Crews reopen Denali park road; stranded tourists leave
DENALI NATIONAL PARK, Alaska — Road crews have cleared one lane in Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve, and buses returned about 300 stranded tourists to the park entrance safely. The tourists became stranded Friday after heavy rains triggered mudslides and caused excess water from a culvert to damage the...
New York City subway scare suspect taken into police custody
NEW YORK — A man suspected of placing two devices that looked like pressure cookers in a New York City subway station, causing an evacuation and roiling Friday’s morning commute, has been apprehended, police said. Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea tweeted Saturday morning that a man seen in surveillance video...
Philadelphia standoff suspect charged with attempted murder
PHILADELPHIA — A man suspected of shooting six police officers during an hourslong standoff that ended when tear gas caused the man to surrender was charged with attempted murder. Authorities have said that the criminal background of suspect Maurice Hill should have prevented him from legally owning the firepower used...
Security screener at NY airport fired after slipping ‘you ugly’ note to passengerVideo
A two-word note has gotten a New York airport security worker canned after it was given to a passenger. Neal Strassner, who says he regularly travels through the Greater Rochester International Airport, told NBC News that a security guard handed him a torn piece of paper with “You ugly!!!” scribbled...
Judge blasts Georgia officials’ handling of election system
ATLANTA — Georgia election officials have for years ignored, downplayed and failed to address serious problems with the state’s election management system and voting machines, a federal judge said in a scathing order this week. U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg said those problems place a burden on citizens’ rights to...
Former Penn Township business owner loved family, motorcycles
Renee Aiken loved to take weekend car rides with her dad, Richard Davis. That is, when he wasn’t on a motorcycle ride or on weekend excursions with his wife, Mary Ann. “He was very outgoing, very adventurous, he loved people, he was very social and very kind and caring and...
Hundreds arrive to honor El Paso victim after public invited
EL PASO, Texas — When Jordan Ballard read that one of the victims of the El Paso massacre had few relatives and the public was invited to her funeral, the Los Angeles resident bought a plane ticket and flew to Texas to honor a woman she had never met. She...
NASA picks Alabama’s ‘Rocket City’ for lunar lander job
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA picked Alabama’s “Rocket City” on Friday to lead development of the next moon lander for astronauts. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville beat out Johnson Space Center in Houston, which managed the Apollo lunar lander a half-century ago. The new lunar lander — not yet...
Florida vacation home invaded by vomiting vultures
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A New York couple’s luxurious vacation house in Florida has been taken over by dozens of black vultures that are vomiting and defecating everywhere. The Palm Beach Post reports the Casimano family can’t even visit the $702,000 home they purchased earlier this year in the...
Arrests precede major demonstrations in Portland, Oregon
PORTLAND, Ore. — Authorities arrested the leader of a right-wing group on the eve of a rally that’s expected to draw people from around the U.S. to Portland, Oregon, on Saturday, prompting Patriot Prayer’s Joey Gibson to urge his followers to “show up one hundred-fold” in response. Self-described anti-fascists have...
Kentucky finds 1,000 teachers violated law during ‘sickouts’
FRANKFORT, Ky. — An election-year investigation into teacher rallies at Kentucky’s Capitol found more than 1,000 educators violated state law by participating in protests that shut down some schools, Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration said Friday. No penalties will be assessed, Kentucky’s labor secretary said, but he warned “the grace extended...
NRA wants a role when Oliver North meets state investigators
NEW YORK — A National Rifle Association leader-turned-critic is meeting with New York investigators next week, and the NRA wants to be there.a New York’s attorney general’s office is questioning Oliver North on Tuesday as it probes whether the NRA broke laws governing its nonprofit status. The powerful gun lobby...
Roy Moore defamation lawsuit against accusers is paused
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A judge has paused a defamation suit filed by Roy Moore against women who accused him during his unsuccessful U.S. Senate bid of past misconduct. Circuit Judge Albert Johnson ruled last month case will be held on the administrative docket until a related defamation case against Moore...
Country’s largest tribal nation seeks congressional delegate
OKLAHOMA CITY — The newly elected chief of the Oklahoma-based Cherokee Nation plans to appoint the tribe’s first-ever delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, which is outlined in a nearly 200-year-old treaty with the federal government. In a letter Thursday to the speaker of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council,...
Father of kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart comes out as gay
SALT LAKE CITY — The father of Utah kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart has come out as gay in a heartfelt letter that reveals he has struggled throughout his life with pain and guilt. “The decision to be honest and truthful about my orientation comes with its own set of challenges,...
Jeffrey Epstein died of suicide by hanging, medical examiner says
NEW YORK — Jeffrey Epstein killed himself, New York City’s chief medical examiner has concluded, rebutting a slew of conspiracy theories that he was murdered. Epstein’s body was found Saturday in his cell in a federal prison in Manhattan. The medical examiner, Barbara Sampson, conducted an autopsy on Sunday but...
Shoppers panic as security officer fires at man with knife
LOS ANGELES — A man who robbed an armored car guard at a Southern California shopping plaza was captured Friday after the guard fired gunshots that sent panicked shoppers fleeing, police said. No one was injured but the exchange caused chaos and fears of a mass shooting at the Third...
Sealed records on Dayton gunman pit safety against privacy
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Disturbing behavior that the Dayton gunman reportedly exhibited in his youth may be detailed in law enforcement and school files so far off limits to the public, records that could shed light on whether authorities properly handled early warning signs. The measures used to shield 24-year-old shooter...
Police seek to question man in NYC rice cooker bomb scare
NEW YORK — Three abandoned devices that looked like pressure cookers caused an evacuation of a major New York City subway station and closed off an intersection in another part of town Friday morning before police determined the objects were not explosives. Police were looking to talk to a man...
US tells Congress of plans to sell F-16 fighters to Taiwan
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has informed Congress it plans to sell F-16 fighters worth $8 billion to Taiwan in a move that will inflame already high tensions with China. Two U.S. officials and a congressional aide say the administration informally notified lawmakers of the proposed sale late on Thursday....
Man sells ‘funky, old’ Nike shoes for $50,000Video
There’s a new hotel in Oregon that’s proud to have an old pair of shoes sitting in the lobby. A Nike-themed property in Eugene paid a Sacramento, Calif., man $50,000 for his rare sneakers last month, reports Fox40. Dave Russell was 25 years old when he was vying for a...
Claim: Migrant children molested in US-funded foster care
WASHINGTON — Dozens of families separated at the border as part of the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy are preparing to sue the federal government, including several who say their young children were sexually, physically or emotionally abused in federally funded foster care. A review of 38 legal claims obtained...
Greensburg veteran was a dedicated advocate for the handicapped
Whenever anyone at the Westmoreland County Blind Association’s workshop needed a voice or a hand, Ken Gulisek was there. Mr. Gulisek, whose son, Brett, was born with sight impairments and intellectual challenges, was committed to the workshop. He was grateful to the organization that provided his adult son with a...
Brain implant could zap obese people for thinking about food
Science might just have come up with a way to stop overeaters from indulging too much. A team at Stanford University is testing a new brain chip implant — the responsive neurostimulation system (RNS) — that proved effective in halting binge eating in mice. So, why not humans? The chip...
Weaver patties recalled for reports of gasket pieces in chicken
Tyson Foods has recalled 39,000 pounds of Weaver brand chicken breast patties with rib meat after reports of pieces of a mechanical seal or gasket being found in the product. The reports were limited and did not include any resulting injuries or illness, the company said, but it indicated it...
