Man charged after wife records fight ending with deadly fall
ST. LOUIS — A newlywed prison guard has been charged with assault after his wife recorded a fight that ended with her being found dead at the bottom of a parking garage near the stadium where the St. Louis Cardinals play. Bradley Jenkins, 30, a lieutenant for the Illinois Department...
Newspaper ad for a hand-carved chair ran for 6 years
Larry Johnson was downsizing his home in British Columbia and decided to sell the enormous, hand-carved wooden throne that occupied most of his living room. On Feb. 8, 2013, he took out a now-famous ad in his local newspaper, offering to sell the grand chair for $5,000 in Canadian dollars....
Deaths from falls among older Americans are on the rise
CHICAGO — New research shows fatal falls have nearly tripled in older Americans in recent years, rising to more than 25,000 annual deaths. The findings highlight the importance of fall prevention. A separate study bolsters evidence that programs focusing on improving muscle strength and balance can help achieve that goal....
Pa. woman donates her uterus to help a stranger experience motherhood
As a neonatal intensive care nurse, Heather Bankos has seen up close the heartbreak that comes when babies are born fighting for life, when they don’t make it and — perhaps worst of all — when complications from birth mean women who have lost children will never again be able...
Trump says Mexico tariffs ‘likely,’ Mexico predicts deal
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he expects to begin hitting Mexico with tariffs next week in a long-running dispute over illegal immigration, while Mexican officials predicted an agreement to avoid the penalties would be reached during upcoming negotiations. Trump said Tuesday that the parties would try to work something...
W.Va. judge dismisses lawsuit accusing teacher of sex abuse
WHEELING, W.Va. — A judge has dismissed a civil suit filed against a former teacher accused of sexually abusing a student for years and giving birth to his children. The Intelligencer reports Ohio County Circuit Judge Jason Cuomo wrote in a ruling on Friday that he had to dismiss key...
Family discovers Walmart graduation cake made of plastic foam
PASADENA, Texas — A Texas family could have used a saw instead of a knife to slice a graduation cake from Walmart that was made of plastic foam. Marsy Flores says the retail giant’s store in Pasadena, Texas, had lost her order for a two-tier cake that she wanted for...
Family Dollar adding alcohol to 1,000 stores
In the first quarter, budget store Family Dollar quietly added adult beverages to the shelves at 45 of its stores. Now, it’s planning on expanding that to 1,000 select stores nationwide, the company reports. In a news release, Dollar Tree — the parent company — announced it was executing a...
Casey, Toomey report reveals nearly 400 troubled nursing homes, 5 in Western Pa.
WASHINGTON — The federal government for years has kept under wraps the names of hundreds of nursing homes around the country found by inspectors to have serious ongoing health, safety or sanitary problems. Nearly 400 facilities nationwide had a “persistent record of poor care” as of April, but they were...
Cyprus police find third suitcase with body inside in lake
NICOSIA, Cyprus — A police spokesman on the east Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus says a suitcase containing decomposing human remains has been dragged out of a toxic lake. Andreas Angelides said Tuesday’s discovery is a “major development” in the unfolding investigation of a Cypriot army captain who has confessed...
Disneyland adds another crowd-management fix at Star Wars land
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Anticipating huge crowds for the opening of its newest expansion, Disneyland allowed only park visitors with reservations to enter Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge during the first three weeks after opening. But the crowds were so overwhelming over the weekend that even with the reservations system, the theme...
Trump baby blimp flies in London as protests greet president
LONDON — Thousands of protesters greeted President Donald Trump’s U.K. visit with anger and British irony Tuesday, crowding London’s government district while the U.S. leader met Prime Minister Theresa May nearby. Feminists, environmentalists, peace activists, trade unionists and others demonstrated against the lavish royal welcome being given to a president...
At least 4 dead in shooting in Australian city of Darwin
MELBOURNE, Australia — A gunman was arrested after killing at least four people and wounding several others Tuesday in the tropical Australian city of Darwin, officials and media said. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the incident was not terrorism related. “This is a terrible act of violence that has already,...
N.Y. could become first state to ban cat declawing
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York would be the first state to ban the declawing of cats under legislation heading to a vote in the state Legislature. The Senate and Assembly are both expected to take up the bill on Tuesday. Declawing a cat is already illegal in much of Europe...
Report: Blacks, Latinos at risk of undercount in 2020 census
ORLANDO, Fla. — Emily Bonilla is worried her district in metro Orlando will be undercounted during next spring’s once-in-a-decade head count of everybody in the United States because of who lives there: new arrivals, immigrants, the poor, renters and rural residents who sometimes regard government with suspicion. “We’re growing so...
Suddenly it’s D-Day again; aging veterans recall invasion
ABOARD THE BOUDICCA IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL — The veterans hobble along on canes and lean on walking frames now, slower and weaker than they were on D-Day, when they stormed the Normandy beaches with the fate of the free world resting on their shoulders. It’s hard to imagine them...
Travel nursing jobs satisfy need for adventure, flexibility
When it comes to work-life balance, Leslie Giesey of Ligonier seems to have it made. From October to April, she works as a registered nurse at Excela Health Latrobe Hospital. When May comes, she heads west to work as a travel nurse in a clinic near Yellowstone National Park. She’s...
Vaccine best way to combat rise in hepatitis A infections
Drug use and homelessness are cited as two main reasons why hepatitis A infections have increased nearly 300% in the U.S. since 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC says two other groups associated with the increase include men who have sex with men...
Forewarned is forearmed for staying healthy while traveling
A virus with a “terrible” hacking cough eclipsed Deirdre Gerard’s recent South American cruise on the Viking Sun. But for the playwright and her husband, the real disappointment set in after they got home. “Once we started getting better, we heard from other passengers that half the ship had had...
Duchenne muscular dystrophy caused by genetic defect
Dear Mayo Clinic: What is Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and what causes it? Is treatment available? Can Duchenne muscular dystrophy be cured? A: As with all forms of muscular dystrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by a genetic defect. The defect leads to muscle weakness and loss of muscle mass that...
Ceremony, political gibes mark Trump’s first day in LondonVideo
LONDON — Mixing pageantry and pugilism, President Trump plunged into his long-delayed state visit to Britain on Monday, welcomed with smiles and a cannon salute by the royals but launching political insults at others in a time of turmoil for both nations in the deep, if recently strained, alliance. It...
More Pennsylvania lawmakers are taking a position on impeachment
When The Morning Call surveyed Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation last month on whether Congress should file articles of impeachment against the president, one Democratic lawmaker was in support. A month later, that tally has grown to four House Democrats, as the White House and Congress remain locked in a stalemate over...
California governor won’t free Manson follower Leslie Van Houten
SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom overruled a parole board’s decision to free Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten on Monday, marking the third time a governor has stopped the release of the youngest member of Manson’s murderous cult. Van Houten, 69, is still a threat, Newsom said, though she...
Congress finally sends $19B disaster aid bill to TrumpVideo
WASHINGTON — A long-delayed $19.1 billion disaster aid bill sailed through the House on Monday and headed to President Trump for his expected signature, overcoming months of infighting, misjudgment and a feud between Trump and congressional Democrats. Lawmakers gave the measure final congressional approval by 354-58 in the House’s first...
Sheriff says Illinois man died after saving daughter from dog attack
FORT MADISON, Iowa — Authorities say a man died after saving his 5-year-old daughter from a dog attack in southeast Iowa. Lee County Sheriff Stacy Weber says 33-year-old Robert Quick, of Dallas City, Ill., was one of three people attacked Friday by the boxer outside a home in Fort Madison....
