U.S. is becoming more diverse — and quickly, in certain places
The United States is becoming more diverse as the white share of the population declines and Hispanic, Asian and African American populations grow — and that change is happening quickly in certain places. While whites remain the largest racial or ethnic group nationwide, accounting for 60% of all Americans, 109...
FanDuel debuts sportsbook app in West Virginia
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — A West Virginia resort owned by Gov. Jim Justice has launched a sportsbook app this week with fantasy sports company FanDuel. The app debuted Monday for use by bettors inside West Virginia’s border. Last year, New York-based FanDuel reached an agreement for retail, online and...
Appeals judge allows New Jersey’s aid-in-dying law to go forward
A New Jersey appellate court Tuesday reversed a lower court’s decision to grant a temporary restraining order against the state’s aid-in-dying law. The law became effective Aug. 1, but was suspended on Aug. 14 after a suit filed by Josef Glassman, a Bergen County physician, argued that the lack of...
Basketball-sized world-record grapefruit grown in Louisiana
BATON ROUGE, La. — A basketball-sized grapefruit has brought two world records to a Louisiana couple. The giant citrus grew in the yard of Mary Beth and Doug Meyer of Slidell. The Guinness Book of World Records says it’s the world’s heaviest and largest in circumference. It weighed 7 pounds,...
Pitt researchers develop marijuana breathalyzer
With more and more states legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, sooner or later some bright scientist had to invent a marijuana breathalyzer. Now it appears researchers at the University of Pittsburgh may have just walked to the head of the class. A Pitt spokesman said a team from the university’s...
Sen. Bob Casey, seniors look to stem crisis facing many older Americans
The opioid crisis has led to a crisis of grandparents, and even great-grandparents, raising young children — something U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, wants the federal government to take a more active role in addressing. “It’s a challenge, the likes of which I don’t think our country has ever seen...
Farmers’ Almanac predicts ‘Polar Coaster’ winter for Pennsylvania, Northeast
A “Polar Coaster” of temperature changes, from above-average highs to frigid lows, is coming this winter, according to the 2020 Farmers’ Almanac, with the eastern part of the country potentially facing the worst of it. “We expect yet another wild ride this winter,” almanac editor Pete Geiger said. That wild...
How the Amazon plays a role in global climate change
RIO DE JANEIRO — Fires across the Brazilian Amazon have sparked an international outcry for preservation of the world’s largest rainforest. Here’s a look at the role the Amazon plays in regulating the world’s climate. Is the world`s oxygen supply at risk? No. While it’s commonly said that the Amazon...
Biden health plan aims far beyond legacy of ‘Obamacare’
WASHINGTON — Wrapping himself in the legacy of “Obamacare,” Joe Biden is offering restless Democrats a health care proposal that goes far beyond it, calling for a government plan almost anybody can join but stopping short of a total system remake. Recent polls show softening support for the full government-run...
Woman fighting request to turn in 15-year-old vanity plate
ROCHESTER, N.H. — A New Hampshire woman is fighting the state Department of Motor Vehicles over her 15-year-old vanity license plate showing a common parental phrase. Seacoastonline.com reports Wendy Auger, of Rochester, has been asked to surrender the plate, which reads “PB4WEGO.” The state says phrases related to excretory acts...
Mother, deputy indicted over filmed sex act involving child
ST. GABRIEL, La. — A grand jury has indicted a Louisiana woman who’s accused of performing a sex act on her 1-year-old son, as well as the sheriff’s deputy accused of filming it. The Advocate reports the mother had told investigators that Iberville Parish Sheriff’s deputy Shaderick Jones coerced her...
Federal judge blocks Missouri’s 8-week abortion ban
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new Missouri ban on abortions at or after eight weeks of pregnancy won’t take effect Wednesday after a federal judge temporarily blocked it from being implemented. U.S. District Judge Howard Sachs put a pause on the law as a legal challenge against it plays out...
Jeffrey Epstein accusers pour out their anger in court
NEW YORK — Women who say they were victimized by Jeffrey Epstein expressed anger Tuesday over his suicide in a New York City jail, saying during an unusual court hearing that he deprived them of a chance at justice. “He is a coward,” said Courtney Wild, who has said she...
Hearing set on expanding take-out beer, wine for restaurants in Pennsylvania
Diners wanting to buy more beer and wine to-go from a restaurant could do so if a bill to revise the restaurant liquor license rules becomes law. Representatives from the state Liquor Control Board, the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, and Wendell Young, president of the United Food and Commercial...
Traveling with pets: No-deal Brexit would make it far harder
All across Europe, families and couples on vacation are seamlessly crossing borders with their beloved dog, cat or even ferret, thanks to the European Union Pet Passport scheme. Now, as a no-deal Brexit looms as a possibility for Britain, free pet travel is under threat. If the U.K. leaves the...
Trump portrays G-7 as a lovefest, papering over differences
BIARRITZ, France — Never mind his differences with world leaders on China, trade, Russia, Iran and more. President Donald Trump’s takeaway message from the Group of Seven summit in France was “unity.” In fact, “flawless” unity. During this year’s gathering of leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies, Trump went to...
Meek Mill pleads guilty, won’t serve more time in prison
PHILADELPHIA — Rapper Meek Mill pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge on Tuesday to resolve a case that’s kept him on probation for most of his adult life. The 32-year-old rapper, born Robert Williams, reached the plea agreement in Philadelphia after an appeals court threw out his conviction last...
Brazil leader demands French apology before accepting aid
JACUNDA NATIONAL FOREST, Brazil — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says Brazil will only accept an offer of international aid to fight Amazon fires if French leader Emmanuel Macron retracts comments that he finds offensive. Bolsonaro on Tuesday said Macron had called him a liar and he accused the French president...
Sheriff: Ohio dog owner faked story of abused animal to get free care
HAMILTON, Ohio — An Ohio sheriff says the person who told veterinarians a dog was found with its nose and mouth duct-taped and its throat slit was actually its owner, who made up the story to get the animal free care. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says his office’s investigation...
Poland plans no budget deficit for first time in 30 years
WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s prime minister says the 2020 state budget will for the first time in 30 years not run a deficit, chiefly thanks to efficient tax collection and changes to the pension system. Premier Mateusz Morawiecki spoke Tuesday following a weekly government session that approved a draft budget...
2 children killed, 10 hurt in Dayton crash with stolen police SUV
DAYTON, Ohio — The Dayton Police Department says two children were killed in a multi-vehicle accident involving a stolen police SUV. WHIO-TV reports that Maj. Eric Henderson says the incident started Monday evening with a complaint about a stabbing on Xenia Avenue. He says Dayton police responded and the suspect...
Philadelphia street shooting leaves 3 wounded; teen in critical condition
PHILADELPHIA — A street shooting in Philadelphia has left three people wounded, including a teenager who is hospitalized in critical condition. But it’s not yet known what sparked the shooting, which occurred around 3 p.m. Monday. Authorities say a 17-year-old boy was shot twice in the stomach and twice in...
Health costs rising for Americans with employer-based insurance
Health costs for people with employee-sponsored health plans rose 18% over the past five years, outpacing inflation and wage increases, according to a new report by Kaiser Family Foundation. The findings reinforce a decade-
long trend of rising employee health costs that is partly driven by rising deductibles. Over the past...
Vitamin takers better served by lifestyle changes, experts say
Vitamin supplements, a multibillion-dollar industry, are a layperson’s favorite prescription. Tired? Take an iron supplement. Sad? Classic vitamin D deficiency. But a recent paper related to cardiovascular health, published July 9 in Annals of Internal Medicine, put this loyalty to the test. Surprise, surprise: vitamin supplements had little impact on...
Are beans considered complete proteins?
Question: Thanks for your very informative column on the nutritional value of beans. One of the things you said was that beans are high in protein. Many years ago I read that beans were an incomplete protein, so you should eat them with corn, and then the two together made...
