Feds propose opening biggest national forest to logging
JUNEAU, Alaska — The U.S. Forest Service is taking comments on a proposal that would exempt the country’s largest national forest, in southeast Alaska, from a ban on timber harvests and road building in roadless areas. This option is listed as the preferred alternative by the agency in a draft...
Man shocked by Michigan police stun gun falls on knife, dies
MARION, Mich. — Police say a man fell onto a large knife and died after a police officer shocked him with a stun gun in northwestern Michigan. State police say 29-year-old Calvin James Schwab died Friday in Marion, about 155 miles northwest of Detroit. Police said Monday that a woman...
Texas GOP speaker tape: Lawmaker ‘vile,’ Trump ‘killing us’
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas’ GOP House speaker sought help ousting members of his own party in 2020, called a female lawmaker “vile” and said President Donald Trump is “killing us” in pivotal races in a secretly recorded meeting with a conservative activist released Tuesday. House Speaker Dennis Bonnen also profanely...
Monessen man lived a life full of passion for music
When John Paterra of Speers was performing as a vocalist with the Graham Grubb Orchestra, he remembers chatting occasionally with the group’s bass player, Ed Dacko. “He played trombone and later he played bass fiddle,” Paterra said. “He was a character.” Edward Paul Dacko of Monessen died Friday, Oct. 11,...
Former White House aide: John Bolton called Rudy Giuliani a ‘hand grenade’Video
WASHINGTON — National security adviser John Bolton was so alarmed by Rudy Giuliani’s back-channel activities in Ukraine that he described President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer as a “hand grenade who is going to blow everybody up,” according to a former White House aide. The testimony from Fiona Hill in the...
Governor says Pennsylvania will keep accepting refugees
Pennsylvania’s governor is telling President Donald Trump he won’t be using state authority granted last month to refuse to accept refugees. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday wrote Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to say his state will continue to welcome those facing persecution and danger, including people...
Woman claims neighbor’s wind chimes make her scream in pain
A woman in southern England claims the sound of wind chimes is so painful that she is confined to her bedroom. Chrissie Bradby, 56, of Poole, Dorset, has a neuromuscular disease called dystonia which makes her muscles uncontrollably contract and trigger pain, reports Metro.co.uk. She says high-pitched noises trigger the...
Fish, game commissions warn of spoof license websites
With hunting season ramping up, state Fish and Boat Commission and Game Commission officials are warning anglers and hunters about online scams related to buying a license. Both commissions have received reports of consumers purchasing “licenses” through third-party websites not connected to the state. “Even though consumers didn’t suspect the...
Egypt says archeologists uncover 20 ancient coffins in Luxor
Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry says archeologists have uncovered at least 20 ancient wooden coffins in the southern city of Luxor. A brief statement from the ministry says Tuesday says archeologists found the coffins in the Asasif Necropolis. The necropolis, located in the ancient town of West Thebes, includes tombs dating back...
Pack of handsome wild dogs debuts at Bronx Zoo
A pack of handsome brothers is getting settled at New York’s Bronx Zoo. The foxlike wild dogs — called dholes (dohlz) — were born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in 2016. The trio, named Roan, Apollo and Kito, have brownish-red coats dappled with white markings, and bushy tails....
Russia moves to fill void left by U.S. in northern Syria
CEYLANPINAR, Turkey — Russia moved to fill the void left by the United States in northern Syria on Tuesday, deploying troops to keep apart advancing Syrian government and Turkish forces. At the same time, tensions grew within NATO as Turkey defied growing condemnation of its invasion from its Western allies....
Google debuts Pixel 4 phone, wireless earbuds with AIVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — Google unveiled a new Pixel smartphone and other hardware devices Tuesday, all aimed at getting people even more dependent on its artificial-intelligence services. The Pixel 4 phone promises to respond to AI queries even faster than before, while a home Wi-Fi system is getting the AI features...
Pennsylvania expanding tax to more out-of-state corporations
Pennsylvania will start collecting corporate income taxes from companies that don’t have offices, employees or property in the state, making it one of the last states to target such companies. Pennsylvania announced the change starting in the 2020 tax year through a tax bulletin published Sept. 30. It cites a...
Is your food safe? New app shows you Pa. restaurant inspections
Want to know whether the restaurant you’re visiting has had any recent inspection violations? There’s an app for that. The EatSafePA mobile app recently launched by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture allows restaurant patrons to access inspection reports by restaurant name, nearby establishments or ZIP code. The free app, available...
Your energy-efficient washing machine could be full of bacteria
You fill it with soap and water about 300 times a year, so it must be clean. Right? A case out of Germany, published by the American Society for Microbiology, says no. After babies in a German hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit were found to have multidrug-resistant pathogens on their...
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Treating osteoarthritis with corticosteroid injections
Dear Mayo Clinic: I have osteoarthritis in my knee that continues to worsen. Would a steroid injection help my knee pain? How long does the treatment last, and how often can it be repeated, if necessary? Answer: Corticosteroid medications are powerful drugs that can be useful in decreasing pain and...
Diabetes stress high among college students, study finds
Nathan Reilly has had Type 1 diabetes since he was a baby. And until he began college this semester, the 19-year-old always had his mother to help remind him of the litany of tasks people with diabetes must do. Check blood sugar. Adjust insulin pump. Watch what you eat. Be...
Health happenings week of Oct. 14
Blood drives • American Red Cross
will host these blood drives: — 1:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Community United Methodist Church, Route 130, Irwin — Noon-5:30 p.m. Oct. 23, St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, 300 W. Main St.,
Ligonier Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome Classes/programs • Tours of the Family
Additions...
Porsche SUV plunges onto train tracks, burns; 2 teens dieVideo
PEARL RIVER, N.Y. — A Porsche SUV plummeted off an overpass onto train tracks below, where it burst into flames, killing two teenagers and sending a third to a hospital with serious injuries. The Porsche fell from Route 304 in Pearl River, N.Y., on Sunday afternoon after a crash involving...
Obesity rate for Pennsylvania kids remains among highest in U.S.
Pennsylvania has 185,400 young people between the ages of 10 and 17 who are obese, according to newly released data. That amounts to 17.4 percent — the same as in recent years, but still the ninth highest rate in the United States, according a new report from the Robert Wood...
Giant pumpkin weighing nearly 1 ton sets California record
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. — A Northern California pumpkin hobbyist has won first place at the 46th annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh Off, setting a record for the largest in California. Leonardo Urena of Napa won $15,000 Monday when his pumpkin logged 2,175 pounds. Weigh-off spokesman Timothy Beeman says...
Texas officer charged with murder, resigns after shooting black womanVideo
FORT WORTH, Texas — A white Fort Worth police officer who shot and killed a black woman through a back window of her home while responding to a call about an open front door was charged with murder on Monday after resigning from the force. Aaron Dean, 34, was booked...
Ex-National Security Council official Fiona Hill testifying to CongressVideo
WASHINGTON — Fiona Hill, a former top National Security Council expert on Russia, was testifying to Congress behind closed doors Monday, the latest former Trump administration official to be subpoenaed as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. Hill wouldn’t comment as she arrived on Capitol Hill,...
Trump orders Turkey sanctions; U.S. scrambles for Syria exitVideo
WASHINGTON — Targeting Turkey’s economy, President Donald Trump announced sanctions Monday aimed at restraining the Turks’ assault against Kurdish fighters and civilians in Syria — an assault Turkey began after Trump announced he was moving U.S. troops out of the way. Meanwhile, the Americans were scrambling for Syria’s exits, a...
Construction platform fails, leaving worker dangling in air
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Authorities say two workers on a construction platform in New Jersey were rescued after it failed and left one worker briefly dangling by his safety rope in midair. No injuries were reported Monday morning. The platform holding the workers was about six floors up when it...
