Man uses Roman candle to remove hornet nest; roof ignites
In case it’s not obvious, using fireworks to remove a hornet nest on a wood house soaked with flammable liquid is a bad idea. Dave Schmida, 21, learned that lesson while removing a nest of hornets three stories up on his family home in Sturbridge, Mass., the Telegram reports. Schmida...
Sarah Sanders joining Fox News
While Sean Spicer is headed for the new season of “Dancing with the Stars,” the woman who replaced him is also headed to TV. Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is joining Fox News as a contributor, where she will provide political commentary and analysis on all of...
Invisible army set stage for liberation of Paris from Nazis
PARIS — The Nazis knew everything about the city of Paris that they occupied — almost. They didn’t know about the bunker with a massive door as thick as a bank vault that served as a command post for the chief of the Resistance in the French capital. They didn’t...
Planned Parenthood seeks cash after bailing from U.S. program
SALT LAKE CITY — Planned Parenthood clinics in several states are charging new fees, tapping financial reserves, intensifying fundraising and warning of more unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases after its decision to quit a $260 million federal family planning program in an abortion dispute with the Trump administration. The...
Jury: Pa. troopers didn’t use excessive force in man’s 2015 death
WILKES-BARRE — A federal jury has decided that Pennsylvania State Police troopers didn’t use excessive force when they shot and killed a man in 2015. Jurors on Wednesday ruled against the family of 21-year-old Derek DeGroat in their $18.7 million civil suit. The family filed suit after three state police...
Poll: Trump’s approval rating weak despite economy
NEW YORK — About 6 in 10 Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump’s overall job performance, according to a new poll released Thursday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which finds some support for the president’s handling of the U.S. economy but gives him weak marks on...
Texas executes man in 1998 slaying of college student
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A Texas death row inmate who argued that his conviction was based on junk science was executed Wednesday for the abduction, rape and killing of a suburban Houston community college student more than 20 years ago. Larry Swearingen, 48, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary...
Shooter at large after LA deputy shot at sheriff’s station
LOS ANGELES — Investigators believe a gunshot that wounded a deputy outside a Los Angeles County sheriff’s station on Wednesday was fired from a nearby building complex that provides housing to people with mental health issues, authorities said. Deputy Angel Reinosa, 21, was hit while heading to his car in...
Ligonier man was lifelong volunteer, advocate for disabled
Ligonier-area residents may recall seeing Glen Scott manning the local Kiwanis chicken sandwich concession trailer during the town’s annual Fort Ligonier Days festival. Or they may have seen him driving up to local homes to deliver food prepared by the Ligonier Valley Meals on Wheels program. “When he turned 80,...
Economic twilight zone: Bonds that charge you for lending
FRANKFURT, Germany — Imagine lending money to someone and having to pay for the privilege of doing so. Or being asked to invest and informed of how much money you’ll lose. Sounds absurd, but increasingly that’s the global bond market these days. A rising share of government and corporate bonds...
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says he’s ending presidential bid
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who made fighting climate change the central theme of his presidential campaign, announced Wednesday night that he is ending his bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination. Inslee announced his decision on MSNBC, saying it’s become clear that he won’t win. He has kept...
Reports: Recent exploration shows Titanic is deteriorating ‘rapidly’Video
The first dive down to the Titanic in nearly 15 years has witnesses saying the sunken ship is deteriorating quickly. According to the BBC, an international team of deep-sea explorers made five submersible (submarine) dives to survey the wreckage. The outlet reported that parts of the wreck were in “surprisingly...
Ohio man facing new charges over threats against federal agents
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — An Ohio man accused of making an online threat against federal agents and voicing support for mass shootings has been indicted by a federal grand jury. Justin Olsen of Boardman was indicted on charges of threatening to assault federal law enforcement officers and making interstate threats, the...
Pennsylvania priest accused of stealing nearly $100K from parish
DOWNINGTON — A Pennsylvania Roman Catholic priest is accused of stealing nearly $100,000 from his parish and spending it on a beach house and men he met on dating apps. The Chester County District Attorney’s Office says 56-year-old Monsignor Joseph McLoone was arrested Wednesday for theft from St. Joseph’s Catholic...
Missouri police: Topless doll mistaken for unconscious womanVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri authorities say a shirtless man reportedly dragging a topless, unconscious woman through downtown Kansas City was actually lugging around a life-size doll. Police said in a tweet that callers reported Tuesday that the man looked like he wanted to throw the woman over a bridge,...
Trump administration moves to end limits on child detention
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is moving to end a longstanding federal agreement that limits how long immigrant children can be kept in detention. A court fight will almost certainly follow over the government’s desire to hold migrant families until their cases are decided. The current court agreement now requires...
Cable snaps seconds before Florida slingshot ride launches
An amusement park ride turned out to be more frightening than expected for a pair of Florida tourists. The ride operator was preparing to launch two men on a slingshot-style ride Saturday night at Cobra Adventure Park in Panama City Beach when one of the cables breaks, reported FOX-13. An...
Police: Cars go airborne over collapsed bridge span, 2 hurt
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Authorities say two motorists have been injured when their cars went airborne over a collapsed bridge span near the Florida-Georgia Line. Officials closed a short stretch of Hutchinson Ferry Road northwest of Tallahassee on Wednesday morning because of the gap that opened up when the two-lane bridge...
Trump to sign student debt forgiveness for disabled veterans
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — President Donald Trump on Wednesday is expected to direct his administration to permanently forgive student loan debt held by disabled veterans. Trump was to sign the order after he addresses the AMVETS convention in Louisville, the White House said. In prepared remarks, Trump said his order would...
Spacewalking astronauts add parking spot to space station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Spacewalking astronauts added another parking spot to the International Space Station on Wednesday. NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Andrew Morgan successfully installed a docking port delivered by SpaceX last month. It will be used by SpaceX and Boeing once they start launching astronauts to the orbiting...
NATO force says 2 US service members killed in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — The NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan says two U.S. service members have been killed. A brief statement says the two were killed Wednesday and their names are being withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin are notified, in accordance with Pentagon policy. The statement...
Trump-shaped ecstasy pills bring drug charge for Florida man
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Ecstasy pills shaped like President Donald Trump have led to charges against a Florida man. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office says 23-year-old Brendan Dolan-King of Clearwater was charged Friday with felony drug possession after police confirmed five Trump-themed orange tablets seized during a June search of his...
WWII vets honored in Texas following D-Day events in France
SAN ANTONIO — More than 50 World War II veterans who were not able to attend overseas events marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day have been honored in Texas. A ceremony was held Tuesday at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Officials say several veterans at the event, sponsored by...
Greenland fallout: Trump’s canceled trip blindsides Denmark
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The prime minister of Denmark said Wednesday she is “disappointed and surprised” by President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel his visit to Denmark after she called Trump’s idea of buying Greenland, Denmark’s semi-autonomous Arctic territory, “an absurd discussion.” Trump, who was scheduled to visit Denmark on Sept....
Iran-backed forces blame U.S. for attacks on bases in Iraq
BAGHDAD — Iraqi paramilitary forces backed by Iran said Wednesday they hold the United States ultimately responsible for a series of attacks targeting their bases in the country, pledging to defend themselves against any future attack. The rare statement issued by the state-sanctioned militias known collectively as the Popular Mobilization...