Sources: Putin backs U.S. on denuclearization in Kim meeting
SEOUL, South Korea — Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 25 called on North Korea for its final, fully verified denuclearization, which the United States sought, during his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vladivostok, Russia, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. The move suggests Putin has shown...
Appeals made to military in Venezuela power struggle
CARACAS, Venezuela — When a protester handed over a written appeal for the military’s support on Saturday, a Venezuelan policeman burned the document and let the ashes fall to the ground. The armed forces “won’t be blackmailed or bought,” said a second officer standing nearby. Benito Rodriguez fumed as he...
Trump critical of social media sites after Facebook bans
STERLING, Va. — President Trump criticized social media companies after Facebook banned a number of extremist figures, declaring he was “monitoring and watching, closely!!” Trump, who tweeted and retweeted complaints Friday and Saturday, said he would “monitor the censorship of AMERICAN CITIZENS on social media platforms.” He has previously asserted...
A pregnant inmate came to term in jail. Lawyers say she was forced to give birth there – alone.
Tammy Jackson was ushered into an empty jail cell by sheriffs. Then one morning, she was there with someone else: her newborn baby. According to a letter dated May 3, written by Broward County public defender Howard Finkelstein, the full-term, mentally ill 34-year-old began complaining to officers about contractions around...
Longtime NYC prosecutor, former judge Richard Brown dies
NEW YORK — A New York City prosecutor and judge whose 40-plus years in criminal justice stretched from the gritty “Mean Streets” era of the 1970s to today’s opioid crisis has died at the age of 86. Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown died Friday, Chief Assistant District Attorney John...
Man reflects on being part of 1st gay prom couple in 1979
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A man who was one half of the first gay couple to attend a high school prom says he didn’t expect to become entrenched in LGBTQ rights history and that he looks back on the event in South Dakota 40 years later as “just a moment.”...
Expelled in 1956, black woman gets doctorate at U of Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Autherine Lucy Foster, the first African-American student to attend the University of Alabama, received an honorary doctorate degree Friday from the university where her presence brought mobs of protesters in 1956. The Tuscaloosa News reported that Foster, 89 received the degree during graduation ceremonies. She enrolled at...
Adult website offers to double reward for arrest of Texas beehive vandals
Adult video streaming website YouPorn is offering to double the reward for the information that leads to the apprehension of those responsible for killing more than 500,000 bees earlier this week. According to the New York Times, someone torched, toppled and tossed into a nearby pond more than 20 European...
Illinois governor proposes legalizing marijuana
CHICAGO — A proposal to legalize marijuana in Illinois would allow possession of up to 30 grams of the plant for residents 21 and over, a $30 million low-interest loan program to promote “social equity” in business ownership, and expungement of misdemeanor and class 4 felony marijuana convictions. Adults would...
SpaceX launches supplies to space station after power delays
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched a load of supplies to the International Space Station on Saturday following a pair of unusual power delays. A Falcon rocket raced into the pre-dawn darkness, carrying a Dragon capsule with 5,500 pounds (2,500 kilograms) of goods. This recycled Dragon — which is making...
Curacao officials board quarantined ship in measles case
WILLEMSTAD, Curacao — Authorities in Curacao on Saturday boarded a ship that arrived in the Dutch Caribbean island under quarantine, to start vaccinating people to prevent a measles outbreak. Health officials said only those who already have been vaccinated or have previously had measles will be free to leave the...
Israel strikes Gaza targets in response to heavy rocket fire
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired scores of rockets into southern Israel on Saturday, wounding at least two Israeli civilians and triggering retaliatory airstrikes and tank fire against militant targets in the blockaded enclave and shattering a month-long lull in violence. Israeli officials said...
No deaths as plane carrying US military crashes into river
A chartered jet carrying 143 people from the U.S. military base in Cuba tried to land in a thunderstorm in north Florida and ended up in the river next to Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Authorities said everyone on board emerged without critical injuries, climbing onto the wings to be rescued....
Nobody hurt in Vandergrift kitchen fire
Nobody was hurt in a kitchen fire in Vandergrift Friday night, according to Westmoreland County 911. The fire on the 500 block of Longfellow Street was reported around 10:15 p.m., dispatchers said. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze. Details about how the fire started and how much damage it did to...
Felon voting bill goes to Florida governor amid outcry
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida felons will have to pay court-ordered financial obligations if they want their voting rights restored under a bill sent to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday that would implement a voter-approved constitutional amendment. The bill, though, caused outrage among Democrats who say Republicans are adding hurdles...
Mother of Otto Warmbier calls US diplomacy with North Korea a ‘charade’
The mother of Otto Warmbier on Friday criticized the Trump administration’s diplomatic outreach to North Korea as a “charade” and blasted dictator Kim Jong Un’s regime as “absolute evil” in the family’s first public comments on the stalled negotiations. During remarks in Washington, Cindy Warmbier, whose son died in 2017...
VP Pence praises members of black churches torched by arson
OPELOUSAS, La. — Vice President Mike Pence praised the parishioners of three African American churches Friday for the inspiring way they responded to the destruction of their sanctuaries by an arsonist and lamented that attacks on communities of faith have become “all too frequent.” Pence and President Trump had been...
White gang members forcibly tattoo a racial slur on a member and spell it wrong, cops say
MIAMI — White members of a gang forcibly covered a fellow gang member’s gang tattoo with a phrase including a racial slur, according to Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The evidence on Michael Hart’s neck said, “F — — you, Niger.” According to what police say Lucian Evans told them, he,...
Pa. Turnpike toll evader named Stiff to pay up; had $128K in tolls, fines
PHILADELPHIA — The worst toll evader in Pennsylvania is being ordered to pay up. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Jarrett Stiff didn’t pay for trips on the Pennsylvania Turnpike 2,264 times from 2012 to 2017, more than anyone else in the state. The 36-year-old from suburban Philadelphia racked up nearly...
Report: Number of drilled but uncompleted oil and gas wells in U.S. continues to rise
The number of drilled but uncompleted wells in the United States has increased over the last two years, reaching a high of 8,504 wells in February, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The most recent well counts in EIA’s Drilling Productivity Report showed 8,500 wells in March — 26%...
Trump, Putin discuss nuclear weapons, Mueller report
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than an hour Friday about nuclear weapons agreements, the conflict in Venezuela, North Korea and also briefly about special counsel Robert Mueller’s just completed report on Moscow’s interference in the 2016 election. “They had a very good...
Hempfield students to participate in Remake Learning Days
Some Hempfield students are taking a step back from the curriculum for a day as they prepare to present projects they have been working on as part of the Remake Learning Days Across America. The day, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, allows students to pick...
AAU coach who sexually exploited more than 400 boys gets 180 years in prison
Saying that an AAU basketball coach in Iowa “exploited, manipulated and abused children for almost two decades,” a judge sentenced him to 180 years in prison Thursday. Greg Stephen, 43, had pleaded guilty to multiple counts related to child pornography and sexual exploitation of minors, after prosecutors accused him of...
Videos of fatal Connecticut police shooting of 18-year-old are released
HARTFORD, Conn. — Videos released Friday show a Connecticut police officer’s fatal shooting last month of an 18-year-old man during an attempted traffic stop and chase, which sparked protests by the teen’s relatives and activists. Wethersfield officer Layau Eulizier is seen on police dashcam and business surveillance videos running in...
Longtime married Erie couple dies within minutes of each other
ERIE, Pa. — Family members say a Pennsylvania couple that had been married for almost 45 years passed away within minutes of each other. Clair “Cos” Vance had made daily visits to a care center where his 70-year-old wife, Jeanne, lived due to mobility and medical issues. But those visits...
