Firefighters race to control blazes before winds roar back
LOS ANGELES — Howling winds that fueled destructive wildfires across California began to die down Friday, but residents in the northern part of the state braced for another round of power outages aimed at preventing what are expected to be the strongest gusts in years from sparking more blazes this...
Russian woman who infiltrated US politics out of prison
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A tantalizing chapter in Russia’s efforts to collect intelligence on American politics came to a close on Friday as a woman who worked as a covert agent was released from prison to be returned to her home country. Maria Butina, a gun rights activist who sought to...
President Trump takes victory lap on criminal justice reform
COLUMBIA, S.C. — When President Donald Trump talks about how his policies are helping African Americans, he almost always mentions a new law that has allowed thousands of non-violent offenders to gain early release from federal prison. He made the pitch again Friday at a criminal justice conference in South...
Defense secretary says U.S. troops, armored vehicles going to Syria oil fields
BRUSSELS — The United States will send armored vehicles and combat troops into eastern Syria to keep oil fields from potentially falling into the hands of Islamic State militants, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday. It was the latest sign that extracting the military from Syria is more uncertain...
Judge: Justice Department must give House grand jury evidence from Mueller probe
WASHINGTON — A judge on Friday ordered the Justice Department to give the House secret grand jury testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, handing a victory to Democrats who want it for the impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump. The ruling from Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell...
RNC says it ‘wholeheartedly’ backs Trump in impeachment
WASHINGTON — The Republican National Committee moved Friday in an extraordinary vote to express that it “now more than ever wholeheartedly supports” President Donald Trump as he confronts House Democrats’ impeachment probe. The national party’s governing body expressed solidarity with Trump in condemning what it calls a “nakedly partisan impeachment...
Speculation on Dick’s CEO’s presidential aspirations stirs political waters
Twitter is afire with reports that Ed Stack, billionaire CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods, might run for U.S. president through a third-party bid. Stack, who has homes in Sewickley and North Palm Beach, Fla., made national headlines when he halted the sale of semi-automatic weapons and destroyed a cache worth...
U.S. budget deficit hits $984 billion, highest in 7 years
The federal deficit for the 2019 budget year surged to $984.4 billion, its highest point in seven years, and is widely expected to top the $1 trillion mark in coming years. The 26% surge from the 2018 deficit of $779 billion that the government reported Friday reflected such factors as...
Woman drives motorhome into casino after she’s kicked out
Police say a woman who was angered when she was kicked out of a Las Vegas-area casino intentionally drove her motorhome into the building, injuring a custodian. North Las Vegas Police spokesman Eric Leavitt says the 50-year-old woman was ejected from the Cannery casino Friday morning and drove her Winnebago...
Trafford electrician loved making wine, growing peppers
Domenick Cercone’s family didn’t want flowers or memorial donations their father’s memory. They had a simple request, placed in the final line of his obituary. “Please fry up some Italian hot peppers and enjoy them with a glass of your favorite wine,” it read. If Mr. Cercone were here, it’s...
Trump critic gets 1st pitch at World Series game that Trump will attend
WASHINGTON — A day after President Donald Trump said he plans to attend Game 5 of the World Series, the Washington Nationals announced the ceremonial first pitch at that game will be thrown by chef José Andrés, a vocal critic of Trump. Four years ago, Andrés withdrew from plans to...
Elijah Cummings remembered as ‘fierce champion’ at funeral
BALTIMORE — Congressman and civil rights leader Elijah Cummings was remembered Friday as a “fierce champion of truth, justice and kindness” at a funeral that brought Washington politicians and ordinary people alike to the Baltimore church where he worshipped for nearly four decades. “It is no coincidence — is it?...
Hong Kongers use masquerade as new protest tactic
HONG KONG (AP) — Winnie the Pooh, Guy Fawkes, Pepe the Frog — these are the new faces of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protest movement. Demonstrators masqueraded Friday night as their favorite characters in defiance of the government’s ban this month on face coverings at public gatherings. Protesters in the semi-autonomous...
Education Secretary Besty DeVos held in contempt because of student loan case
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was held in contempt of court and fined $100,000 by a federal judge on Thursday for violating an order to stop collecting loan payments from now-defunct Corinthian College, according to multiple reports. The Department of Education had been ordered to stop collecting on the federal loans...
Center for Lyme launches to lobby Congress for more research, treatment options
A new nonprofit launched this week will focus on lobbying Congress to expand funding for the development of new drugs and diagnostic tools for battling Lyme disease. The Center for Lyme Action launched on Tuesday in addition to hosting a congressional forum with lawmakers from Minnesota, New Jersey and California,...
AP source: Department of Justice review of Russia probe now a criminal inquiry
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has shifted its review of the Russia probe to a criminal investigation, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday, a move that is likely to raise concerns that President Donald Trump and his allies may be using the powers of the government to go...
Man getting haircut robbed at gunpoint in Brooklyn barbershopVideo
The New York Police Department is looking for the suspect in an apparent robbery of a man who was getting his hair cut at a barbershop in Brooklyn. The incident was caught on surveillance footage which appears to show the suspect pressing a pistol into the victim’s neck while he’s...
Lindsey Graham’s resolution condemns ‘closed’ House impeachment probeVideo
WASHINGTON — A leading Senate ally of President Donald Trump introduced a resolution Thursday condemning the Democratic-run House for pursuing an “illegitimate impeachment inquiry” and demanding that Republicans be given more chances to question witnesses. The nonbinding resolution announced by GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina gives Senate Republicans...
Friendly, furry faces recognized for easing Westmoreland court proceduresVideo
What could have been a cacophony of canines instead was more a parade of well-behaved — and mostly silent — pooches at the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Thursday. During an appreciation luncheon, the dogs and their handlers were recognized for participating in the nearly year-old therapy dog program, launched by...
Hundreds flee Northern California wildfire amid blackoutsVideo
GEYSERVILLE, Calif. — Hundreds of people were forced to flee Northern California wine country early Thursday as a wildfire exploded in size, fueled by dangerous winds that prompted utilities throughout the state to impose electrical blackouts to prevent fires. Authorities ordered the entire community of Geyserville to evacuate after the...
Pennsylvania won’t give driver’s license records to Census
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s transportation secretary is telling the U.S. Census Bureau that her agency won’t provide driver’s license records as part of a Trump administration effort to gather citizenship information. Secretary Leslie Richards wrote Thursday to a Census Bureau official, saying her department won’t participate in the project. More than...
Hunter killed when deer he shot gets up, attacks himVideo
An Arkansas hunter’s good fortune turned tragic when he was killed by the same deer he had just shot. “I’ve worked for the (Arkansas) Game and Fish Commission for 20 years, and it’s one of the stranger things that’s happened,” Keith Stephens, communications chief for the agency, told KY3. Stephens...
Pennsylvania to get $53M in opioid treatment drug settlement
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is in line to receive more than $53 million as part of a nationwide settlement with a British company that once distributed a drug used to treat opioid addiction. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Thursday that the money is to settle allegations that the company defrauded...
Boris Johnson seeks December election to break Brexit impasse
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has finally abandoned his promise of an October Brexit and pinned his hopes on a December election. Two days after lawmakers stymied Johnson’s latest attempt to pass his European Union divorce deal, he said Thursday that the only way to break Britain’s Brexit...
Westmoreland Veterans Affairs director to be keynote speaker for Smithton dinner
Matt Zamosky, director of Westmoreland County Veterans Affairs, will address those attending an early Veterans Day dinner on Nov. 2. The program, including presentation of colors and recognition of Vietnam veterans, begins at 6 p.m. at the Smithton Volunteer Fire Department social hall, 609 Center St. It’s sponsored by the...
