Vatican: No prior accusation of sex abuse against Argentine
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican is insisting that there were no accusations of sexual abuse against an Argentine bishop close to Pope Francis when he resigned suddenly in 2017 and was promoted to a job at the Vatican. Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti repeated Tuesday that the Vatican only received the...
Mueller looking into Trump campaign ties to NRA as part of Russia probe
Special counsel Robert Mueller is probing the Trump campaign’s “dealings” with the National Rifle Association as part of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday. Mueller’s investigators asked former Trump aide Sam Nunberg about the campaign’s relationship with the NRA...
Beijing urged to free detained Canadians
BEIJING — The United States will continue to seek the extradition of jailed technology executive Meng Wanzhou, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed Tuesday, news that will intensify a high-stakes dispute between China and the United States. Meng, who is chief financial officer for Huawei Technologies, was arrested in Vancouver...
Salvadoran man to be charged in 4 fatal shootings in Nevada
LAS VEGAS — A man suspected of being in the United States illegally shot and killed four people in Nevada over the past two weeks, including an elderly Reno couple, authorities said, further inflaming the immigration debate. Wilbur Ernesto Martinez-Guzman, 19, from El Salvador has been jailed in Carson City...
Senate schedules 2 votes to reopen government
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Tuesday scheduled a pair of competing votes to reopen the federal government, announcing that he would bring up dueling proposals from President Trump and the Democrats that would amount to the first real action in the Senate since the shutdown began...
Kaye Ballard, boisterous singer and actress, dies at 93
LOS ANGELES — Kaye Ballard, the boisterous comedian and singer who appeared in Broadway musicals and nightclubs from New York to Las Vegas and starred with Eve Arden in the 1960s TV sitcom “The Mothers-In-Law,” has died. She was 93. Ballard died Monday night at her home in Rancho Mirage,...
Judge declares Iowa fetal heartbeat law unconstitutional
DES MOINES, Iowa — A state judge on Tuesday struck down Iowa’s restrictive “fetal heartbeat” abortion law, which would have been the most restrictive anti-abortion law in the nation. Judge Michael Huppert found the law unconstitutional, concluding that the Iowa Supreme Court’s earlier decisions that affirm a woman’s fundamental right...
Twitter takes down account that shared selective video of Covington controversy
Twitter has suspended an account with thousands of followers for violating its policy against “fake and misleading accounts,” because it posted a clip of the encounter between a Native American elder and several Kentucky high school students. The video, which was taken on Friday, has become a lightning rod for...
Mom arrested after dead baby found in Amazon site’s restroom
PHOENIX — A woman has been arrested on suspicion of unlawful disposal of human remains after her newborn baby was found dead inside a bathroom at an Amazon distribution center in southwest Phoenix last week, police announced Tuesday. Samantha Vivier, 22, was booked into jail. Police said their investigation into...
Anastasia Vashukevich, model who claimed U.S.-Russia collusion evidence, freed from jail
MOSCOW — A self-described sex trainer from Belarus who became an unlikely player in an investigation of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential campaign was released from a Moscow jail on Tuesday, a defense lawyer involved in the case said. Anastasia Vashukevich, also known as Nastya Rybka, and her partner,...
Pittsburgh police promote longtime sergeant to command staff
Pittsburgh police promoted a longtime sergeant to the rank of commander Tuesday in a small ceremony in Mayor Bill Peduto’s office. John Fisher, a Pittsburgh police officer for more than three decades, is now a commander in the administrative branch, where he will oversee the training academy, the Office of...
Jury for Michael Rosfeld, charged in killing of Antwon Rose, to come from Dauphin County
A jury will be chosen from Dauphin County in the homicide case against former East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld, charged in the 2018 killing of Antwon Rose II, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday. The DA’s office tweeted Tuesday that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered that Dauphin...
Former Brackenridge man pleads guilty to 2012 double murder in Arnold
An Allegheny County man was sentenced Tuesday to serve up to 30 years in prison for the fatal beating of an Arnold woman and her adult son more than six years ago. Robert Briestensky, 45, formerly of Brackenridge, pleaded guilty to two lesser counts of third-degree murder in connection with...
Apollo ready to fill secretary, solicitor vacancies
Apollo soon could have a borough secretary and a solicitor again. The borough’s personnel committee has candidates to fill the vacancies, which council is expected to vote on during its regular meeting on Thursday. Borough council will meet at 7 p.m., Thursday, at the borough building, 616 First St. Late...
Rudy Giuliani compounds Trump’s Russia woes in conflicting interviews
WASHINGTON — A lawyer’s job is to make a client look innocent, if not to prove it — something President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani has been struggling with in recent days. In a string of interviews, Giuliani has walked back a series of potentially damaging statements where he implied there...
Cheswick to again be without a secretary
Cheswick has lost its second borough secretary in little more than a year. Joseph Puet, 60, of Arnold resigned Tuesday, only two months into his yearlong contract. The borough’s previous secretary, Ian Fitzgerald, was hired in November 2017 and left in October 2018 to take a job with a jump...
Defense attorney pleads guilty to covering up overdose death
A Pittsburgh defense attorney pleaded guilty Tuesday to covering up the overdose death of a friend and abandoning the body in a Squirrel Hill alley. Kevin Abramovitz, 38, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence, obstruction of the law and hindering apprehension. Judge Jeffrey A. Manning...
Judge dismisses Mt. Pleasant family’s wrongful death lawsuit against gun maker, dealer
A Westmoreland County judge has dismissed a wrongful death lawsuit filed against a gun store and weapons manufacturer brought by the parents of a Mt. Pleasant teenager who was shot and killed by a friend in 2016. Common Pleas Court Judge Harry Smail Jr. in a 16-page opinion threw out...
Senate set to vote on 2 competing plans to end shutdown
WASHINGTON — Senate leaders reached an agreement on Tuesday to vote this week on two competing proposals to end the government shutdown, including President Trump’s plan to have Congress pay for the long-stalled wall along the U.S.-Mexico border that’s likely to fail. The other measure, from Democrats, also seems unlikely...
Hempfield seniors receive scholarships to Saint Vincent College
Two Hempfield Area High School seniors received the surprise of a lifetime — a full ride to Saint Vincent College in Unity. On Tuesday, Nolan Fraicola and Sarah Kudrick were surrounded by balloons when Saint Vincent Dean of Admissions Heather Kabala and Associate Director of Admissions Christina Andrae presented them...
Boil water advisory for Port Vue, McKeesport
A boil water advisory has been issued for Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers in Port Vue and McKeesport. Water authority officials said a leak of a six-inch water line near Romine Avenue in Port Vue shortly after 9:30 a.m. caused pressure issues for more than 2,100 customers near the...
‘Cool Down for Warmth’ returns to Market Square for 5th yearVideo
With temperatures hovering in the teens Tuesday morning, the construction of a 1,000 square-foot ice house in the middle of Market Square seemed only appropriate. For the fifth year, Dollar Energy Fund will host the “Cool Down for Warmth” on Thursday and Friday. The event aims to raise awareness and...
Reservations starting soon for Greensburg park pavilions
Winter is still going strong, but its almost time to make reservations for Greensburg’s park pavilions for those making warm-weather plans. First-come, first-serve reservations for the pavilions at Mt. Odin Park and Lynch Field open Feb. 5. Pavilions at Mt. Odin Park cost $175 for Greensburg residents and $200 for...
Police looking for person who fled Turtle Creek shooting scene
A 17-year-old boy was treated and released from a local hospital after being shot Tuesday morning in Turtle Creek, Allegheny County police said. Turtle Creek police and paramedics went to the 900 block of Oak Avenue around 8 a.m. in response to 911 calls about a shooting. The boy had...
Highlands School District hopes pay boost will attract nurses, union says
Highlands School District is hoping to attract health room nurses by increasing pay, a union representative said Tuesday. In an agreement with the Highlands Educational Support Professionals Association, the district has increased the pay for health room licensed practical nurses to $15 per hour. The hourly rate had been as...
