Retirements of U.S. coal-fired power plants continue but slow slightly
Energy companies plan to retire another 17 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity in the United States by 2025, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Among the planned retirements is the Bruce Mansfield Plant in Shippingport, Beaver County, in June 2021. FirstEnergy Solutions, a subsidiary of Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp., announced the...
9 hurt after roof collapses at Houston construction site
HOUSTON — The Houston Fire Department says nine workers were taken to hospitals after they were injured when part of the roof of a building under construction collapsed. Firefighters responded to the roof collapse Monday morning at a hotel under construction north of downtown Houston. Video from local TV stations...
Gov. Wolf: 200K Pennsylvanians jeopardized by Trump’s food stamps move
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf is warning that food stamp benefits for about 200,000 people are jeopardized by a Trump administration move to stop allowing states to exceed federal income eligibility thresholds. Wolf said Monday that such a change would primarily affect the elderly, the disabled and lower-income families. He...
5 governors, including Wolf, push presidential candidates to aid Great Lakes
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Five Democratic governors of states in the Great Lakes region Monday urged the candidates in next year’s presidential election to support a plan for safeguarding their shared waters by boosting federal spending on treatment plants and environmental cleanups. Led by Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, the governors...
Authorities investigating 11 fires overnight in Baltimore
BALTIMORE — Baltimore City fire and police departments are investigating a string of 11 fires that broke out in the Edmondson Village neighborhood Monday morning. Firefighters were first called to the Edmondson Village area for a report of a fire around 1:30 a.m., Baltimore Fire spokeswoman Blair Adams said. Then...
Penn State Extension holding industrial hemp workshop for farmers
Capitalizing on the recent legalization of industrial hemp, Penn State Extension is holding a Hemp Research Field Day for interested farmers Aug. 6. The second annual event, scheduled for 4:30-8:30 p.m., will be held at the Penn State Southeast Research & Extension Center in Manheim, Lancaster County. Cost is $10,...
At least 52 dead in Brazil prison riot, 16 decapitated
RIO DE JANEIRO — At least 52 prisoners were killed by other inmates Monday during clashes between organized crime groups at the Altamira prison in northern Brazil, according to prison officials. Para state prison authorities said 16 of the victims were decapitated while others were asphyxiated. The count of victims...
Missing Alabama woman’s body found at bottom of a well
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A body believed to be that of a missing Alabama woman has been found at the bottom of a well, and two men have been charged in her death. News outlets report Tuscaloosa County workers acting on a tip recovered a body tentatively identified as 20-year-old Marka...
TSA: Man checked missile launcher in luggage at BWI
BALTIMORE — Federal officials say they’ve found a missile launcher in a man’s luggage at the airport in Baltimore. The Transportation Security Administration said in a statement that the military grade weapon was located in the man’s checked luggage at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. TSA officers called airport police...
Frenchman dies in Rome after falling onto banks of Tiber
ROME — Italian police say a 19-year-old French tourist died early Monday after falling onto the cement banks along the Tiber river in Rome. The Carabinieri paramilitary police say the teenager had left a pub with two friends when he attempted to get on a parapet bordering the Tiber in...
5 dead, 2 injured in residential shootings in Wisconsin
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. — Authorities in northwestern Wisconsin say shootings at two homes have left five people dead, including the suspected shooter, and two others injured. Chippewa County sheriff’s officials say deputies responded to a 911 call about a shooting at a residence in Lake Hallie about 10:30 p.m. Sunday...
Pennsylvania teen wins $3 million as Fortnite world champ
NEW YORK — All those hours playing video games have paid off for a 16-year-old. Kyle Giersdorf of Pottsgrove racked up the most points and won $3 million as the first Fortnite World Cup solo champion. The competition took place Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. Giersdorf says...
Trump signs Sept. 11 victims’ compensation fund extensionVideo
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Monday signed a bill ensuring that a victims’ compensation fund related to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks never runs out of money, ending years of legislative gridlock as the number of first responders dying of Ground Zero-related illnesses mounted. Appearing in the Rose Garden with...
New York cuts penalties for marijuana possession
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s governor signed a bill Monday that softens penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana and allows for the expungement of some past convictions. The legislation signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo makes unlawful possession of marijuana a violation. The penalty is $50 for possessing...
Officer hurt in shootout in popular tourist area in Arkansas
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — A man who was seen “pumping a gun” in a busy tourist area in Arkansas was critically wounded in a shootout with police, authorities said. Hot Springs police said several people called 911 to report a man walking along Bathhouse Row while carrying a long gun...
FBI: 2 suspects arrested in ‘Pink Lady Bandit’ robberies
HAMLET, N.C. — The FBI says two suspects have been arrested in what’s been dubbed the “Pink Lady Bandit” bank robberies along the East Coast. An FBI news release says 36-year-old Circe Baez and 38-year-old Alexis Morales were arrested Sunday at a Charlotte, N.C., hotel. Investigators believe Baez robbed four...
Gulp! Arkansas photographer snaps images of snake eating bug
OZARK, Ark. — An amateur photographer has snapped some startling gone-in-a-gulp images of a venomous snake devouring an unlucky bug at Ozark National Forest in Arkansas. Charlton McDaniel of Fort Smith says he was “fascinated and captivated” to see a copperhead eat a newly emerged cicada at dusk on July...
Oyster seeding: A ‘tangible, physical’ way to help the water
OCEAN GATE, N.J. — Restoring oyster beds and helping keep the water clean isn’t just for scientists and environmental groups anymore. Students, younger children and those with no particular scientific background like the idea that something they do this morning can be helping the earth by this afternoon. Kenna Allocco,...
1 dead, 5 wounded in shooting during rap video production in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — One man was killed and five others were wounded in a shooting during a rap video production in Philadelphia. Police say unidentified gunmen opened fire as the victims were about to shoot the video on Sunday night. Police say a 21-year-old was shot in the head and died...
Wife defends father in deaths of twins he left in hot car
NEW YORK — A mother is defending her husband in the deaths of infant twins he left in a hot car in New York City while working an eight-hour shift. Marissa Rodriguez says her husband, Juan Rodriguez, is a good person and would never have hurt the children intentionally. She...
Trump says Coats is out as national intelligence director
WASHINGTON — Dan Coats, director of national intelligence, will leave his job next month, President Trump announced, after a turbulent two years in which Coats and the president were often at odds over Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump announced Coats’ departure as Aug. 15 in a tweet on...
Priests accused of sex abuse turned to under-the-radar groupVideo
DRYDEN, Mich. — The visiting priests arrived discreetly, day and night. Stripped of their collars and cassocks, they went unnoticed in this tiny Midwestern town as they were escorted into a dingy warehouse across from an elementary school playground. Neighbors had no idea some of the dressed-down clergymen dining at...
3 dead, at least 15 injured in shooting at California festivalVideo
GILROY, Calif. — A gunman cut through a fence to avoid security and opened fire at Northern California’s popular Gilroy Garlic Festival, killing three and wounding at least 15 before police fatally shot him as terrified people and performers ran for cover. Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said the gunman...
Woman set to replace Puerto Rico’s governor doesn’t want job
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The woman who is supposed to replace Puerto Rico’s embattled governor announced Sunday that she doesn’t want the job as the U.S. territory reels from political crisis. Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez said in a Twitter post that she hopes Gov. Ricardo Rosselló will appoint a...
Trump deserves impeachment but no decision made yet, Jerry Nadler saysVideo
President Donald Trump deserves to be impeached, but the House Judiciary Committee is still investigating to determine whether to report resolutions to the full House, the panel’s chairman said. “He richly deserves impeachment. He has done many impeachable offenses. He’s violated the law six ways from Sunday,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler...
