Woman dies in Alaska trying to reach famed ‘Into the Wild’ bus
FAIRBANKS, Alaska — A newlywed woman from Belarus who was swept away by a river in Alaska was trying to reach an abandoned bus made famous by the book and film “Into the Wild.” Veramika Maikamava, 24, and her husband, Piotr Markielau, also 24, on Thursday were heading for the...
Rural Nevada not equipped for big ‘storm Area 51’ turnout
LAS VEGAS — At first, the co-owner of the quirky alien-themed motel down a Nevada highway from the mysterious Area 51 site didn’t take a posting for a prank Facebook event too seriously. Then, her phone started ringing. “It doesn’t stop, our phone won’t stop ringing,” Connie West, of the...
Police fire tear gas as Hong Kong protesters block roads
HONG KONG — Police fired tear gas at protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday for the second night in a row in another escalation of weeks-long pro-democracy protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. Protesters occupied two areas at opposite ends of central Hong Kong following a mid-afternoon rally against police...
Aide says Trump’s critics should focus on problems back home
WASHINGTON — A top White House aide said Sunday that President Donald Trump, frustrated by the Democrats’ unrelenting investigations and talk of impeachment, swung hard at an influential black Democratic congressman and his Baltimore district because he believes such Capitol Hill critics are neglecting serious problems back home in their...
NYC police seek 2 shooters in Brooklyn playground shooting
NEW YORK — A popular community festival was coming to a close when gunfire erupted in a Brooklyn neighborhood, leaving one man dead, another person in critical condition and 10 others wounded, authorities said Sunday as they searched for two shooters they believe were involved. New York Police Commissioner James...
Catholic charities tested by abuse scandals, border crisis
NEW YORK — For U.S. charities affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, the past year has tested the resilience of their fundraisers and the loyalty of their donors in unprecedented fashion. Even as many donors reacted in dismay to the church’s extensive sex-abuse scandals, the charities faced new challenges trying...
Despite calls to start over, U.S. health system covers 90%
WASHINGTON — America’s much-maligned health care system is covering 9 out of 10 people, a fact that hasn’t stopped the 2020 presidential candidates from refighting battles about how to provide coverage, from Bernie Sanders’ call for replacing private insurance with a government plan to President Trump’s pledge to erase the...
Saint Vincent monk was skilled mechanic, leading firefighter
Equipment breakdowns weren’t a problem for Brother Stephen Nazaruk. The Benedictine monk took charge in 1981 of the machine shop serving his community at Saint Vincent Archabbey and Saint Vincent College, and he continued to be involved at the shop on the Unity campus well into his 80s. “He had...
Police: Man shot, killed by officer outside Pa. hardware store
ROARING SPRING — State police are investigating the fatal shooting of a man by a local police officer outside a western Pennsylvania hardware store. Police in Blair County say several 911 callers reported a man acting strangely around a dollar store next to the hardware store in Roaring Spring at...
2 U.S. teens jailed in Italy in police officer’s killing
ROME — Two American teenagers were jailed in Rome on Saturday as authorities carry out a murder investigation in the killing of an Italian police officer. A detention order issued by prosecutors was shown on Italian state broadcaster RAI, naming the suspects as Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth and Finnegan Lee...
Hong Kong police fire tear gas, clear protesters by force
HONG KONG — Hong Kong police on Saturday fired tear gas, swung batons and forcefully cleared out protesters who defied warnings not to march in a neighborhood where last weekend a mob apparently targeting demonstrators brutally attacked people in a train station. Protesters wearing all black streamed through the Yuen...
N.Y. father charged in deaths of twins apparently left in car
NEW YORK — A father was due in court on Saturday to face criminal charges in the New York City deaths of twin babies who he apparently left alone in a parked car for hours in the summer heat while he put in a day at work. Juan Rodriguez was...
Police arrest Scottish rape suspect who may have faked death
SALINAS, Calif. — A Scottish man who authorities say faked his death off California’s Carmel coast to avoid rape charges back home has been arrested, authorities announced Friday. Kim Vincent Avis, 55, also known as Ken Gordon-Avis, was arrested in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last week and is being held by...
Bernie Sanders hasn’t changed. Is that his strength or a weakness?
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — After breakfast on a recent Saturday, Robert Fraass crossed the river from Omaha to this southwest corner of Iowa to catch Bernie Sanders at the opening of his newest campaign office. He sat in the fourth row, cheering and clapping with about 200 others as Vermont’s...
Trump proposal seeks to crack down on food stamp ‘loophole’
Residents signing up for food stamps in Minnesota are provided a brochure about domestic violence, but it doesn’t matter if they even read the pamphlet. The mere fact it was made available could allow them to qualify for government food aid if their earnings or savings exceed federal limits. As...
FBI, police search for missing 2-year-old after parents died
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — The Medford Police Department and the FBI are searching for a 2-year-old boy whose parents were involved in an apparent murder-suicide in Montana. Officers are trying to find Aiden Salcido, the son of Daniel Salcido and Hannah Janiak, the FBI said in a news release Friday...
US, Guatemala sign agreement to restrict asylum cases
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration signed an agreement with Guatemala that will restrict asylum applications to the U.S. from Central America. The “safe third country” agreement would require migrants, including Salvadorans and Hondurans, who cross into Guatemala on their way to the U.S. to apply for protections in Guatemala instead...
Legal cannabis could pose law enforcement challenges
Pennsylvania’s rules for marijuana possession used to be simple: Don’t possess marijuana. It’s still that straightforward for most people. But legal medical marijuana, as well as legal hemp, could pose challenges to police and investigators nationwide. So far, Pennsylvania’s legal cannabis options haven’t interfered with prosecuting cases of illegal marijuana...
Supreme Court: Trump can use Pentagon funds for border wall
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court cleared the way Friday for the Trump administration to tap billions of dollars in Pentagon funds to build sections of a border wall with Mexico. The court’s five conservative justices gave the administration the greenlight to begin work on four contracts it has awarded using...
Expelled student facing more rape charges jailed for year
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A man who was allowed to remain enrolled at Marshall University despite a rape accusation has been sentenced to a year in jail for violating probation after new sexual assault charges emerged. A West Virginia circuit court judge sentenced Joseph Chase Hardin on Friday after he took...
Congressional inaction on vote security puts onus on states
The death of a bill in Congress this week that would have bolstered election security systems puts more pressure on states to prevent cyberattacks from Russia that former special counsel Robert Mueller warned against this week. But many states are paralyzed by their own inaction. State and local election officials...
Environmentalists, tribes blast Utah national monument plan
SALT LAKE CITY — The U.S. government has decided to allow off-road vehicles access to archaeologically sensitive land at a Utah national monument that houses sacred tribal sites under a plan announced Friday. The Bureau of Land Management’s plan for the Bears Ears National Monument says that certain historic sites...
Smugglers offer cash to troops, others to drive migrants
SAN DIEGO — On the surface, it seemed like a simple task: Drive to a spot a few miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, pick up people and then drop them off at a McDonald’s or other spot past the city of San Diego, and make anywhere from $500 to...
Texas grand jury indicts Michigan professor on assault claim
HOUSTON — A grand jury in Texas this week indicted a University of Michigan professor who’s also a renowned opera singer on one count of sexual assault for what prosecutors say was the rape of an incapacitated man in 2010. The grand jury in Houston handed up the indictment Thursday...
Official: Arizona to resume executions after 5-year hiatus
PHOENIX — Arizona is poised to resume executions after a five-year hiatus brought on by an execution that critics said was botched, a subsequent lawsuit challenging the way the state carries out the death penalty, and the difficulty of finding lethal injection drugs, Attorney General Mark Brnovich said. Brnovich said...
