Pitt, Japanese students celebrate newfound adulthood with traditional ceremonyVideo
While volunteers wrapped and folded Emily Farmer in the layers of a kimono, she put her four semesters of Japanese to the test. The Pitt sophomore majoring in molecular biology understood when they would ask about things like the lengths of the garments or its front and back during the...
As oil prices rise, lowest gas prices may be in rearview mirror
With oil prices back over $50 per barrel, gas prices may soon bottom out and start to move higher, said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “While it doesn’t seem that prices will rise very far, it looks more and more like the lowest price of the year...
3-hour ‘standoff’ ends when homeowner returns from walk
BETHLEHEM — A nearly three-hour standoff with police at a Bethlehem Township home turned out to be at an empty house. The incident Saturday night began when the father of a man who lives at the house called 911 and said he thought his son had been shot by his...
Westmoreland’s Register of Wills to seek another term in office
Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton has announced she will seek a second term in office. Hamilton, 42, a Republican from Hempfield, was first elected in 2015 to run the courthouse office that oversees estate records, orphans court and marriage licenses. She served one year as the office’s...
He spotted Jayme Closs at a bus stop, then launched deadly plan to kidnap her, police say
BARRON, Wis. — He shaved his head and his face, wiping down his father’s shotgun and six 12-gauge shells to avoid leaving a physical trace. He replaced his car’s license plates with a set he had stolen, removing a glow-in-the-dark cord from the trunk that allowed people to open it...
Latrobe OKs 26 percent hike in garbage fees, hears union drivers’ concerns
Latrobe residents will see their quarterly garbage collection bills increase by $15, or an average of 26 percent, this year under a new five-year contract between the city and its refuse hauler, Republic Services. With Mayor Rosie Wolford absent, city council Monday voted 6-0 in favor of the agreement, which...
Leechburg library reopens after major 8-month tech renovation
Although the renovated Leechburg Public Library opened last week, residents are invited to attend a grand re-opening at 6 p.m. Jan. 22. The library has been closed since May for extensive renovations. It now boasts a more open space with comfortable seating and technological upgrades, including a media center and...
Details about Manafort’s interactions show Mueller’s focus on Russian contacts
New revelations about Paul Manafort’s interactions with a Russian associate while he was leading President Trump’s campaign provide a window into how extensively the special counsel has mapped interactions between Trump associates and Russians in his 20-month investigation. When Manafort pleaded guilty in September to federal crimes related to his...
Daughter’s plea draws 50,000 birthday cards for World War II veteran
FULLERTON, Calif. — When Sue Morse requested on Facebook that friends send her father well-wishes for his Dec. 30 birthday, she expected maybe 160 cards. At 96, World War II veteran and Purple Heart medal recipient Duane Sherman has survived most of his friends. As of Jan. 9, Sherman received...
Man accused in death of girl, 4, who spilled juice on Xbox
WAUKEGAN, Ill. — Prosecutors will seek a life sentence for a suburban Chicago man accused of beating a 4-year-old girl to death after she spilled juice on an Xbox video console. Prosecutors said “heinous” circumstances justify the sentence for 19-year-old Johnathan Fair, of Waukegan, if he is eventually convicted of...
Authorities: 4 foster kids die in West Virginia house fire
CLAY, W.Va. — Authorities in West Virginia say four foster children have been killed in a house fire. Deputy State Fire Marshal Jason Baltic tells news outlets the fire destroyed the home Saturday night in Clay. The state Department of Health and Human Resources’ Bureau for Children and Families said...
Many of Trump’s advisers tried to derail Syria withdrawal
WASHINGTON — President Trump dispatched national security adviser John Bolton on a cleanup mission a week ago, with a three-day itinerary in Israel that was intended to reassure a close ally that Trump’s impulsive decision to immediately withdraw troops from Syria would be carried out more slowly and with important...
Analysis: Stagecraft won’t win shutdown battle for Trump
WASHINGTON — Military salutes. Heaps of contraband. Oval Office optics. President Trump, who has long put a premium on stagecraft, is discovering he cannot resolve the partial government shutdown simply by putting on a show. With the standoff over paying for his long-promised U.S.-Mexico wall dragging on, the president’s Oval...
Judge blocks Trump birth control coverage rules in 13 states
OAKLAND, Calif. — A U.S. judge in California on Sunday blocked Trump administration rules, which would allow more employers to opt out of providing women with no-cost birth control, from taking effect in 13 states and Washington, D.C. Judge Haywood Gilliam granted a request for a preliminary injunction by California,...
Anderson’s planned retirement to make it tough for GOP to regain power among Westmoreland commissioners
Westmoreland County Republicans expect the path to reclaim a majority on the board of commissioners will be more difficult this year with the impending retirement of popular incumbent Charles Anderson. Anderson announced last week he would not seek another term in office, leaving the local GOP with a huge hole...
Trade war’s wounded: Companies improvise to dodge cost hikes
WASHINGTON — In Rochester, N.Y., a maker of furnaces for semiconductor and solar companies is moving its research and development to China to dodge President Trump’s import taxes — a move that threatens a handful of its 26 U.S. jobs. In California’s San Joaquin Valley, the CEO of a company...
Wintry mix of snow, freezing rain pummels mid-Atlantic
RICHMOND, Va. — A winter storm that contributed to at least five deaths in the Midwest pummeled the mid-Atlantic region for a second day Sunday, bringing with it an icy mix that knocked out power, cancelled flights and contributed to hundreds of car accidents. Virginia State Police said the driver...
Graham says Trump isn’t giving in on southern border wall
WASHINGTON — A leading Senate Republican close to President Donald Trump says Trump isn’t giving in on his demands for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, the issue that’s caused the partial government shutdown that’s now in its fourth week. Sen. Lindsey Graham says he encouraged Trump during a telephone...
Monroeville man sought for allegedly stealing car in Indiana County
State police are looking for a Monroeville man charged with stealing a car in Indiana County. Police allege Dakar Allen Jones, 46, took a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am coupe from a Blairsville woman at about 5 a.m. June 3, outside the Eat’n Park restaurant on Oakland Avenue in White Township....
Rostraver crash sends 3 to area hospitals
Three motorists were taken at area hospitals for treatment following a two-vehicle collision Sunday on Route 51 in Rostraver Township. The crash happened around 12:45 p.m. in the southbound lanes of the highway, near Willowbrook Plaza. Two patients were taken by ambulance to a local hospital. A third was taken...
Grandfather: Wisconsin teen in ‘good spirits’ after rescue
BARRON, Wis. — The grandfather of a 13-year-old northwestern Wisconsin girl says she’s in “exceptionally good spirits” after being found nearly three months after authorities say she was kidnapped during a home invasion that left her parents dead. Jamye Closs had been missing for nearly three months when she approached...
DNA of wolf declared extinct in wild lives on in Texas pack
DALLAS — Researchers say a pack of wild canines found frolicking near the beaches of the Texas Gulf Coast carry a substantial amount of red wolf genes, a surprising discovery because the animal was declared extinct in the wild nearly 40 years ago. The finding has led wildlife biologists and...
Trump dodges question on whether he has worked for Russia
WASHINGTON— President Donald Trump avoided giving a direct answer when asked if he currently is or has ever worked for Russia after a published report said federal law enforcement officials were so concerned about his behavior after he fired James Comey from the FBI that they began investigating whether Trump...
Snow blankets Pittsburgh region, temperatures to remain freezing
Western Pennsylvania residents are digging out Sunday morning after the first measurable snow fall of 2019 hit overnight. Shannon Hefferan, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon, said the Pittsburgh region saw, on average, about 3 inches of snow overnight Saturday into Sunday. Hefferan said the area hit the...
Beef-friendly Nebraska eyes regulations on the word ‘meat’
LINCOLN, Neb. — More than four months after Missouri became the first U.S. state to regulate the term “meat” on product labels, Nebraska’s powerful farm groups are pushing for similar protection from veggie burgers, tofu dogs and other items that look and taste like real meat. Nebraska lawmakers will consider...
