Toddler dies after fall from cruise ship in Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Authorities say a toddler apparently slipped from her grandfather’s hands and fell to her death from a cruise ship docked in Puerto Rico. Police said Monday that the grandfather of the 1-year-old girl from Indiana told officers he lost his grip while holding her outside...
Reports: Iran enriching uranium to 4.5%, breaking deal limit
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran began enriching uranium on Monday to 4.5%, breaking the limit set by its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, semi-official news agencies in the country reported. The acknowledgement by the spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran comes a day after Iran pledged to break...
Justice Department shaking up legal team on census case
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is shaking up the legal team fighting for the inclusion of a citizenship question on the 2020 census but offered no specifics on why the change was being made. The change announced Sunday comes days after the department vowed to continue to try to find...
U.S. ‘will not back down’ in Iran nuclear dispute, VP Mike Pence says
WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence says the U.S. will keep up pressure on Iran as the nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers appears to be crumbling. Pence said in a speech Monday to a pro-Israel Christian organization in Washington that the U.S. will “never allow Iran...
Just for kicks: college majors of the U.S. Women’s World Cup soccer players
So, just for kicks, what did the best female soccer players in the world study years ago when they were still in college? The members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, who just won the World Cup ,hailed from colleges and universities scattered across the nation. Joshua Kim, of...
Sheriff’s deputy killed in shootout northeast of Atlanta
GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Authorities were searching Monday for suspects after a Georgia sheriff’s deputy was killed in a shootout northeast of Atlanta. The deputy was killed while exchanging gunfire with a suspect Sunday night, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said. One of the suspects, believed to be the shooter, was...
Fear, glory for Spain’s mounted bullfighters
NOAIN, Spain (AP) — Of all the traditions surrounding the world of bullfighting, the “rejoneo” — mounted bullfighting — is among the least understood. Those who love it consider it a skilled art form. Others see it as a cruel and bloody crime for the sake of entertainment. Some also...
Admiral picked to lead Navy is retiring; bad judgment cited
WASHINGTON — The four-star admiral set to become the Navy’s top officer on Aug. 1 will instead retire, an extraordinary downfall prompted by what Navy Secretary Richard Spencer called poor judgment regarding a professional relationship. The sudden move by Adm. William Moran, announced Sunday, may add to the perception of...
Jeffrey Epstein faces sex trafficking and conspiracy charges
NEW YORK — Eleven years after letting Jeffrey Epstein off lightly with a once-secret plea deal, the U.S. government is taking another run at putting the wealthy sex offender behind bars with new sex-trafficking charges alleging he abused dozens of underage girls as young as 14. Epstein, arrested over the...
Rainbow flag again set on fire at New York gay bar
NEW YORK — For the second time in a little over a month, a rainbow flag at the entrance to a New York City gay bar was set aflame. Alibi Lounge owner Alexi Minko said staff members alerted by someone on the street found the flag had been set on...
Iran raises uranium enrichment beyond nuclear deal limits
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran increased its uranium enrichment Sunday beyond the limit allowed by its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, inching its program closer toward weapons-grade levels while calling for a diplomatic solution to a crisis heightening tensions with the U.S. Iran’s move, coupled with earlier abandoning the deal’s...
Prominent Detroit priest removed from pulpit amid ‘credible’ sexual abuse allegation
DETROIT — The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit said Sunday that it removed a prominent priest from public ministry after reviewing what it described as a “credible allegation” that he had sexually abused a child decades ago. The Rev. Eduard Perrone was suspended from ministry Friday, a month after The...
Man charged with murder after mobile home fire kills 4
PORT ANGELES, Wash. — Police have arrested a man suspected in a mobile home fire that killed four people in Washington state. Matthew Timothy Wetherington has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of arson. The 34-year-old was booked into jail Saturday night. It wasn’t immediately...
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse may have to move again as Outer Banks shoreline keeps shifting
BUXTON, N.C. — The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse might have to be moved again as the Outer Banks sands near the Buxton point wane and gain. The National Park Service on July 1 marked the 20th anniversary of pushing the 4,800 ton tower more than a half-mile southwest to save it...
Former GOP lawmaker Justin Amash won’t rule out future presidential run
WASHINGTON — Rep. Justin Amash said he “wouldn’t rule out” a run as a third-party presidential candidate but plans to seek re-election to Congress in his Michigan district as an independent after leaving the Republican Party. “I believe that I have to use my skills, my public influence, where it...
18-year-old pilot dies after plane crashes on golf courseVideo
OXFORD, Miss. — An 18-year-old pilot of a single-engine plane died after crashing on a golf course while practicing takeoffs and landings at a small airport owned by the University of Mississippi. University spokesman Rod Guajardo said Sunday that Lake Little of Starkville died late Saturday of injuries from the...
California governor says earthquakes are a ‘wake-up call’
RIDGECREST, Calif. — The two major earthquakes that hit Southern California should alert people across the nation of the need to be prepared for natural disasters, the state’s governor said as officials expressed relief that the damages weren’t worse. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Saturday that governments must strengthen alert systems...
Diabetes remains prevalent in Western Pennsylvania despite steep drop nationwide
Pittsburgh doctors say Type 2 diabetes continues to be prevalent in Western Pennsylvania despite the findings of a new study that shows incidences of the disease are decreasing nationwide. The study was published in the health journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care in May. It shows a roughly 35%...
Baggley woman remembered as caring person
Yvonne Schmucker was always helping someone else, no matter her own circumstances. And the Baggley, Unity Township, native raised her children, who all volunteer and work for various organizations, and grandchildren to be the same way. “We all have gotten that bug from my mother, just helping when we can...
Get wild with the Pa. Game Commission’s wild turkey survey
The question isn’t so much where are the turkeys, where aren’t there turkeys? The Pennsylvania Game Commission is conducting a turkey survey through Aug. 31 and is looking for residents to report their sighting via website and a mobile app. Observers need only report the number of turkeys, location, date...
California wipes out $58.6 million in physician student debt — and helps poor patients get access to doctors
The state of California will be paying off $58.6 million in student loans this year for 247 physicians who, in exchange, committed to serve a greater percentage of the state’s poorest and frailest residents: those covered by Medi-Cal. “By removing the burden of student loan debt, this program will encourage...
At least 20 hurt as explosion rocks South Florida shopping center
PLANTATION, Fla. — An explosion at a Plantation shopping center injured 15 to 20 people, before noon Saturday, in a loud blast that could be felt for miles around. “We did find a ruptured gas line under the rubble but I can’t tell you exactly where it came from,” Plantation...
Royal baby Archie christened at private Windsor ceremony
LONDON — The youngest member of Britain’s royal family, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, was christened at Windsor Castle on Saturday in a private ceremony — too private for some royal fans. The 2-month-old son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was baptized in a private chapel at the castle west...
Intensifying downpours threatening America’s biggest estuary
CONOWINGO, Md. — When the Conowingo Dam opened to fanfare nearly a century ago, the massive wall of concrete and steel began its job harnessing water power in northern Maryland. It also quietly provided a side benefit: trapping sediment and silt before it could flow miles downstream and pollute the...
Mackenzie Lueck’s body has been found, police say
Investigators have discovered the body of Mackenzie Lueck, the 23-year-old El Segundo, Calif., woman who was presumed dead after she was reported missing in Salt Lake City last month. Authorities had initially believed that the man arrested in connection with Lueck’s death, 31-year-old Ayoola Ajayi, had burned her body in...
