’s total of 3,153, which was the 11th highest total recorded but was also the lowest in almost a dozen years....
Rush Limbaugh announces he’s been diagnosed with lung cancer
LOS ANGELES — Conservative radio host and Republican kingmaker Rush Limbaugh said he’s been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Addressing listeners on his program Monday, Limbaugh said he will take some days off for further medical tests and to determine treatment. “I have to tell you something today that I...
2 women killed, child hurt in shooting at Texas dormitory
COMMERCE, Texas — Two women were killed and a child was wounded in a shooting Monday morning at a university dormitory in Texas, officials said. A recommendation for students and employees to shelter in place was lifted early Monday afternoon at Texas A&M University-Commerce, and police said there appeared to...
Woman pleads guilty to soliciting stepfather’s murder
WILKES-BARRE — A woman has pleaded guilty to soliciting the homicide of her stepfather nearly five years ago in northeastern Pennsylvania. Twenty-five-year-old Kendra Dias entered the plea Monday as her trial was about to open. Under a plea agreement, Luzerne County prosecutors withdrew a conspiracy count and are to recommend...
Tennessee county destroys records sought by reporter
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Officials in a Tennessee county have destroyed public records that were being sought by a newspaper. Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Sarah Grace Taylor was trying to see whether the Hamilton County attorney’s office was denying public records requests without a good reason, she said. To that...
Woman whose newborn died in prison toilet gets $1M from S.C.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A former inmate whose newborn died in a prison toilet in South Carolina will receive more than $1 million from the state and two medical companies. Sinetra Johnson will get $750,000 from the state Department of Corrections and $200,000 each from Medustrial and MedFirst which provide health...
Murrysville woman followed her calling to help others
Becky Snyder had a heart for ministry that was matched only by her boundless energy. She helped found His Hand Extended Ministry (His HEM) and its companion thrift store in Washington Township. She ran the thrift store for 12 years as a way to fund the ministry, her husband, William...
Puerto Ricans thrilled by flag sighting in Super Bowl halftime showVideo
SAN JUAN (AP) — The screams echoed across Puerto Rico when Jennifer Lopez unfurled a feather cape representing the flag of the U.S. territory during the Super Bowl’s halftime show, a moment that many were still replaying and sharing on Monday. The move came at a trying time for those...
Malawi court nullifies presidential vote, orders new one
BLANTYRE, Malawi — The Constitutional Court in the southern African nation of Malawi on Monday nullified the results of last year’s presidential election, citing “widespread, systematic and grave” irregularities including significant use of correction fluid to alter the outcome. A new vote will be held within 150 days, the court...
BP oil spill cash rebuilds eroded Louisiana pelican island
NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana island that provides a crucial nesting ground for pelicans and other sea birds is being restored to nearly its former size after decades of coastal erosion and the devastating blow of an offshore oil spill 10 years ago. About 6,500 brown pelicans and 3,000 smaller...
