Supreme Court allows vaccine mandate for New York health care workers
WASHINGTON — A divided U.S. Supreme Court left in force New York’s requirement that health care workers be vaccinated against covid-19, refusing to order exemptions for 20 providers who say they object to the shot on religious grounds. The rebuff, which came with no explanation, follows a similar rejection in...
Dr. Oz is officially ending his show to focus on Pennsylvania Senate run
As expected, the long-running “Dr. Oz Show” will end in the wake of host Dr. Mehmet Oz’s announcement late last month that he’s running for U.S. Senate. The daily hourlong talk show, syndicated across the country by Sony Pictures Television, will end Jan. 14 after 13 seasons, Sony said in...
California brings back mask mandate as coronavirus cases rise
SACRAMENTO — California is bringing back a statewide indoor mask mandate. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration announced the new mandate will start Wednesday and last until Jan. 15. The order comes as the per capita rate of new coronavirus cases in California has jumped 47% in the past two weeks. “We...
Vehicle emission declines decreased deaths, study finds
Researchers say that thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars have been saved in the United States by recent reductions in emissions from vehicles. Harvard University researchers who study the environment and public health examined the impact of declines in emissions from vehicles over a decade. They found...
Navy: Sailor accused of igniting warship was ‘disgruntled’
SAN DIEGO — Navy prosecutors alleged Monday that a sailor charged with setting the fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard last year was “disgruntled” after dropping out of Navy SEAL training, while his defense lawyers criticized the preliminary hearing as unfair. Prosecutor Cmdr. Rich Federico told the court that...
Biden visiting Kentucky to console tornado victims, give aidVideo
WASHINGTON — For the fifth time since taking office less than a year ago, President Joe Biden is taking on the grim task Wednesday of visiting an area ravaged by natural disaster to offer comfort and condolences. Biden was headed to Kentucky to survey damage and offer federal support for...
Derek Chauvin expected to plead guilty in Floyd civil rights case
MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin appears to be on the verge of pleading guilty to violating George Floyd ‘s civil rights, according to a notice sent out Monday by the court’s electronic filing system. The federal docket entry shows a hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday for...
Philadelphia to require vaccine proof for indoor dining
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia will require proof of covid-19 vaccination to dine indoors at bars, restaurants, indoor sporting events and other food-related establishments starting Jan. 3, city and public health officials announced Monday. Public Health Director Cheryl Bettigole said Philadelphia has seen infection rates double in the last few weeks and...
Thousands without heat, water after tornadoes kill dozensVideo
MAYFIELD, Ky. — Residents of Kentucky counties where tornadoes killed dozens of people could be without heat, water or electricity in frigid temperatures for weeks or longer, state officials warned Monday, as the toll of damage and deaths came into clearer focus in five states slammed by the swarm of...
Remains found after pre-execution tip from Mississippi man
PONTOTOC, Miss. — Authorities have uncovered the remains of a Mississippi woman following a tip from an inmate who revealed the location of her body prior to his execution on other crimes last month. On Sunday, police discovered what’s believed to be the body of Felicia Cox on land that...
Acting Pa. Secretary of Health Alison Beam resigning at year’s end
Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam, who led the state’s occasionally bumpy covid vaccine rollout, will resign at the end of the year, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday. Neither Beam nor Wolf indicated a reason for her departure. Wolf said he intends to name the department’s executive deputy secretary, Keara...
Week in pictures: Dec. 6-12, 2021
A selection of the best photos from Tribune-Review photographers from around the Pittsburgh region from the week of Dec. 6-Dec. 5. Previous weeks Week in pictures: Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2021 Week in pictures: Nov. 22-28, 2021 Week in pictures: Nov. 8-14, 2021 Week in pictures: Nov. 1-7, 2021...
Sri Lanka company prepares to sell massive blue gemstone
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A gem company in Sri Lanka has unveiled a rare and massive gemstone weighing 683 pounds (310 kilograms) that has been certified as one of the biggest corundums ever found in the country. Sri Lanka’s National Gem and Jewelry Authority says it has done a series...
Jan. 6 panel votes for contempt charges against Mark MeadowsVideo
WASHINGTON — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection voted Monday to recommend contempt charges against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows as lawmakers demand his testimony about then-President Donald Trump’s actions before and during the attack. “Whatever legacy he thought he left in the House,...
Rain, snow fall as California braces for brunt of stormVideo
The Western United States is bracing for the brunt of a major winter storm expected to hit Monday, bringing travel headaches, the threat of localized flooding and some relief in an abnormally warm fall. Light rain and snow fell in Northern California on Sunday, giving residents a taste of what’s...
Officials halt search for woman who went overboard on cruiseVideo
LONG BEACH, Calif. — U.S. Coast Guard authorities have halted the search for a woman who reportedly went overboard on a cruise ship near Ensenada, Mexico. Authorities searched more than 31 hours for the woman before pausing the search on Sunday pending additional information, Petty Officer First Class Adam Stanton...
Lack of telehealth law in Pa. a major headache for patients who need it most
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Cheryl Gibson was in pain as she drove. Eight months earlier, Gibson had begun an at-home breathing treatment for...
Investigations of Pa. State Police troopers who injure, kill should be independent, panel says
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania State Police troopers who kill or injure someone should not be investigated by their own agency, and an...
Cries and candle scents: Over 100 feared dead after twisters
MAYFIELD, Ky. — Workers on the night shift at Mayfield Consumer Products were in the heart of the holiday rush, turning out Christmas candles, when a tornado closed in on the factory and the word went out to “duck and cover.” Autumn Kirks pulled down her safety googles and took...
San Francisco’s vaunted tolerance dims amid brazen crimes
Politically liberal San Franciscans are used to living cheek by jowl with open drug use, feces-infested streets and petty crime. But a surge in home break-ins and brazen shoplifting has some residents feeling that the city they fell in love with is in decline. Caitlin Foster is among San Francisco...
Banksy creates T-shirt to help statue-toppling defendants
Hundreds of people lined up Saturday in the English city of Bristol to get the latest work by elusive street artist Banksy — a T-shirt created to help four defendants charged over the toppling of a local statue of a slave trader. The gray shirt features the word Bristol above...
Twin panda cubs in French zoo take 1st steps in public
First, a steady crawl. Then a short clumsy slide across the slick stone floor at their home at the Beauval Zoo near Paris. Then finally the big show as the twin giant panda cubs took their first steps in public on Saturday. The female twins were born in August. Their...
Man killed in shooting involving police near UK royal palace
British police say a man was shot dead during a confrontation with firearms officers on Saturday near the Kensington Palace royal residence in London. The Metropolitan Police force said officers were called to reports that a man with a firearm had entered a bank and bookmakers in the Kensington area...
Watchdog: Federal anti-terror unit investigated journalists
A special Customs and Border Protection unit used sensitive government databases intended to track terrorists to investigate as many as 20 U.S.-based journalists, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press reporter, according to a federal watchdog. Yahoo News, which published an extensive report on the investigation, also found that the unit,...
Kentucky governor: Storms may have killed at least 70 people
MAYFIELD, Ky. — A monstrous tornado killed dozens of people in Kentucky and the toll was climbing Saturday after severe weather ripped through at least five states, leaving widespread devastation. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said upwards of 70 may have died when a twister touched down for more than 200...
