Human and financial costs mount as shutdown enters fourth week with Trump threatening longer standoff
WASHINGTON — The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history ground into a fourth week Saturday with President Trump showing fresh defiance on Twitter, congressional Democrats firmly resolved to resist his calls for a border wall, and unpaid workers caught in the middle. “We will be out for a long...
Get the scoop on growing tomatoes from seed
Everyone loves growing tomatoes, but not everyone takes the time to start their own plants from seed. Most gardeners head to their favorite local nursery and pick up a few transplants when planting time arrives. But, starting your tomatoes from seed means you’ll have a far wider selection of varieties...
Clean Slate law offers offenders a fresh start without public criminal record
Pennsylvania state court officials are preparing a massive initiative that could pave the way for courts across the country to offer people convicted of minor offenses a fresh start outside the shadow of their past. In late June, Pennsylvania officials plan to begin running a computer program that will flag...
Coal mine collapses in China, killing at least 21
BEIJING — Twenty-one coal miners were killed when a mine collapsed in northern China, state media reported Sunday. The disaster occurred Saturday in Shenmu in Shaanxi province in the heart of the country’s coal-mining belt, according to state TV and the Xinhua News Agency. Sixty-six other miners were rescued, the...
Ex-Cardinal McCarrick accuser cooperates with NYC prosecutors on Catholic Church sex abuse
VATICAN CITY — The key accuser in the sex abuse case against ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has met with New York City prosecutors, evidence that the scandal that has convulsed the papacy is now part of the broader U.S. law enforcement investigation into sex abuse and cover-up in the Catholic Church....
Storm moves to Mid-Atlantic; at least 5 dead in crashes
ST. LOUIS — A massive winter snowstorm that blanketed several Midwest states was a factor in at least five road deaths on Saturday and forced the grounds crew to scramble to clear snow from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City ahead of the NFL divisional playoff game. The storm moved into...
Trump has concealed details of his face-to-face encounters with Putin from senior officials in administration
President Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to conceal details of his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, including on at least one occasion taking possession of the notes of his own interpreter and instructing the linguist not to discuss what had transpired with other administration officials, current and former...
It’s shaping up to be a stellar year for space flight
Elon Musk is prone to tweeting out artistic renderings of the rockets and spacecraft he intends to build, offering his followers a glimpse of the future he imagines for humanity on other planets. So when he recently posted a photo of a launchpad walkway leading out to his rocket and...
Requests to bring in child brides OK’d; legal under U.S. laws
WASHINGTON — Thousands of requests by men to bring in child and adolescent brides to live in the United States were approved over the past decade, according to government data obtained by The Associated Press. In one case, a 49-year-old man applied for admission for a 15-year-old girl. The approvals...
Notre Dame Club to visit Greensburg synagogue for special Shabbat service
In the days after the Tree of Life Congregation shooting, Monsignor Roger Statnick thought about ways he and his fellow Catholics could show support for the Jewish community in Pittsburgh and Greensburg. Then he met Rabbi Stacy Petersohn of Congregation Emanu-El Israel in Greensburg. The introduction turned into an opportunity...
FBI’s investigation of Trump included counterintelligence inquiry
WASHINGTON — The FBI investigation into President Trump that was opened almost immediately after he fired then-director James Comey also included a counterintelligence component to determine if the president was seeking to help Russia and if so, why, according to people familiar with the matter. The decision by then-acting FBI...
Greensburg woman was active in Scouting, loved working with children
William Vaglia remembers his mom donning the Cub Scouts uniform and taking him to his meetings, a uniform she recently dusted off for her young nephew. “Not a lot of 70-year-old grandmothers get into uniforms and do the Cub Scouts thing,” Vaglia said. But Patricia McDonald always strived to go...
Pittsburgh’s mascots take to the ice to mingle with their fansVideo
More than 40 costumed characters overtook the ice at Schenley Park’s outdoor skating rink Saturday afternoon. There were no triple axels or flying camels. But there were smiles, high-fives and pictures. “(I’m) happy because I’m excited,” skater Ruby Masterson said. Six-year-old Ruby was one of several dozen people who had...
Stephen King complaint spurs newspaper subscription drive
PORTLAND, Maine — A Maine newspaper that horrified author Stephen King by dropping its local book review coverage used his complaint to boost digital subscriptions. King, who lives in Bangor, complained Friday about the Portland Press Herald’s decision to stop publishing freelance-written reviews of books about Maine or written by...
‘Pete the Groin Crusher’ lauded for crushing 10,000 patients
PHILADELPHIA — Nobody ever warns the patients at Pennsylvania Hospital about Pete Schiavo, “The Groin Crusher.” The first time most people meet Schiavo, they’ve just come out of a coronary procedure and he’s explaining that after the catheters are pulled out of their femoral artery, he’s going to apply pressure...
GOP rejected Obama’s executive reach, but accepts Trump’s
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama stunned Republicans when he bypassed Congress and — relying on what he called his pen and his phone — used executive powers to enact his agenda, including protecting millions of young immigrants from deportation. Now, with President Donald Trump proposing an even more dramatic end-run...
In states, Democrats start delivering on health care pledges
SEATTLE — Riding the momentum from November’s elections, Democratic leaders in the states are wasting no time delivering on their biggest campaign promise — to expand access to health care and make it more affordable. The first full week of state legislative sessions and swearings-in for governors saw a flurry...
Bare-handed surgeries as Zimbabwe’s health system collapses
HARARE, Zimbabwe — A doctors’ strike in Zimbabwe has crippled a health system that was already in intensive care from neglect. It mirrors the state of affairs in a country that was full of promise a year ago with the departure of longtime leader Robert Mugabe but now faces economic...
Former Obama housing chief Julian Castro joins 2020 campaign
SAN ANTONIO — Assailing President Donald Trump for “a crisis of leadership,” former Obama Cabinet member Julian Castro joined the 2020 presidential race Saturday as the rush of Democrats making early moves to challenge the incumbent accelerates, while anticipation grows around bigger names still considering a White House run. Castro,...
Pittsburgh man tweets at DiGiorno, gets free pizza as part of promotion
This was an interesting pizza delivery. Lou Corsaro saw a Twitter post on Thursday to tweet DiGiorno Pizza to receive a free pie. “So, I was curious and thought I’d give it a shot,” said Corsaro, of Brighton Heights, on Friday. “I tweeted at them and almost immediately I received...
‘Blurted’ comment about Rose prompted failed contempt charge against Rosfeld attorney
Prosecutors failed in an attempt to have the attorney defending the former East Pittsburgh police officer charged in the shooting death of Antwon Rose II held in contempt of court, unsuccessfully arguing that the attorney violated a court gag order by “blurting” out information about Rose at a Dec. 20...
After Wisconsin girl’s safe return, question is: Why?
BARRON, Wis. — The grandfather of a northwestern Wisconsin girl who was abducted during a home invasion that left her parents dead said Saturday that the family has no connection to the suspect and doesn’t understand why he targeted her, deepening a mystery that has captivated the state for months....
Ex-kidnapping victims: Jayme Closs needs space, time to heal
CHICAGO — Katie Beers’ joy quickly turned to deep concern when she learned 13-year-old Jayme Closs had been found alive in rural Wisconsin nearly three months after police say a man shot and killed her parents then abducted the girl from their home. “She is going to have to grieve...
Kemp prepares to lead Georgia after rough, partisan campaign
ATLANTA — Georgia’s new governor campaigned as a self-described “politically incorrect conservative” who sealed support among fellow Republicans with an endorsement from President Donald Trump and eked out a close November victory after lobbing a last-minute accusation that the state Democratic Party tried to hack the election. Now the question...
Man recovering after rescue from third floor of burning Lawrenceville home
Firefighters were able to rescue a man who became trapped inside a burning Lawrenceville home on Saturday morning, Pittsburgh fire Chief Darryl Jones said. The victim is recovering at a local hospital, Jones said. Firefighters were called to the home at 3933 Liberty Ave. shortly before 11 a.m. When they...
