Judge temporarily blocks law aimed at Trump’s tax returns
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A U.S. judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a California law aimed at forcing President Donald Trump to release his personal income tax returns in order to appear on the 2020 primary ballot. U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. issued a written opinion saying the law likely...
Lizard protections sought in Southwest amid U.S. oil boom
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A small lizard found among the dunes straddling New Mexico and West Texas in one of the nation’s richest oil basins is at the center of a legal complaint filed Tuesday. Environmentalists want the U.S. government to add the lizard to the endangered species list as part...
Federal judge temporarily blocks Georgia abortion law
ATLANTA — A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked Georgia’s restrictive new abortion law from taking effect, following the lead of other judges who have blocked similar measures in other states. The law signed in May by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp bans abortions once a “detectable human heartbeat” is present,...
White ex-officer’s guilty verdict stuns some black advocates
Monica Blake watched closely as a Texas jury weighed the case against a white police officer charged in the fatal shooting of a black neighbor, wondering whether the panel would render a different decision than so many others in recent years. When Amber Guyger was convicted of murder Tuesday, Blake,...
Pipeline rules adopted years after deadly explosion, spills
BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. transportation officials on Tuesday adopted long-delayed measures that are meant to prevent pipeline spills and deadly gas explosions but don’t address recommended steps to lessen accidents once they occur. The new rules from the Department of Transportation apply to more than 500,000 miles of pipelines that...
Missouri executes killer despite concern about painful death
ST. LOUIS — A Missouri man was executed Tuesday for killing a man during a violent 1996 crime spree, despite concerns that the inmate’s rare medical condition would cause a gruesome lethal injection. Russell Bucklew was executed at the state prison in Bonne Terre. It was Missouri’s first execution since...
Trump’s reelection campaign cashes in on impeachment woes
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is furious that Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry. His reelection team couldn’t be happier. “It’s a total boon,” said Roy Bailey, the campaign’s national finance co-chairman. “Money is flying in.” Trump’s sudden rise to political power was fueled by a potent mix of outrage and...
Video: Woman climbs into lion enclosure at Bronx Zoo, taunts himVideo
A woman visiting the Bronx Zoo in New York somehow climbed into the exhibit and ended up standing mere feet away from one of the adult male animals. According to NBC News, the incident occurred Sept. 28. The woman broke into “a little dance” while the seemingly perplexed lion stared...
Lawyer: Uber driver killed passenger in self-defense
DENVER — An Uber driver charged with first-degree murder in the death of a passenger shot the man in self-defense after he touched, punched and pulled his hair as he was speeding down an interstate, his lawyer told jurors Tuesday. In opening arguments in Michael Hancock’s trial, Johnna Stuart said...
Growing pains: The state’s medical marijuana demand is outpacing supply
Pennsylvania’s still blossoming medical marijuana business has hit a supply choke-point — especially for the “flower,” or dry leaf products — as numbers of approved patients are continuing to grow faster than the buds in the state’s licensed grow rooms. One patient advocate has described it as a perfect storm,...
Pa. voters will decide constitutional amendment on rights of crime victims
Voters might be excused if they are confused when they scan the ballot in Pennsylvania next month and see a question asking to amend the state constitution to include a crime victims rights amendment. The proposed amendment, dubbed Marsy’s Law, seems to echo Pennsylvania’s Crime Victims Act. That law first...
Luzerne County man who went ‘fishing for cats’ pleads guilty to animal cruelty
A Pennsylvania man accused of “fishing for cats” has pleaded guilty this week to animal cruelty charges. Kenny Rowles of Plymouth, Luzerne County, was arrested in May on accusations he baited a fishing hook to catch a neighborhood cat. The cat, Tollie, was near the brink of death when he...
IHOP patrons trash restaurant, assault staff over orange juice refillsVideo
The IHOP orange juice refill policy was apparently a surprise to a group of guests who reportedly threw a fit when they got their bill. Diners at an IHOP restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina, last week were unhappy to see charges for each refill of orange juice on their check,...
Pa. college athletes could earn financial compensation under proposed bill
The paid college athlete is an idea whose time has come, say two Allegheny County lawmakers. State Reps. Dan Miller, D-Mt. Lebanon, and Ed Gainey, D-Pittsburgh, say they plan to introduce a bill that would allow college athletes to sign endorsements, earn compensation and hire agents just like the pros....
Former N.Y. Rep. Chris Collins pleads guilty to insider tradingVideo
NEW YORK — One of President Donald Trump’s earliest supporters in Congress — former Rep. Chris Collins — pleaded guilty Tuesday to insider trading charges that he had previously dismissed as “a partisan witch hunt.” “The actions I took are anything but what a model citizen would take. I am...
Sanders raises $25M in 3rd-quarter 2020 cash, Buttigieg $19M
Bernie Sanders reported Tuesday that he raised $25.3 million over the last three months, the largest quarterly sum a Democratic White House hopeful has posted this year and an amount that ensures he will be an enduring presence in the primary. Pete Buttigieg, who entered the race as the little-known...
Trump administration loses bid to dismiss monument lawsuits
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A federal judge has rejected the Trump administration’s bid to dismiss lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of a 2017 decision to downsize two sprawling national monuments in Utah. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan’s written decisions issued late Monday night means the legal challenges seeking to...
Sword-wielding student kills 1, wounds 9 at Finland school
A man wielding a sword and a firearm killed a woman and wounded nine others Tuesday at a vocational school inside a shopping center in central Finland, police said. The attacker was seriously wounded after police opened fire, and he was taken into custody. The police superintendent for eastern Finland,...
Pompeo, Democrats trade intimidation charges in Trump investigation
WASHINGTON — Setting a defiant tone, the Trump administration resisted Congress’ access to impeachment witnesses Tuesday, even as House Democrats warned such efforts themselves could amount to an impeachable offense. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to delay five current and former officials from providing documents and testimony in the...
Health Happenings week of Oct. 1
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host a blood drive 12:30-6 p.m.
Oct. 9, St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 407 Constitution Drive, Hunker. Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome Classes/programs • WCCC is partnering with APPRISE, the Pennsylvania Health Insurance Assistance Program, to sponsor a free Medicare presentation about the basics...
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Mild hypothyroidism may not need treatment
Dear Mayo Clinic: I recently was diagnosed with mild hypothyroidism that isn’t causing symptoms. My doctor says I don’t need treatment now, but she wants me to come back for regular checkups. Does hypothyroidism usually get worse over time? If it does, how is it treated? Answer: For mild cases...
Quinn on Nutrition: What is A2 milk?
At a recent nutrition seminar, my friend, Kristin (another registered dietitian) and I were intrigued to hear an update about a new product on the market called A2 milk. “My cousin has been intolerant to milk most of her life” she told our group. “But she found she can tolerate...
‘Cooking for One’ teaches grief survivors solo culinary skillsVideo
There are smiles and laughter all around as two dozen people gather to decorate Halloween pumpkins, enjoy fun-size candy bars and prepare and share a meal. The setting may be a bit unusual — the Frank Kapr Funeral Home Family Center in Scottdale. This second session of a new, locally...
Russia: Our approval is needed to publish Trump’s calls with Putin
MOSCOW — The Kremlin said Monday that transcripts of calls between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin can only be published by mutual agreement. The White House has severely restricted the distribution of memos detailing Trump’s calls with foreign leaders, including Putin. Asked about Congress’ push for the...
Trump sought Australia’s help on Russia probe origins
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump recently asked the Australian prime minister and other foreign leaders to help Attorney General William Barr with an investigation into the origins of the Russia probe that shadowed his administration for more than two years, the Justice Department said Monday. The revelation underscores the extent...
