Mercer County DA takes stand to defend himself from obstruction charges
Mercer County District Attorney Miles K. Karson has been practicing law in this western Pennsylvania county for more than four decades. In that time, he’s prosecuted and defended clients in a wide variety of matters. On Wednesday morning, Karson, a 73-year-old McKeesport native who lives in Sharon, was sworn under...
Greek PM survives confidence vote after coalition collapse
ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s left-wing prime minister narrowly won a confidence vote in parliament late Wednesday days after the governing coalition he leads collapsed over an agreement to end a long-running dispute over neighboring Macedonia’s name. Lawmakers voted 151-148 on a motion called by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, giving his...
Unbearable stench: Giant sewage spill befouls Peru’s capital
LIMA, Peru — Amid an unbearable stench, thousands of workers, police and soldiers struggled Wednesday to contain and clean up a flood of sewage that has caused the government to declare a health emergency in one of the most populous parts of Peru’s capital. The foul flood was caused by...
Watchdog: GSA ignored emoluments in OKing Trump hotel lease
WASHINGTON — The General Services Administration improperly “ignored” the U.S. Constitution’s emoluments provision outlawing foreign gifts when it green-lit President Trump’s management of his Washington, D.C., hotel after his 2016 election, the agency’s inspector general said Wednesday. In a 47-page report, GSA watchdog Carol F. Ochoa concluded that the “president’s...
Carry Nation, the fiery feminist who helped launch Prohibition 100 years ago
It was a divorcee wielding a hatchet — an ultimate revenge scenario — who largely got America into rehab 100 years ago ago. Carry Amelia Nation, who also liked to be known as Carry A. Nation, didn’t live to see the ratification of the Constitution’s 18th Amendment — better known...
GOP senators protect Trump administration plan to lift Russian sanctions
WASHINGTON — Republican senators on Wednesday successfully defended the Trump administration’s plan to lift sanctions on companies controlled by a Vladimir Putin ally — despite the defection of nearly a dozen Republicans who broke ranks to vote with the Democrats. The Democratic effort to block the relaxation of sanctions on...
Less beef, more beans; Experts say world needs a new diet
NEW YORK — A hamburger a week, but no more — that’s about as much red meat people should eat to do what’s best for their health and the planet, according to a report seeking to overhaul the world’s diet. Eggs should be limited to fewer than about four a...
State takes charge of debt-ridden Penn Hills School District’s financial recovery efforts
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has placed the Penn Hills School District in financial recovery status in an attempt to get the debt-ridden, shrinking district back on track to solvency, officials announced Wednesday. The oversight move means that the state will appoint a full-time chief recovery officer to work with...
Derry Township’s Torrance State Hospital marks centennialVideo
Patients, staff and retirees from Torrance State Hospital gathered in the public mental hospital’s once grand auditorium Tuesday for a worship service to mark the beginning of the institution’s centennial year. Torrance chaplain, the Rev. Cletus Hull, led the group of about 150 in a service of prayer and thanksgiving...
Pennsylvania sued over limits on state coverage of abortion
HARRISBURG — The operators of 15 abortion clinics sued Pennsylvania on Wednesday in a bid to persuade state courts to reverse a decades-old decision upholding limits on the use of state Medicaid dollars to cover abortions. The lawsuit, filed in Commonwealth Court, seeks an order requiring the state’s Medicaid program...
Mayor’s killing in Poland sparks anger against hate speech
WARSAW, Poland — Poles on Wednesday heatedly condemned the power of hate speech to trigger real-life violence after the slaying of a popular liberal mayor, with many calling for stronger actions against those who threaten others. Not only did the killer, an ex-convict, take the life of the 53-year-old Gdansk...
Mexico to ship gas on trains, thieves siphon whole pipelines
MEXICO CITY — Fuel thieves in Mexico have grown so bold they are drilling illegal taps under warehouses in big cities and siphoning off the entire contents of pipelines, Mexico’s president said Wednesday. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that at one pipeline carrying gasoline to Mexico City, thieves didn’t...
Pennsylvania casino revenue climbs above $3.2 billion
Pennsylvania’s 12 casinos generated more than $3.2 billion in revenues in 2018, setting a record for the most money earned in a year since gambling was legalized in 2006. The record revenues topped the previous high, set a year earlier, by more than $21 million. Revenue figures were released Wednesday...
Rare snow goose, gadwall duck found during Christmas Bird Count
A snow goose in Allegheny Cemetery in Lawrenceville and a gadwall duck in Harmar were among the rare finds for the Pittsburgh Christmas Bird Count, part of the annual census of the birds. On the Dec. 29 count day, Pittsburgh’s bird count tallied 24,877 birds of 71 varieties, according to...
Officials: Lancaster woman gave birth at work, left baby in toilet
LANCASTER, Pa. — Officials in Pennsylvania say a woman gave birth in a restroom at her work and left the baby boy partially submerged in the toilet. Police in Lancaster County say 23-year-old Emmanuella Osei has been charged with felony endangering the welfare of a child. The Lancaster District Attorney’s...
Candidate challenging Pittsburgh council president opposes gun restrictions
A University of Pittsburgh student announced plans this week to challenge Pittsburgh City Council President Bruce Kraus for his District 3 seat during this year’s Democratic primary. Chris Kumanchik, 25, of Central Oakland is the third Democrat to oppose Kraus, who is seeking a fourth term. The other candidates are...
TSA officers to rally Friday at Pittsburgh International Airport
Transportation Security Administration workers are ready to show their frustration with the current government shutdown. A rally by union leaders representing TSA workers in Pennsylvania has been planned for 11 a.m. Friday at the Pittsburgh International Airport’s ticketing level. On Wednesday, those leaders called for an end to the shutdown....
TV journalist Chris Hansen accused of bouncing checks
STAMFORD, Conn. — A TV journalist known for confronting would-be child predators has been snared himself in a police investigation alleging he wrote bad checks for $13,000 worth of marketing materials. Former “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen was arrested Monday in his hometown of Stamford, Conn. He was...
Chris Christie: Trump surrounded by ‘amateurs, weaklings’ – but it’s not really his fault
The latest in a growing line of tell-all books from within President Trump’s political orbit is hitting the shelves soon. And judging by what we’ve seen so far about Chris Christie’s book — and what we know about him as a person — there will be plenty of score-settling. But...
Judge gives Pershing Square hi-rise owner time to make elevator repairs
A judge on Wednesday gave the owner of Pershing Square Apartments in downtown Greensburg until July to repair or replace two unreliable elevators that have left several elderly residents trapped. “Why is this taking so long?” District Magistrate Chris Flanigan asked Greensburg attorney Matt Schimizzi at a brief hearing. “It’s...
Mt. Pleasant man charged with selling fatal blend of heroin, fentanyl
State police have charged a Mt. Pleasant man with selling a fatal blend of heroin and fentanyl. Ricky Fosbrink, 34, allegedly sold the drugs that killed Christopher Phillip Biller, 35, on Jan. 22, 2017. Biller was found dead in a friend’s apartment, according to court papers. Investigators found a syringe...
Mike Pence declares ‘ISIS is defeated’ hours after attack kills U.S. troops
WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence told U.S. diplomats Wednesday that the Islamic State caliphate has collapsed in Syria, but he made no mention of the U.S. military personnel confirmed killed in the country shortly before he spoke. In remarks filled with praise for the leadership of President Trump, Pence...
Clarion named Pa.’s River of the Year by public vote
The Clarion River, a tributary of the Allegheny, has been voted Pennsylvania’s 2019 River of the Year. The public was invited to vote online, choosing from among four waterways nominated across the state. Results were announced jointly on Wednesday by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the...
The best prescription for teens addicted to vaping? No one knows
WASHINGTON — The nation’s top health authorities agree: Teen vaping is an epidemic that now affects some 3.6 million underage users of Juul and other e-cigarettes. But no one seems to know the best way to help teenagers who may be addicted to nicotine. E-cigarettes are now the top high-risk...
Blackburn Center, Murrysville library to host program on human trafficking
It might be hard to imagine that something like human trafficking goes on in Westmoreland County. But human trafficking cases do not always involve international intrigue, with mysterious shipping containers hiding women who will be delivered into the hands of U.S. sex traffickers. Sometimes they are much simpler, though no...
