Uber to let riders use pin codes to help identify right car
NEW YORK — Uber is offering riders a four-digit pin code to help ensure they’re getting into the right car. The ride-hailing company rolled out the new feature across the U.S. and Canada Tuesday and said all riders in those two countries will be able to use pin codes by...
Justice Department: Ex-Trump aide Michael Flynn deserves up to 6 months in prison
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn deserves up to six months behind bars, the Justice Department said Tuesday, reversing its earlier position that he was entitled to avoid prison time because of his extensive cooperation with prosecutors. The government’s sentencing memo is a sharp rebuke...
Police: Multiple injuries in 30-car Maine highway pileup
CARMEL, Maine — Multiple people were injured in a major pileup involving about 30 vehicles during the Tuesday morning commute on a highway in Maine, state troopers said. There were no fatalities, but several ambulances and a medical helicopter were dispatched to the crash site on Interstate 95 near Bangor,...
Southern Minnesota officer shot in head, ‘gravely injured’
WASECA, Minn. — A police officer in southern Minnesota was gravely injured when he was shot in the head while responding to a report of a suspicious person, officials said Tuesday. Officer Arik Matson, 32, was shot at about 8 p.m. Monday in Waseca, and was taken by air to...
Ex-pastor in Canada sentenced to 15 years in death of pregnant wife
TORONTO — A former Toronto pastor convicted in the death of his pregnant wife has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars. Philip Grandine was sentenced in a Toronto courtroom on Tuesday nearly a year after jurors found him guilty of manslaughter in the drowning of his wife Anna Grandine....
Police: Officer may have saved lives in New Orleans Walmart shooting
NEW ORLEANS — An officer working at a New Orleans Walmart may have saved lives by quickly arresting a gunman who had walked in and killed a store employee and wounded another person, police said. New Orleans Police Chief Shaun Ferguson commended the actions of the unidentified officer, who was...
Astronaut shares photo of shooting stars, northern lights from Earth’s atmosphereVideo
A unique look at shooting stars and the northern lights over Earth’s Northern Hemisphere last weekend were captured by NASA astronaut Christina Koch from the International Space Station. Koch posted a photo - to Twitter from space - of the Quadrantid meteor shower, the first meteor shower of the year...
Researchers: Some pet products touted as CBD don’t have any
Companies have unleashed hundreds of CBD pet health products accompanied by glowing customer testimonials claiming the cannabis derivative produced calmer, quieter and pain-free dogs and cats. But some of these products are all bark and no bite. “You’d be astounded by the analysis we’ve seen of products on the shelf...
White House proposes guidelines for regulating the use of AI
The Trump administration is proposing new rules to guide future federal regulation of artificial intelligence used in medicine, transportation and other industries. But the vagueness of the principles announced by the White House is unlikely to satisfy AI watchdogs who have warned of a lack of accountability as computer systems...
Man accused in Austin stabbings dies of injuries from fall, police say
AUSTIN, Texas — The man accused of stabbing two people inside an Austin restaurant, killing a manager, has died of injuries he sustained after jumping from the roof of the building, police said. The attack happened Friday morning on a busy downtown avenue of restaurants and apartments just south of...
U.S. prepares for possible Iranian reprisal after drone strike
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials braced for Iran to respond to the killing of its most powerful general, noting heightened military readiness in the country and preparing for a possible “tit-for-tat” attempt on the life of an American military commander. They warned ships across Mideast waterways crucial to global energy supplies...
6.4 quake strikes Puerto Rico amid heavy seismic activity
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Puerto Rico before dawn on Tuesday, and was followed three hours later by an aftershock measuring 6.0. They are the largest in a series of quakes that have struck the U.S. territory in recent days and caused heavy damage in some...
Stampede kills 56 at funeral for Iran Gen. Qassem Soleimani killed by U.S.
TEHRAN, Iran — A stampede broke out Tuesday at the funeral for a top Iranian general slain in a U.S. airstrike, and at least 56 people were killed and more than 200 were injured as thousands thronged the procession, Iranian news reports said. The stampede took place in Kerman, the...
Pier 1 Imports closing nearly half of stores as sales falter
FORT WORTH, Texas — Pier 1 Imports is closing nearly half its 942 stores as it struggles to draw consumers and compete online. The home decor company said Monday it is closing up to 450 stores and will also shutter distribution centers. It didn’t say where the store closures would...
Health Happenings: Week of Jan. 6
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: —Noon-5 p.m. today , Westmoreland Manor,
2480 South Grande Blvd., Hempfield — Noon-6:30 p.m. Monday, Charter Oak Church,
449 Fry Farm Road, Unity Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome • Vitalant (formerly Central Blood Bank) will host a blood...
Dry January or Dry-ish January? Both can have health benefits
The holiday parties are over, the New Year’s resolutions are in and many likely revolve around a healthier 2020. For those who may have been over-served during December’s festivities, or are just looking for a challenge, that could include cutting out the glass of wine with dinner or the cocktails...
How to read the new nutrition facts label
The Food and Drug Administration has updated the nutrition facts label on packaged foods and beverages to reflect new scientific information, including the link between diet and chronic diseases. Manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual sales were required to switch to the new label by Jan. 1. Angie...
‘I feel like I’m in jail’: Hospital alarms torment patients
When Kea Turner’s 74-year-old grandmother checked into Virginia’s Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital with advanced lung cancer, she landed in the oncology unit where every patient was monitored by a bed alarm. “Even if she would slightly roll over, it would go off,” Turner said. Small movements — such as...
Former Passionist priest, who once served in Pittsburgh, gets probation for ‘unnatural acts’ on a minor
BOSTON — A Catholic priest has pleaded guilty to two counts of “unnatural acts” with a minor for accusations of sexual abuse dating back to the 1970s. James Randall Gillette was sentenced to five years of probation in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston on Jan. 2, according to court records....
IKEA to pay $46M in boy’s dresser tipover death, lawyers say
PHILADELPHIA — IKEA has agreed to pay $46 million to the parents of a 2-year-old boy who died of injuries suffered when a 70-pound recalled dresser tipped over onto him, the family’s lawyers said Monday. Jozef Dudek, of Buena Park, Calif., died in 2017 of his injuries, and his parents...
Tribes condemn federal plan to open up millions of Alaskan acres to mining interests
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — More than two dozen Alaska tribes are protesting a Trump administration land-use proposal that, if approved, could open millions of acres of wilderness to future mining in a large chunk of rural Alaska. For the first time in decades, the Bureau of Land Management is taking steps...
Ohio coroner: Columbus-area drug overdose deaths still rising
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The number of fatal overdoses in the county that includes Ohio’s capital city jumped during the first nine months of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018, the county coroner reported Monday. Franklin County recorded 421 drug deaths through September 2019, a 15% increase from the...
‘Honest mistake’ sets off alarm about U.S. troops in Iraq
WASHINGTON — For a few tense hours Monday, the United States appeared to have announced that American troops were pulling out of Baghdad after nearly 17 years. Turns out, it was just an “honest mistake.” “Here’s the bottom line, this was a mistake,” Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint...
Sheriff: Distracted trucker charged in crash that killed 3 in Indiana
LEBANON, Ind. — A Michigan trucker distracted by his coffee mug was charged in connection with an nine-vehicle crash in central Indiana that killed three people, including a toddler, and injured more than dozen others, authorities said Monday. Boone County sheriff’s officials said Matthew Small, 34, of Grandville, Mich., was...
Florida police respond to parrot screaming ‘Let me out!’Video
Police were called to a Florida home after a neighbor thought a woman was screaming for help. The officers instead found a chatty parrot. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s department on Dec. 29 responded when a concerned neighbor in Lake Worth Beach reported someone calling, “Let me out! Let me...
