Cocaine, meth on rise in Pennsylvania’s early warning areas
HARRISBURG — Methamphetamine and cocaine use are on the rise in Pennsylvania while prescription drug and heroin deaths are leveling off in some areas, data that appears to reflect nationwide trends. Jennifer Smith, secretary for Pennsylvania’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, told a state Senate committee Monday that the...
Youngwood man was ‘ahead of his time’
When Regis Klinchock saw something that needed changing, he changed it. When he saw racing promoters making more money than racers, he became a racetrack operator. When he got tired of paying high prices for fuel deliveries to his gas station, he founded his own trucking company. When he decided...
Trump’s new attorney general William Barr won’t recuse himself in Mueller probe
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr said he won’t recuse himself from being in charge of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, a major development affecting the fate of the politically charged probe into President Trump. “Following General Barr’s confirmation, senior career ethics officials advised that General Barr should not recuse...
Backcountry skier found dead as a result of Colorado avalancheVideo
DENVER — Crews on Monday recovered the body of a missing backcountry skier who apparently died in an avalanche in southwestern Colorado as the danger level remained elevated following heavy snow over the weekend. Teams working with avalanche dogs found the man’s body in a slide believed to have occurred...
Jerome Corsi retracts and apologizes for story promoting Seth Rich conspiracy theory
Conservative author Jerome Corsi on Monday apologized for writing an article in which he falsely alleged that Seth Rich, a Democratic National Committee staffer who was killed in 2016, and his brother Aaron had leaked thousands of emails to the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks. Corsi said in a statement that the...
Anonymous winner claiming $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The mystery surrounding the $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot from last October is partly over as lottery officials announced Monday that a South Carolina resident had stepped forward to claim the prize but elected to remain anonymous. A lottery commission statement said the person submitting the claim...
Former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker leaves Justice Department
WASHINGTON — Matthew Whitaker, the former acting attorney general whose brief appointment generated intense controversy, resigned from the Justice Department over the weekend. Justice Department officials said Whitaker’s last day at the agency was Saturday. He had spent recent weeks working as a senior counselor in the office of the...
Oregon man snowed in with taco sauce grateful for rescue
PORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon man who had only taco sauce and melted snow to eat while he was snowed in for five days with his dog is grateful to his rescuer and sorry to have caused so much trouble. Jeremy Taylor’s aunt, Denise Tremaine, also told The Associated Press...
Coach, teacher’s assistant accused of choking student
CAYCE, S.C. — Police say a South Carolina teacher’s assistant is facing criminal charges for choking a student who briefly lost consciousness. News outlets report the Cayce Department of Public Safety announced Monday that 60-year-old Willie Louis Scott Jr. was charged with third-degree assault and battery. He’s also an assistant...
Costume-wearing Lithuanians chase winter away
RUMSISKES, Lithuania (AP) — A strange scenario took place in this central Lithuania village this weekend. Chanting devils, goats, witches and others filled the streets to chase winter away. After a long and dark winter, people in this Baltic country wanted to make the cold season go away by wearing...
State auctioning off 2 bottles of rare Scotch whisky
A rare bottle of Scotch whisky being auctioned by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board was distilled just a few years after the end of World War II and spent the next 52 years aging. The Macallan 1949 Single Malt Scotch was bottled in 2002 and is now available for sale...
‘The end of a fantastic era’ — a look back on the Concorde
The speed and elegant appearance of the Concorde inspired awe. Its ear-rattling sonic booms irritated people on the ground and led to restrictions on where the jet could fly. The Concorde’s maiden flight was 50 years ago this month. Although the plane went out of service in 2003, its delta-wing...
Trump celebrates North Dakota football champs with fast food
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is again feting football champions with burgers and fries. Trump is celebrating the FCS champion North Dakota State University football team at the White House with a lunch that includes Big Macs, french fries and Chick-fil-A sandwiches. Trump served a similar spread that included hundreds...
Man charged with setting fire to Planned Parenthood clinic
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 42-year-old Columbia, Mo., man has been charged with trying to burn down a local Planned Parenthood clinic last month, federal prosecutors said Monday. Wesley Brian Kaster was arrested Saturday after investigators searched his vehicle and found evidence linking him to the fire at the Planned...
Sheriff: Man throws Molotov cocktails at impounded car
ORLANDO, Fla. — A man in Florida is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at his impounded car. The Orlando Sentinel reports 27-year-old Ayub Mule Abdulrahman arrived at Almake Auto Shop on Saturday to pay the towing fee for his Nissan Altima. Authorities say Abdulrahman was no longer there when the...
Woman pleads guilty to posing as firefighter’s wife in scheme, gets jail time
LOS ANGELES — A 29-year-old woman who posed as a firefighter’s wife to collect thousands of dollars in donations for firefighters battling the Holy fire, which she kept for herself, has been sentenced to jail. Ashley Bemis, of San Juan Capistrano, was sentenced to 177 days in county jail immediately...
House Judiciary panel launches sweeping Trump probe
WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee is launching a sweeping new probe of President Donald Trump, his White House, his campaign and his businesses, sending document requests to 81 people linked to the president and his associates. Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said Monday the investigation will be focused on possible...
Pennsylvania ranks in the middle of the pack in jobs growth
Branding experts, seeking a new slogan for the Keystone State might try: “Pennsylvania — firmly in the middle of the pack.” Citing an analysis of federal jobs reports, Governing magazine reported Monday that Pennsylvania ranked 27th in the nation in jobs growth last year. The state posted an ambitious 1.2...
Melania Trump opens three-state tour to promote ‘Be Best’
TULSA, Okla. — Melania Trump is in Oklahoma to open a three-state tour to highlight all three components of her “Be Best” childhood initiative. The first lady on Monday is visiting the Dove School of Discovery, a Tulsa elementary school that the White House says incorporates character education in its...
Trump says Cohen hearing may have hurt North Korea results
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has raised the possibility that a congressional hearing Democrats arranged with his former personal attorney may have contributed to the lack of results of his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump left the summit in Vietnam with the North Korean leader without...
Former Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper joins presidential race
DENVER — Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said on Monday he’s running for president, casting himself as a can-do uniter who’s used to overcoming adversity and accomplishing liberal goals in a politically divided state. “I’m running for president because we need dreamers in Washington, but we also need to get...
Decade after first person was cured of HIV, second patient is in long-term remission
A London man has been in remission from HIV for a year and a half, without drugs, after receiving a stem cell transplant of virus-resistant cells — raising the prospect that he has become the second person to ever be cured of the disease. The “London patient” case, cautiously reported...
Pa. lottery: On pace for record, officials work to keep games updated
On pace to collect a record number of sales for the second consecutive year, Pennsylvania Lottery officials are pondering if the games can keep topping themselves. “We have been growing for decades, some years more than others,” said Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko. “When the recession hit our sales and...
Ex-West Virginia staffer disputes making anti-Muslim comment
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A former West Virginia Capitol staffer is disputing anti-Muslim comments a lawmaker said she made in response to an Islamophobic display outside the House of Delegates chamber. Anne Lieberman issued a statement Sunday on Facebook, two days after she resigned as House sergeant at arms. Lieberman said...
Warnings, transportation restrictions issued as snow nears
PHILADELPHIA — Forecasters issued weather warnings and transportation officials announced vehicle restrictions on some roadways as another round of winter weather descended on Pennsylvania. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for much of eastern Pennsylvania with heavy wet snow and sleet and accumulations of four to eight...
