Wolf commutes life sentences of 3 more Pennsylvania inmates
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is commuting life sentences of three inmates, bringing his total to eight, more than any of the state’s governors over the past quarter century. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Wolf acted last week in the case of a man sentenced in 1988 for standing by...
What’s the line of succession for British throne, U.S. presidency?
With the birth of the first child for Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his wife, Meghan Markle, the line of succession for the British throne is one notch longer. Where does the new — as yet unnamed — royal fall? Well, he’s seven in line, right behind his father....
Florida man who drove lawnmower into cop car says officers drugged him, police say
Weird or wasted? It was in Florida, after all. History would say it was a solid combination of both. A 68-year-old Florida man who cops say was too drunk to complete field sobriety tests also accused officers of drugging him after he drove his lawnmower into a police cruiser. WFLA-TV...
GOP leader McConnell to say ‘case closed’ on Mueller probe
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is declaring “case closed” on the Russia probe and potential obstruction by President Donald Trump. The Republican leader, in his most significant public comments yet on the investigation, is expected to outline in a Tuesday speech how special counsel Robert Mueller’s “exhaustive” probe...
Joe Biden parody site outranks his official page on Google
Parody is the sincerest form of flattery, right? So, Joe Biden should feel pretty good. Although, on second thought … A parody Joe Biden website — joebiden.info — is outranking the Democratic presidential candidate’s official website — joebiden.com — in current Google searches. A recent Google search of “Joe Biden”...
U.S.-Iran tensions rise ahead of anniversary of deal pullout
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A sudden White House announcement that a U.S. aircraft carrier and a bomber wing would be deployed in the Persian Gulf to counter Iran comes just days ahead of the anniversary of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw America from Tehran’s nuclear deal. Iranian President...
Police: 3 Navy corpsmen dead in double murder and suicide
PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Authorities in Virginia say they’re investigating the shooting deaths of three active duty service members in what appears to be a double murder and suicide. The Virginian-Pilot reported Tuesday that the two women and one man were Navy corpsmen. The two women were stationed at Naval Medical...
Climate change missing as U.S. defends Arctic policy
ROVANIEMI, Finland — The Arctic is melting, but don’t ask U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to talk about climate change. Nor even to agree on a text that mentions it. For the Trump administration, disappearing sea ice in the world’s “high north” appears to be first and foremost an...
Trump pardons former U.S. soldier who killed Iraqi prisoner
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has pardoned a former U.S. soldier convicted in 2009 of killing an Iraqi prisoner, the White House announced Monday. Trump signed an executive grant of clemency, a full pardon, for former Army 1st Lt. Michael Behenna, of Oklahoma, press secretary Sarah Sanders said. Behenna was...
Authorities: Woman pulls gator from pants during stop – May 7, 2019
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — Sheriff’s officials say a Florida woman pulled a small alligator from her yoga pants during a traffic stop. The Charlotte County sheriff’s deputy stopped a pickup truck Monday afternoon after it ran a stop sign and 22-year-old driver Michael Clemons told him he and his 25-year-old...
Stories sought about lives affected by opioid use disorder
A website started by a Penn State University professor is seeking stories from those whose lives have been affected by an opioid addiction. The story can be about a person’s own substance abuse or from another person’s perspective, such as a family member or friend. The website, ShareYourOpioidStory.com, is a...
Art therapy helps people explore and resolve many issues
Larry Beaver of Jeannette is known in area art circles as the creator of beautiful pastels. His work is showing in “Trance,” a solo retrospective exhibition running through June 9 at You Are Here Gallery in Jeannette. He’s also been featured in shows in the Latrobe and Greensburg art centers,...
Build more activity into your day using the NEAT way
While writing this paragraph, I stood up and sat back down five times, swiveled in my chair, walked to the kitchen to make a pot of tea, brushed my dog, made my bed and performed at least six seated leg crisscrosses with my feet raised a good 12 inches off...
Avocados are ‘nutrient dense’ with healthy fat, B-vitamins
I laugh when I remember what George Burns, in his role as God in a 1997 film, said about avocados: “Made the pits too big.” Probably not a mistake at all, say those who muse on such things. Native avocado trees in South America had to compete with larger trees...
Art therapy professionals receive master’s level training
“Art therapy is a master’s level training program used in mental health counseling and social work,” says Dana Elmendorf, program director of the Seton Hill University Graduate Art Therapy Program. Art making is a technique used by some mental health professionals in working with their clients, but art therapy is...
Denver voters to decide legalizing ‘magic mushrooms’
DENVER — Voters decide this week whether Denver will become the first U.S. city to decriminalize the use of psilocybin, the psychedelic substance in “magic mushrooms.” A citizen-led initiative appearing on ballots Tuesday follows a path that led to marijuana’s legalization in Denver and later in Colorado. Campaign organizers, though,...
Philadelphia commission probing ‘disturbing’ video
A Philadelphia city commission said Monday it’s investigating an event last month at which Muslim children were captured on video speaking in Arabic about beheadings and the liberation of Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations launched a probe into the April 17 gathering at the...
IUP professor named as a Fulbright scholar, headed to Honduras
An Indiana University of Pennsylvania professor has been named a Fulbright scholar and will spend the upcoming academic year seeking out new species of amphibians and reptiles and supporting conservation efforts in Honduras. Josiah Townsend, an associate professor at IUP, was chosen as a 2019-20 Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant recipient....
Hundreds of former federal prosecutors: Trump would’ve been charged if not presidentVideo
More than 500 former federal prosecutors who worked in Republican and Democratic administrations have signed on to a statement asserting special counsel Robert Mueller’s findings would have produced obstruction charges against President Trump — if not for the office he held. The statement — signed by myriad former career government...
Mnuchin rejects Democrats’ demand to hand over Trump’s tax returns, all but ensuring legal battleVideo
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday told House Democrats he would not furnish President Trump’s tax returns despite their legal request, the latest move by Trump administration officials to shield the president from congressional investigations. Mnuchin, in a letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal,...
Gun rights activists fill state Capitol for Second Amendment rally
HARRISBURG — Gun rights advocates packed the rotunda of the Pennsylvania Capitol on Monday for an annual Second Amendment rally, pushing their legislative priorities and cheering a call for the Pittsburgh mayor’s impeachment. Gun owners roared when the event’s organizer, Republican Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, announced that he will ask fellow...
Democrats set to hold AG Barr in contempt over Mueller reportVideo
WASHINGTON — A House committee is poised to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress — the opening salvo in what could be a lengthy, acrimonious court battle between House Democrats and President Trump’s administration over special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler scheduled...
Survey shows ongoing rebound for Chesapeake’s blue crabs
BALTIMORE — Blue crabs are rebounding in the Chesapeake Bay, with an annual survey showing the highest estimates of the clawed critters in seven years. The dredging survey released Monday is the latest sign of a healthy crab population and welcome news for fisherfolk in America’s largest estuary and those...
Trump again falsely claims Puerto Rico received billions more in federal disaster aid than it actually did
President Trump again falsely inflated the amount of federal disaster Puerto Rico has received since Hurricane Maria struck in 2017, saying the island “should be very happy” about the federal response. In two tweets Monday, Trump wrote, “Puerto Rico has been given more money by Congress for Hurricane Disaster Relief,...
Prom night slayings lead to life terms for suburban Philadelphia man
BRISTOL — A man has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms without possibility of parole in the murders of two men during a prom night altercation last spring in suburban Philadelphia. Nineteen-year-old Joseph Williams was convicted of killing Zyisean McDuffy and Tommy Ballard, both 19, during an argument in...