Police: Berks County man believed to have killed 2, died in fire ID’d
DOUGLASSVILLE — State police say a man who they believe beat an eastern Pennsylvania couple to death with a hammer and was then found dead in a fire in the garage has been identified as the woman’s adult son. Police in Berks County said Wednesday that DNA tests identified the...
State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale to audit Pennsylvania LotteryVideo
State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced a new performance audit of the Pennsylvania Lottery on Wednesday, with a special emphasis on studying the state-run gameing franchise’s protections against being ripped off by players or retailers who are intentionally gaming the system. “Last fiscal year, Pennsylvania Lottery players bought $4.5 billion...
Pennsylvania Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell charged with stealing from nonprofitVideo
HARRISBURG — Prosecutors charged a state representative from Philadelphia on Wednesday with enriching herself by stealing money from a nonprofit organization she founded to serve the mentally ill and poor who were fighting addiction. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office accused Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell of perjury, tampering with public records,...
Amid impeachment inquiry, Rudy Giuliani meets with Ukraine officials
Democrats and Republicans sparred in the House Judiciary Committee’s first impeachment hearing, battling over whether President Donald Trump’s pressure on Ukraine to conduct investigations into his political rivals constituted impeachable offenses. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, met with former government officials in what he said was...
Georgia governor picks political newcomer Kelly Loeffler for U.S. Senate
ATLANTA — Georgia’s Republican governor announced Wednesday that he will appoint a wealthy businesswoman to the U.S. Senate, flouting President Donald Trump and highlighting a division within the GOP over whether moderate suburbanites or base voters are their key to victory in 2020 and beyond. Gov. Brian Kemp’s selection of...
At notorious jail, guards feel heat for teen’s near suicide
NEW YORK — Four guards at New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail have been suspended without pay after they allegedly stood by and failed to stop a teenage inmate from trying to hang himself on Thanksgiving. Nicholas Feliciano, 18, remained unconscious in the intensive care unit of a hospital...
Feds tighten food stamp rules: 688,000 adults must work or lose benefitsVideo
Some 688,000 food stamp recipients will have to find work by April or risk losing benefits as the Trump administration issues a final rule making it harder for states to get exemptions from work requirements. Those affected are able-bodied adults under 50 without children or other dependents, who represent about...
George Zimmerman sues family of Trayvon Martin and others for $100 millionVideo
MIAMI — George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer acquitted of homicide charges in the 2012 fatal shooting of unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, is suing Martin’s family, prosecutors and others involved in the case he claims rested on false evidence, according to a copy of the suit sent to...
Impeachment takeaways: History lessons, partisan feudsVideo
WASHINGTON — The next phase of the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump moved to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday with public hearings featuring professors of law who discussed the constitutional origins of Congress’ impeachment power. Three of the lawyers were chosen by Democrats, one by Republicans, and the...
Rep. Reschenthaler bid to question whistleblower during impeachment hearing fails
Another bid to question the whistleblower whose complaint triggered the impeachment inquiry into President Trump fell flat Wednesday. A motion by U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, to subpoena the whistleblower failed when members of the House Judiciary Committee, voting on party lines, moved to table his motion and adjourn. Reschenthaler,...
East Huntingdon radiologist achieved ‘the American dream’
When Benedict Mariano Jr. decided he wanted to pursue the American dream, his whole family worked to help him achieve it. “He was the oldest of six kids, and his father was gone a lot working on a boat, so he was kind of the man of the family,” said...
Electric eel powers aquarium’s Christmas lightsVideo
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Visitors to the Tennessee Aquarium may be shocked to learn that an electric eel named Miguel Wattson is lighting up a Christmas tree. A special system connected to Miguel’s tank enables his shocks to power strands of lights on a nearby tree, according to a news release....
Deadly defect found in another version of Takata airbags
DETROIT — BMW is telling owners of some older 3-series cars to stop driving them after another recall of dangerous Takata air bag inflators. A driver in Australia was killed by an airbag malfunction, while another Australian and a driver in Cyprus were injured, according to government documents. The recently...
Buffalo bishop resigns under fire for handling of misconductVideo
NEW YORK — Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo resigned Wednesday, forced to step aside amid mounting calls for his ouster from his staff, priests and public over his handling of allegations of clergy sexual misconduct. The Vatican said Pope Francis accepted the resignation and appointed Edward Scharfenberger, the bishop of...
Penn State student severely injured after pedestrian-vehicle crash, police say
A Penn State international student was severely injured Tuesday evening after being struck by a vehicle on the 800 block of South Atherton Street. State College police, Alpha Fire Co. and Centre LifeLink EMS were dispatched at 5:04 p.m. Tuesday for a report of a pedestrian who was struck by...
Trump calls Trudeau ‘two-faced’ as palace gossip goes viralVideo
WATFORD, England — NATO leaders professed unity on Wednesday at a summit near London — but a spat over off-the-cuff chitchat at a royal reception rattled their show of solidarity. President Donald Trump branded the leader of America’s northern neighbor “two-faced” after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared to gossip...
Bloomberg spending tens of millions more on new ad campaign
NEW YORK — Billionaire Democrat Michael Bloomberg is putting tens of millions of more dollars behind a new television ad casting himself as uniquely qualified to defeat President Donald Trump. The ad is set to begin running Wednesday in all 50 states, including the first four on the presidential primary...
$14.6 million lottery ticket in Arizona goes unclaimedVideo
Better luck next time. A lottery jackpot worth $14.6 million went unclaimed in Arizona. A winning “The Pick” ticket, which got all six numbers in the in-state game, was sold June 5 at a Circle K convenience store in Goodyear, Arizona. The ticket holder had until Monday to claim the...
Deadly swine flu outbreak breaks out in Poland near Germany
WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s agriculture minister says 21 wild boars have died as a result of an outbreak of African swine fever close to the German border. The minister said Wednesday that the area is being sealed off with a 34 mile fence and local hunters have been instructed to...
Loaded gun inside baby gift bought at Florida thrift store
CRESTVIEW, Fla. — A woman who bought a baby shower gift at a Florida Goodwill store was shocked when the father-to-be opened the box and found a loaded semi-automatic rifle inside. Veronica Alvarez-Rodriguez told the Northwest Florida Daily News that she and her husband stopped by the store in Valparaiso...
Service was a way of life for World War II veteran
Carl Ross initially was rejected for World War II service because he had flat feet. But that didn’t deter the 18-year-old New Kensington native. “He just kept trying,” said his daughter, Joyce Andrews. “He tried all the branches, and nobody would take him. Then he went back to the Army...
North Dakota-based wall builder who pitched to Trump on Fox News wins $400M contract
BISMARCK, N.D. — Tommy Fisher’s ambitious plan to win a border wall contract included what could be the next best thing to making a pitch directly to President Donald Trump himself — talking to him through his favorite cable TV channel, Fox News. And it just may have worked. Fisher’s...
Report: Rudy Giuliani in frequent contact with Devin Nunes, White HouseVideo
WASHINGTON — A new report from Democrats compiling evidence on impeachment revealed contact between President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and California Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the intelligence committee. The report released Tuesday includes phone records obtained from AT&T and Verizon that show Giuliani also was...
Police: Mother tied son’s hands during California fire
SANTA PAULA, Calif. — Authorities say a woman placed a plastic bag over her 3-year-old son’s head and tied his hands as their Santa Paula home burned. Santa Paula police say 47-year-old Maricela Magana Ruiz and her son were treated for smoke inhalation after the fire on Sunday. Firefighters found...
Woman who offered $25,000 reward in husband’s killing now charged with his murder
A Wisconsin woman once offered $25,000 to anyone with information about the 2006 murder of her husband. She will now be charged with the crime. Investigators say Kenneth Juedes, 58, had two fatal shotgun blasts to his chest when Cindy Schulz-Juedes of Chippewa Falls reported that she found her husband...
