TSA says traveler forgot snake at Newark security checkpoint
NEWARK, N.J. — A young girl discovered something slithery at a New Jersey airport security checkpoint: a 15-inch-long snake. Transportation Security Administration officials at Newark Liberty International Airport said in a release that it appears the thin, black snake with a yellow ring around its neck was forgotten by a...
Omaha zoo euthanizes white rhino that arrived in 1999
OMAHA, Neb. — The Omaha zoo has euthanized one of its white rhinos. Officials at Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium said Tuesday that the 21-year-old rhino, Marina, was euthanized Monday after surgeons discovered an inoperable colonic obstruction. She was being treated for symptoms similar to colic when staffers noticed that...
Vandalized robot may solve mystery of its own attack
HAYWARD, Calif. — A 400-pound security robot that was knocked over by a vandal last month in Northern California may help bring its attacker to justice. The Hayward Police Department on Tuesday released images of the suspect that the Knightscope K5 robot captured before it was damaged. The 5-foot-tall robot,...
German city offers $1.1M to whoever proves it doesn’t exist
A German city that’s been the subject of a long-running online light-hearted conspiracy theory claiming it doesn’t really exist is offering big bucks to whoever proves that’s true. Officials in Bielefeld said Wednesday they’ll give 1 million euros ($1.1 million) to the person who delivers solid proof of its non-existence....
Trial starts in case of fatal shooting over parking spot
CLEARWATER, Fla. — A prosecutor told jurors Wednesday that a white Florida man who fatally shot an unarmed black man during a dispute over a parking space had initiated a similar confrontation just months before, while his defense attorney said the shooting was in self-defense. Prosecutor Fred Schaub said during...
U.S. home sales rose 2.5% in July, aided by low mortgage rates
WASHINGTON — U.S. home sales increased 2.5% in July, a sign that lower mortgage rates have produced a spurt of home-buying. The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday homes sold last month at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 5.42 million units, up from 5.29 million in June. Average interest...
State TV: Iran to unveil air defense missile system
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s state TV is reporting that the country will unveil an Iran-made air-defense missile system. The Wednesday report says the Bavar-373 is a long-range surface-to-air missile system able to recognize up to 100 targets at a same time and confront them with six different weapons. It was...
Report: U.S. surpasses Russia, Saudi Arabia in petroleum, natural gas production
The United States set a new record in 2018 for petroleum and natural gas production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. petroleum and natural gas production increased by 16% and 12%, respectively, in 2018, and these totals combined established a new production record, EIA said. The country surpassed...
South African court restricts displays of apartheid-era flag
JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s Equality Court on Wednesday restricted the display of the country’s old apartheid-era flag, ruling that its gratuitous use amounts to hate speech and racial discrimination. Judge Phineas Mojapelo said the ruling was not a complete ban, saying use of the flag is protected by law for...
GOP retains Pennsylvania House seat in special election
HARRISBURG — Republicans easily won a special election to retain a seat in the state House of Representatives in a GOP-leaning district in central Pennsylvania. Republican David Rowe won Tuesday’s special election in parts of Union and Snyder counties by a nearly two-to-one margin over Democrat Jennifer Rager-Kay. The former...
4 students shot at block party near Clark Atlanta University
ATLANTA — A shooting at a block party near Clark Atlanta University has left four female college students injured with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds as a crowd scrambled for cover. A news release from Atlanta police says the four females were shot late Tuesday night outside a library that serves Clark...
Tax-rate typo creates $900K deficit at Pennsylvania school district
FALLSINGTON — Officials at a Pennsylvania school district say a single-digit tax rate typo created a nearly $900,000 deficit for the school district. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a school board resolution from the Pennsbury School District in Falls Township incorrectly set the millage rate for the upcoming school year....
The ‘fourth wave’ of the opioid crisis: Feds warn of a rise in meth use
WASHINGTON — Federal drug enforcement agents are alarmed that the opioid epidemic is fueling a spike in methamphetamine use. Across the country, meth overdose deaths and federal seizures from drug busts and border raids paint a stark picture of an increase in the drug’s proliferation. Demand for meth now poses...
Trump: Any Jew voting Democratic is uninformed or disloyalVideo
WASHINGTON — Showing a fresh willingness to play politics along religious and racial lines, President Trump said Tuesday that American Jewish people who vote for Democrats show “either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.” Trump’s claim triggered a quick uproar from critics who said the president was trading...
Trump cancels Denmark meeting over Greenland proposal
WASHINGTON — Two days after he said buying Greenland wasn’t a top priority, President Trump canceled an upcoming trip to Denmark after its prime minister dismissed the idea. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had called Trump’s musing about buying Greenland, which her government owns, “an absurd discussion” after the former real...
‘We are dropping like flies.’ Ex-fighter pilots push for earlier cancer screenings
WASHINGTON — Former Air Force and Navy fighter pilots are calling on the military to begin cancer screenings for aviators as young as 30 because of an increase in deaths from the disease that they suspect may be tied to radiation emitted in the cockpit. “We are dropping like flies...
Maryland man jailed for threats against Florida Hispanics
MIAMI — A Maryland man is jailed in Seattle after the FBI said he made a series of social media threats against Hispanics in the Miami area. Court records show 35-year-old Eric Lin had an initial court hearing Monday in Seattle federal court on a charge of interstate transmission of...
Proposed law aims to increase vaccination rate in Pennsylvania
State Reps. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, and Bridget Kosierowksi, D-Lackawanna, announced Tuesday the introduction of legislation to increase the vaccination rate of Pennsylvania children. The bill would require parents who seek nonmedical exemptions for their children meet with a doctor every year to learn about the risks of not getting...
Search ramps up for 2 missing firefighters in FloridaVideo
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Authorities say they are ramping up the search for two missing firefighters who set out by boat last week from the state’s Atlantic coast. Jacksonville Interim Fire Chief Keith Powers said the agency was calling for as “many boats” as could be mustered Tuesday in the ongoing...
Time capsule from 50 years ago has nothing inside
Officials in a New Hampshire town are trying to figure out how a recently opened time capsule from 50 years ago has nothing in it. Library director Cara Potter in Derry tells WMUR-TV that since she started there five years ago, the safe has been sitting on a shelf. Before...
Trump backtracks, insists U.S. now has ‘strong background checks’ for gunsVideo
WASHINGTON — President Trump insisted Tuesday that the United States already has “very, very strong background checks” for gun purchases in the latest sign that he is backing away from throwing his political support behind changes to the system that are opposed by the powerful gun lobby. Speaking to reporters...
New York woman gets 23 years in prison for killing aunt with a meat cleaver
NEW YORK — A woman who killed her aunt with a meat cleaver in the New York City home they shared has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. Acting Queens District Attorney John Ryan says 32-year-old Elizabeth Sanchez was sentenced Tuesday. She’s also known as Digna Sanchez-Ortiz. A Queens...
23 Chinese Crested dogs, 1 cat seized from filthy Gettysburg home
Animal welfare officers in Pennsylvania say they removed 23 Chinese Crested dogs and one cat from a filthy home near Gettysburg over the weekend. Pennsylvania Humane Society Police Officer Abby Avery says the agency got an anonymous call about the home in New Oxford and responding officers could smell the...
After criticism of Fox News, anchor Bret Baier invites Trump on show
President Donald Trump complained about a recent poll done by Fox News that showed him falling behind several Democratic candidates for president and said that something was going on at the network. Anchor Bret Baier responded to the statements, explained the network’s polling, and invited the president to join him...
U.S. airlines expect record crowds over Labor Day weekend
DALLAS — Airlines expect record crowds over the week-long Labor Day period, continuing a rise in travel that has boosted the airlines’ profits all year. The trade group Airlines for America forecast Tuesday that 17.5 million passengers will fly on U.S. carriers between Aug. 28 and Sept. 3. That would...
