Diplomats shaken by resignation of Britain’s ambassador to U.S.
WASHINGTON — The abrupt resignation of Britain’s ambassador to the United States over leaked cables critical of the Trump administration may have jolted official Washington, but it’s unlikely to have a lasting impact on the U.S.-British relationship or diplomatic practice. Current and former diplomats say the leak of Ambassador Kim...
McGrath flip-flops on Kavanaugh confirmation after backlash
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — U.S. Senate candidate Amy McGrath said she would have voted to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court and then just hours later she changed her mind. The Courier Journal reports that the reversal came after her comments were slammed on social media by both...
Divisive telescope to restart building next week in Hawaii
HONOLULU — Construction on a giant telescope will start again next week after lengthy court battles and passionate protests from those who say building it on Hawaii’s tallest mountain will desecrate land sacred to some Native Hawaiians. State officials announced Wednesday that the road to the top of Mauna Kea...
Candidate: Woman reporter needs chaperone to cover him
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Republican candidate for Mississippi governor says he would not let a woman journalist follow him while campaigning unless she was accompanied by a male colleague — and now he’s trying to raise campaign money based on that because he says the “liberal media” are attacking...
Colorado settles suit by transgender inmate who alleged rape
DENVER — Colorado reached a $170,000 settlement with a transgender woman who sued the state and alleged being raped, assaulted and harassed while held in a men’s prison, state officials said Wednesday. Officials said the agreement does not force broad policy changes for transgender inmates in Colorado’s prisons, but the...
New holding center for migrant children opens in Texas
CARRIZO SPRINGS, Texas — A former oilfield worker camp off a dirt road in rural Texas has become the U.S. government’s newest holding center for detaining migrant children after they leave Border Patrol stations, where complaints of overcrowding and filthy conditions have sparked a worldwide outcry. Inside the wire fence...
Pa. state police report 9 killed in crashes over 5-day Fourth of July holiday
The Pennsylvania State Police reported that nine people died in eight crashes over the Fourth of July holiday, the second deadliest Independence Day stretch in the last five years. Four of those roadway deaths happened in Western Pennsylvania, data for the state police’s five-day enforcement period shows. Three people died...
Casey, Toomey react to plea-deal controversy surrounding Labor Secretary Acosta
Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators disagree whether Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta should resign amid growing criticism over a 2008 plea deal he negotiated with an accused sex offender who now faces new sex-trafficking charges. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, joined a growing chorus that includes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and...
Driver escapes injury when saguaro cactus pierces windshield
An Arizona driver avoided a prickly situation when a cactus came through their car windshield. A saguaro cactus smashed through the front glass and came to rest in the passenger area of the black Infinity sports car Wednesday morning, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. ?Motor Vehicle Collision Involving...
Trump directs government to revamp care for kidney disease
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the government to revamp the nation’s care for kidney disease so that more people whose kidneys fail have a chance at early transplants and home dialysis. Trump said his order was intended to increase the supply of donated kidneys, make...
Pennsylvania approves revamped effort to auction mini-casino licenses
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania will try again to award licenses for five more mini-casinos, part of an aggressive gambling expansion authorized in 2017 by a cash-hungry state government. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Wednesday approved a motion to restart auctions Sept. 4, under orders by a provision slipped into a...
Report: Pennsylvania had record year for natural gas production
Pennsylvania had a record year for natural gas production in 2018, the state Department of Environmental Protection said on Wednesday. Unconventional well operators produced 6.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2018 — an increase of .8 trillion cubic feet over 2017 and the largest volume of natural gas...
Man survives unprotected plunge over Niagara Falls
A man has survived the drop over Niagara Falls without any protective gear. The Niagara Parks Police reported that a man “in crisis” was seen climbing over over a retaining wall into the river at around 4 a.m. on Tuesday. He was swept over the 188-foot-high Horseshoe Falls and later...
Officials confirm alligator living in Chicago lagoon, drawing curiosity seekers
Chicago officials confirmed an alligator is living in Humboldt Park Lagoon after several people reported seeing the animal there Tuesday morning and others shared photos of it. Chicago police were called to the 1400 block of North Humboldt Drive about 12:15 p.m. after someone called 911 “saying they saw a...
Police: Woman throws snake at driver in carjacking
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Police say a woman stole a vehicle after throwing a snake at the driver, then crashed through barricades set up for a pole-vaulting exhibition in South Carolina. In a statement, Greenville Police identified the suspect as 29-year-old Hilmary Moreno-Berrios. They she was hurt in Friday’s crash and...
New Orleans floods as Gulf Coast braces for torrential rains
NEW ORLEANS — A storm swamped streets in New Orleans and prompted a tornado warning near the city Wednesday as concerns grew that even worse weather is on the way to Louisiana and other states along the Gulf of Mexico. Garbage containers tilted on their sides and pieces of wood...
Scientists say rising seas will break flooding records
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Federal scientists predict 40 places in the U.S. will experience higher than normal rates of so-called sunny day flooding this year because of rising sea levels and an abnormal El Nino weather system. A report released Wednesday by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that...
Pennsylvania State System universities freeze tuition, Pitt hikes rate
For the first time in 20 years, and the second time ever, tuition will not rise this year at the 14 state-owned universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Basic tuition for in-state undergraduate students will remain $7,716 for the 2019-20 school year. That comes after a unanimous...
British ambassador to U.S. quits days after leaked cables on Trump
LONDON — Britain’s ambassador to the United States resigned Wednesday, just days after diplomatic cables criticizing President Donald Trump caused embarrassment to two countries that often celebrate having a “special relationship.” The resignation of Kim Darroch came a day after Trump lashed out at him on Twitter describing him as...
Perot roiled football-crazed Texas with ‘No Pass, No Play’
AUSTIN, Texas — Part of late billionaire H. Ross Perot’s legacy is a clear-cut rule about Texas high school sports: If a student can’t pass class, they can’t play. The law, with its catchy “No Pass, No Play” nickname, has been in place since 1984. When first signed by Gov....
Sturgeon, America’s forgotten dinosaurs, show signs of life
CHARLES CITY, Va. — Sturgeon were America’s vanishing dinosaurs, armor-plated beasts that crowded the nation’s rivers until mankind’s craving for caviar pushed them to the edge of extinction. More than a century later, some populations of the massive bottom feeding fish are showing signs of recovery in the dark corners...
Refugee women find relief in Greek soccer
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Many of the players at Hestia FC weren’t allowed to play — or even watch — soccer matches in their home countries. In Greece, they make up the country’s first women’s refugee team and hail from 14 countries including Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Eritrea and Ethiopia....
Murphy wins North Carolina GOP congressional primary runoff
RALEIGH, N.C. — A state legislator aided by hardline conservatives on Capitol Hill won the Republican nomination Tuesday for the North Carolina congressional district seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Walter Jones Jr. Voters in the 3rd District GOP primary runoff chose state Rep. Greg Murphy of Greenville...
Outrage over killing of black teen over rap music complaint
PHOENIX — Hundreds of people including a presidential candidate spoke out on Twitter this week after a 17-year-old black youth was killed at suburban convenience store, allegedly by a white man charged Tuesday with first-degree murder who has said he felt threatened by the boy’s rap music. Family members have...
Former Greensburg grocery co-owner was famous for classic cars
When Ellis G. Claar married Geraldine Waugaman, he married into the family business. He spent about 50 years as part owner and bookkeeper of Waugaman’s Market, a Greensburg grocery that remains beloved by longtime residents even though it’s been closed for more than 25 years. “It was a landmark,” said...
