Supreme Court rejects call for new trial in ‘Serial’ podcast case
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a Maryland man’s bid for a new trial based on information uncovered by the hit podcast “Serial.” The justices did not comment in leaving in place a 4-3 ruling by Maryland’s highest court that denied a new trial to Adnan Syed, who...
Devin Nunes, impeachment inquisitor, dodges question over alleged meeting with Ukrainian ex-prosecutorVideo
WASHINGTON — For the past two weeks of historic public impeachment hearings against President Trump, Rep. Devin Nunes has played the role of high-profile inquisitor. Now, Nunes, R-Calif., finds himself cast differently, entangled in the same chain of events the committee has been probing — whether Trump and his allies...
Spain working to refloat submarine thought to hold cocaineVideo
MADRID — Spanish police were studying Monday how to refloat a submarine believed to be carrying tons of cocaine, which if confirmed would make it the first time such a vessel has been found to be used in drug trafficking in the country. The submarine was intercepted Sunday in an...
Pa., all 67 counties declared ‘storm ready’ by National Weather Service
Pennsylvania is the latest state to receive StormReady status from the National Weather Service. All 67 counties in the state have been designated StormReady, making Pennsylvania one of only six states to receive the title. The others are Rhode Island, Delaware, South Carolina, Hawaii and Florida. StormReady means each county...
Ruth Bader Ginsburg returns to court after hospital stay
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court says Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has returned to the court after a two-night stay in a hospital. The court says the 86-year-old Ginsburg is attending an annual fall classical music program on Monday afternoon. Ginsburg loves the opera and classical music, and she has presided...
West Virginia sportsmen groups oppose national park
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — West Virginia sportsmen’s groups say they are not happy they could lose about 4,800 acres of hunting land if the New River Gorge National River is designated a national park and preserve. The Register-Herald reports the proposal by Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Democratic U.S....
Bloomberg, now Democratic candidate, resigns UN climate post
UNITED NATIONS — Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who just joined the crowded race for the Democratic presidential nomination, has resigned his post as the United Nations special envoy for climate action. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday that Bloomberg sent a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Nov....
Priests guilty of abusing deaf children at Argentine school
MENDOZA, Argentina — Two priests were found guilty on Monday of sexually abusing deaf children at a Catholic-run school in Argentina and sentenced to more than 40 years in prison, a case that has shaken the church in Pope Francis’s homeland. A three-judge panel in the city of Mendoza sentenced...
Pennsylvania lawmakers, judges getting raises in 2020
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania state lawmakers, judges and top executive branch officials will collect another annual salary increase in 2020, with the governor’s salary passing $200,000 and rank-and-file lawmakers’ base salaries passing $90,000. The salary increases come as lawmakers consider increasing Pennsylvania’s minimum wage for the first time since 2009 and...
College basketball player in Georgia charged with murder
ATLANTA — A starting point guard for a Georgia university women’s basketball team is one of five people indicted on charges including murder in the July killing of a man who was found shot to death in the parking deck of an Atlanta apartment complex. Kennesaw State University’s Kamiyah Street,...
At White House, Trump honors dog injured in al-Baghdadi raid
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is honoring the U.S. military dog that participated in the operation that ended with the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Trump says: “So this is Conan. Right now, probably the world’s most famous dog,” as he introduced Conan to the news media...
Defense Secretary Mark Esper says Trump ordered him to stop SEAL review boardVideo
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Mark Esper declared Monday that President Donald Trump ordered him to stop a disciplinary review of a Navy SEAL accused of battlefield misconduct, an intervention that raised questions about America’s commitment to international standards for battlefield ethics. Esper’s comments are the latest twist in the case...
France pledges millions to stop deadly domestic violence
PARIS — Under unprecedented public pressure, France’s government pledged Monday to seize firearms from abusive spouses and better train police as part of a broad national plan to reduce the number of women killed by their partners. Such killings happen around the world, every day, so common that they go...
U.K. cinema chains pull gang-themed movie after brawl
LONDON — Two British cinema chains have pulled a film set among London street gangs after a brawl broke out at a movie theater where it was showing. Showcase Cinemas and Vue say they won’t screen “Blue Story,” which centers on two friends on opposing sides of a violent neighborhood...
Police: 2 dead in shooting at North Carolina doctors’ office
DURHAM, N.C. — Two people were found dead Monday with gunshot wounds at a North Carolina doctors’ office, police said. A Durham Police Department news release said officers were called to the building’s parking lot Monday around 8 a.m. and found a man and woman dead. Capt. Melissa Bishop Police...
U.S. calls ambassador to South Sudan back to Washington
JOHANNESBURG — The United States has called its ambassador to South Sudan back to Washington for consultations as Washington reevaluates its relationship with the country after a delay in implementing a fragile peace deal. The unusual public U.S. State Department statement was echoed in a tweet Monday by Secretary of...
Thieves steal ‘priceless’ jewel sets from Dresden museum
BERLIN — Thieves broke into Dresden’s Green Vault, one of the world’s oldest museums, early Monday morning, making off with three “priceless” sets of 18th-century jewelry that German officials said would be impossible to sell on the open market. The treasury of Augustus the Strong of Saxony was established in...
Justices reject call for new trial in ‘Serial’ podcast case
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a Maryland man’s bid for a new trial based on information uncovered by the hit podcast “Serial.” The justices did not comment in leaving in place a 4-3 ruling by Maryland’s highest court that denied a new trial to Adnan Syed, who...
Colleges struggle with soaring student demand for counseling
More college students are turning to their schools for help with anxiety, depression and other mental health problems, and many must wait weeks for treatment or find help elsewhere as campus clinics struggle to meet demand, an Associated Press review of more than three dozen public universities found. On some...
Uber loses license in London over safety, vows to appealVideo
LONDON — London’s transit authority on Monday refused to renew Uber’s license to operate, putting the ride-hailing company’s future in the British capital in doubt. It’s the latest chapter in Uber’s rocky history with London transport officials, who have been subjecting the San Francisco-based company to ever tighter scrutiny over...
Coroner’s office releases autopsy results for Erie teen who died suddenly in State College
An Erie teenager’s death that prompted Penn State to temporarily suspend a fraternity was ruled accidental Friday by the Centre County coroner’s office. John “Jack” Schoenig, 17, died of chemical asphyxia due to nitrous oxide, Deputy Coroner Debra Smeal announced. Schoenig was pronounced dead Oct. 19 at 522 W. College...
Highway Patrol: 5 die in wrong-way crash in Ohio
ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio — The State Highway Patrol says five adults have died in a wrong-way crash in Ohio. The patrol’s St. Clairsville post in eastern Ohio’s Belmont County says a car traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of State Route 7 struck an SUV traveling north around 11 p.m....
Pennsylvania bear harvest nears 3,000 for 2019 after firearms opener
Hunters killed 986 black bears on Saturday, the first day of the 4-day firearms hunting season for bear across Pennsylvania. Hunters killed 1,241 bears on the first day of last year’s firearms season, which eventually contributed to a total bear harvest for 2018 of 3,153 bears, which was the 11th...
3 found dead after garage fire; Berks County home called ‘crime scene’
DOUGLASSVILLE — State police are investigating after they found three people dead as a result of a garage fire at an eastern Pennsylvania home. Police in Berks County say the bodies were found when crews were dispatched to the Union Township address shortly before 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Trooper David C....
Report: Review details effort to justify Ukraine decisionVideo
WASHINGTON — The White House undertook a confidential review of documents that revealed extensive efforts to generate an after-the-fact justification for President Donald Trump’s decision to hold up military aid to Ukraine, the Washington Post reported Sunday. The Post, citing three people familiar with the records, said the research was...
