Group to again lobby Harrisburg lawmakers for ‘People’s Maps’ over traditional Pa. politics
A citizens group that solicited public input to create “People’s Maps” to guide officials in drawing new legislative districts for the Pennsylvania General Assembly will make a final pitch on Monday. Carol Kuniholm, executive director of Fair Maps Pennsylvania, will make her pitch for the House and Senate maps, created...
Pennsylvania will fully ban sale of Japanese barberry by fall 2023
State agriculture officials have had it with Japanese barberry. After considering it previously in 2018, Pennsylvania officials have added the invasive shrub to their list of noxious weeds, and merchants will not be permitted to sell it by the fall of 2023. The shrub is popular with landscapers. Unfortunately, it...
Nations strike climate deal with coal compromise
GLASGOW, Scotland — Almost 200 nations accepted a contentious climate compromise Saturday aimed at keeping a key global warming target alive, but it contained a last-minute change that watered down crucial language about coal. Several countries, including small island states, said they were deeply disappointed by the change promoted by...
Ecuador battle between prison gangs leaves at least 68 dead
A prolonged gun battle between rival gangs inside Ecuador’s largest prison early Saturday left at least 68 inmates dead in the latest violence to hit the Litoral Penitentiary, which recently saw the country’s worst prison bloodbath. The fighting lasted for almost eight hours in the lockup in the coastal city...
Pittsburgh doctor on pandemic: ‘We will be living with this virus, there is no covid zero’
Pittsburgh-based Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert and critical care and emergency medicine physician, wrote in a opinion piece this week that it is impossible “to eliminate or eradicate covid-19.” “This is not possible with an efficiently spreading respiratory virus that has an animal reservoir and can spread from...
Alzheimer’s drug cited as Medicare premium jumps by $21.60
Medicare’s “Part B” outpatient premium will jump by $21.60 a month in 2022, one of the largest increases ever. Officials said Friday a new Alzheimer’s drug is responsible for about half of that. The increase guarantees that health care will gobble up a big chunk of the recently announced Social...
Sister: Hawaii girl was inside dog cage and not breathing
A biological sister of a 6-year-old Hawaii girl reported missing by their adoptive parents told police the parents forced her to keep it a secret that Isabella Kalua was not breathing inside a dog cage in the bathroom, with duct tape on her mouth and nose. The new details were...
Nursing homes can now lift most covid restrictions on visits
The government on Friday directed nursing homes to open their doors wide to visitors, easing many remaining pandemic restrictions while urging residents, families and facility staff to keep their guard up against outbreaks. The new guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services instructs nursing homes to allow visits...
Homer Plessy, key to ‘separate but equal,’ on road to pardon
A Louisiana board on Friday voted to pardon Homer Plessy, whose decision to sit in a “whites-only” railroad car to protest discrimination led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1896 “separate but equal” ruling affirming state segregation laws. The state Board of Pardons’ unanimous decision to clear the Creole man’s record...
Man who went to space with Shatner dies in plane crash
A man who traveled to space with William Shatner last month was killed along with another person when the small plane they were in crashed in a wooded area of northern New Jersey, according to state police. The one-time space tourist Glen M. de Vries, 49, of New York City,...
Steve Bannon indicted on contempt charges for defying 1/6 subpoena
Steve Bannon, a longtime ally to former President Donald Trump, was indicted Friday on two counts of contempt of Congress after he defied a congressional subpoena from the House committee investigating the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The Justice Department said Bannon, 67, was indicted on one count for refusing...
Pa. woman sues over slot game payout; 13 others make same claim
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — A Pennsylvania woman is suing the manufacturer of a popular online slots game, claiming it wrongly refused to pay her a $100,000 jackpot due to “a bug” in the product. New Jersey regulators revealed Friday that 14 gamblers have filed the same complaint against the company,...
Kremlin denies plans to invade Ukraine, alleges NATO threats
MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Friday rebuffed allegations that a buildup of its troops near Ukraine reflects Moscow’s aggressive intentions, saying Russia needs to ensure its security in response to alleged NATO threats. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Western media reports that Moscow has intentions to invade Ukraine as a...
New limits would curtail lobbyist perks for Pa. lawmakers, but one leader could stand in the way
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 lawmakers and other elected officials have for years been able to pocket almost anything sent their way by...
Russia sends paratroopers to Belarus for drills near Poland
MOSCOW — Russia sent paratroopers to Belarus on Friday in a show of support for its ally amid tensions over migrants and refugees amassing on the Belarus-Poland border. The Russian Defense Ministry said that as part of joint war games, about 250 Russian paratroopers parachuted from heavylift Il-76 transport planes...
Myanmar court sentences U.S. journalist to 11 years in jail
BANGKOK — A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Friday sentenced U.S. journalist Danny Fenster to 11 years in prison with hard labor, the maximum penalty under three charges, despite calls by the U.S. and rights groups for his release. It was the harshest punishment yet among the seven journalists known...
Attorney: No more ‘Black pastors’ in court for Arbery case
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — An attorney for one of the white men standing trial in the death of Ahmaud Arbery told the judge Thursday he doesn’t want “any more Black pastors” in the courtroom after the Rev. Al Sharpton sat with the slain man’s family. Kevin Gough represents William “Roddie” Bryan,...
New York man arrested after death threat to GOP congressman
LAKE RONKONKOMA, N.Y. — A Long Island man has been arrested for making a death threat against a Republican congressional member who voted for the $1 trillion infrastructure package, police said. Kenneth Gasper, 64, was arrested Wednesday for a telephoned death threat against Rep. Andrew Garbarino, Nassau County police said...
‘Separate but equal’ Plessy pardon decision goes to governor
NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana board on Friday voted to pardon Homer Plessy, the namesake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1896 “separate but equal” ruling affirming state segregation laws. The state Board of Pardon’s unanimous decision to clear the Creole man’s record of a conviction for refusing to leave a...
Biden picks former FDA chief Califf to again lead agency
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday is tapping former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Robert Califf to again lead the powerful regulatory agency, according to a person familiar with the decision. Califf’s nomination comes after months of concern that the agency near the center of the government’s covid-19 response...
Snow possible as weather turns chilly this weekend
For the first time since last spring, that four-letter weather word — snow — is being mentioned again. And it’s not one bit unusual for this time of year according to Jenna Lake, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Moon Township. “It’s very typical for this time...
Study: Fox News viewers more likely to believe covid falsehoods
NEW YORK — People who trust Fox News Channel and other media outlets that appeal to conservatives are more likely to believe falsehoods about covid-19 and vaccines than those who primarily go elsewhere for news, a study has found. While the Kaiser Family Foundation study released this week found the...
Beloved ‘Dolphin Tale’ star Winter dies at Florida aquarium
CLEARWATER, Fla. — A prosthetic-tailed dolphin named Winter that starred in the “Dolphin Tale” movies died Thursday evening at a Florida aquarium despite life-saving efforts to treat a gastrointestinal abnormality, aquarium officials said. The 16-year-old female bottlenose dolphin died while being held by animal care experts who were preparing Winter...
Court temporarily delays release of Trump’s Jan. 6 recordsVideo
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily blocked the release of White House records sought by a U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, granting — for now — a request from former President Donald Trump. The administrative injunction issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for...
Recount triggered for open Commonwealth Court seat, with Democrat Lori Dumas leading
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 — A close race for one of two open seats on a key Pennsylvania appellate court has triggered an automatic...
