ACLU seeks to block fetal heartbeat measure in Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Abortion-rights defenders have expanded their legal fight against Kentucky to try to block the state’s most restrictive abortion measure, which would mostly ban the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected. The American Civil Liberties amended a federal lawsuit Friday to take aim at the so-called fetal...
Students worldwide skip class to demand action on climate
BERLIN — From the South Pacific to the edge of the Arctic Circle, students mobilized by word of mouth and social media skipped class Friday to protest what they believe are their governments’ failure to take tough action against global warming. The coordinated ‘school strikes,’ were inspired by 16-year-old Swedish...
May tries to save Brexit deal after vote to delay U.K. exit
LONDON — British Prime Minister Theresa May worked Friday to pull off an against-the-odds rescue for her European Union divorce deal, after Parliament voted to postpone Brexit to avert a chaotic U.K. departure in two weeks. May planned to spend the next few days trying to persuade opponents in her...
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rethinking U.S. talks; Pompeo remains optimistic
PYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will soon decide whether to continue diplomatic talks and maintain his moratorium on missile launches and nuclear tests, a senior North Korean official said Friday, adding that the U.S. threw away a golden opportunity at the recent summit between their...
New Zealand mosque killer’s rifles bore white-supremacist references
The man accused of killing 49 people in an attack on a New Zealand mosque during Friday prayers used rifles covered in white-supremacist graffiti and listened to a song glorifying a Bosnian Serb war criminal. These details highlight the toxic beliefs behind an unprecedented, live-streamed massacre, which Prime Minister Jacinda...
Credit union offers member scholarships up to $2,000
The Westmoreland Water Federal Credit Union is seeking applications for $3,500 it will give out as part of its 2019 Founders’ Memorial Scholarship program. Applicants must be members of the credit union in good standing, and there are three scholarships available for $2,000, $1,000 and $500. Anyone who is eligible...
Post Office to release ‘Sesame Street’ stamps
Perhaps it’s the U.S. Postal Service’s way of giving their carriers more sunny days. This week, the Post Office announced three new stamp lines, including characters from “Sesame Street,” the classic PBS children’s show. With images of Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover, Bert and Ernie, and 11 other Muppets, the...
20 dead, mostly children, in Nigeria building collapse
LAGOS, Nigeria — Twenty people are confirmed dead in the school building that collapsed in Nigeria on Wednesday, and most of them are children, an official said Friday. Forty-three other people were rescued, Lagos State Health Commissioner Jide Idris told The Associated Press. The disaster occurred in the heart of...
So cute! Berlin zoo shows off new polar bear cub
BERLIN — The Berlin Tierpark zoo is showing off its new polar bear cub, a 3-month-old with a cuteness and playfulness that could make her the German capital’s next animal celebrity. The bear, who hasn’t been named, was born Dec. 1 and the zoo says she’s developing well. She was...
Facebook removes video of New Zealand mosque shootings
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Facebook says it has taken down a video of shootings at a New Zealand mosque and removed the alleged shooter’s accounts from its platforms after being alerted by police. The man who allegedly carried out the shootings in Christchurch on Friday reportedly broadcast 17 minutes of...
Florida man finds bright green iguana in toilet, calls 911
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Florida man called 911 after going to the bathroom and finding a bright green iguana swimming in his toilet. Fort Lauderdale Battalion Chief Stephan Gollan tells the Miami Herald the man “freaked out and didn’t know what to do.” He says firefighter Jeff Kurus put...
Trump, world leaders offer condolences after New Zealand mosque attack
BRUSSELS — World leaders expressed condolences and condemnation Friday following the deadly attacks on mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch, while Muslim leaders said the mass shooting was evidence of a rising tide of violent anti-Islam sentiment. In a tweet, U.S. President Donald Trump sent “warmest sympathy and...
Investigator: West Virginia man raped, killed partner’s baby
RIPLEY, W.Va. — The lead investigator in the trial of a man accused of killing his girlfriend’s 10-month-old baby testified that he has no doubt the man raped and murdered the girl. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports Jackson County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Ross Mellinger said Thursday that Benjamin Taylor had blood...
SEC charges Volkswagen, former CEO with defrauding investors
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators charged Volkswagen and former CEO Martin Winterkorn with defrauding investors during its massive diesel emissions scandal. The charges from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission come two years after the German automaker settled with the United States over criminal and civil charges, as the company tries...
Piece found at Boeing 737 crash site shows jet was set to dive
A screw-like device found in the wreckage of the Boeing 737 Max that crashed last Sunday in Ethiopia indicates the plane was configured to dive, a piece of evidence that helped convince U.S. regulators to ground the model, a person familiar with the investigation said late Thursday night. Federal Aviation...
Sadly, attacks on houses of worship aren’t rare
As Pittsburgh knows all too well, houses of worship — what should be places of reflection and peace — can be the deadly target of an attack by extremists. Here are some of the deadly assaults — from around the world — over the past decade: Oct. 31, 2010: Al-Qaida...
49 dead in mass shootings at New Zealand mosques; 1 man charged
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — At least 49 people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers in an attack broadcast in horrifying, live video by an immigrant-hating white nationalist wielding at least two rifles. One man was arrested and charged with murder, and two...
‘Our friends are dying, so we march’
WASHINGTON - On Thursday morning, a curious scene emerged on Pennsylvania Avenue: Between the throngs of tourists snapping photos of the Washington Monument and commuters rushing to work, high school students pushed their way toward the White House. At 9 a.m., hundreds of teenagers from the District and suburban Maryland...
Georgia Senate committee hears testimony on abortion bill
ATLANTA — A Georgia Senate committee listened to emotional testimony Thursday over a proposal that would ban most abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. The committee did not take a vote, and it was unclear when they might. Women in Georgia can currently seek an abortion during the...
O’Rourke’s history with big pro-GOP donors
EL PASO, Texas - Before Beto O’Rourke became the darling of liberal online donors, his top financial backers hailed from a different set entirely: wealthy businessmen who have sought political influence by collectively donating millions of dollars to Republicans. Several of El Paso’s richest business moguls donated to and raised...
Why the Mega Millions winner waited months to claim her lottery jackpot
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina woman who won the largest jackpot payout to a single winner in U.S. history has chosen to remain anonymous. But Thursday, she provided more details about why she waited so long to claim the winnings in a news release from her attorney, which was...
Ohio governor wants nearly $1B for Lake Erie, waterways
TOLEDO, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine wants to spend nearly $1 billion on water quality projects to clean up toxic algae in Lake Erie and protect other lakes and rivers throughout the state. The money would come out of this year’s new state budget, which DeWine will reveal Friday, and...
State Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit recognized for its work
The U.S. Inspector General has nominated the Pennsylvania Office Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for an excellence award. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced the nomination Wednesday. “Our robust Medicaid Fraud Control Unit works hard every day to root out fraud, neglect, and abuse in the Commonwealth,” Shapiro said...
Senate rejects Trump border emergency as Republicans defect
WASHINGTON — The Republican-run Senate rejected President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the southwest border on Thursday, setting up a veto fight and dealing him a conspicuous rebuke as he tested how boldly he could ignore Congress in pursuit of his highest-profile goal. The Senate voted 59-41...
Why France is analyzing Ethiopian jet’s black boxes
PARIS — France doesn’t see an unusually large number of aviation disasters, but its plane crash investigators are world famous. The French air accident investigation authority, known by its French acronym BEA, is now handling the analysis of the flight recorders from the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed after takeoff...
