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...
100 years ago in Boston: The day molasses was deadly fast
BOSTON — Slow as molasses? This treacle didn’t trickle. It was a sticky, deadly tsunami that flattened an entire Boston neighborhood within seconds. On Tuesday, the city marks the 100th anniversary of its most peculiar disaster — the Great Molasses Flood. It struck without warning at midday on Jan. 15,...
Lovin’ it: Trump fetes NCAA champion Clemson with burgers, fries
WASHINGTON — The scent of burgers, fries and victory wafted through the stately White House on Monday as President Trump saluted college football’s Clemson Tigers for winning the national championship. Trump, a fast food lover, said he even paid for their meal himself because of the partial government shutdown. He...
Wolf inauguration price tag: $1.7 million and counting
HARRISBURG — Labor unions, law firms, lobbyists and big energy companies are among dozens of donors who have kicked in more than $1.7 million to help pay for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s inaugural events Tuesday, according to information disclosed by the governor’s inaugural committee. And that number is only expected...
11 charged in probe of triple homicide at Pennsylvania farm
MERCERSBURG — A federal grand jury has said three people were tied up, shot and set on fire in a central Pennsylvania barn more than two years ago in an effort to silence a police informant. An indictment unsealed Friday said eight men were involved in the slaying of Wendy...
10 years later, Beaver Co. flight attendant recalls life-altering ‘Miracle on Hudson’
Ten years later, Doreen Welsh still remembers the eerie quiet after the engines on US Airways Flight 1549 stopped running. The plane had just taken off from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport on Jan. 15, 2009, when it struck a flock of Canada geese just northeast of the George Washington...
Keeping up with the Joneses means tapping some maple sap for syrupVideo
The Joneses prove that the family that makes maple syrup together sticks together, and then some. The family of eight soon could bring to local markets their private label maple syrup made at their Washington Township home. For Ryan Jones, growing up in New Hampshire, everyone knows someone who produces...
Police ask for public’s help in search for man missing from South Buffalo since Christmas
State police are running out of leads in the search for an elderly autistic man who disappeared from South Buffalo on Christmas. Kenneth L. Himes, 70, left the home of a family member along Cadogan-Slate Lick Road in South Buffalo sometime between 11:30 p.m. Dec. 25 and 8 a.m. Dec....
Westmoreland drug court participants will receive life-saving kits
Westmoreland County’s drug court participants will receive a kit with a life-saving dose of naloxone as part of a grant received Monday. Tim Phillips, executive director of the county’s Drug Overdose Task Force, said the county received 65 doses of the drug as part of program from the pharmaceutical company...
Latest polls show voters blaming Trump for the government shutdown
WASHINGTON — President Trump said a month ago that he’d gladly take the blame for a government shutdown over his proposed border wall. Polls show he’s getting it. Six surveys taken since the partial government closure began last month tell a consistent story — half or more Americans believe Trump...
KDKA’s Marty Griffin relishing ‘cancer-free’ news
KDKA radio host Marty Griffin is cancer-free. Griffin joyfully shared the news hours after undergoing PET and CT scans Monday morning, six weeks after completing treatment for HPV-related cancer. Griffin said he feels “excellent.” “I’m thrilled, crying like a baby,” he said. Griffin, 59, announced in September that he was...
Texas woman drinking wine from Pringles can banned from Walmart
WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Police in northern Texas say a woman has been banned from a local Walmart because she spent several hours driving an electric shopping cart around the store’s parking lot while drinking wine from a Pringles can. Police tell the Times Record News that officers responded to...
House GOP leaders move to strip Rep. King of committee assignments over comments
WASHINGTON — A panel of Republican leaders voted unanimously Monday to keep veteran Iowa lawmaker Steve King off of House committees, a firm rebuke to a influential opponent of illegal immigration who sparked outrage last week after openly questioning whether the term “white supremacist” was offensive. House Minority Leader Kevin...
Jeannette man gets up to 23 months in jail for stabbing man in chest
A Jeannette man will serve up to nearly two years in jail for assaulting another man on the porch of his home last spring. Marlon C. “Star” Williams, 40, pleaded guilty Monday to charges of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment for the stabbing. Police said Williams used a three-inch knife...
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board selling $800 bourbon in special lottery
Good things come to those who wait — or so says the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Connoisseurs of bourbon have until 11 p.m. Saturday to bid on various rare, high-demand products in the first limited-release lottery of 2019. A total of 871 bottles are available, including $800-a-bottle Kentucky straight bourbon...
Police say former inmate was on drugs when he carjacked woman outside jail
Police say a Philadelphia man was under the influence of anxiety medication, marijuana and opioids on Dec. 4 when he carjacked a West Leechburg woman and sped away with her infant grandson in the backseat minutes after being released from Westmoreland County Prison, according to new court documents. County park...
Cops: Stats show violent crime down, community outreach working in Pittsburgh
Gun violence in Pittsburgh decreased across the board last year, from homicides to calls for shots fired, city officials said Monday. Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich credited more officers, more technology and more community outreach for the declines. Homicides fell by 5 percent between 2017 and 2018, from 58 to...
Troopers: Former inmate was on drugs when he carjacked woman outside county jail
A Philadelphia man was under the influence of anxiety medication, marijuana and opioids on Dec. 4 when he carjacked a woman and sped away with her infant grandson in the backseat minutes after being released from the Westmoreland County Prison, according to new court documents. County park police already had...