El Paso bristles at Trump’s claim that wall made city safe
EL PASO, Texas — People walking over the Paso del Norte Bridge linking this West Texas border city to Mexico can watch President Donald Trump’s border wall getting bigger in real time. Workers in fluorescent smocks can be seen digging trenches, pouring concrete and erecting rust-colored slabs of 18-foot-high metal...
Shutdown deadline looms as wall negotiations hit a snag
WASHINGTON — As negotiations over a border security hit a snag, the White House on Sunday would not rule out another federal government shutdown even as it signaled a willingness to obtain funding for President Donald Trump’s proposed wall by other means. Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney,...
Tabloid CEO’s lawyer denies Enquirer tried to extort Jeff Bezos
WASHINGTON — The National Enquirer committed neither extortion nor blackmail by threatening to publish intimate photos of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, an attorney for the head of the tabloid’s parent company said Sunday. Elkan Abromowitz, an attorney for American Media Inc. chief executive David Pecker, said on Sunday a “reliable...
Embattled Virginia governor: ‘I’m not going anywhere’
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam considered resigning amid a scandal that he once wore blackface, but the pediatric neurologist said Sunday that he’s “not going anywhere” because the state “needs someone that can heal” it. Northam made the comments on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” saying it’s been...
Finnish report: Some troops helped to kill Jews in WWII
HELSINKI — An Israeli Holocaust historian on Sunday praised Finnish authorities for publishing a report concluding that the country’s volunteer battalion, which served with Nazi Germany’s Waffen-SS, took part in atrocities during World War II, including participating in the mass murder of Jews. Efraim Zuroff of the Simon Wiesenthal Center...
NY woman resorts to baseball bat after patty not available
NEW YORK — A woman who couldn’t get a beef patty at a favorite New York eatery used a baseball bat in protest. On Saturday, police released surveillance video of the woman in action in the Bronx — smashing a restaurant’s windows after learning the eatery had run out of...
Two drivers killed in separate Indiana County crashes, troopers say
Two people were killed in separate accidents Saturday in Indiana County, according to state police. Christine Pierce, 55, of Indiana, was killed in the first crash that occurred at 10:32 a.m. on the 3500 block of Route 286 in White Township, state police said. Troopers reported Pierce’s vehicle crossed the...
Megan’s Law shines light on Alle-Kiski Valley sex offenders
Former Leechburg police Chief Mike Diebold’s headline-grabbing release from the Westmoreland County jail two weeks ago concerned some residents who felt he shouldn’t live near three schools because he’s a registered sex offender. Sex offenders rarely garner such attention when they get out of jail. Often, their neighbors are unaware...
10th Street Bypass reopened as floodwaters recede
The 10th Street Bypass between Ft. Duquesne Boulevard and 10th Street in Pittsburgh reopened to traffic Sunday morning, PennDOT District 11 has announced. The section was closed Friday due to flooding along the Allegheny River. On Saturday, PennDOT also reopened the “bathtub” area of the Parkway East and the southbound...
South Korea, U.S. sign new cost-sharing deal for US troops
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea says it has signed a new deal with the United States on how much Seoul should pay for the U.S. military presence on its soil. Sunday’s signing followed rounds of failed negotiations on the matter that caused worries about the decades-long military alliance between...
Afghan lawmaker says airstrikes kill 21 civilians
KABUL, Afghanistan — Airstrikes in the southern Helmand province have killed 21 civilians, including women and children, an Afghan lawmaker said. Thirteen civilians were killed in one strike and eight in another, Mohammad Hashim Alkozai, a senator from Helmand, said Sunday. Both airstrikes were carried out late Friday in the...
Keystone park vistas inspire award-winning New Alexandria photographerVideo
Keystone State Park hides few sites around its 78-acre lake that Carolyn Anderson hasn’t explored. “I have probably been at every spot you can be at,” said the lifelong resident of nearby New Alexandria. “I’ve been in the bushes, hanging from trees, everything.” Anderson travels to the Derry Township park...
Fayette County man flown to hospital after suffering burns in Saltlick fire, dispatcher says
Multiple fire departments from Fayette and Westmoreland counties responded to a house fire Sunday in Saltlick Township where one resident reportedly suffered burns, according to a Fayette County dispatcher. The dispatcher said an elderly male resident inside the house on Stanton Road, near Champion, was airlifted by medical helicopter to...
Dems’ 2020 field now includes Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Sunday joined the growing group of Democrats jostling to be president and positioned herself as the most prominent Midwestern candidate in the field, as her party tries to win back voters in a region that helped put Donald Trump in the White House....
Snow returning to southwestern Pennsylvania Sunday, forecasters say
Southwestern Pennsylvanians will likely see a return of snow to the region late Sunday afternoon that could result in two inches of snow by Monday morning, according to forecasters at the National Weather Service in Moon. Shannon Hefferan, a meteorologist, said Pittsburgh area residents can expect a new weather system...
Unvaccinated teens are fact-checking their parents and trying to get shots on their own
Ethan Lindenberger, frustrated by years of arguments about his mother’s anti-vaccination stance, staged a quiet defection via Reddit. The Norwalk, Ohio, teenager needed advice, he said, on how to inoculate himself against infectious disease and his family’s dogma. At 18, he was old enough, Lindenberger explained. He wanted to get...
More snow for storm-buried Pacific Northwest
SEATTLE — Pacific Northwest residents who are more accustomed to rain than snow were digging out from a winter storm and bracing for more on Sunday. The sun was out but the National Weather Service said snow would return late in the afternoon into the evening across the Northwest. Snowfall...
Recycling market driving area surge in garbage rates
Residents in numerous communities across Southwestern Pennsylvania experienced sticker shock this year when they placed their trash and recyclables at the curb to be hauled away. Refuse collection rates in some municipalities have soared anywhere from 20 percent to 60 percent, and industry officials say a key factor in driving...
Handicapped parking in Vandergrift now limited to 15 percent of any block
Vandergrift Council has adjusted the borough’s handicapped parking policy. Now, up to 15 percent of any block of a street can be set aside for handicapped parking. Previously, it was a maximum of two cars per block. Borough officials continue to grapple with the needs of an aging population in...
Simplify your gardens with raised beds
If you’re looking to start a new vegetable garden, or to simplify the garden you already have, consider installing raised beds. Raised bed gardening can’t be beat for its ease and efficiency. It also saves gardeners time, space, and money. With little wasted space, raised beds are high-yielding and easy...
In Syria, U.S.-backed forces launch battle for last Islamic State foothold
BEIRUT — U.S.-backed forces in Syria announced the beginning Saturday of the possible final battle for the last village controlled by the Islamic State. In a brief statement posted on its website, the Syrian Democratic Forces said the push began on Saturday night and was focused on the village of...
Telemedicine struggles to lure patients
Walmart workers can now see a doctor for only $4. The catch? It has to be a virtual visit. The retail giant recently rolled back the $40 price on telemedicine, becoming the latest big company to nudge employees toward a high-tech way to get diagnosed and treated remotely. But patients...
Lawyer: Head injury effects render Laurel Mountain man unfit for murder trial
The lawyer for a Laurel Mountain man jailed nearly five years on charges that he killed his live-in girlfriend wants a county judge to rule him incompetent to stand trial. Defense attorney Brian Aston, in court documents filed this week, argued Gregory Randall, 62, suffers memory and cognitive impairments as...
Hundreds of Seton Hill students volunteer in honor of Martin Luther KingVideo
A lot of college students might have woken up Saturday, saw the temperatures outside dipped to the low teens, rolled over and hit the snooze button. But that was the furthest thing from Seton Hill University junior Molly Carbone’s mind. “No way. I love doing carpentry, and I really love...
Search continues for body in Brush Creek in North HuntingdonVideo
The search for a body along Brush Creek in North Huntingdon Township has entered its second day as rescue crews resumed Sunday morning. A Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher confirmed the search had resumed, but no other updates were immediately available. Police received a report Saturday that a body was spotted...
