$3 million found in barrels of pork
SHELBY, N.C. — Barrels of raw pork shoulder were riding fat in a tractor trailer pulled over by North Carolina deputies. Approximately $3 million in cash was recovered from the barrels Saturday, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Tuesday. The driver of the tractor trailer was...
Harvey Weinstein could face jail, bail hike over monitoring issues
NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein’s bail has been increased from $1 million to $5 million over allegations he violated bail conditions by mishandling his electronic ankle monitor. Judge James Burke on Wednesday rejected prosecution calls to put the disgraced movie mogul in jail over the alleged violation. A judge is...
Gov. Tom Wolf says ‘no’ to speculation about VP spot
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday that the answer is “no” to speculation that he would agree to join a Democratic presidential nominee’s ticket as the pick for vice president. Wolf reiterated that stance when asked during an appearance with his wife Frances on WITF-FM’s Smart Talk program...
Mom charged after police say she abandoned special needs son
ATLANTA — Atlanta police charged a mother with cruelty to children on Wednesday after her special needs teenager was found abandoned at a hospital, cold, confused and unable to say who he was. The mother told investigators she left her 14-year-old son at Grady Memorial Hospital because she felt overwhelmed...
Poland wants troops, police to shoot wild boars over swine fever
WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s agriculture minister on Wednesday proposed that army and police personnel should be allowed to shoot wild boars on a large scale in areas affected by the African swine fever, to help fight the disease that has been found in the west of the country after it...
Former Gov. Tom Ridge says Trump asking leader for political favor is ‘abuse of power’
Pennsylvania’s former Gov. Tom Ridge is leaving it up to Congress as to whether President Donald Trump should be impeached but in his mind, there’s little doubt the president abused his power when he asked Ukraine to investigate his rivals, including Joe Biden. Ridge was in Harrisburg on Tuesday to...
Texas police officer killed by man fleeing traffic stop
NASSAU BAY, Texas — A Houston-area police sergeant was killed when a man wanted on a domestic violence warrant broke free from police while being handcuffed, fled from a traffic stop and struck her with his vehicle, police said. The search continued early Wednesday for the man, who police said...
Climate activist Greta Thunberg is Time ‘person of the year’
NEW YORK — Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was named Time’s “person of the year” Wednesday, becoming at age 16 the youngest person to whom the U.S. magazine has given the title. Thunberg emerged as the face of the youth climate movement after she started skipping school once a week...
As Newtown students grow up, some turn to activism
NEWTOWN, Conn. — They were children themselves when they lost siblings, friends, and schoolmates in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Too young to comprehend the massacre, they spent years in shock and denial. Seven years later, some young people in Newtown, still struggling with the trauma, are emerging as...
Jersey City’s mayor says gunmen targeted kosher market
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The mayor of a New Jersey city said Wednesday that authorities believe gunmen targeted a kosher market during a furious shooting that killed six people and filled the streets with the sounds of heavy gunfire for hours just across the Hudson River from New York City....
Richmond gets a new soaring statue, this one with dreadlocksVideo
RICHMOND, Va. — A massive bronze sculpture of a young black man with dreadlocks astride a muscular horse was permanently installed Tuesday in Virginia’s capital city, not far from one of the country’s most prominent displays of Confederate monuments. Thousands of people crowded the lawn of the Virginia Museum of...
3 charged with running $722M cryptocurrency scam
NEWARK, N.J. — Three men were charged with running a cryptocurrency mining operation that officials labeled a “high-tech Ponzi scheme” that bilked investors out of $722 million, federal officials announced Tuesday. Matthew Goettsche, 37, was arrested Tuesday in Colorado, while Jobadiah Weeks, 38, was taken into custody in Florida and...
Betsy DeVos: Defrauded students may only get partial loan relief
Students who are cheated by their colleges will receive full loan forgiveness only if they end up earning far less than their peers, while others will receive relief between 25% and 75% of their debt under new rules unveiled Tuesday by the U.S. Education Department. The policy is a departure...
Analysis: White House says Trump warned Russian envoy Sergei Lavrov. But did he?Video
WASHINGTON — For three bewildering years, President Donald Trump has flatly dismissed, joked about or simply brushed aside Russia’s well-documented intervention in America’s 2016 presidential election. In July 2018, during a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland, Trump stopped just short of saying he believed Putin’s denials more...
Pennsylvania trooper shot and wounded in Tioga County, prompting standoff
ELKLAND — A Pennsylvania state trooper was shot and wounded Tuesday afternoon at a home in a rural area near the border with New York state, prompting a standoff with the barricaded gunman that lasted into the evening, authorities said. Troopers were conducting a welfare check at the home in...
Feds’ rules threaten Pennsylvanians’ food stamps, state claims
HARRISBURG — Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians stand to lose food stamps or see their benefits reduced under three sets of changes to the program being advanced by the Trump administration, state officials said Tuesday. Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration opposes all three changes, saying that the federal government is simply...
Yough teacher, coach taught loyalty and integrity
As a longtime teacher, athletic director and coach, Angelo J. Delaini Jr. earned the respect of students in the Yough School District. “It’s funny how many people have come up to me over the years, or even just in the last few days… who always speak of him very highly,”...
DA: Ex-municipal official in Chester County stole $3M from taxpayersVideo
WEST CHESTER — A former township official outside Philadelphia stole more than $3 million from taxpayers, using some of embezzled funds to fund a lavish lifestyle that included trips to Italy and France and shopping sprees for designer clothing and jewelry, authorities said Tuesday. Lisa Moore, 46, the former manager...
Final full moon of the decade to peak at 12:12 on 12/12
The moon will appear full for the final time this decade on Dec. 12 at 12:12 a.m., according to NASA. A full moon in December is known as the Cold Moon in the Northern Hemisphere. Numerologists may have something to say about all the twelves in the date and time,...
Pentagon orders review of international student vettingVideo
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Tuesday ordered a broad review of vetting procedures for international students who participate in training on U.S. military installations and demanded the process be strengthened, in direct reaction to last week’s deadly shooting at a Pensacola Navy base by a Saudi aviation student. The memo...
William Barr: FBI’s Russia investigation based on ‘bogus narrative’Video
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr leveled blistering criticism at how the Russia investigation was conducted, saying Tuesday that it was based on a “bogus narrative” that the Trump campaign might have conspired with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. Barr spoke to NBC News one day after the release...
Pittsburgh area leads state in ‘widespread’ flu outbreak, health data show
More than half of the flu cases reported in Pennsylvania so far this season are in the Greater Pittsburgh area, with Allegheny County having the most of any county in the state in a season that is off to an early start. A total of 4,424 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza...
Finland gets world’s youngest prime minister, a woman age 34
HELSINKI — Finland became the country with the world’s youngest sitting head of government Tuesday when the Nordic country’s parliament chose a 34-year-old woman who is a prolific user of social media and a keen advocate for environmental issues as prime minister. Lawmakers in the 200-seat Eduskunta voted 99-70 to...
Discover the magic inside these 10 Downtown Irwin businesses
Holidays are meant to be magical: the twinkling lights, the thrill of a little mistletoe, and the warm gratification of gifting the perfect presents to friends and family. Of course, with online shopping that experience has become somewhat less enchanting. What better way to bring back the magic of the...
6 killed in New Jersey gunbattle, including police officerVideo
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Six people, including a police officer and three bystanders, were killed in a furious gun battle Tuesday that filled the streets of Jersey City with the sound of heavy fire for hours, authorities said. The dead included the two gunmen, Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly...
