Biden set to travel to East Palestine on Friday
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will travel to East Palestine, Ohio, on Friday, about a year after a Norfolk Southern train there derailed and spilled a cocktail of hazardous chemicals that caught fire. The White House said Saturday the president would travel there to ensure state and local officials “hold...
Israeli military says it has rescued 2 hostages from captivity in Gaza Strip
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The Israeli military said it rescued two hostages from captivity in the Gaza Strip early Monday, marking a small but symbolically significant success in its quest to bring home over 100 captives believed to be held by the Hamas militant group. The two men were rescued...
Federal investigators looking at weather, other possible factors in fatal helicopter crash
Federal investigators are looking at weather conditions, reports of downed power lines near the accident site and other possible factors that may have caused a helicopter crash in San Bernardino County that killed six people, including the CEO of one of the largest banks in Nigeria. “There were several 911...
Woman firing rifle killed by 2 off-duty officers at Joel Osteen’s church, 2 others hurt, police say
HOUSTON — A woman in a trenchcoat opened fire with a long gun inside celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s megachurch in Texas before being gunned down by two off-duty officers who confronted her, sending worshippers rushing from the building between busy Sunday services, authorities said. The woman entered the Houston church...
Defense Secretary Austin hospitalized with bladder issue, transfers powers to his deputy
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized again Sunday to address a bladder issue as he continues to recover from prostate cancer and has transferred authorities to his deputy, the Pentagon said. Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December and continues to deal with complications from his treatment....
Mt. Pleasant, Yough host fundraisers for family of late referee
Referee Mike Roebuck was the kind of person a coach wants their athletes to be around, said Mt. Pleasant Area High School basketball coach Annie Malkowiak. Roebuck, 45, of New Stanton was officiating a junior varsity basketball game between Mt. Pleasant and Yough when he collapsed and later died at...
Senators push forward with Ukraine aid package as their leaders say the world is watching
WASHINGTON — As a growing number of Republicans oppose U.S. aid to Ukraine, the Senate’s leaders are arguing in strong terms that the money is crucial to pushing back against Russian President Vladimir Putin and maintaining America’s global standing. In the Capitol for a rare weekend session, the Senate voted...
CBP dog sniffs out something unusual in passenger’s luggage — mummified monkeys
BOSTON — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection dog sniffed out something unusual in luggage from a traveler returning from Africa — mummified monkeys. The passenger returning from a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo reported that the luggage contained dried fish, but an inspection at Boston Logan Airport...
American allies worry the U.S. is growing less dependable, whether Trump or Biden wins
LONDON — As chances rise of a Joe Biden-Donald Trump rematch in the U.S. presidential election race, America’s allies are bracing for a bumpy ride. Many worry that a second term for Trump would be an earthquake, but tremors already abound — and concerns are rising that the U.S. could...
This small New York village made guns for 200 years. What happens when Remington leaves?
ILION, N.Y. — Remington began here two centuries ago and generations of workers have turned out rifles and shotguns at the massive firearms factory in the middle of this blue-collar village in the heart of New York’s Mohawk Valley. Now residents of Ilion are bracing for Remington’s exit, ending an...
Mardi Gras beads are creating a plastic disaster in New Orleans. Are there green alternatives?
NEW ORLEANS — It’s a beloved century-old Carnival season tradition in New Orleans — masked riders on lavish floats fling strings of colorful beads or other trinkets to parade watchers clamoring with outstretched arms. It’s all in good fun but it’s also a bit of a “plastics disaster,” says Judith...
Western Pa. casinos ready for Super Bowl influx, wagers on Chiefs win
Dave Bilsky is a Steelers fan, but come Sunday evening, you can bet he’ll be pulling for the Kansas City Chiefs. He’ll have plenty of company locally. Bilsky, 51, of Belle Vernon is among myriad local gamblers putting money on the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. “One thing that we’ve...
Greensburg-Hempfield Area Library hosts first vendor show, highlights local art, food
Jamie Keys likes to hang out in downtown Greensburg with friend and fellow art therapy student Olivia Andazola. The two second-year Seton Hill graduate students walked less than 10 minutes from their Greensburg apartment to participate in The Greensburg-Hempfield Area Library’s first vendor show. Keys brought original prints and trading...
‘I want them to express themselves’: Level Green parent launches Lego club
Keith Harmon estimates he has more than 200 pounds of Lego bricks in his Penn Township home. “There’s not a lot of room to move,” Harmon joked. “I have Lego stuff pretty much anywhere you can imagine.” Harmon, parent to a first grade student at Level Green Elementary, started a...
Logan Elementary benefits 100 students with gift drive, aims to continue support
The annual gift drive at Logan Elementary School in North Versailles helped bring a happy holiday to about 100 of the school’s students. The students received a backpack holding a wrapped gift, a hoodie and an essential item, such as clothing or hygiene products. The backpacks were left on students’...
First lady questions whether special counsel referenced son’s death to score political points
WILMINGTON, Del. — First lady Jill Biden said in an email to campaign donors on Saturday she didn’t know what the special counsel was trying to achieve when he suggested President Joe Biden could not remember his son’s death. “We should give everyone grace, and I can’t imagine someone would...
CEO of major Nigerian bank killed in California helicopter crash, director-general of WTO says
The CEO of one of Nigeria ‘s largest banks was killed Friday along with his wife and son when a helicopter they were riding in crashed near Interstate 15 in Southern California’s Mojave Desert. Herbert Wigwe, chief executive of Access Bank, was among the six people on board when the...
Trump says he warned NATO ally: Spend more on defense or Russia can ‘do whatever the hell they want’
NEW YORK — Republican front-runner Donald Trump said Saturday that, as president, he warned NATO allies that he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to countries that are “delinquent” as he ramped up his attacks on foreign aid and longstanding international alliances. Speaking at a rally...
Uproar over Biden classified documents report carries echoes of 2016 Clinton email case
WASHINGTON — The release of a harshly critical Justice Department special counsel report on President Joe Biden has triggered instant flashbacks to history-shaping events of 2016. That’s when FBI Director James Comey castigated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton over her email practices despite recommending against charges. In this year’s already heated...
No one hurt when small plane makes crash landing on residential street in suburban Phoenix
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The pilot and lone passenger escaped injury when a small airplane made a crash landing Saturday on a residential street in a suburban neighborhood on the west edge of Phoenix, Goodyear police said. The single engine plane experienced mechanical problems shortly after takeoff Saturday morning from nearby...
Haley challenges Trump on her home turf in South Carolina as the Republican primary looms
CONWAY, S.C. — With two weeks to go before the South Carolina Republican primary, Nikki Haley is trying to challenge Donald Trump on her home turf while the former president tries to quash his last major rival’s narrow path to the nomination. Trump, turning his campaign focus to the southern...
Taylor Swift expected to make epic journey from Tokyo to the Super Bowl. Will she make it in time?
TOKYO — Will she make it in time? Taylor Swift’s last song was still ringing in the ears of thousands of fans at the Tokyo Dome on Saturday night when the singer rushed to a private jet at Haneda airport, presumably embarking on an intensely scrutinized journey to see her...
For Native American activists, the Kansas City Chiefs have it all wrong
Rhonda LeValdo is exhausted, but she’s refusing to slow down. For the fourth time in five years, her hometown team and the focus of her decadeslong activism against the use of Native American imagery and references in sports is in the Super Bowl. As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare for...
U.S. Sen. Coons and German Chancellor Scholz see double at Washington meeting
U.S. Sen. Chris Coons and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were seeing double when they met in Washington, D.C., this week and went on social media to share their mirror image with the world. The Delaware Democrat and the leader of Germany’s coalition government share an uncommon likeness, right down to...
Investigators will try to find out why a private jet crashed onto a Florida interstate and killed 2
NAPLES, Fla. — Federal authorities have launched an investigation to determine why a private jet tried to make an emergency landing on a Florida interstate, colliding with a vehicle and sparking a fiery crash that left two people dead. The Federal Aviation Administration said the Bombardier Challenger 600 jet had...
