Judge bars citizenship question from 2020 census
NEW YORK — The Trump administration cannot put a question about citizenship status on the 2020 census, a federal judge in New York ruled Friday in a boost to proponents of counting immigrants. In a 277-page decision that won’t be the final word on the issue, U.S. District Judge Jesse...
$12,000 reward offered for info on man last seen in South Buffalo
The family and personal care home of a missing elderly man last seen in South Buffalo on Christmas is offering a $12,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts. Police have been searching for Kenneth L. Himes, 70, since he left his brother’s home along Cadogan-Slate Lick Road sometime between...
Bayer to close site in Robinson by 2020, cut nearly 600 local positions
Global pharmaceutical giant Bayer Corp. announced Tuesday it is closing its Robinson campus within the next two years. It will mean the loss of 569 jobs and 96 contractors, the company said in a statement. The news shocked Robinson officials, but the Airport Area Chamber of Commerce believed Bayer employees...
Pittsburgh council members could face charges over gun restrictions, DA says
Pittsburgh City Council’s proposed gun legislation might be unconstitutional and could result in criminal charges against members of council, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said in a letter to the councilman who introduced the bills. The legislation, proposed last month by Councilman Corey O’Connor, would ban semi-automatic...
Trump’s burger-fest brings roasting from late-night TV hostsVideo
WASHINGTON — Junk food for athletes? President Donald Trump’s offer of greasy burgers and fries to the college football champion Clemson Tigers brought a roasting from late-night TV hosts. Trump, a fast-food lover, said he paid for the meal himself because of the partial government shutdown, which has led to...
Chick-fil-A opens on a Sunday for autistic boy’s birthday
Chick-fil-A, the fast-food chain that is never open on Sundays, was serving up its menu on a recent Sunday at one Alabama location — for a very special reason. The chain made an exception a few weeks ago for Elijah Sprague, a young man with autism celebrating his 14th birthday,...
Severe weather in 2018 leads to increased Latrobe fire calls
Latrobe firefighters responded to a near record 1,018 alarms in 2018 — second only to a record 1,101 calls the volunteer department answered in 2004. “We got through it, but I hope it slows down a little,” fire Chief John Brasile said of last year’s emergency volume. In each of...
Kim Kardashian confirms she and Kanye expecting 4th child
NEW YORK — Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are expecting their fourth child. Kardashian confirmed the surrogate pregnancy during an appearance Monday on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.” The 38-year-old reality star says the boy will arrive “sometime soon.” Kardashian says she got drunk on Christmas Eve...
Number of no-show airport security screeners soars in shutdown
ATLANTA — The number of airport security screeners failing to show up for work around the country is soaring as the partial government shutdown goes into its fourth week. No-shows among screeners jumped Sunday and again Monday, when the Transportation Security Administration reported a national absence rate of 7.6 percent...
Coyote in the bathroom! Critter runs into convention center
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A coyote sprinted past a security checkpoint and into a Nashville convention center where a boat show was packing up Sunday night. According to the Music City Center, at around 10:20 p.m. the coyote entered through a loading area and ran into an exhibit hall before staff...
Trump says solution to shutdown impasse ‘so simple’
WASHINGTON — With the government mired in shutdown week four, President Donald Trump rejected a short-term legislative fix and dug in for more combat, declaring he would “never ever back down.” Trump rejected a suggestion to reopen the government for several weeks while negotiations would continue with Democrats over his...
Burglar breaks into Shadyside’s Henne Jewelers, leaves empty-handed
A burglar got into a Shadyside jewelry store early Tuesday morning, but left with nothing. The jewelry at Henne Jewelers was in a vault and out of the burglar’s reach, the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV, reported Tuesday. Officers responded to an alarm at the store in the 5500 block of...
Snack drawers and other ways to teach kids to eat in moderation
Just as children need support when they learn to read, write or ride a bike, they need support learning to eat in moderation, especially during snack time. Snacks are usually the most challenging to moderate because children often prefer snack foods to what is served for dinner. Most kids can...
Lady Gaga puts spotlight on dealing with fibromyalgia
The one thing that can really irritate Lady Gaga is people not believing that the pain from her fibromyalgia is real. “People need to be more compassionate,” she told Vogue in an interview. With a hit movie and soundtrack for “A Star Is Born” and the recent premiere of a...
The whole truth? Patients often conceal details from doctors
A new medical study upholds an old truth about patients deceiving their health care providers: It happens a lot. The deception is, of course, mutual. In medical journals, it’s generally referred to as “nondisclosure” or “withholding.” On the TV drama “House,” it was called “lying” and the lead character, Dr....
Flipper fun at Pinball PA and other places around Pittsburgh region
It’s just before 11 a.m. on a Saturday when Zakk Akin arrives at work. He makes his way through the dark, maze-like facility. The place is silent, save for the jangling of his key chain. He flips a switch, creating a cacophony of buzzing, beeping, bells and robotic voices. Colorful,...
Chunk of Tappan Zee Bridge is demolished with explosivesVideo
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — A big chunk of the Tappan Zee Bridge went down in history — and the Hudson — on Tuesday after a detonation that thrilled onlookers who played hooky from work and school to watch the spectacle. Despite a few delays, the crowds had cameras at the ready...
William Barr carefully distances himself from Trump on key issues
WASHINGTON — William Barr, President Trump’s nominee for attorney general, told a Senate panel Tuesday that he did not believe special counsel Robert Mueller was on a “witch hunt” and said he would not fire Mueller without good cause. “I would not carry out that instruction” if asked to do...
Greater Latrobe eyes 2.36-mill cap on potential tax hike
Greater Latrobe School Board is considering setting a 2.36-mill cap on a potential property tax increase for the 2019-20 school year. That maximum hike, which would raise an estimated $802,400 in additional revenue for the district, is in line with an adjusted 2.9 percent Act 1 index limit determined by...
Judge says Norwin school board member chosen without influence
A letter sent by a current Norwin school board member to the Westmoreland County judges did not influence their choice to fill a vacant seat on the panel, the president judge said Tuesday. President Judge Rita Hathaway said the nine judges did not consider the letter sent by a school...
‘Like I said: A puppet’: Hillary Clinton doubles down on Trump and Russia
On Friday, The New York Times published a 1,727-word report revealing the FBI had once opened an investigation into whether President Trump was secretly working on behalf of Russia and thus a “possible threat to national security.” Over the weekend, The Washington Post followed with a bombshell of its own:...
Man dies after being shot multiple times in Wilkinsburg
A Monroeville man died after being shot Monday night in Wilkinsburg. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office identified the victim as Tramaine Solomen, 30. He died at an unnamed hospital around 10:35 p.m. Around 8:20 p.m., Allegheny County 911 dispatchers received several calls about shots fired in the 1500 block...
Mt. Pleasant woman traveled abroad, helped travelers at home
When her husband was being shifted around the world during his time as an Air Force radar operator, Adeline Newell got used to traveling. After they returned home, she was the one helping travelers during two decades as a Pennsylvania Turnpike toll collector, mostly at the Donegal interchange. “She worked...
Canadian sentenced to death in China, escalating a bitter diplomatic row
BEIJING — A diplomatic dispute between China and Canada is likely to take on new urgency after a provincial court in northeastern China on Monday sentenced a Canadian man to death for drug trafficking — a case for which he previously had been sentenced to life in prison. China has...
Trump seeks to sell shutdown, trade policies to farmers
NEW ORLEANS — President Trump urged farmers Monday to stick with him even as many grapple with the impact of his trade war with China and the partial government shutdown. “No one understands better than our great farmers that the tough choices we make today reap rewards for centuries to...