News category, Page 1668
Pennsylvania priest accused of stealing nearly $100K from parish
DOWNINGTON — A Pennsylvania Roman Catholic priest is accused of stealing nearly $100,000 from his parish and spending it on a beach house and men he met on dating apps. The Chester County District Attorney’s Office says 56-year-old Monsignor Joseph McLoone was arrested Wednesday for theft from St. Joseph’s Catholic...
Missouri police: Topless doll mistaken for unconscious womanVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri authorities say a shirtless man reportedly dragging a topless, unconscious woman through downtown Kansas City was actually lugging around a life-size doll. Police said in a tweet that callers reported Tuesday that the man looked like he wanted to throw the woman over a bridge,...
Trump administration moves to end limits on child detention
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is moving to end a longstanding federal agreement that limits how long immigrant children can be kept in detention. A court fight will almost certainly follow over the government’s desire to hold migrant families until their cases are decided. The current court agreement now requires...
Cable snaps seconds before Florida slingshot ride launches
An amusement park ride turned out to be more frightening than expected for a pair of Florida tourists. The ride operator was preparing to launch two men on a slingshot-style ride Saturday night at Cobra Adventure Park in Panama City Beach when one of the cables breaks, reported FOX-13. An...
Police: Cars go airborne over collapsed bridge span, 2 hurt
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Authorities say two motorists have been injured when their cars went airborne over a collapsed bridge span near the Florida-Georgia Line. Officials closed a short stretch of Hutchinson Ferry Road northwest of Tallahassee on Wednesday morning because of the gap that opened up when the two-lane bridge...
Trump to sign student debt forgiveness for disabled veterans
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — President Donald Trump on Wednesday is expected to direct his administration to permanently forgive student loan debt held by disabled veterans. Trump was to sign the order after he addresses the AMVETS convention in Louisville, the White House said. In prepared remarks, Trump said his order would...
Spacewalking astronauts add parking spot to space station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Spacewalking astronauts added another parking spot to the International Space Station on Wednesday. NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Andrew Morgan successfully installed a docking port delivered by SpaceX last month. It will be used by SpaceX and Boeing once they start launching astronauts to the orbiting...
NATO force says 2 US service members killed in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — The NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan says two U.S. service members have been killed. A brief statement says the two were killed Wednesday and their names are being withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin are notified, in accordance with Pentagon policy. The statement...
Trump-shaped ecstasy pills bring drug charge for Florida man
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Ecstasy pills shaped like President Donald Trump have led to charges against a Florida man. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office says 23-year-old Brendan Dolan-King of Clearwater was charged Friday with felony drug possession after police confirmed five Trump-themed orange tablets seized during a June search of his...
WWII vets honored in Texas following D-Day events in France
SAN ANTONIO — More than 50 World War II veterans who were not able to attend overseas events marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day have been honored in Texas. A ceremony was held Tuesday at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Officials say several veterans at the event, sponsored by...
Greenland fallout: Trump’s canceled trip blindsides Denmark
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The prime minister of Denmark said Wednesday she is “disappointed and surprised” by President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel his visit to Denmark after she called Trump’s idea of buying Greenland, Denmark’s semi-autonomous Arctic territory, “an absurd discussion.” Trump, who was scheduled to visit Denmark on Sept....
Iran-backed forces blame U.S. for attacks on bases in Iraq
BAGHDAD — Iraqi paramilitary forces backed by Iran said Wednesday they hold the United States ultimately responsible for a series of attacks targeting their bases in the country, pledging to defend themselves against any future attack. The rare statement issued by the state-sanctioned militias known collectively as the Popular Mobilization...
TSA says traveler forgot snake at Newark security checkpoint
NEWARK, N.J. — A young girl discovered something slithery at a New Jersey airport security checkpoint: a 15-inch-long snake. Transportation Security Administration officials at Newark Liberty International Airport said in a release that it appears the thin, black snake with a yellow ring around its neck was forgotten by a...
Omaha zoo euthanizes white rhino that arrived in 1999
OMAHA, Neb. — The Omaha zoo has euthanized one of its white rhinos. Officials at Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium said Tuesday that the 21-year-old rhino, Marina, was euthanized Monday after surgeons discovered an inoperable colonic obstruction. She was being treated for symptoms similar to colic when staffers noticed that...
Vandalized robot may solve mystery of its own attack
HAYWARD, Calif. — A 400-pound security robot that was knocked over by a vandal last month in Northern California may help bring its attacker to justice. The Hayward Police Department on Tuesday released images of the suspect that the Knightscope K5 robot captured before it was damaged. The 5-foot-tall robot,...
German city offers $1.1M to whoever proves it doesn’t exist
A German city that’s been the subject of a long-running online light-hearted conspiracy theory claiming it doesn’t really exist is offering big bucks to whoever proves that’s true. Officials in Bielefeld said Wednesday they’ll give 1 million euros ($1.1 million) to the person who delivers solid proof of its non-existence....
Trial starts in case of fatal shooting over parking spot
CLEARWATER, Fla. — A prosecutor told jurors Wednesday that a white Florida man who fatally shot an unarmed black man during a dispute over a parking space had initiated a similar confrontation just months before, while his defense attorney said the shooting was in self-defense. Prosecutor Fred Schaub said during...
U.S. home sales rose 2.5% in July, aided by low mortgage rates
WASHINGTON — U.S. home sales increased 2.5% in July, a sign that lower mortgage rates have produced a spurt of home-buying. The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday homes sold last month at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 5.42 million units, up from 5.29 million in June. Average interest...
State TV: Iran to unveil air defense missile system
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s state TV is reporting that the country will unveil an Iran-made air-defense missile system. The Wednesday report says the Bavar-373 is a long-range surface-to-air missile system able to recognize up to 100 targets at a same time and confront them with six different weapons. It was...
Report: U.S. surpasses Russia, Saudi Arabia in petroleum, natural gas production
The United States set a new record in 2018 for petroleum and natural gas production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. petroleum and natural gas production increased by 16% and 12%, respectively, in 2018, and these totals combined established a new production record, EIA said. The country surpassed...
South African court restricts displays of apartheid-era flag
JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s Equality Court on Wednesday restricted the display of the country’s old apartheid-era flag, ruling that its gratuitous use amounts to hate speech and racial discrimination. Judge Phineas Mojapelo said the ruling was not a complete ban, saying use of the flag is protected by law for...
GOP retains Pennsylvania House seat in special election
HARRISBURG — Republicans easily won a special election to retain a seat in the state House of Representatives in a GOP-leaning district in central Pennsylvania. Republican David Rowe won Tuesday’s special election in parts of Union and Snyder counties by a nearly two-to-one margin over Democrat Jennifer Rager-Kay. The former...
4 students shot at block party near Clark Atlanta University
ATLANTA — A shooting at a block party near Clark Atlanta University has left four female college students injured with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds as a crowd scrambled for cover. A news release from Atlanta police says the four females were shot late Tuesday night outside a library that serves Clark...
Tax-rate typo creates $900K deficit at Pennsylvania school district
FALLSINGTON — Officials at a Pennsylvania school district say a single-digit tax rate typo created a nearly $900,000 deficit for the school district. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a school board resolution from the Pennsbury School District in Falls Township incorrectly set the millage rate for the upcoming school year....
The ‘fourth wave’ of the opioid crisis: Feds warn of a rise in meth use
WASHINGTON — Federal drug enforcement agents are alarmed that the opioid epidemic is fueling a spike in methamphetamine use. Across the country, meth overdose deaths and federal seizures from drug busts and border raids paint a stark picture of an increase in the drug’s proliferation. Demand for meth now poses...
