Bishops meeting on sex abuse clouded by state investigations
DETROIT — Hundreds of boxes. Millions of records. From Michigan to New Mexico this month, attorneys general are sifting through files on clergy sex abuse, seized through search warrants and subpoenas at dozens of archdioceses. They’re looking to prosecute, and not just priests. If the boxes lining the hallways of...
Near-record ‘dead zone’ predicted in Gulf of Mexico
NEW ORLEANS — Scientists are predicting a near-record Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” where the water holds too little oxygen to sustain marine life. “A major factor contributing to the large dead zone this year is the abnormally high amount of spring rainfall in many parts of the Mississippi River...
Murrysville Woman’s Club awards $6,600 in scholarships
Three Westmoreland County women looking to further their education will have a helping hand from the Murrysville Woman’s Club, whose members awarded them scholarships at a June 6 luncheon. Taylor Franco of Murrysville, Michele Marvich of Greensburg and Danielle Steadman of Mt. Pleasant were the recipients of $6,600 in scholarships...
Health Happenings
Blood drives — 12-4:30 p.m. Friday, Export Italian American Club, 5930 Kennedy Ave. — 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. June 19, Laurel Podiatry Associates, 235 Humphrey Road, Pineview Place, Suite 4, Greensburg Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome Classes/programs • Elder Abuse Awareness Day sponsored by Blackburn Center and McKenna Center is...
‘Bad food’ and other terms that make dietitians cringe
The words we use matter. Our choice of language not only mirrors our current way of thinking, it also has the power to shape our attitudes and behaviors over time. That’s why so many food and nutrition professionals cringe at much of the conversation around food and health today. Seemingly...
New incentives help pregnant women stop smokingVideo
Pregnancy can be a strong incentive to stop smoking. Very few women are likely unaware of the dangers of smoking while pregnant and the potential harm to their developing babies. Along with obstetricians and pediatricians, organizations including the American Lung Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn...
Democrats reach deal to get some Mueller evidence
WASHINGTON — House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said the Justice Department has agreed to begin turning over some information the panel subpoenaed related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. “The department will share the first of these documents with us later today,” said Nadler, a New York Democrat, in a...
U.S., Mexican officials give different accounts of immigration deal that averted tariffs
WASHINGTON — U.S. and Mexican officials sought Monday to bat down criticism of the last-minute agreement they reached on immigration and tariffs, each playing to their domestic audiences with contrasting and, at times, inflated claims. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration had won the most significant concessions...
Move to bar rainbow flags outside U.S. embassies was ‘right decision,’ Pence saysVideo
WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence on Monday defended the Trump administration’s barring of rainbow flags from being flown on flagpoles outside U.S. embassies during LGBT Pride Month, calling it “the right decision.” Pence made the remarks in an interview with NBC News, which first reported on the move last...
Photos of travelers taken in data breach, Customs and Border Protection saysVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Monday that photos of travelers had been compromised as part of a “malicious cyberattack,” raising concerns over how federal officials’ expanding surveillance efforts could imperil Americans’ privacy. Customs officials said in a statement Monday that the images, which included photos of...
John Dean calls Mueller report ‘road map’ for Trump investigationVideo
WASHINGTON — John Dean, a star witness during Watergate who helped bring down the Nixon presidency, testified Monday that special counsel Robert Mueller has provided Congress with a “road map” for investigating President Trump. He told the House Judiciary Committee he saw parallels between Mueller’s findings and those of congressional...
Two Florida deputies wounded in gunfight that began after man shot at an Amazon AlexaVideo
Two Florida deputies were injured in a shootout Saturday morning, which began with a girl’s call for help. Her father, she said, had fired a gun at her mother’s Amazon Alexa smart speaker. Members of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office responded to the home after midnight and encountered 62-year-old Terrance...
Report: Almost all U.S. coal production consumed for electric power
Almost all U.S. coal production is consumed for electric power, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Monday. Nearly all of the coal consumed in the United States is produced domestically, and most is consumed by the electric power sector to generate electricity, EIA said. In 2018, of the more...
Helicopter crashes on roof of Manhattan skyscraper; pilot killedVideo
NEW YORK — A helicopter crashed on the roof of a rain-shrouded midtown Manhattan skyscraper Monday, killing the pilot and briefly triggering memories of 9/11, after an erratic trip across some of the nation’s most restricted airspace. Authorities said they did not suspect terrorism. The crash near Times Square and...
Grandmother of dad who killed 5 kids asks to spare his life
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The grandmother of a South Carolina man facing a possible death sentence for killing his five children is asking a jury to spare his life. She says the family has already been through too much. Roberta Thornsberry testified Monday that along with losing her five great-grandchildren when...
Google’s search tool falsely called Mueller report ‘fiction’
People who searched on Google for the Mueller report have been told the document is “fiction,” a baffling falsehood that highlights the fallibility and threat of misinformation from the world’s most influential search engine. Searches for “Mueller Report,” which details the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian...
Mother charged with putting newborn in garbage bag in wooded area pleads not guilty
CHARDON, Ohio — A woman who authorities say put her newborn baby boy in a garbage bag and left him in a wooded area in 1993 has pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated murder. Forty-nine-year-old Gail Eastwood-Ritchey pleaded not guilty Monday in Geauga County to aggravated murder and murder...
Largely unregulated, facial-recognition technology comes to airport gates
NEW YORK — You won’t need to pull out your ticket to board the flight to Cancun at JetBlue’s Gate 18 at John F. Kennedy Airport. Put away your passport, too. All this convenience costs is your face. You get only one of those, so I hope it’s worth it....
Cleveland area rocked by 4.0-magnitude earthquake
Residents in the Cleveland metro area got a jolt on Monday morning. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 4.0 earthquake was registered at 10:55 a.m., centered in Lake Erie, just off the shore of Eastlake, Ohio. USGS The USGS received hundreds of reports from the surrounding area, and as...
Wildfire prompts evacuation at California Six Flags park
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — A fast-moving brush fire erupted near a huge amusement and water park in Southern California on Sunday, sending hundreds of visitors to the exit to escape clouds of smoke and ash before fire officials asked them to stay put while they worked to contain the blaze....
Seagull photobombs, steals woman’s lobster roll
Alicia Jessop knew Friday was going to be a memorable day, but she didn’t realize it would be one she’d never forget. The 34-year-old Pepperdine University professor planned to finally visit New England, hitting some of the last seven states she’d never been to, and try her first-ever lobster roll....
Canada to ban single-use plastics
TORONTO — Canada will ban single-use plastics as early as 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday. Trudeau said the specific items to be banned will be determined based on a science-based review, but the government is considering items such as water bottles, plastic bags and straws. “As early as...
11-year-old Missouri girl dies in bulldozer accident
LABADIE, Mo. — An 11-year-old Missouri girl is dead after an accident involving a bulldozer. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Emma Proemsey of Labadie died Saturday. The child was on a utility vehicle that came up behind the bulldozer. The patrol says the bulldozer driver, 65-year-old Larry Proemsey, had...
Pennsylvania ranked as 8th most ‘fun’ state
Who isn’t up for a bit of fun? But what is fun? We all define fun differently, and that’s the point behind a new survey that ranks our great 50 states in order of their fun factor. WalletHub has crunched a lot of numbers — attractions, restaurants, golf courses, beaches,...
Amid criticism, Trump defends Mexico deal avoiding tariffs
STERLING, Va. — Stung by criticism that his deal to avert threatened Mexican tariffs mostly ramps up existing efforts, President Donald Trump is insisting there’s more to it than meets the eye. In a pair of tweets Monday morning, Trump claimed that Mexico had agreed to more than what was...
