Madison woman loved family, cooking
Mary Yannacci loved her family and loved watching them play sports and the other activities in which they were involved, said her daughter, Valerie Dean. “I don’t think she ever missed a sports game or a play that they were in,” Dean said. “She was all about her family.” Mary...
Trump finds himself caught in Khan-Modi crossfire over KashmirVideo
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump found himself drawn deeper into a decadeslong dispute between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region on Monday, as Pakistan’s prime minister expressed frustration about a rally his Indian counterpart staged with the U.S. president a day earlier. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that he...
U.S. soldier arrested on charge of sharing bomb instructions
WASHINGTON — Federal authorities said Monday they arrested an Army soldier who they accused of discussing with an FBI informant a possible bomb attack within the United States as well as the targeting of left-leaning activists and a media organization. Jarrett William Smith, a 24-year-old private first class infantry soldier...
Pennsylvania pushes back against federal efforts to curb food assistance program
Pennsylvania’s human services secretary on Monday called the Trump administration’s proposal to cut food stamp eligibility “cruel and unacceptable.” The proposal would force states to scale back the number of people whom they deem eligible for monthly benefits from the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Pennsylvania and...
Blackburn Center reschedules final Red Sand project in Mt. PleasantVideo
Because of inclement weather, the Blackburn Center rescheduled its final Red Sand Project event for 5 p.m.Wednesday at Excela Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant. The art installation was previously set for Monday, said Karen Evans, the center’s advocacy program manager. Earlier installations were held this month at the Westmoreland County...
Woman frees herself from beneath truck-stop camel by biting testiclesVideo
A Florida woman found a startling way to free herself from under a squatting camel at a truck stop in Louisiana. Authorities said a man had been tossing dog treats into a pen containing a camel at the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete last week, reports The Advocate. The...
Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones
CANBERRA, Australia — An Australian state is attempting to persuade people to put down their smartphones while driving by rolling out cameras to prosecute distracted motorists. New South Wales Roads Minister Andrew Constance said Monday that Australia’s most populous state is the first jurisdiction in the world to use such...
$6,000 in stolen quarters found in California baby stroller
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Authorities say a woman stole $6,000 worth of quarters and her getaway car was a baby stroller. Bakersfield police officers noticed the woman Friday struggling to push the stroller but quickly realized there was no baby inside, according to the Bakersfield Californian . Police discovered the quarters,...
British tour company Thomas Cook collapses, leaving 150,000 strandedVideo
LONDON — Hundreds of thousands of travelers were stranded across the world Monday after British tour company Thomas Cook collapsed, immediately halting almost all its flights and hotel services and laying off all its employees. Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority confirmed Thomas Cook, a 178-year-old company that helped create the package...
Rare, deadly virus detected in 3 Pennsylvania counties
A rare, potentially deadly virus transmitted by mosquitoes has been confirmed in three Pennsylvania counties. The Pennsylvania departments of health and agriculture issued a warning Saturday after confirming eastern equine encephalitis in Erie, Carbon, and Monroe counties. The virus was found in pheasants, horses and a wild turkey. The virus...
Trump, Modi show unity between world’s largest democracies
HOUSTON — Deafening drums marked the entrance of President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi as they clasped hands and walked across the stage in a packed Texas stadium Sunday, sending a message of unity between the world’s two largest democracies despite trade tensions. Instead of dwelling on...
Area 51 festival wraps up in Nevada; Earthlings head home
HIKO, Nev. — Festivals are over and Earthlings are heading home from the Nevada desert, where people from around the globe took selfies — but didn’t actually “storm” — a remote U.S. military base long the focus of UFO and space alien lore. They left in peace. Authorities reported no...
Democrats blast latest Trump crisis. But what will they do?
WASHINGTON — A whistleblower’s complaint over President Donald Trump’s interactions with a foreign leader is testing the political and practical power Democrats can use against a Republican in the White House who so brazenly ignores protocol and presidential norms. Democrats were unanimous in their condemnation of Trump for going to...
Trump says he discussed corruption with Ukraine’s presidentVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump suggested Sunday that he raised former Vice President Joe Biden and Biden’s son in a summer phone call with Ukraine’s new leader, as Democrats pressed for investigations into whether Trump improperly used his office to try to dig up damaging information about a political rival....
UAW strike puts Trump, GOP in political bind in key states
LANSING, Mich. — Democrats were quick to back working-class United Auto Workers in their strike against General Motors, delivering doughnuts and holding picket signs outside factories to show solidarity. It’s a union they long have aligned with politically. There were no doughnuts from Republicans. Led by President Donald Trump, GOP...
How the past informs Trump’s vision of America’s future
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s vision of America’s tomorrows looks much like its yesterdays. He loves “beautiful” coal. “Beautiful” warships. And “those four beautiful words: MADE IN THE USA!” He speaks of the country’s might as measured by its steel mills, farms and cars rolling off Detroit assembly lines. He’s...
Thousands of hogs killed in Pennsylvania barn fire
NEW TRIPOLI, Pa. — Thousands of hogs have died in a fire that destroyed two barns on a Pennsylvania farm. Firefighters were called to the farm in Lynn Township, outside Allentown, before 6 a.m. Saturday. Lynnport Community Fire Company Chief Clark Matz says the barns were engulfed when firefighters got...
Louisiana man drowns while proposing to girlfriend underwater in Tanzania
A Louisiana man drowned during a dream vacation to Tanzania as he proposed to his attorney girlfriend, who never even got the chance to give him her answer. Kenesha Antoine revealed in a heartbreaking Facebook post on Friday that her boyfriend, Steven Weber Jr., died while he popped the big...
Iran’s Guard says ready for ‘any scenario’ amid US standoff
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard is ready for combat and “any scenario,” its chief commander said Saturday, as the country’s nuclear deal with world powers collapses and the U.S. alleged Iran was behind a recent attack on major oil sites in Saudi Arabia that shook global energy markets....
Charge against airline mechanic highlights ‘insider threat’
The arrest of an airline mechanic suspected of being sympathetic with terrorists and charged with sabotaging a jetliner has renewed fear about the “insider threat” to aviation security. Despite security upgrades since the hijacking terror attacks of 2001, breaches including a gun-running operation at the nation’s biggest airport illustrate the...
Trump heads to UN with long list of deals he’s yet to close
WASHINGTON — President Trump, a self-described deal-maker, is saddled with a long list of unresolved foreign policy deals he has yet to close heading into his U.N. visit this coming week. There are challenges with Iran, North Korea, the Afghan Taliban, Israel and the Palestinians — not to mention a...
5th death linked to storm that walloped Houston area
BEAUMONT, Texas — The widespread damage brought to the Houston area by one of the wettest tropical cyclones in U.S. history came into broader view Saturday, as floodwaters receded to reveal the exhausting cleanup effort that lies ahead for many communities and homeowners. Hundreds of homes and other buildings in...
2 dead, at least 8 wounded in South Carolina bar shooting
Two men died and eight people were injured in a shooting at a crowded sports bar near Lancaster, S.C., early Saturday, authorities said. The shooter or shooters have not been found. “I believe it was one person targeting another,” Sheriff Barry Faile said at a news conference Saturday afternoon. “Unfortunately,...
Billionaire who pledged to wipe out Morehouse College grads’ loans extends offer to their parents
Remember back in May when billionaire Robert F. Smith promised to pay off nearly 400 Morehouse graduates’ student loans? That endeavor was going to cost around $34 million, according to the Washington Post. Now, he’s added to his tab by extending that offer to their parents as well. The billionaire...
U.S. police assess rise in threat tips after 3 mass killings
LOS ANGELES — It had all the makings of a massacre. Six guns, including a Colt AR-15 rifle. About 1,000 rounds of ammunition. A bulletproof vest. And an angry Southern California man who threated to kill his co-workers at a hotel and its guests. But a concerned colleague intervened, alerting...
