At a Pa. Catholic seminary, hope for church beyond scandals
WYNNEWOOD, Pa. — The seminarians walk along a hallway lined with photos of classes of priests who came before them. Some are pious alumni who have become their teachers and mentors; others climbed the Catholic hierarchy to be revered as bishops and cardinals. But there are others: Raymond Leneweaver, Class...
Hunker man remembered for devotion to children, ingenuity
There pretty much wasn’t anything Paul Patterson wouldn’t do for his children and grandchildren. Even while working third shift at Robertshaw Controls and driving a school bus during the day, he made time to attend his daughters’ dance recitals and band competitions. “He was always with us, doing things with...
Americans on quarantined ship in Japan to be flown home
TOKYO — The U.S. says Americans aboard a quarantined cruise ship will be flown home on a chartered flight Sunday, but they will face another two-week quarantine. About 380 Americans are aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has docked at Yokohama, a port city southwest of Tokyo. So far,...
Taliban deal promising but not without risk, Pentagon chief Esper says
MUNICH — Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday that a truce agreement between the United States and the Taliban that could lead to the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan is not without risk but “looks very promising.” Ahead of a formal announcement of the seven-day “reduction in violence” deal,...
U.K. faces another fierce storm; 2 found dead in rough seas
LONDON — Rescuers pulled two male bodies from rough seas off the coast of southeast England and military personnel mobilized to help build flood barriers Saturday as Britain braced for a second straight weekend of stormy weather. The fourth named storm of the season, dubbed Dennis by Britain’s Met Office...
Week 4 of Weinstein trial: Closing arguments, two universes
NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein grinned as he left court, and his lawyers said he was confident heading into what could be his last weekend of freedom as his New York City rape trial moves closer to a verdict. Jurors are set to start deliberating Tuesday, their task put off...
Mating snakes prompt closure of part of Florida park
LAKELAND, Fla. — A Florida city shut down a section of a lake Thursday after receiving reports of swarming snakes. Turns out, the slithery creatures were just celebrating Valentine’s Day a little early. The Lakeland Parks & Recreation department wrote on its Facebook page that a group of non-venomous water...
Police: 14-year-old held in Barnard College student death
NEW YORK — A 14-year-old has been arrested in the fatal stabbing of a Barnard College student in a park during a robbery in December, a crime that rattled New York City residents, authorities said Saturday. Rashaun Weaver has been indicted by a grand jury and was taken into custody...
Shift to digital census raises fear of Iowa-like breakdown
ORLANDO, Fla. — The stakes are high when a major civic exercise involves a large population, new technology that has not been thoroughly tested and an entire country waiting on the results. Just ask the organizers of the Iowa caucuses, which offered a cautionary tale on the technological woes that...
China reports major drop in new virus cases; 143 new deaths
BEIJING — China reported 2,641 new virus cases Saturday as it escalates measures to contain the outbreak and reassure an anxious public. The figure is a major drop from the higher numbers in recent days since a broader diagnostic method was implemented. The number of new deaths rose slightly to...
No handshakes: Viral outbreak spooks Asian places of worship
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — In a popular Catholic church in the Philippines, nearly half of the pews were empty for Sunday Mass. The few hundred worshippers who showed up were asked to refrain from shaking others’ hands or holding them during prayers to prevent the spread of the virus that...
Angry protests in Mexico after woman’s gruesome killing
MEXICO CITY — Angry demonstrations broke out in Mexico City on Friday as hundreds of women protested the gruesome slaying and mutilation of a young woman, a case that has come to personify outrage over the rising incidence of gender-related killings, or femicides. In the morning, dozens of protesters spray-painted...
Ohio wants to put Lake Erie on a new, strict pollution diet
TOLEDO, Ohio — Ohio wants to put Lake Erie on a new, stricter pollution diet to fight back against the toxic algae blooms that have flourished for more than a decade, environmental regulators said Thursday. The state intends to establish a plan to reduce runoff that’s feeding the outbreaks by...
Feds: Florida doctor stole $26M to fund political ambition
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida vascular surgeon bilked the government and health insurers of more than $26 million to possibly finance his political ambitions in his native country of Ghana, federal authorities said. Earlier this month, a federal grand jury unsealed a 58-count indictment alleging that Dr. Moses deGraft-Johnson falsely...
Anti-abortion group flips views on new Georgia senator
MARIETTA, Ga. — An influential anti-abortion group is backing Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia in her November special election, only months after opposing her appointment to the post. Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said Friday that her initial concerns were based on information “from the rumor universe”...
De Blasio endorses former 2020 rival Sanders for president
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is endorsing Bernie Sanders for president, a move that puts de Blasio in a position to become a leading voice in opposition to Sanders’ newest rival, Mike Bloomberg, his predecessor in leading the nation’s largest city. De Blasio, an unabashed...
In Nevada, Klobuchar’s shifts on immigration under scrutiny
LAS VEGAS — Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar says she no longer believes English should be the national language of the U.S., disavowing a vote she took more than a decade ago as she tries to build support in a state where Hispanics make up a critical constituency. Campaigning in...
ICE plans to deploy more resources in sanctuary cities
LOS ANGELES — Federal immigration officials confirmed Friday that border agents and officers, including those in tactical units, will be deployed in Los Angeles and other so-called sanctuary cities to assist in the arrests of immigrants in the country illegally. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman confirmed details of...
Appeals court deals blow to Trump’s Medicaid work rules
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s effort to remake Medicaid by requiring low-income people to work for health care suffered a serious setback Friday when a federal appeals court ruled it goes beyond what’s allowed by law. The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for...
Official says U.S., Taliban reach Afghanistan truce agreement
MUNICH — The United States and the Taliban have reached agreement on a temporary truce that will take effect in the coming days and, if successfully completed, will lead to a formal cease-fire, the start of peace negotiations between all Afghan sides next month and the ultimate withdrawal of American...
Investigators target sexual abuse cover-ups among Jehovah’s Witnesses
Brian Chase listened carefully from his Tucson, Ariz., home in July as an investigator from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office introduced himself over the phone. After some idle chitchat, the investigator asked: Was Chase familiar with the office’s 2018 grand jury report, which showed that priests had sexually abused thousands...
Florida ‘red flag’ gun law used 3,500 times since Parkland
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A 23-year-old man who posted on Facebook, “I don’t know why I don’t go on a killing spree.” A West Palm Beach couple who shot up their home while high on cocaine. A 31-year-old Gulf Coast man who pointed a semiautomatic rifle at a motorcyclist. All...
New Banksy piece appears on birthday of house owner where artwork appeared
That Banksy is at it again. A new work from the anonymous artist showed up on the side of house in Bristol, United Kingdom, on Feb. 13. It was confirmed Feb. 14 as a Banksy piece on his website and Instagram. The new work depicts a girl with a slingshot...
Chicago teacher removed during probe of ‘go back’ anthem row
CHICAGO — A Chicago teacher accused of telling a Hispanic student she should go back to her own country after she refused to stand for the national anthem has been removed from the classroom while district officials investigate, the school’s principal said. Students at Senn High School on the city’s...
U.S. murder suspect went undetected in Italy for 2 weeks
ROME — An American woman wanted over her husband’s 2002 murder was able to stay at the Rome hotel where she was arrested for nearly two weeks before an international arrest warrant turned up in the system identifying her as a murder suspect, Italian police said Friday. Beverly McCallum, 59,...
