Budgets boost plans to deepen Mississippi River in Louisiana
WASHINGTON — The Army Corps of Engineers plans to spend more than $85 million this year on a project to deepen the main channel of the Mississippi River in Louisiana. U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana announced the funding in a news release Monday. It comes after the Corps endorsed...
EU official rejects Johnson’s idea of loose U.K. trade deal
BRUSSELS — The European Union will only offer Britain unique access to its vast single market if the U.K. agrees to stick to the bloc’s standards, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday, dismissing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s idea of brokering a loose trade deal with the...
Head of German Catholics says he’ll step down at end of term
BERLIN — The Roman Catholic cardinal who leads the German Bishops’ Conference said Tuesday he plans to step down at the end of his term in March. Cardinal Reinhard Marx, 66, said in a letter to fellow bishops in Germany that he would not seek a second term leading the...
Legal sportsbooks in U.S. take $13 billion in action in 2019; Pa. 3rd with $1.5B
Last year marked the first full year of legal sports betting in the United States, and Pennsylvania was one of just three states to take in more than $1 billion in wagers in 2019, according to the American Gaming Association. Pennsylvania was one of the first states to launch legal...
Quinn on Nutrition: Treats for your sweet — not all are bad
February brings us to Valentine’s Day. And it’s also American Heart Month. Quick, it’s time to give something special to someone you love this week. And surprise, some of our favorite Valentine treats can also be good to our hearts. Chocolate: There is room for chocolate in a healthy diet,...
Older adults susceptible to pertussis, vaccine may be warranted
Dear Mayo Clinic: Why is my health care provider recommending that I get the Tdap vaccine now to prevent whooping cough, even though I am in my late 70s? Doesn’t whooping cough usually affect young children? Answer: While it’s true that babies are most at risk of pertussis infection and...
What to do if your home health care agency ditches you
Craig Holly was determined to fight when the home health agency caring for his wife decided to cut off services. The reason he was given by an agency nurse? His wife was disabled but stable, and Medicare was changing its payment system for home health. Euphrosyne “Effie” Costas-
Holly, 67, has...
Health Happenings: Week of Feb. 10
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: — Noon-5:30 p.m. today, Saint Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Unity — 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday , Seton Hill University
McKenna Center, Seton Hill Drive, Greensburg Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome Classes/programs • Tours of the Family...
Pentagon: 109 troops suffer brain injuries from Iran strike
WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. service members diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries has shot up to more than 100, the Pentagon said Monday, as more troops suffer the aftereffects of the Iranian ballistic missile attack early last month in Iraq. The department said the latest total is 109 military...
Feds seek 7 to 9 years in prison for Trump ally Roger Stone
WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to sentence President Donald Trump’s Trump confidant Roger Stone to serve between 7 and 9 years in prison after his conviction on witness tampering and obstruction charges. Stone, who is scheduled to be sentenced next week, was convicted in November of a...
Cruise ship infections nearly double as China virus deaths spike
BEIJING — The number of people infected on a cruise ship south of Tokyo with a new strain of coronavirus almost doubled Monday, as authorities in China and beyond pursued greater quarantine measures to contain the disease. Deaths from the new coronavirus have hit 909, the Chinese government announced, with...
Guilty plea in Louisiana to federal charges in black church burnings
LAFAYETTE, La. — The aspiring ‘black metal’ musician who was arrested in a series of fires set at African American churches in Louisiana last spring pleaded guilty Monday to federal and state criminal charges. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release that Holden Matthews pleaded guilty to three...
Lawsuit: Scranton school district knew about lead, asbestos contaminationVideo
SCRANTON — Current and former employees of a Pennsylvania school district claimed in a lawsuit filed Monday that officials knew for years that unsafe levels of lead and asbestos posed potential health risks for students and staff but never disclosed the information to them or the public. The plaintiffs are...
Pennsylvania sues Juul over marketing e-cigarettes to teens
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office sued electronic cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs Inc. on Monday over how its products are marketed and sold to teenagers. The agency is seeking an injunction from Philadelphia courts to halt Juul’s e-cigarette sales in Pennsylvania or force it to dramatically change business practices....
More high school students than ever are coming out, but their despair remains acute
PHILADELPHIA — The proportion of high school students who identify as a sexual minority — lesbian, gay, bisexual or questioning— doubled in the past several years, according to a new study published Monday. Yet those greater numbers have not necessarily meant they have found greater acceptance or peace. The study,...
William Barr: Justice Department has process to take Ukraine info from Rudy GiulianiVideo
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr said Monday the Justice Department is taking information that President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani is gathering in Ukraine about the president’s Democratic rival Joe Biden and his son. But Barr cautioned that federal officials have “to be very careful” with information coming...
Amazon wants to question Trump over losing $10B contract bidVideo
Amazon wants President Donald Trump to submit to questioning over the tech company’s losing bid for a $10 billion military contract. The Pentagon awarded the cloud computing project to Microsoft in October. Amazon later sued, arguing that Trump’s interference and bias against the company harmed Amazon’s chances. Amazon was considered...
Florida man who drove van at GOP voter sign-up worked as stagehandVideo
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man charged with driving a van into a tent where local Republicans were registering voters worked as a stagehand and had lived in northeast Florida for two years, according to jail records and an arrest report. Gregory Timm, 27, had been referred work through the local...
Bernie Sanders tops Democratic field in national poll after Iowa
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Bernie Sanders is leading the Democratic field in a national poll taken after the Iowa caucuses. The Quinnipiac University poll showed the Vermont senator with 25% support, topping the survey for the first time. He was followed by former Vice President Joe Biden at 17% and former...
Drugs fail to slow decline in inherited Alzheimer’s disease
Two experimental drugs failed to prevent or slow mental decline in a study of people who are virtually destined to develop Alzheimer’s disease at a relatively young age because they inherited rare gene flaws. The results announced Monday are another disappointment for the approach that scientists have focused on for...
Police: 3 people shot at Walmart in eastern Arkansas
FORREST CITY, Ark. — At least three people were shot Monday morning at a Walmart in eastern Arkansas, police said. The shooting was reported mid-morning in Forrest City, a dispatcher with the Forrest City Police Department told the Associated Press. Forrest City Police dispatcher Chastity Boyd told the Associated Press...
U.K. looks at building bridge linking Scotland, Northern Ireland
LONDON — The British government said Monday it is seriously studying the feasibility of a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland, an audacious idea that has been floated by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Johnson’s spokesman, James Slack, said the proposal was being taken seriously and “a range of officials” were...
State grant aims to align local education with employers’ expectations
If Franklin Regional teachers are going to prepare their students for the modern workplace, it only makes sense to find out what that workplace looks like and how its expectations align with the district’s curriculum. Staff members were given that opportunity, along with professional development training in college and career...
Lawsuit: TSA agent purposely groped woman at N.C. airport
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A woman says in a lawsuit that a security screener at a North Carolina airport intentionally groped her. The lawsuit was filed Feb. 4 in federal court against the U.S. government as well as the female Transportation Security Administration agent. The lawsuit says the passenger was screened...
Michigan police fatally shoot man who stabbed police dog
SAGINAW, Mich. — Police officers fatally shot a man who stabbed a police dog in the head during a hostage situation at a home in a mid-Michigan city, law enforcement officials said. Officers in Saginaw were responding to a reported domestic disturbance that became a hostage situation at the house...
