Michigan school district faces $100M lawsuits after shootingsVideo
Two lawsuits seeking $100 million each have been filed against a Michigan school district, its superintendent and others after four students were fatally shot and others wounded at Oxford High School, a lawyer announced Thursday. The lawsuits were filed in federal court in Detroit by Jeffrey and Brandi Franz on...
Penn State names 1st woman university president
When Neeli Bendapudi takes the reins as Penn State’s 19th president on July 1, officials hope her broad portfolio will help her boost the university’s struggling regional campuses. Penn State’s board of trustees capped a 10 month national search Thursday with a unanimous vote to appoint Bendapudi, who has served...
Reports: Penn State chooses president from Louisville to replace Eric Barron
STATE COLLEGE — University trustees appear to be poised to bring the current president of the University of Louisville to Happy Valley as the 19th president of Penn State. The hiring of Neeli Bendapudi would be groundbreaking for Penn State, in that it would give the university its first female...
Minnesota crash after police pursuit leaves 2 dead, 3 hurt
MINNEAPOLIS — A crash in Minneapolis early Thursday that followed a police pursuit of an SUV that was reportedly stolen has left two juveniles dead and three others hospitalized, authorities said. Officers in suburban Robbinsdale spotted a Mercedes SUV about 2 a.m. that was reported stolen in Minneapolis and attempted...
U.S. jobless claims drop to 52-year low amid seasonal volatility
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level in 52 years, more evidence that the U.S. job market is recovering from last year’s coronavirus recession. Unemployment claims dropped by 43,000 to 184,000 last week, the lowest since September 1969, the Labor...
Car crash deaths have surged during covid-19 pandemic. Here’s why
It was a tally that shocked the experts: 38,680 deaths on U.S. roadways last year, the most since 2007 even though pandemic precautions had dramatically reduced driving. “This was completely unprecedented,” said Ken Kolosh, a researcher at the nonprofit National Safety Council. “We didn’t know what was happening.” One possibility...
Florida professors cite fear of state politicians on campus
ORLANDO — University of Florida professors say fear of upsetting state politicians pervades the campus to the point that race-related references have been edited out of course materials and faculty members have been restricted from participating in outside activities that challenge the priorities of the governor’s administration, according to a...
Senate rejects Biden’s vaccine mandate for businesses
WASHINGTON — The Senate narrowly approved a resolution Wednesday to nullify the Biden administration’s requirement that businesses with 100 or more workers have their employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to weekly testing. The vote was 52-48. The Democratic-led House is unlikely to take the measure up, which...
Covid surge: Pennsylvania hospital chain runs out of beds
One of Pennsylvania’s largest health systems has run out of beds because of the latest covid-19 surge, with doctors and nurses practicing “waiting room medicine” on patients who are forced to endure 10- to 20-hour delays in the emergency department, officials said Wednesday. Geisinger is running at 110% capacity across...
Father, son arrested in wildfire that threatened Lake Tahoe
SACRAMENTO — A father and son were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of starting a massive California wildfire that destroyed many homes and forced tens of thousands of people to flee Lake Tahoe communities earlier this year, authorities said. David Scott Smith, 66, and his son, Travis Shane Smith, 32, are...
Mark Meadows sues as Jan. 6 panel proceeds with contempt caseVideo
WASHINGTON — Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Wednesday sued the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection as the chairman of the panel pledged to move forward with contempt charges now that Meadows is no longer complying with a subpoena. The dueling actions laid...
Coast Guard diver pulls body from car above Niagara FallsVideo
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — A Coast Guard diver lowed from the sky Wednesday braved frigid rapids to get to a car submerged in water near the brink of Niagara Falls, only to find it was too late to rescue the driver trapped inside. The diver was lowered from a hovering...
Big donor in Pennsylvania high court race eyeing candidates for governor
HARRISBURG — The biggest single campaign donor in this year’s race for a seat on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court is now aiming to endorse a candidate for governor and, with $20 million in a bank account, it could be a transformative endorsement. Members of the double-digits-deep field of Republican candidates say...
Covid cases spike even as U.S. hits 200M vaccine milestone
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The number of Americans fully vaccinated against covid-19 reached 200 million Wednesday amid a dispiriting holiday-season spike in cases and hospitalizations that has hit even New England, one of the most highly inoculated corners of the country. New cases in the United States climbed from an average...
House GOP chooses citizen map for proposed new Pa. congressional districts
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — The long-awaited redistricting process in Pennsylvania kicked into high gear...
Tennessee medical board takes coronavirus misinformation policy offline
NASHVILLE — Tennessee’s medical licensing board has voted to remove from its website its recently adopted policy against the spread of coronavirus misinformation by doctors, acting under pressure from a GOP state lawmaker and a new law imposing sprawling virus-related restrictions. The exchange spurring the vote Tuesday by the Tennessee...
Bob Nutting to sell Seven Springs, 2 other ski resorts to Vail Resorts
Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting is selling his three ski resorts in the Laurel Highlands — Seven Springs Mountain Resort near Champion, Hidden Valley Resort near Bakersville and Laurel Mountain Ski Area in Ligonier Township — for $125 million to Vail Resorts Inc. of Colorado. Nutting, CEO of Seven Springs...
Scott Peterson resentenced to life term in wife’s 2002 death
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nearly 17 years after being sentenced to die, Scott Peterson was resentenced to life without parole Wednesday during an emotional hearing in which family members of his slain pregnant wife, Laci, called him out for the killing in 2002 and his apparent lack of remorse. “I still...
Biden order would make U.S. government carbon neutral by 2050
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order to make the federal government carbon-neutral by 2050, aiming for a 65% reduction in planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and an all-electric fleet of car and trucks five years later. The White House said the order shows how...
Car plunges into river just above brink of Niagara Falls
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — A car entered the Niagara River and became stuck in the rapids just yards from the brink of Niagara Falls on Wednesday, the fate of any occupants of the vehicle unknown. It was not immediately clear how or where the gray car entered the frigid, rushing...
Investigators in Alabama find car, bones in 1976 cold case
LAGRANGE, Ga. — Investigators have discovered the 1974 Pinto a 22-year-old student was driving on his way back to Auburn University from Georgia when he disappeared more than 45 years ago, sheriff’s officials announced Wednesday. Kyle Wade Clinkscales’ car was pulled from a creek around Cusseta, Ala., on Tuesday after...
California plans to be abortion sanctuary if Roe overturned
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With more than two dozen states poised to ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court gives them the OK next year, California clinics and their allies in the state Legislature on Wednesday revealed a plan to make the state a “sanctuary” for those seeking reproductive care, including...
Biden has new brand for infrastructure deal he’s promoting
WASHINGTON — Move over, BIF and BBB. Now there’s BBA. President Joe Biden, trying to rebound from sagging poll numbers, is rebranding his bipartisan infrastructure package as “Building a Better America” ahead of a Wednesday trip to Kansas City, Mo., to promote the deal. The economy has roared back during...
U.S. journalist freed in Lebanon after call by rights groups
BEIRUT — Lebanese authorities freed Wednesday a freelance American journalist who was detained in Beirut last month. The release came just hours after two international human rights groups called her detention arbitrary and demanded that she be set free. Nada Homsi, the journalist, said after her release that her arrest...
Student denied emergency relief in Nevada vaccination suit
RENO, Nev. — A college student who argues he’s immune from covid-19 because he was previously infected has lost his bid for an emergency court order that would have allowed him to register for classes while he presses his federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the University of Nevada, Reno’s...
