3 dead in Montana casino shooting, suspect killed by police
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — A pre-dawn shooting Tuesday at a Montana casino left three people dead and another person injured, and the suspect was later tracked down and killed by police, officials said. The shooting at the Emerald City Casino in the city of Great Falls happened about 2 a.m....
Trump conservative critics launch PAC to fight reelection
NEW YORK — A small group of President Donald Trump’s fiercest conservative critics, including the husband of the president’s own chief adviser, is launching a super PAC designed to fight Trump’s reelection and punish congressional Republicans deemed his “enablers.” The new organization, known as the Lincoln Project, represents a formal...
Pittsburgh ranks as 4th best city to celebrate Christmas
Merry Christmas, Pittsburgh. You’re apparently a stellar Yuletide spot. WalletHub evaluated the county’s 100 biggest cities in 33 key metrics and dropped Pittsburgh in the No. 4 slot, one notch better than we ranked last year. The site’s annual Best Places for Christmas Celebrations looked at things like traditions, observance,...
Police: Erie teens covered cars, house in cheese slices
Pennsylvania State Police say three Erie-area teens are facing charges for throwing cheese slices all over a pair of cars and a house. ErieNewsNow reports state police say the incidents were reported between midnight and 6:30 a.m. Saturday. Investigators say a 18-year-old from Lake City and two 17-year-olds from Lake...
2 Penn State fraternities may keep State College houses, Pa. court rules
State College cannot shutter two fraternity houses, even though Penn State revoked its recognition of the frats, a state appeals court ruled Thursday. Sigma Alpha Mu, 329 E. Prospect Ave., was suspended in April 2017 for violating nearly all of the university’s tighter alcohol rules that were imposed after the...
Cold weather brings heart risks
When arctic weather is on the way, forecasters often alert you to protect your pets or watch out on the roads. Perhaps they also should warn you about your heart. Winter cold and other seasonal factors raise the risk of heart attacks and more. It’s an issue whether you’re in...
Time-restricted dieting can lead to weight loss, lower blood pressure
Intermittent fasting has shown success in helping people lose weight, but some people can find it difficult to eat normally most days and then severely restrict their food intake other days. A new study published in the journal Cell Metabolism offers an alternative — time-restricted eating. Time-restricted eating allows you...
Health Happenings: Week of Dec. 17
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: —11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday , Indiana VFW Post 1989, 824 Indian Springs Road — 1:30-7 p.m. Thursday , Holy Trinity Church, 327 W. Vincent St., Ligonier Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome • Vitalant (formerly Central Blood Bank) will...
Root around for winter vegetables
We tend to classify them all together, but winter vegetables are not always the same as root vegetables. Nevertheless, these veggies deserve our attention during these cold winter months. Take Brussels sprouts, a veggie you either adore or abhor. These hardy vegetables that look like baby cabbages on stalks belong...
Judge sets Michael Flynn sentencing, rejects defense arguments
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Monday scheduled a sentencing hearing for next month for Michael Flynn after rejecting arguments from the former Trump administration national security adviser that prosecutors had withheld evidence favorable to his case. The order from U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington pushes the case...
3 dead as suspected twisters, other storms batter the SouthVideo
Three people are confirmed dead and a dozen more injured as a powerful storm front packing suspected tornadoes smashed into buildings, downed trees and left a trail of destruction around the Deep South on Monday, authorities said. One person was reported killed in a suspected tornado strike on a Louisiana...
Sheriff fires North Carolina school resource officer who slammed studentVideo
HENDERSON, N.C. — A North Carolina sheriff said Monday that he has fired a school resource officer seen on surveillance video violently slamming a middle school student to the ground twice and then dragging the boy off camera. Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame issued a statement Monday that the deputy...
Spending deal would end two-decade freeze on gun research
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan deal on a government spending bill would for the first time in two decades provide money for federal research on gun safety. A law adopted in the 1990’s has effectively blocked such research and prohibits federal agencies from engaging in advocacy on gun-related issues. The spending...
‘Obamacare’ sign-up deadline is extended following glitches
WASHINGTON — People will get more time to sign up for “Obamacare” health insurance, the Trump administration announced Monday, following a spate of computer glitches over the weekend. The new HealthCare.gov deadline is 3 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a statement....
Tamara Ecclestone, daughter of former Formula 1 chief, robbed of $66M in jewelry from London home
LONDON — London police are investigating the theft of a large cache of “high value jewelry” reported stolen from the palatial home of heiress Tamara Ecclestone, the daughter of former Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone. The Sun newspaper said the stolen jewelry was worth about $66 million and included precious...
WWII allies, Germany mark 75 years since Battle of the BulgeVideo
BASTOGNE, Belgium — Side by side, the Allies and former enemy Germany together marked the 75th anniversary of one of the most important battles in World War II — the Battle of the Bulge, which stopped Adolf Hitler’s last-ditch offensive to turn the tide of the war. At dawn on...
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro classifies ‘ghost guns’ as a firearm
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Monday announced he has closed a loophole in the state’s gun laws by classifying self-assembled gun kits — sometimes called “ghost guns” — as a firearm, making it illegal for felons and others not permitted to have a gun to possess. Shapiro said his...
Mitch McConnell-backed bill to bolster coal miners’ pensions poised to become law
WASHINGTON — Congress is on track to pass legislation this year that will stabilize the pensions and health benefits of retired coal miners and their widows. It’s a huge win for longtime advocates of the cause, on and off Capitol Hill, who have spent years fighting for a legislative response...
Scottdale man dedicated to family, Penn Line Service career
When people thought about Penn Line Service, they frequently thought about Franklin Lynn, according to his daughter, Jeanne Kiss of Greensburg. “That’s what he did,” Kiss said. Mr. Lynn worked nearly six decades for the Scottdale company, starting in 1953 and working his way to management and later becoming a...
Activists across Western Pa. to rally for Trump’s ouster on eve of House impeachment vote
Local police say they are confident they are prepared for impeachment rallies planned across the region Tuesday evening. Activists calling for the impeachment and removal of President Trump have scheduled five rallies at locations across the region at 5:30 p.m. on the eve of the U.S. House of Representatives’ historic...
Policymakers order review of Pennsylvania juvenile justice system
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania policymakers announced a task force Monday that will take a broad look at the state’s juvenile justice system in hopes of improving the results it produces. Legislative leaders and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf announced formation of the group at a Capitol news conference, giving it nearly a...
In Afghanistan, Sen. Lindsey Graham says U.S. troop drawdown coming
KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Monday that President Donald Trump will announce an American troop drawdown this week, which could begin before the end of the year. Speaking from the Afghan capital of Kabul, Graham said the president could reduce troop numbers to 8,600, down from the...
Across India, opposition building against citizenship lawVideo
NEW DELHI — Thousands of university students flooded the streets of India’s capital, while a southern state government led a march and demonstrators held a silent protest in the northeast on Monday to protest a new law giving citizenship to non-Muslims who entered India illegally to flee religious persecution in...
Supreme Court won’t revive homeless camping ban in Idaho
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will not review an appellate decision that makes it harder for cities to keep homeless people from sleeping on the streets. The justices on Monday did not comment as they left in place a ruling that struck down a Boise, Idaho, ordinance. The ruling by...
75 years on, Battle of the Bulge memories bond people
THIMISTER-CLERMONT, Belgium — As a schoolboy three quarters of a century ago, Marcel Schmetz would regularly see open trucks rumble past to a makeshift American cemetery — filled with bodies, some headless, some limbless, blood seeping from the vehicles onto the roads that the U.S. soldiers had given their lives...