Greensburg nurse spent almost 40 years helping deliver, caring for babies
Chances are, if you were born between 1944 and 1983 at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg, Betty “Peeps” Kurtz cared for you, her daughter, Linda, said. As a nurse at the hospital for 39 years, Betty Kurtz worked mainly in the newborn nursery during the night shift, caring for...
AP Explains: Brownface part of racist face makeup history
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The scandal surrounding Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after a yearbook photo showing him in brownface at a 2001 costume party was published is bringing attention to a practice that scholars say white people have been using for years to demean minorities. In the picture, the then-29-year-old...
Missing: Nearly 3 billion birds that used to live in North America
North America has lost nearly 3 billion birds since 1970, according to a new analysis of bird survey and radar data. The sharp decline, described in a study in the journal Science, is not just bad for birds. It also bodes ill for the ecosystems those birds inhabit, and points...
Texas cops looking for man who allegedly divorced his wife without notifying her
Police in Texas say they are looking for a Houston-area man who apparently tried to weasel his way into a divorce without his wife’s knowledge. Authorities say 51-year-old Paul Nixon is wanted for forging the names of his wife and a notary on official documents in what ended up being...
Former Pa. senator Mike Folmer colleague ‘revolted’ over his arrest on child pornography chargeVideo
Hearing state Sen. Mike Folmer was charged with possessing child pornography, fellow Republican lawmaker Russ Diamond initially thought it must be ‘fake news’ from political opponents. The he felt like he had taken “a gut punch.” Mauree Gingrich, a former House member, felt a different kind of pain. She thought...
More than 1,000 rescues, evacuations as Imelda soaks TexasVideo
CHINA, Texas — The slow-churning remnants of Tropical Storm Imelda dangerously flooded parts of Texas and Louisiana on Thursday, scrambling rescue crews and volunteers with boats to reach scores of stranded drivers and families trapped in their homes during a relentless downpour that drew comparisons to Hurricane Harvey two years...
UNC-Duke program too positive on Islam, Trump officials say
The Trump administration is threatening to cut funding for a Middle East studies program run by the University of North Carolina and Duke University, arguing that it’s misusing a federal grant to advance “ideological priorities” and unfairly promote “the positive aspects of Islam” but not Christianity or Judaism. An Aug....
Navy says it’s tracking, acknowledging UFOsVideo
SAN DIEGO — Strange flying objects captured on video by Navy fighter pilots off the coast of San Diego in 2004 and in Atlantic waters in 2015 were acknowledged by the Navy as “unidentified aerial phenomena” last week, the first time the service has acknowledged the objects are real. The...
House chairman Adam Schiff: Whistleblower complaint may involve TrumpVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence is refusing to turn over to Congress a whistleblower complaint that reportedly concerns Trump making an unspecified promise to a foreign leader. It’s a matter of urgent concern, the intelligence community’s inspector general said. Trump, though giving no details about any...
House OKs measure to prevent possible end-of-month shutdown
WASHINGTON — The House has passed a short-term ending bill to prevent a federal shutdown when the budget year ends Sept. 30. The bipartisan measure, approved by a 301-123 vote, would give lawmakers until the Thanksgiving break to negotiate and pass $1.4 trillion worth of annual agency spending bills. The...
Where have the wild birds gone? 3 billion fewer than 1970
WASHINGTON — North America’s skies are lonelier and quieter as nearly 3 billion fewer wild birds soar in the air than in 1970, a comprehensive study shows. The new study focuses on the drop in sheer numbers of birds, not extinctions. The bird population in the United States and Canada...
Bill to increase fine for misusing animal traps passes House
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is giving its unanimous approval to toughening penalties for using body-gripping animal traps outside of the waterways for which they’re designed. Lawmakers voted Thursday to send the bill to the state Senate for its consideration. Backers argue the larger penalties may help deter people from...
Trump sues Manhattan DA seeking to block tax return subpoena
NEW YORK — President Trump asked a federal court Thursday to block an effort by New York prosecutors to obtain his tax returns as part of a criminal investigation, opening another front in the president’s efforts to keep his financial information private. Trump’s attorneys filed a lawsuit against Manhattan District...
AP: Age-bias claims cost Pennsylvania $225K
HARRISBURG — Eighteen agents who investigate violent gun crimes for the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office each cashed $12,500 taxpayer-funded checks last year to settle claims they had been subject to harassment because of their age, The Associated Press has learned. The agency this week disclosed the payments to the current...
Possible ‘Storm Area 51’ crowds worry Nevada desert towns
LAS VEGAS — Visitors descending on the remote Nevada desert for “Storm Area 51” are from Earth, not outer space. No one knows what to expect, but the two tiny towns of Rachel and Hiko near the once-secret military research site are preparing for an influx of people over the...
Study: Pa. college grads have 2nd-highest average student debt load in nation
College graduates in Pennsylvania shouldered the second-highest average student debt load in the nation in 2018, a new survey found. According to the Institute for College Access and Success survey of 2018 college graduates, only Connecticut graduates, who shouldered an average debt of $38,669, fared worse than their Pennsylvania counterparts,...
Three Mile Island nuclear power plant’s shutdown is imminent
HARRISBURG — The final shutdown of Three Mile Island, where 1979’s terrifying partial meltdown became a landmark event in the life cycle of nuclear power in the United States, is imminent. Exelon Corp. officials said the plant will stop producing electricity around noon Friday, following through on a decision the...
Murrysville officials working to develop ordinance for 5G antennas
If 5G antennas are going to begin sprouting in Murrysville, local officials want to ensure they’re not unsightly. “They’re not just a pole out of the ground with an antenna,” Murrysville Chief Administrator Jim Morrison told council at its Wednesday meeting. “They’re permitted up to 28 cubic feet of cabinet...
U.S. takes back $100M from Afghan government over corruption
KABUL, Afghanistan — Washington is taking back $100 million intended for an Afghan energy infrastructure project, citing unacceptably high levels of corruption in the Afghan government, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Thursday in a harshly worded statement. The U.S. will still finish the massive project, Pompeo said, which...
Key Senate panel approves $250 million for election security
WASHINGTON — A key Senate panel on Thursday approved $250 million to help states beef up their election systems, freeing up the money after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell came under criticism from Democrats for impeding separate election security legislation. The Kentucky Republican announced in a floor speech in advance...
Canada’s Justin Trudeau faces furor over brownface photo from 2001
TORONTO — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s campaign moved to contain a growing scandal Thursday after a yearbook photo surfaced of him in brownface at a 2001 “Arabian Nights” costume party and two other similar incidents came to light. With the election a month away, he apologized and begged Canadians to...
Belgian fighter jet crashes in France, pilot hits power line
PARIS — A Belgian F-16 fighter jet crashed Thursday in western France, damaging a house, setting a field ablaze and leaving a pilot suspended for two hours from a high-voltage electricity line after his parachute got caught, according to French authorities. Emergency workers extracted the pilot safely after cutting off...
‘A dumb thing to do’: Justin Trudeau apologizes for brownfaceVideo
TORONTO — Canadian leader Justin Trudeau’s campaign for national elections was hit Wednesday by the publication of a yearbook photo showing him in brownface makeup at a costume party in 2001. The prime minister apologized and said “it was a dumb thing to do.” Time magazine posted the photo, which...
Uptick seen in rare mosquito-borne virus in some states
NEW YORK — The number of U.S. deaths and illnesses from a rare mosquito-borne virus are higher than usual this year, health officials report. Eastern equine encephalitis has been diagnosed in 21 people in six states, and five people have died. The infection is only being seen in certain counties...
Sen. Bob Casey cites Tree of Life massacre as he calls for gun bills voteVideo
Calling gun violence a uniquely American problem and citing last year’s massacre of worshippers inside a Pittsburgh synagogue, U.S. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, took to the floor of the Senate in an emotional 25 minute speech, imploring Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to call for a vote on a federal gun...
