Senators push forward with Ukraine aid package as their leaders say the world is watching
WASHINGTON — As a growing number of Republicans oppose U.S. aid to Ukraine, the Senate’s leaders are arguing in strong terms that the money is crucial to pushing back against Russian President Vladimir Putin and maintaining America’s global standing. In the Capitol for a rare weekend session, the Senate voted...
CBP dog sniffs out something unusual in passenger’s luggage — mummified monkeys
BOSTON — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection dog sniffed out something unusual in luggage from a traveler returning from Africa — mummified monkeys. The passenger returning from a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo reported that the luggage contained dried fish, but an inspection at Boston Logan Airport...
American allies worry the U.S. is growing less dependable, whether Trump or Biden wins
LONDON — As chances rise of a Joe Biden-Donald Trump rematch in the U.S. presidential election race, America’s allies are bracing for a bumpy ride. Many worry that a second term for Trump would be an earthquake, but tremors already abound — and concerns are rising that the U.S. could...
This small New York village made guns for 200 years. What happens when Remington leaves?
ILION, N.Y. — Remington began here two centuries ago and generations of workers have turned out rifles and shotguns at the massive firearms factory in the middle of this blue-collar village in the heart of New York’s Mohawk Valley. Now residents of Ilion are bracing for Remington’s exit, ending an...
Mardi Gras beads are creating a plastic disaster in New Orleans. Are there green alternatives?
NEW ORLEANS — It’s a beloved century-old Carnival season tradition in New Orleans — masked riders on lavish floats fling strings of colorful beads or other trinkets to parade watchers clamoring with outstretched arms. It’s all in good fun but it’s also a bit of a “plastics disaster,” says Judith...
Western Pa. casinos ready for Super Bowl influx, wagers on Chiefs win
Dave Bilsky is a Steelers fan, but come Sunday evening, you can bet he’ll be pulling for the Kansas City Chiefs. He’ll have plenty of company locally. Bilsky, 51, of Belle Vernon is among myriad local gamblers putting money on the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. “One thing that we’ve...
Greensburg-Hempfield Area Library hosts first vendor show, highlights local art, food
Jamie Keys likes to hang out in downtown Greensburg with friend and fellow art therapy student Olivia Andazola. The two second-year Seton Hill graduate students walked less than 10 minutes from their Greensburg apartment to participate in The Greensburg-Hempfield Area Library’s first vendor show. Keys brought original prints and trading...
‘I want them to express themselves’: Level Green parent launches Lego club
Keith Harmon estimates he has more than 200 pounds of Lego bricks in his Penn Township home. “There’s not a lot of room to move,” Harmon joked. “I have Lego stuff pretty much anywhere you can imagine.” Harmon, parent to a first grade student at Level Green Elementary, started a...
Logan Elementary benefits 100 students with gift drive, aims to continue support
The annual gift drive at Logan Elementary School in North Versailles helped bring a happy holiday to about 100 of the school’s students. The students received a backpack holding a wrapped gift, a hoodie and an essential item, such as clothing or hygiene products. The backpacks were left on students’...
First lady questions whether special counsel referenced son’s death to score political points
WILMINGTON, Del. — First lady Jill Biden said in an email to campaign donors on Saturday she didn’t know what the special counsel was trying to achieve when he suggested President Joe Biden could not remember his son’s death. “We should give everyone grace, and I can’t imagine someone would...
CEO of major Nigerian bank killed in California helicopter crash, director-general of WTO says
The CEO of one of Nigeria ‘s largest banks was killed Friday along with his wife and son when a helicopter they were riding in crashed near Interstate 15 in Southern California’s Mojave Desert. Herbert Wigwe, chief executive of Access Bank, was among the six people on board when the...
Trump says he warned NATO ally: Spend more on defense or Russia can ‘do whatever the hell they want’
NEW YORK — Republican front-runner Donald Trump said Saturday that, as president, he warned NATO allies that he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to countries that are “delinquent” as he ramped up his attacks on foreign aid and longstanding international alliances. Speaking at a rally...
Uproar over Biden classified documents report carries echoes of 2016 Clinton email case
WASHINGTON — The release of a harshly critical Justice Department special counsel report on President Joe Biden has triggered instant flashbacks to history-shaping events of 2016. That’s when FBI Director James Comey castigated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton over her email practices despite recommending against charges. In this year’s already heated...
No one hurt when small plane makes crash landing on residential street in suburban Phoenix
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The pilot and lone passenger escaped injury when a small airplane made a crash landing Saturday on a residential street in a suburban neighborhood on the west edge of Phoenix, Goodyear police said. The single engine plane experienced mechanical problems shortly after takeoff Saturday morning from nearby...
Haley challenges Trump on her home turf in South Carolina as the Republican primary looms
CONWAY, S.C. — With two weeks to go before the South Carolina Republican primary, Nikki Haley is trying to challenge Donald Trump on her home turf while the former president tries to quash his last major rival’s narrow path to the nomination. Trump, turning his campaign focus to the southern...
Taylor Swift expected to make epic journey from Tokyo to the Super Bowl. Will she make it in time?
TOKYO — Will she make it in time? Taylor Swift’s last song was still ringing in the ears of thousands of fans at the Tokyo Dome on Saturday night when the singer rushed to a private jet at Haneda airport, presumably embarking on an intensely scrutinized journey to see her...
For Native American activists, the Kansas City Chiefs have it all wrong
Rhonda LeValdo is exhausted, but she’s refusing to slow down. For the fourth time in five years, her hometown team and the focus of her decadeslong activism against the use of Native American imagery and references in sports is in the Super Bowl. As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare for...
U.S. Sen. Coons and German Chancellor Scholz see double at Washington meeting
U.S. Sen. Chris Coons and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were seeing double when they met in Washington, D.C., this week and went on social media to share their mirror image with the world. The Delaware Democrat and the leader of Germany’s coalition government share an uncommon likeness, right down to...
Investigators will try to find out why a private jet crashed onto a Florida interstate and killed 2
NAPLES, Fla. — Federal authorities have launched an investigation to determine why a private jet tried to make an emergency landing on a Florida interstate, colliding with a vehicle and sparking a fiery crash that left two people dead. The Federal Aviation Administration said the Bombardier Challenger 600 jet had...
Israeli strikes kill 44 Palestinians in Rafah after Netanyahu says ground invasion is coming there
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 44 Palestinians — including more than a dozen children — in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Saturday, hours after Israel’s prime minister said he had asked the military to plan for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people...
In wake of Biden report, experts explain how aging affects the brain
No model predicts how an individual’s mind changes or memory fades over time, according to local experts. “It’s very much an individual thing,” said University of Pittsburgh associate psychology professor Marc Coutanche. “You can have someone who’s very sharp right into their 80s, and you can have someone in their...
2 dead after small plane attempts emergency landing on Florida interstate
NAPLES, Fla. — Two people have died after a small plane attempted to make an emergency landing on Interstate 75 in southwest Florida on Friday afternoon, colliding with a vehicle and bringing traffic to a halt as a massive plume of black smoke rose into the air. The crash landing...
Magnitude 5.7 earthquake strikes Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island
HONOLULU — A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the world’s largest active volcano — Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii — Friday, knocking items off shelves in nearby towns but not immediately prompting reports of serious damage. No tsunami was expected. The earthquake, which the U.S. Geological Survey initially...
California principal on leave after pretending to shoot kids during drill, parents say
LOS ANGELES — A principal at a San Gabriel elementary school was put on leave of absence by district administrators after pretending to shoot kids and announcing children were “dead” during an active shooter lockdown drill, according to parents and staff. The incident, which is under investigation by the school...
5 Marines killed in helicopter crash identified as troops in their 20s
SAN DIEGO — The Marine Corps released the names Friday of the five Marines killed when their CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter went down in the mountains outside San Diego during a historic storm. All of them were in their 20s. The decorated Marines were assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron...
