Pa. mom pleads guilty in disabled toddler’s bathtub drowning
PEN ARGYL, Pa. — A mother who was under the influence of drugs when her disabled 2-year-old son drowned in a bathtub has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Michelle Wallace entered her plea Monday as part of a deal with the Northampton County District Attorney’s office in Pennsylvania. It calls...
Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams will not run for Senate in 2020
Stacey Abrams, the Georgia Democrat who garnered national attention after narrowly losing her bid for governor last year, announced Tuesday that she will not run for Senate, despite a fierce lobbying effort by party leaders. Abrams, 45, who in recent months has said she also was considering a presidential bid,...
Sheriff’s deputy gets probation for stalking ex-girlfriend
NEWTON, N.C. — A former sheriff’s captain of Catawba County, N.C., has pleaded guilty to stalking his ex-girlfriend. News outlets report Jason Reid pleaded guilty Monday to charges including cyberstalking and willful failure to discharge duties. He was sentenced to 20 months of supervised probation and 240 hours of community...
Enigmatic Beluga whale lets people pet it in Artic Norway
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A beluga whale found in Arctic Norway with a tight harness that is believed to have links to a military facility in Russia is so tame that residents can pet the mammal on its nose. The white whale has been frolicking in the frigid harbor of Tufjord,...
Emperor Akihito announces abdication as Japan marks end of era
TOKYO — Japanese Emperor Akihito announced his abdication at a palace ceremony Tuesday in his final address, as the nation embraced the end of his reign with reminiscence and hope for a new era. “Today, I am concluding my duties as the emperor,” Akihito said as he stood in front...
Trump sues banks to block House subpoenas for records
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, his family and the Trump Organization filed a lawsuit against Deutsche Bank and Capital One in an attempt to block congressional subpoenas seeking their banking and financial records. The lawsuit by Trump, sons Donald Jr. and Eric and daughter Ivanka was filed Monday in federal...
Suspect in synagogue attack stuns family with radical turn
POWAY, Calif. — The lone suspect in a fatal attack on a Southern California synagogue was a star scholar, athlete and musician whose embrace of white supremacy and anti-Semitism has dumbfounded his family and others who thought they knew him well. John T. Earnest, 19, made the dean’s list both...
Forget that persistent myth: You can drink water while eating
It’s the kind of advice a well-meaning friend might chime in with as you chug a glass of water after sitting down for a meal: “You shouldn’t drink water before eating — it’s bad for your digestion.” She may have heard that warning from her mom years ago and assumed...
Know your triggers for stress
The kids are screaming, the bills are due and the pile of papers on your desk is growing at an alarming pace. It’s undeniable — life is full of stress. Understanding the types and sources of stress — short term and long term, internal and external — is an important...
Health Happenings – Apr. 30, 2019
Blood drives — 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. today, Triangle Tech, 222 E. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg — 12:30-5 p.m. May 7, Ascension Church, 621 Division St., Jeannette Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome Classes/programs • Excela Health fitness classes for the mind, body and spirit at Westmoreland Hospital, 532 W. Pittsburgh St.,...
Trump wants to charge asylum-seekers to apply
WASHINGTON — President Trump is proposing charging asylum-seekers a fee to process their applications as he continues to try to crack down on the surge of Central American migrants trying to cross into the United States. In a presidential memorandum signed Monday, Trump directed his attorney general and acting homeland...
Officials: Parents of suspect Michael Cummins among 7 killed in TennesseeVideo
NASHVILLE — The man suspected of killing his parents and five other people in two rural Tennessee homes stole the car of one of the victims and was wearing a blood-stained T-shirt when he was seen, telling acquaintances the stain was just chocolate, according to authorities and court documents. Law...
West Virginia official accused of harassing trans student gets job back
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — A West Virginia assistant principal accused of harassing a transgender student won an appeal to get his job back Monday. The Harrison County Board of Education voted to reinstate Lee Livengood after voting unanimously last month not to renew his contract at the end of a three-year...
Landslide costs add to PennDOT’s funding challenges
In a typical year, PennDOT officials budget about $30 million for flooding and landslide damage. In 2018, they spent $127 million fixing that damage, according to PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards. Richards, along with Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, mentioned the landslides last week while discussing more than $4 billion from the...
Speaker Mike Turzai calls for boost in tax credits for private schools
A bill to increase the amount Pennsylvania forgoes in taxes to underwrite private school scholarships and public school foundations from $160 to $260 million a year is moving through the state House. House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Bradford Woods, penned the measure that was reported out of committee Monday with 43...
Rod Rosenstein submits letter of resignation to Trump
WASHINGTON — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein submitted his resignation Monday, ending a nearly two-year run defined by his appointment of a special counsel to investigate connections between President Trump’s campaign and Russia. His last day will be May 11. Rosenstein’s departure had been expected since the confirmation of William...
State police seek possible witness to fatal Center Township crash
State police out of Troop A in Indiana are seeking the public’s help in identifying a woman who may have witnessed or provided aid during a fatal three-car crash April 19 in Center Township. Authorities said Makenzie Marie Deditch, 17, of Grafton, W. Va., and Williard F. Allshouse Jr., 67,...
Islamic State leader Baghdadi appears in video for first time in 5 years, says group will endureVideo
AMMAN, Jordan — Islamic State’s long-pursued leader, Abu Bakr Baghdadi, made his first video appearance in almost five years on Monday, vowing to continue the battle against the U.S. and its allies in a propaganda video released to social media. The 18-minute video, titled “In the Hospitality of the Emir...
Student protesters occupy Swarthmore fraternity house, want it closed
Student protesters at Swarthmore College occupied an on-campus fraternity house following the leak of documents purportedly describing some members’ derogatory comments and sexual assault jokes. The demonstration is aimed at shutting down the Phi Psi chapter at the private liberal arts school in suburban Philadelphia. On Monday morning, about 30...
Trump claims NRA ‘under siege’ by New York investigation
ALBANY, N.Y. — The National Rifle Association is “under siege,” President Trump said Monday in response to New York state’s decision to investigate the organization’s status as a tax-exempt nonprofit. The Republican president accused state Attorney General Letitia James and her fellow Democrat, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, of breaking the law...
Officials: Army veteran’s plan to bomb Nazi rally thwarted
LOS ANGELES — An Army veteran who converted to Islam and discussed launching various terror attacks throughout Southern California was arrested as he plotted to bomb a white supremacist rally as retribution for the New Zealand mosque attacks, federal prosecutors said Monday. Mark Domingo, an infantryman who served a combat...
Pennsylvania joins U.S. Climate Alliance efforts to reduce greenhouse gas
Pennsylvania is now the 23rd state to sign on with the U.S. Climate Alliance, as Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday announced the release of the new Pennsylvania Climate Action Plan. Calling for a renewed commitment to uphold the tenants of the 2015 international Paris Climate Accord that President Trump eschewed,...
3 women, 1 man killed at Ohio apartment complex where shots firedVideo
WEST CHESTER, Ohio — Three women and a man were found dead at an apartment complex in Ohio where multiple gunshots were fired, police said Monday. No suspect has been identified. A man called 911 around 10 p.m. Sunday, saying he had arrived at the complex in a northern Cincinnati...
U.S. measles cases top 700, with many illnesses among kids
NEW YORK — Measles continues to spread in the United States, with more 704 cases reported so far this year in 22 states. U.S. health officials on Monday updated the national tally. It has already eclipsed the total for any full year since 1994, when 963 cases were reported. The...
Man’s pickup explodes at Burger King drive-thru in Arkansas
BEEBE, Ark. — A man who was driving his pickup truck through a central Arkansas Burger King drive-thru has suffered severe burns after the vehicle exploded at the window. Ron Daniel told KARK that he had just picked up a propane tank and decided to stop for a couple burgers...