Army warns about fraudulent text messages about a military draft
The Army has issued a fact check on fake texts. The Army released a statement this week saying it has been made aware of fraudulent text messages that have informed people they have been selected for the military draft, even though the United States did away with the draft in...
Ag secretary announces $1 million grant program at Pa. Farm Show
If agriculture is to remain one of Pennsylvania’s top industries, then farms have to succeed as businesses. That was the message at the Pennsylvania Farm Show’s Public Officials Day in Harrisburg, where Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced the latest grant to be funded by the 2019 Farm Bill. The $1...
6 island birds at the National Aviary that will make you forget about wintertime in Pittsburgh
In January, with the holidays behind us, the gray reality of winter sets in. It’s a time when many people dream of an escape to a tropical island paradise. If that’s not in the cards this year, there’s a little piece of the tropics on Pittsburgh’s North Side that can...
Red Cross blood donors can qualify to win Super Bowl trip
With a post-holiday, critical need for donations, the American Red Cross is asking donors to begin the new year by giving blood or platelets. As a sign of appreciation and a special incentive, those who donate blood or platelets through Jan. 19 will be entered in a chance to win...
Trump vows new sanctions on already heavily sanctioned IranVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday his administration will immediately impose new economic sanctions on Iran in response to Iranian missile strikes on U.S. bases in Iraq. “As we continue to evaluate options in response to Iranian aggression, the United States will immediately impose additional punishing economic sanctions on...
Want to know snow, ice conditions at a Pennsylvania state park? Here’s how
Winter is upon us, and despite the occasional warmup, snow- and ice-related activities are out there. Let’s say you’re in the mood to head out to a nearby Pennsylvania state park for a day of, say, cross-country skiing. How would you check on the conditions? Well, the state has made...
Teacher in Kentucky pleads guilty to filming students in school bathroom
MURRAY, Ky. — A former teacher at a Kentucky high school admitted to filming students in a bathroom. Mark Allen Boggess, 54, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Calloway Circuit Court to eight counts of possessing matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor and eight counts of voyeurism, the Murray Ledger...
Celebrity basketball game will benefit scholarships for Hispanic students
The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will host its second annual Celebrity Basketball Game to raise money for scholarships supporting the region’s Hispanic community. The game will be at 2:30 p.m., Jan. 11 at the Wunderley Gymnasium at Penn State’s Greater Allegheny campus in McKeesport. The game will...
Survey: Fewer Pa. households entered 2019-20 winter without heat
Fewer Pennsylvania households entered the current winter season without heat than in the two previous years, according to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. More than 18,350 households across the state entered the winter season without heat-related utility service or using unsafe heating sources, PUC said in its 2019 Cold Weather...
U.S. sanctions South Sudan’s vice president over abuses
JOHANNESBURG — The United States has imposed sanctions on South Sudan’s First Vice President Taban Deng Gai, citing his involvement in serious human rights abuses. The statement Wednesday is one of the sharpest actions taken by the United States against the South Sudan government amid Washington’s frustration over the country’s...
Injured man walking to Philadelphia hospital is killed in hit-and-run
PHILADELPHIA — A man who was walking to the hospital after he was stabbed during a dispute was struck killed by a hit-and-run driver in Philadelphia, authorities said. Karon Underwood, 36, was struck around 10:20 p.m. Monday just blocks from the hospital. One driver saw him and was able to...
Prosecutor won’t seek death penalty in Waffle House shooting
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty for a man accused of killing four people at a Tennessee Waffle House. Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk’s office said in a court filing that it would seek life in prison without the possibility of parole for Travis Reinking, The...
Trump declares emergency for Puerto Rico after earthquakeVideo
GUANICA, Puerto Rico (AP) — Cars, cots and plastic chairs became temporary beds for hundreds of families who lost their homes in southwest Puerto Rico as a flurry of earthquakes struck the island, one of them the strongest in a century. The magnitude 6.4 quake that struck before dawn on...
Trump: Iran appears to be ‘standing down’ after strikeVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran appears to be “standing down” and said no Americans or Iraqis were harmed in Iran’s Tuesday ballistic missile strike on two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. Speaking from the foyer of the White House, Trump announced that the U.S. will immediately...
Man shot, killed while working at his family’s grocery store in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — A man found shot and wounded at his family’s grocery store in Philadelphia has died from his injuries, authorities said. The 31-year-old victim was found around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday by a customer at the JD Hoyu Grocery store. The man was working at the store, which is owned...
Takata recall of 10M inflators could be last of air bag saga
DETROIT — Takata is recalling 10 million more front air bag inflators sold to 14 automakers because they can explode with too much force and hurl shrapnel. The recall is the last one the bankrupt company agreed to in a 2015 settlement with the U.S. safety regulators. It could bring...
Hearing set for Michigan man in grisly slaying, mutilation
BENNINGTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A mid-Michigan man was due in court Wednesday in the slaying and mutilation of a man he met online. A probable cause hearing was scheduled in 66th District Court in Corunna for Mark Latunski, 50. Latunski was arraigned Dec. 30 on open murder and disinterment and...
Trump insists ‘All is well!’ after Iran missile attack
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump insisted “All is well!” on Tuesday after Iran fired surface-to-surface missiles at two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. He promised to make a statement to the nation Wednesday morning about the increasingly precarious situation with Iran. Trump offered no immediate indication of whether he would...
176 killed in Ukrainian passenger jet crash in Iran
TEHRAN, Iran — A Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people crashed on Wednesday, just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital’s main airport, turning farmland on the outskirts of Tehran into fields of flaming debris and killing all on board. The crash of Ukraine International Airlines came hours after...
Report: This is Pennsylvania’s wealthiest county
In Chester County, the median household income is nearly $100,000 — making it the richest county in the commonwealth, according to a new report. Financial news and opinion website 24/7 Wall Street has reported that the southeastern Pennsylvania county boasts a median household income of $96,726, compared to the Keystone...
Iran strikes back at U.S. with missile attack at bases in IraqVideo
TEHRAN — Iran struck back at the United States early on Wednesday for killing its most powerful military commander, firing a barrage of ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases that house American troops in what the Iranian supreme leader said was a “slap” against America’s military presence in the...
California Rep. Duncan Hunter announces resignation
SAN DIEGO — Republican U.S. Rep. Duncan D. Hunter submitted his resignation Tuesday, effective Jan. 13, after pleading guilty to a corruption charge, leaving one of the GOP’s few remaining House seats in heavily Democratic California. Hunter’s departure ends his family’s political dynasty in which he and his father, Duncan...
Police, Secret Service mum after new incident at Mar-a-Lago
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — There was an unspecified incident involving the Secret Service at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, but authorities would not say Tuesday what happened — the latest in a series of incidents at the club since the president took office three years ago. Palm Beach...
Mississippi men accused of gluing winning numbers onto lottery ticket
FLOWOOD, Miss. — Authorities in Mississippi say two men attempted to scam the state lottery commission by submitting a losing ticket that had the winning numbers glued onto it. Odis Latham, 47, and Russell Sparks, 48, were arrested Monday and charged with offenses including uttering counterfeit instrument over $1,000. Two...
Trump, Bloomberg to run Super Bowl ads; estimated to cost $10M each
President Donald Trump and democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg will be a part of the Super Bowl LIV broadcast. Campaigns for both are running commercials during the game, according to NBC News. Trump’s campaign will spend $10 million for 60 seconds of ad time, which could be one 60-second ad...