Man accused of vandalizing Scranton school while naked
SCRANTON — A man accused of entering a Pennsylvania elementary school, stripping naked and spilling Murphy Oil Soap on the gym floor is in custody. Scranton police tell WNEP-TV the man is undergoing a mental health evaluation and faces charges stemming from the vandalism. His name has not been released....
Poland’s leaders campaign to save wild cows from slaughter
WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s ruling party leader and the president have weighed in to save the lives of a herd of some 180 cows and bulls that went feral after years of neglect and were ordered slaughtered. Poland’s most powerful politician, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, said this week the herd in the...
Trump prompts protests with promise of new Mexican tariffs
WASHINGTON — In a surprise announcement that could derail a major trade deal, President Donald Trump has announced that he is placing a 5% tariff on all Mexican imports, effective June 10, to pressure the country to do more to crack down on the surge of Central American migrants trying...
National Spelling Bee runs out of challenging words, crowns 8 co-champions
OXON HILL, Md. — The Scripps National Spelling Bee was broken Thursday night, brought to its knees by eight spellers who were too poised, too prepared and too savvy for any word thrown their way. Faced with a dwindling word list and a group of spellers that showed no weakness,...
Bird migrations hint at climate change in Erie
The gray catbird isn’t the most popular of birds, but to Jerry McWilliams and others it is the equivalent of the canary in a coal mine. The bird is telling us something. “It used to arrive here in the last week of April and it left in late September,” said...
Ben & Jerry’s plans CBD-infused ice cream
We always knew Ben and Jerry were cool, but now we know just how cool. Ben & Jerry’s, those purveyors of our delicious ice dreams — are ready to hop on the latest trend: CBD-infused food — well, as soon as they can legally do it. The company announced on...
Military judge frees Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher in advance of murder trial
SAN DIEGO — A decorated Navy SEAL facing a murder trial in the death of an Islamic State prisoner was freed from custody Thursday when a military judge cited interference by prosecutors. The unexpected move drew gasps in a San Diego courtroom after lawyers for Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher...
Trump hitting Mexico with 5% tariff in response to migrants
WASHINGTON — President Trump is preparing to threaten Mexico with sweeping new tariffs as part of an attempt to force the country to crack down on a surge of Central American migrants, administration officials said Thursday, a risky move that could rattle already jittery financial markets and imperil an impending...
Pompeo to Europe to seek backing, easing of Iran tensions
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was off to Europe on Thursday to seek support and a potential diplomatic climb-down to ease rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Even as the Trump administration revels in its “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, Pompeo is traveling to Germany, Switzerland, the...
Fire destroys barn at popular Amish country produce stand
STRASBURG — A barn fire in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Amish country sent up a plume of smoke visible for miles and required a hazardous materials team to respond to runoff into a stream. LNP newspaper reported the Wednesday night blaze in Strasburg occurred on the site of Pop’s Produce...
U.S. measles cases in first five months of 2019 surpass total for any year since 1994
The United States has reported 971 cases of measles in the first five months of 2019, the greatest number since 1994, when 963 cases were reported for the entire year, federal health officials said Thursday. The agency has typically been updating its measles cases weekly, on Mondays, but announced the...
Mixed verdict reached in Penn State frat-fall death case
BELLEFONTE — The former manager of a Penn State fraternity where a pledge fell during a night of hazing and drinking and later died has been convicted of hindering apprehension but acquitted of evidence tampering and obstruction. The Centre Daily Times reported a jury deliberated about five hours before issuing...
Georgia police officer charged with beating homeless woman
DECATUR, Ga. — An Atlanta-area police officer who was captured on video beating a homeless woman inside a convenience store was indicted Thursday on felony charges, a prosecutor said. A grand jury indicted DeKalb County police Officer Phillip Larscheid, 29, on charges of aggravated assault and violation of his oath...
Man reportedly attacked by emotional-support dog on flight sues owner, Delta
A man is suing Delta Air Lines and one of its passengers after an emotional-support dog reportedly mauled him on a flight. Alabama resident Marlin Jackson suffered “extensive facial damage,” including lacerations to his nose and mouth, and bled so profusely “that the entire row of seats had to be...
Census citizenship question was crafted to aid white Republicans, files suggest
WASHINGTON — Just weeks before the Supreme Court is expected to rule on whether the Trump administration can add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, new evidence emerged Thursday suggesting that the question was crafted specifically to give an electoral advantage to white Republicans. The evidence was found in...
College enrollment in Pennsylvania, U.S. slips further
College enrollments in Pennsylvania and nationwide continued to slip through the spring semester. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, which calculates enrollment numbers twice a year, for spring and fall, reported Thursday that college enrollments slipped by 1.7%, or about 300,000 students, between spring 2018 and spring 2019. Although graduate...
Trump lashes special counsel after he says no exoneration
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump angrily assailed special counsel Robert Mueller’s motives on Thursday, a day after Mueller bluntly rebuffed Trump’s repeated claims that the Russia investigation had cleared him of committing a federal crime of obstruction of justice. The president also offered mixed messages on Russia’s efforts to help...
Energy Secretary Rick Perry: U.S. can make oil, gas, coal cleaner
SALT LAKE CITY — The Trump administration is committed to making fossil fuels cleaner rather than imposing “draconian” regulations on oil, gas and coal, U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Thursday. Perry made his remarks at an energy conference in Salt Lake City that was briefly interrupted when protesters took...
Photo gallery: D-Day’s landscape in 1944 — and today
ON OMAHA BEACH, France — Warships, bombers, rubble, refugees. That was the Normandy landscape of 1944, as Allied forces fought to wrest France from Nazi control. Today, the region’s towns and beaches are startlingly calm, as still-grateful residents prepare to welcome veterans commemorating 75 years since D-Day. The Associated Press...
Report shows many underage kids get alcohol from parents, friends’ parents
One in four Pennsylvania kids who drink underage get the alcohol from their parents, according to a report released Thursday by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. One in five got the alcohol from a friend’s parent, the report said. The biennial Report on Underage and High-Risk Drinking details current trends...
Former US Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi dies at 81
JACKSON, Miss. — Former U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, who served seven terms and used seniority to steer billions of dollars to his home state of Mississippi, has died. He was 81. Cochran’s final chief of staff, Brad White, said Cochran died Thursday at a veterans’ nursing home in Oxford. Cochran...
Farmers face a historically delayed planting season amid extreme weather
In Kendell Culp’s corner of northwest Indiana, the relentless rain began falling on his farm months ago, saturating the ground his family has nurtured for generations and delaying the kickoff of their planting season by more than a week. It eased up briefly at the end of April, enough time...
Pennsylvania ranked among 10 worst states for job seekers
Pittsburgh may well be among the nation’s top cities for new college grads. A study last month by personal finance tech site SmartAsset put the city among the top 10 in the nation for grads looking to market their new degrees. But another study released Thursday — by WalletHub, a...
Green Gathering will address Westmoreland’s environmental concerns
The Greensburg Group of Ten will hold its first Green Gathering from 2-4 p.m. June 2 at Major Stokes restaurant, 108 W. Pittsburgh St., to celebrate “Environmental Westmoreland County.” The public event includes music by Mark Weakland and book-signing and sale with retired biology teacher Dick Byers of Stahlstown, author...
Class ring found in Florida 17 years after it was lost
PANAMA CITY, Fla. — An Alabama woman reluctantly let her 14-year-old daughter wear her 1986 class ring to impress a boy during a spring break trip to Panama City Beach in 2002. The ring slipped off her daughter’s finger as they walked the beach and quickly disappeared in the waves....
