Venezuela arrests 27 in failed revolt
CARACAS, Venezuela — Officials in Venezuela say they’ve arrested 27 members of the National Guard accused of launching an uprising against the government. Socialist party chief Diosdado Cabello says more arrests could come. Tensions are thick in Venezuela, where the political opposition leaders have called for nationwide protests on Wednesday...
Notre Dame to cover up murals of Columbus in the New World
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame will cover murals in a campus building that depict Christopher Columbus in America, the school’s president said, following criticism that the images depict Native Americans in stereotypical submissive poses before white European explorers. The 12 murals created in the 1880s by...
Russia: 14 sailors killed when ships catch fire in Black Sea
MOSCOW — Two Tanzanian-flagged commercial vessels caught fire in the Black Sea, leaving at least 14 sailors dead, Russian officials said Monday. Five other sailors were missing. The Federal Agency for the Sea and River Transport said the fire erupted while fuel was being pumped from one tanker to another....
Two tragedies, one resolve: New Light members travel to Charleston
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Members of the New Light Congregation of the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill traveled to Charleston, S.C., this past weekend to worship with members of the church where nine black worshippers died in 2015 at the hands of a white supremacist. The Post and Courier...
Gas prices holding steady nationally as transition to summer fuel approaches
While the Pittsburgh area was enduring its coldest day of the winter season so far, the change to summer is just on the horizon — to summer gasoline, that is. “The transition to summer gasoline, a three-month process, will begin in the weeks ahead, so the current period is still...
Man who pleaded guilty to slaying teen brother gets parole
YORK — A man who pleaded guilty to stabbing his younger brother to death when they were teenagers two decades ago has been granted parole. Thirty-five-year-old Zachary Witman will be eligible for release beginning May 21 following Friday’s decision in York County. The Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole cited...
Consumer alert lifted for Dragon Town restaurant in Bellevue
A consumer alert issued for the Dragon Town restaurant on Lincoln Avenue in Bellevue has been lifted as of Jan. 28. An inspection on Jan. 18 found that utensils and food-contact surfaces were not being properly cleaned or sanitized, and that food was not stored at appropriate temperatures, according to...
Planetary diet could save Earth, save lives and aid world hunger, study says
Our current food production and consumption habits are doomed to “exacerbate risks to people and planet,” according to a landmark study published in The Lancet this week. But if we make a radical change — as in, cut our sugar and red meat by half and double our vegetable, fruit...
TSA checkpoint worker no-shows peak at 10 percent
The number of Transportation Security Administration security airport workers who did not show up for duty Sunday reached a record 10 percent of the checkpoint workforce, leading to growing lines in several places, with the longest in Minneapolis and New Orleans. The union that represents the TSA workers, the American...
Ice topped with snow makes for unseen walking danger
A thin layer of ice disguised by a coating of snow that feel overnight made city steps running from Jancey Street to Butler Street in Morningside a slipping danger on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019. The region first significant snowfall of 2019 blanketed the region over the weekend and temperatures dipped...
Lawsuit: Ligonier Township fireworks accident blinded N.Y. man in one eye
A New York man has filed a personal injury lawsuit alleging a fireworks accident two years ago in Ligonier Township blinded him in one eye. Samuel Breslin, a resident of Albany County, N.Y., filed suit in the U.S. District Court for Western Pennsylvania against Adam Wagner of Indianapolis. The two...
Trump visits MLK memorial in Washington
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has paid a visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington on the holiday honoring the civil rights leader. Trump arrived shortly after 11 a.m. to pay his respects on a frigid and windy day. He was joined by Vice President Mike Pence,...
Pennsylvania colleges receive funds to fight sexual assault
Almost $1 million was given to Pennsylvania colleges to help end sexual assault on campuses, including ones in Westmoreland County and Western Pennsylvania. Originally started by President Obama as a national movement, “It’s On Us PA,” headed by Gov. Tom Wolf, has donated almost $3 million in grants to colleges...
Holy handcuffs! Arrest made in $1.4 million ‘Batman’ comics heist
BOCA RATON, Fla. — A few comic books from a stolen Batman collection worth $1.4 million have been recovered after an arrest in Arizona. News station ABC-15 in Phoenix reports that police charged Phillip Weisbauer of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, with theft and trafficking in stolen property after he tried...
Pittsburgh Symphony is offering free tickets to furloughed federal employees
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is giving away tickets to furloughed federal workers. The symphony posted a message to its Instagram account on Sunday: “For all furloughed Federal employees, we open our hall with two free concert tickets from now until 30 days after the end of the shutdown.” The post...
Bon Jovi’s restaurant gives free meal to furloughed workers
RED BANK, N.J. — A restaurant owned by musician and New Jersey native Jon Bon Jovi is providing free meals to local government workers and their families during the federal government shutdown. JBJ Soul Kitchen in Red Bank announced on Facebook it will provide the free meals to furloughed workers...
8 Pennsylvania teens arrested for Delaware port car thefts
NEW CASTLE, Del. — Delaware State Police say eight Pennsylvania teenagers have been arrested for stealing cars from two companies at the Port of Wilmington. The News Journal of Wilmington reports that police say the cars were stolen from Trans Cargo and Auto Port Inc. The Port of Wilmington says...
For the poor, the safety net in a shutdown doesn’t feel safe
WASHINGTON — Doris Cochran, a disabled mother of two young boys, is stockpiling canned foods these days, filling her shelves with noodle soup, green beans, peaches and pears — anything that can last for months or even years. Her pantry looks as though she’s preparing for a winter storm. But...
Felled tree, power lines shuts down section of Harrison road
A section of Karns Road in Harrison was closed Monday because of a downed tree and power lines, according to Citizens Hose Fire-Rescue-EMS. A post on the department’s Facebook page said Karns was closed between Burtner and Springhill roads. The road remained closed as of about 5 p.m., with no...
Girl, 12, dies in snow fort collapse outside church
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — A 12-year-old girl has died after a snow fort collapsed while she was playing outside a church in suburban Chicago. Arlington Heights police are calling the death a “tragic accident.” Police say the girl, Esther Jung, was playing with a 9-year-old girl in the snow outside...
Teen in confrontation with Native American: I didn’t provoke
DETROIT — The student who stared and smiled at an elderly Native American protester drumming in his face outside the Lincoln Memorial as his schoolmates chanted and laughed says he did nothing to provoke the man in the videotaped confrontation and was only trying to calm the situation. The student...
Kamala Harris jumps into presidential race
WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris, a first-term senator and former California attorney general known for her rigorous questioning of President Donald Trump’s nominees, entered the Democratic presidential race on Monday. Vowing to “bring our voices together,” Harris would be the first woman to hold the presidency and the second African-American if...
2-for-1: Total lunar eclipse comes with supermoon bonus
The only total lunar eclipse this year and next came with a supermoon bonus. On Sunday night, the moon, Earth and sun lined up to create the eclipse, which was visible throughout North and South America, where skies were clear. There won’t be another until the year 2021. It was...
Bolton’s test: Massaging Trump tweets into foreign policy
WASHINGTON — In President Donald Trump’s Washington, matters of war and peace are decided in 280-character bursts. It’s up to John Bolton to massage them into a foreign policy. The mustachioed national security adviser developed a reputation as a bureaucratic bulldozer through more than three decades in and out of...
Shutdown goes on as Trump offer doesn’t budge Democrats
WASHINGTON — Thirty-one days into the partial government shutdown, Democrats and Republicans appeared no closer to ending the impasse than when it began, with President Donald Trump lashing out at his opponents after they dismissed a plan he’d billed as a compromise. Trump on Sunday branded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi...
