Hong Kongers use masquerade as new protest tactic
HONG KONG (AP) — Winnie the Pooh, Guy Fawkes, Pepe the Frog — these are the new faces of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protest movement. Demonstrators masqueraded Friday night as their favorite characters in defiance of the government’s ban this month on face coverings at public gatherings. Protesters in the semi-autonomous...
Education Secretary Besty DeVos held in contempt because of student loan case
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was held in contempt of court and fined $100,000 by a federal judge on Thursday for violating an order to stop collecting loan payments from now-defunct Corinthian College, according to multiple reports. The Department of Education had been ordered to stop collecting on the federal loans...
Center for Lyme launches to lobby Congress for more research, treatment options
A new nonprofit launched this week will focus on lobbying Congress to expand funding for the development of new drugs and diagnostic tools for battling Lyme disease. The Center for Lyme Action launched on Tuesday in addition to hosting a congressional forum with lawmakers from Minnesota, New Jersey and California,...
AP source: Department of Justice review of Russia probe now a criminal inquiry
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has shifted its review of the Russia probe to a criminal investigation, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday, a move that is likely to raise concerns that President Donald Trump and his allies may be using the powers of the government to go...
Man getting haircut robbed at gunpoint in Brooklyn barbershopVideo
The New York Police Department is looking for the suspect in an apparent robbery of a man who was getting his hair cut at a barbershop in Brooklyn. The incident was caught on surveillance footage which appears to show the suspect pressing a pistol into the victim’s neck while he’s...
Lindsey Graham’s resolution condemns ‘closed’ House impeachment probeVideo
WASHINGTON — A leading Senate ally of President Donald Trump introduced a resolution Thursday condemning the Democratic-run House for pursuing an “illegitimate impeachment inquiry” and demanding that Republicans be given more chances to question witnesses. The nonbinding resolution announced by GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina gives Senate Republicans...
Friendly, furry faces recognized for easing Westmoreland court proceduresVideo
What could have been a cacophony of canines instead was more a parade of well-behaved — and mostly silent — pooches at the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Thursday. During an appreciation luncheon, the dogs and their handlers were recognized for participating in the nearly year-old therapy dog program, launched by...
Hundreds flee Northern California wildfire amid blackoutsVideo
GEYSERVILLE, Calif. — Hundreds of people were forced to flee Northern California wine country early Thursday as a wildfire exploded in size, fueled by dangerous winds that prompted utilities throughout the state to impose electrical blackouts to prevent fires. Authorities ordered the entire community of Geyserville to evacuate after the...
Pennsylvania won’t give driver’s license records to Census
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s transportation secretary is telling the U.S. Census Bureau that her agency won’t provide driver’s license records as part of a Trump administration effort to gather citizenship information. Secretary Leslie Richards wrote Thursday to a Census Bureau official, saying her department won’t participate in the project. More than...
Hunter killed when deer he shot gets up, attacks himVideo
An Arkansas hunter’s good fortune turned tragic when he was killed by the same deer he had just shot. “I’ve worked for the (Arkansas) Game and Fish Commission for 20 years, and it’s one of the stranger things that’s happened,” Keith Stephens, communications chief for the agency, told KY3. Stephens...
Pennsylvania to get $53M in opioid treatment drug settlement
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is in line to receive more than $53 million as part of a nationwide settlement with a British company that once distributed a drug used to treat opioid addiction. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Thursday that the money is to settle allegations that the company defrauded...
Boris Johnson seeks December election to break Brexit impasse
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has finally abandoned his promise of an October Brexit and pinned his hopes on a December election. Two days after lawmakers stymied Johnson’s latest attempt to pass his European Union divorce deal, he said Thursday that the only way to break Britain’s Brexit...
Westmoreland Veterans Affairs director to be keynote speaker for Smithton dinner
Matt Zamosky, director of Westmoreland County Veterans Affairs, will address those attending an early Veterans Day dinner on Nov. 2. The program, including presentation of colors and recognition of Vietnam veterans, begins at 6 p.m. at the Smithton Volunteer Fire Department social hall, 609 Center St. It’s sponsored by the...
Jimmy Carter out of hospital after treatment for fall
ATLANTA — Former President Jimmy Carter is out of the hospital where he was treated after fracturing his pelvis in a recent fall, a spokeswoman said Thursday. Carter Center spokeswoman Deanna Congileo said in a statement that the former president had been released from Phoebe Sumter Medical Center and was...
World’s largest tree house burns down in 15 minutesVideo
An iconic tree house burned to the ground in just 15 minutes. The fire Tuesday at the structure, famous for being the largest tree house in the world, started at about 10:30 p.m., reports WVLT-TV. It collapsed just as emergency crews arrived on scene. Minister’s Tree House near Crossville, Tenn.,...
Pa. man who killed 5-year-old girl is resentenced to life term
ERIE — A man who was teenager when he killed a 5-year-old Pennsylvania girl has been resentenced to life in prison by a judge who said he was “permanently incorrigible” and should never leave prison. Scott Schroat had pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the 1992 slaying of Lila Ebright....
Pa. company fined after worker’s fatal fall into meat grinder
PENNSDALE — Federal officials have fined a Pennsylvania company for violations found after a worker was killed when she fell into a meat grinder earlier this year. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration issued $49,062 in civil penalties against the Economy Storage Locker Co. in Pennsdale. Authorities say 11 serious...
Philadelphia tops list of cities for bedbugs, Pittsburgh makes list
The City of Brotherly Love beat out the Steel City on a list no one wanted to top. Philadelphia came in at No.1 on Terminix’s ranking of the top 50 most bedbug-infested cities in the country. Further down the list, Pittsburgh landed at No. 16, while Harrisburg came in at...
Bill would dedicate lieutenant governor’s mansion for veterans program, Guard families
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman described a proposal to transfer control of the lieutenant governor’s Fort Indiantown Gap residence to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs as a “win across the board.” State senators voted unanimously Wednesday to pass the bill, which would require that the property be used...
Ukrainian leader felt Trump pressure before taking officeVideo
KYIV, Ukraine — More than two months before the phone call that launched the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Ukraine’s newly elected leader was already worried about pressure from the U.S. president to investigate his Democratic rival Joe Biden. Volodymyr Zelenskiy gathered a small group of advisers on May...
‘Executive privilege’ could complicate case against Giuliani associates, attorney saysVideo
NEW YORK — Two South Florida businessmen who worked to help President Trump’s personal attorney pursue dirt in Ukraine on a political foe pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges that they conspired to purchase influence by steering hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal foreign cash into U.S. campaigns. Appearing...
Trump includes Colorado in states getting border wallVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s boast of building part of the border wall in Colorado is garnering attention in the state, including from the state’s governor, Democrat Jared Polis. Trump was speaking Wednesday to an audience in Pittsburgh when he included Colorado in a list of states where the border...
House Ethics opens investigation into Rep. Katie Hill over alleged staffer relationship
WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation into Rep. Katie Hill regarding allegations that she may have had a sexual relationship with a member of her staff. The committee will gather additional information regarding the allegations, the committee said in a statement. Hill denied allegations Tuesday she...
BLM official: Solving wild horse problem will take $5B, 15 years
RENO, Nev. — It will take $5 billion and 15 years to get an overpopulation of wild horses under control on federal lands across the West, the acting head of the Bureau of Land Management said Wednesday, adding that several developments have made him more optimistic about his agency’s ability...
Unity man was proud of service to country
Even when he was living in Illinois and Ohio, William C. Eversole was a proud Pittsburgh Steelers season ticket holder who made it to every game he could. “He always managed to either be at the games, or listen to them on the radio,” said his daughter, Jessie Jones. He...
