Dick’s to halt sales of rifles, ammo at 125 of its stores
CORAOPOLIS — Dick’s Sporting Goods said Tuesday that it will stop selling hunting rifles and ammunition at 125 of its stores, replacing the gear with merchandise it believes will sell better at those locations. CEO Edward Stack said the move comes after the sporting goods retailer replaced hunting merchandise in...
Target shopper accused of downing 6 pack in dressing room before shoplifting
A woman’s shoplifting charge goes beyond the merchandise she tried to carry out of the store. Elysia Johnson, 21, allegedly went to a Target in Lathrop, Calif., on Saturday afternoon and placed merchandise in her hand basket and cart while walking through the store, reports The Sacramento Bee. One of...
Plane turns back after mom forgets baby at airport
When a passenger realized she had forgotten her baby back at the airport, the pilot of a Malaysia-bound plane turned around and headed back. The Guardian reports that just after takeoff, the mother alerted the crew about her situation. The pilot was told and radioed back to the King Abdulaziz...
Cargo plane appears to have hit turbulence before February crash in Texas
DALLAS — A Boeing 767 appears to have hit turbulence a minute before it dropped into a rapid descent and smashed into a Texas bay in February, killing all three people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board says “small vertical accelerations” suggest Atlas Air Flight 3591 entered turbulence soon after...
100K backlogged rape kits sent for DNA testing, lead to 1K arrests
NEW YORK — Languishing evidence in over 100,000 sexual assault cases around the country has been sent for DNA testing with money from a New York prosecutor and federal authorities, spurring over 1,000 arrests and hundreds of convictions in three years, officials said Tuesday. It’s estimated that another 155,000 or...
Federal appeals court OKs Ohio law aimed at abortion funding
CINCINNATI — A divided federal appeals court has upheld an Ohio anti-abortion law that blocks public money for Planned Parenthood. The Tuesday ruling by the full 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling and could result in an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Ohio...
TV stars, coaches charged in college bribery scheme
BOSTON — Fifty people, including Hollywood stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, were charged Tuesday in a scheme in which wealthy parents allegedly bribed college coaches and other insiders to get their children into some of the nation’s most elite schools. Federal authorities called it the biggest college admissions scam...
Joe Biden hints he’ll announce decision on 2020 run in a ‘few weeks’
Former Vice President Joe Biden told a key labor ally he may need their energy “in a few weeks,” as he nears a decision on whether to join a crowded Democratic field for what would be his third run for president. “I appreciate the energy you showed when I got...
Pennsylvania offers grants for fighting wildfires
As the spring wildfire season ramps up, volunteer fire departments in small or rural communities can look to the state for grants to help offset the high cost of fighting wildfires. State officials said fire departments in rural areas or communities with fewer than 10,000 residents can qualify for up...
Confederate statue being removed in North Carolina city
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A construction crew was preparing to take down a Confederate statue in a North Carolina city Tuesday morning, a rare move in a state where such monuments are largely protected by law. Two cranes were set up on either side of the statue in Winston-Salem and traffic...
Firebomb sparks unrest at sensitive Jerusalem holy site
JERUSALEM — Israeli police on Tuesday closed the entrances to Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site after Palestinian suspects threw a firebomb at a police station. There were no injuries reported from the firebombing. But police quickly deployed across the hilltop compound, scuffling with Palestinians in the area, as they searched...
Fire officials say 13 dogs die in Ohio house fire
TOLEDO, Ohio — Fire officials say a house fire in Ohio has killed 13 dogs, including eight puppies. Toledo fire officials say the blaze started in the home around 11:30 p.m. Monday. They say no people were in the home at the time of the fire. Fire crews say the...
State lawmakers weigh ranking university performance
Pennsylvania’s public universities would have to compete for state subsidies should a proposal circulating in the state Senate gain traction. PennLIVE reported that state Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh County, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and state Rep. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster Coounty, chairman of the House Education Committee, are working...
Utah teacher apologizes for Ash Wednesday cross incident
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah teacher on administrative leave apologized Monday for making 9-year-old Catholic student William McLeod wash off the Ash Wednesday cross from his forehead, saying it was a misunderstanding. Fourth-grade teacher Moana Patterson said Monday she thought the cross was dirt, and she gave William a...
Species by the dozen moved north during marine heatwaves
SAN FRANCISCO — Dozens of species of sea slugs, jellyfish and other marine life from toastier southern waters migrated into the Northern California region over an unusually long two-year period of severe heatwaves, says a new scientific report. The 67 species identified in the report include a carnivorous sea slug...
Judge’s ruling revives questions about Russian man’s death
WASHINGTON — On a foggy November morning in 2015, a heavily intoxicated man showed up before dawn at the Dupont Circle Hotel, forked over $1,200 cash for a ninth-floor penthouse suite and kept drinking. His bender continued all day. By the next morning, he was dead. Authorities concluded that he...
Trump’s budget proposal offers preview of upcoming campaign
WASHINGTON — Frustrated by a divided Congress and rifts within his own party, President Donald Trump is giving little indication in his latest budget proposal of any new policy ambitions for the coming two, or six, years. Trump’s budget plan increases spending on his border wall and the military but...
What you need to know about polyps in your colon
Perhaps one of the most dreaded parts of turning
50 is being handed the order to get a colonoscopy. While regular colon screening can be uncomfortable, Dr. John Kisiel, a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, says this screening is a crucial step in catching colorectal cancer and precancerous polyps early. Kisiel says...
‘Diet’ or eating ‘plan’: Either one can lead to improved lifestyle
What’s new in the world of weight loss? For one thing, the word “diet” is often replaced nowadays by terms like “eating plan” or “lifestyle change.” One reason for that is the negative association people have with the idea of a diet, says Julianne Hagan, a licensed dietitian/nutritionist and owner...
Tips for a heart-healthy sandwich
Packing a healthy lunch seems like an easy task, but sometimes all the sandwich choices may seem daunting. Many deli, or processed meats, are packed with preservatives, nitrates and sodium that could raise your risk of heart disease and other health issues. So is there a better choice to build...
New Jersey takes big step toward legalizing recreational pot
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leaders say they’ve agreed on legislation to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The Democrats announced the agreement in a statement Tuesday after more than a year of negotiations, mostly behind closed doors. It’s unclear whether there are enough votes in...
Mexican top cop: Security is deficient throughout country
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s top security official said Tuesday that “security is deficient in practically the whole country,” after a large group of migrants went missing in northern Mexico. Public Safety Secretary Alfonso Durazo said the number of men pulled off a bus last week in the border state of...
Iran sentences human rights lawyer to 38 years in prison — and 148 lashes
A prominent Iranian lawyer who defended women arrested for protesting the country’s mandatory headscarf law has been sentenced to a total of 38 years in prison and 148 lashes, according to her husband. Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has been imprisoned since being taken from her home June 18, is already serving...
Hundreds turn out to honor slain Illinois deputy
HUNTLEY, Ill. — Dozens of American flags waved in the chilly air Tuesday afternoon as hundreds of mourners visited a Huntley funeral home to pay their respects to McHenry County sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Keltner. Keltner, 35, a married father of two young boys, was killed in the line of duty...
White House mum on if Trump really thinks Democrats ‘hate’ JewsVideo
WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on Monday repeatedly refused to say whether President Trump really thinks Democrats “hate” Jewish people. Before Trump left the White House on Friday for his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, he said: “The Democrats have become an anti-Israel party. They’ve become an anti-Jewish...
