Feds searching for ‘Bad Wig Bandit’ after 3 N.C. bank robberies
The FBI said in a tweet Friday that a “Bad Wig Bandit” has robbed at least three banks in the Charlotte area. The suspect is a man between 20 and 30 years old. He allegedly has robbed the banks over the course of the past four weeks — wearing a...
12 migrants dead, 21 rescued at sea off western Greece
ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s coast guard said 12 migrants were found dead in the Ionian Sea and 21 others were rescued after their boat took on water and sank Saturday. A search for more survivors was launched by air and sea. The dead and rescued migrants were found southwest of...
Storms sweep across southern U.S., death toll rises to 11
HOUSTON — Severe storms sweeping across southern portions of the U.S. and up into the Midwest were blamed Saturday in the deaths of at least 11 people, including two first responders, as high winds, tornadoes and unrelenting rain battered large swaths of the country. Storm-related fatalities were reported in Texas...
Magnitude 5.9 shock rocks quake-stunned Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A magnitude 5.9 quake shook Puerto Rico on Saturday, causing millions of dollars of damage along the island’s southern coast, where previous recent quakes have toppled homes and schools. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 8:54 a.m. quake hit 8 miles southeast of Guanica at...
Taiwan’s leader reelected as voters back tough China stance
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen won a second term in a landslide election victory Saturday, signaling strong support for her tough stance against China. Tsai soundly defeated Nationalist Party candidate Han Kuo-yu with 57.2% of the vote to Han’s 38.6%, with 99.75% of precincts’ votes counted. She...
Iran says it ‘unintentionally’ shot down Ukrainian jetliner
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran announced Saturday that its military “unintentionally” shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week, killing all 176 aboard, after the government had repeatedly denied Western accusations that it was responsible. The plane was shot down early Wednesday, hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile...
Latrobe man passed on his love of outdoors
David W. Planinsek’s life was devoted to the outdoors, whether he was responding to an environmental complaint or teaching a child how to fish. “I’m just one of many that he influenced,” said his son, David E. Planinsek, a state forester. Mr. Planinsek demonstrated respect for the natural world through...
10-day Everglades python hunt kicks off
A 10-day python hunting contest opened Friday in the Everglades, with cash and prizes for those who do the most to rid Florida of the snakes that are wiping out native wildlife. The Florida Python Challenge held a kickoff event in Markham Park in Sunrise, as members of the public...
Las Vegas ‘black widow’ denies killing millionaire husband
NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — One of Nevada’s most notorious convicted murderers, dubbed a “black widow killer,” said after being released from prison Friday that she did not kill her millionaire husband 25 years ago in Las Vegas, and plans to use proceeds from her story to offer money for...
Gun case delayed for man cleared of San Francisco pier death
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Friday delayed a gun possession trial against a Mexican man who was acquitted of killing a woman on a San Francisco pier in a case that became a national flashpoint, saying he has questions about the man’s mental competency. U.S. District Judge Vince...
Rare salt formations appear along the Great Salt Lake
SALT LAKE CITY — Rare salt formations have been documented for the first time on the shores of the Great Salt Lake, and they could yield insights about salt structures found on Mars before they disappear for good. They’re showing up now in part because water levels at the largest...
Ruling barring discharge of HIV-positive airmen upheld
RICHMOND, Va. — An injunction barring the Trump administration from discharging two Air Force members who are HIV-positive was upheld Friday by a federal appeals court panel that called the military’s rationale for prohibiting deployment of service members living with HIV “outmoded and at odds with current science.” The airmen...
Rare mountain bog famous among Bigfoot enthusiasts being saved by N.C. conservationists
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A haunting Appalachian Mountain swamp well known to Bigfoot researchers has been purchased by a land conservancy in North Carolina for protection. Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina says it closed on the 17 acres in Burke County in December, with the help of money from a private...
Epstein gave $850,000 to MIT, visited 9 times, report finds
BOSTON — Disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein donated $750,000 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and visited campus at least nine times as he sought to rehabilitate his image following a 2008 sex crimes conviction, according to findings released Friday by a law firm hired to investigate Epstein’s ties with the...
Texas governor says no to refugees in coming year
AUSTIN, Texas — In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday the state will not allow refugees to resettle in Texas. Under President Donald Trump’s Sept. 26 executive order, cities and states must provide their written consent to allow refugees to resettle within...
‘Bullitt’ Mustang sells for $3.74 million at Florida auction
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GT featured in the film “Bullitt” was sold Friday at a Florida auction house for $3.74 million. The sale at Mecum Kissimmee marks the most expensive Mustang ever sold, surpassing a 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake that sold last year for...
U.S. bans charter flights to Cuban cities besides Havana
HAVANA — The Trump administration is banning charter flights to Cuban cities besides Havana in a new tightening of U.S. restrictions on the island. In October, the administration banned commercial flights to cities outside the capital. The State Department said in a press release Friday that charter operators would have...
2 New Yorkers aboard helicopter die in Pennsylvania crash
MECHANICSBURG — Two upstate New York business men aboard a helicopter were killed when the aircraft crashed in a Pennsylvania backyard, authorities said. No one on the ground was injured in the Thursday night crash, Cumberland County spokesman John Bruetsch told news outlets. The helicopter’s pilot, Mark D. Croce, 58,...
China mourns native paddlefish scientists say is now extinct
BEIJING — The Chinese paddlefish’s sharp, protruding snout made it one of the largest freshwater species in the world. Since scientists declared it extinct in a research paper published last week, Chinese internet users and media outlets have been paying tribute to the hefty creature. “It’s farewell at first sight,”...
Shapiro heads into reelection year with $3M in account
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro will report that he headed into his 2020 reelection year with more than $3 million in his campaign bank account, about 40% of what he spent to get elected in 2016 to his first four-year term. In a preliminary report his campaign gave...
U.S. announces new sanctions on Iran after missile strikes
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Friday announced a new wave of sanctions on Iran following this week’s missile strikes by the Islamic Republic on U.S. bases in Iraq. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the new sanctions will target eight senior Iranian officials involved...
Nets going up to prevent suicides at Sunshine Skyway bridge
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Nets will be going up along a portion of Florida’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which spans the mouth of Tampa Bay and has become a magnet for suicides. The Tampa Bay Times reported Friday that the steel mesh nets will be installed along a 1.5-mile section of...
Man convicted of assault for hitting Trump protester
A man accused of punching a protester outside a rally for President Donald Trump has been found guilty. A jury convicted Dallas Frazier, 30, Thursday of misdemeanor assault for hitting Michael Alter, 61, outside the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati in August. Thousands attended the rally at the Cincinnati arena....
U.S. adds 145,000 jobs; unemployment holds at 3.5%
WASHINGTON — U.S. employers downshifted on hiring in December, adding 145,000 jobs, with steady spending by Americans continuing to steer economic growth heading into a presidential election year. The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate held at 3.5% for the second straight month, prolonging a half-century low. Hiring...
Virginia lawmakers set to vote on Capitol gun ban
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia lawmakers are set to vote Friday on whether to ban guns at the state Capitol. Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have set a meeting to vote on new rules that are widely expected to include a proposed new gun ban for the Capitol and...
