Alabama judge booted for racist, inappropriate behavior
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A judge who oversees elections in an Alabama county was removed from office after being accused of racist, sexually inappropriate behavior that included demeaning comments about women and saying George Floyd “got what he deserved” when an officer in Minnesota murdered him. Talladega County Probate Judge Randy...
U.K.’s Johnson warns of ‘doomsday’ as climate summit begins
GLASGOW, Scotland — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson opened a global climate summit Monday, saying the world is strapped to a “doomsday device.” Johnson likened an ever-warming Earth’s position to that of fictional secret agent James Bond — strapped to a bomb that will destroy the planet and trying to...
Mexico celebrates Day of the Dead after pandemic closures
MEXICO CITY — Mexico returned Sunday to mass commemorations of the Day of the Dead, after traditional visits to graveyards were prohibited last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the one-year hiatus showed how the tradition itself refuses to die: Most families still celebrated with home altars to deceased...
Election HQ: A Pennsylvania voter guide to 2021 general election
General election day in Pennsylvania is Tuesday. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. The state has an online tool to let voters find their polling place by entering their address here. For more information on...
Israel opens to solo tourists for 1st time since pandemic
JERUSALEM — Israel on Monday began welcoming individual tourists for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities hope that opening the country’s gates to solo travelers will breathe new life into the struggling tourism industry. Before the pandemic, the Christmas season saw hundreds of thousands of...
Pennsylvania trooper shoots, kills man armed with knife
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania state trooper shot and killed a man who refused to drop a knife during a confrontation on Halloween, authorities said. Troopers had responded to a domestic complaint in West Hanover Township where they said Glenn Custer, 59, of Harrisburg, was acting erratically and was armed with...
State College police issue safety warnings following robbery at bus terminal
Police issued several safety alerts Sunday afternoon after an armed robbery was reported at the Fullington bus terminal in State College. A man entered 152 N. Atherton St. at about 2:50 p.m. Sunday, struck a worker with a pistol, stole money from the register and fled, police wrote in a...
White House press secretary Jen Psaki says she has covid-19
WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday she has contracted covid-19. She said she was last in contact with Biden on Tuesday, when she met him in the White House. Psaki said they were more than 6 feet apart and wearing masks. Psaki was not traveling with...
Faculty job cuts on the horizon at 2 Pa. state universities
More than two dozen professors at two Pennsylvania state universities slated for consolidation next year received notices that their jobs are in jeopardy. The intent to layoff notices went out to 23 faculty members at Lock Haven University and three at Mansfield University, according to the Association of Pennsylvania College...
Glenn Youngkin, Terry McAuliffe in last-minute scramble to rally votersVideo
RICHMOND, Va. — Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin were making last-minute pushes Sunday to energize voters across Virginia in the final days of the competitive and closely watched governor’s race. With the state’s early voting period finished, the campaigns turned their attention to Tuesday’s contest, each trying to...
Kansas lawmaker Rep. Aaron Coleman arrested on domestic violence charge
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — A first-year Kansas lawmaker, who was reprimanded by his colleagues for abusive conduct before taking office, has been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman of Kansas City remained in custody Sunday afternoon, according to Johnson County Jail records. The 21-year-old was...
L.A. sheriff warns vaccine mandate causing ‘mass exodus’ among personnel
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva continues to rail against the county’s vaccine mandate, warning it is causing a “mass exodus” in his department and threatens public safety at a time when violent crime is on the rise. “I have repeatedly stated the dangers to public safety...
1 dead, 13 captured swimming across U.S. border in San Diego
SAN DIEGO — One person died and another 13 people were pulled from the Pacific Ocean after a large group attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border by swimming around a barrier in San Diego, government officials said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Saturday that U.S. Border...
Indianapolis matches 2020 homicide record with 215th death
INDIANAPOLIS — A man was shot and killed early Sunday in Indianapolis, taking the number of criminal homicides in the city this year to 215, matching the record high in all of 2020, the Indianapolis Star reported. Police responded to a house about 2 a.m. and found a man dead...
7-year-old Missouri boy dies after falling off hayride
LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — A 7-year-old Missouri boy has died after he fell off a hayride and was struck by the trailer he had been riding in. The Jackson County Sheriff’s office said the accident was reported around 7:45 p.m. Saturday in a rural area outside Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Jackson...
More New York City workers get vaccinated amid mandate; 1 in 6 still refuse
NEW YORK — One in six New York City municipal workers remained unvaccinated after Friday’s deadline to show proof they’ve gotten at least one dose of the covid-19 vaccine, the city said Saturday. A last-minute rush of jabs boosted the vaccination rate to 83% among police officers, firefighters, garbage collectors...
New framework bolsters Biden’s hand as climate summit begins
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden heads to a United Nations climate conference Monday energized by a new legislative framework that, if enacted, would be the largest action ever taken by the United States to address climate change. The $555 billion plan for climate spending is the centerpiece of a sweeping...
U.S., European Union say deal on tariffs a sign of rebuilt relationship
ROME — The U.S. and European Union on Sunday celebrated a new agreement to patch up a trans-Atlantic rift over Trump-era steel and aluminum tariffs. President Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a joint appearance during the Group of 20 summit that the deal resolving...
Poll: Economy, mistrust of government, covid-19 continue to drive voters’ decisions
Lewis McClain vividly remembers the double-digit mortgage rates of the early 1980s, and the 83-year-old Edinboro Democrat is afraid the country is headed in that direction again. “I don’t agree with all this stimulus money giveaway,” McClain said. “All of this is going to be very inflationary. It has been...
Alec Baldwin speaks out on fatal shooting: ‘She was my friend’
Alec Baldwin has spoken publicly for the first time on camera about the cinematographer he fatally shot on the movie set of “Rust,” calling her a friend and saying he is in “constant contact” with her grieving family. “She was my friend,” Baldwin told photographers Saturday on a roadside in...
More NYC workers get jabs amid mandate, but 26K still refuse
NEW YORK — More than 26,000 of New York City’s municipal workers remained unvaccinated after Friday’s deadline to show proof they’ve gotten at least one dose of the covid-19 vaccine, the city said Saturday. A last-minute rush of jabs boosted the vaccination rate to 83% among police officers, firefighters, garbage...
Lawsuit: Texas city refused escort to protect Biden bus
SAN MARCOS, Texas — Police officials in a Central Texas city refused to provide an escort for a Joe Biden campaign bus when it was surrounded by supporters of then-President Donald Trump on an interstate, an amended lawsuit filed over the 2020 encounter alleges. The updated lawsuit, filed Friday, included...
Biden receives Communion in Rome amid debate in U.S.
ROME — President Joe Biden received Communion at St. Patrick’s Church during Saturday Vigil Mass, a day after saying Pope Francis told him he should continue to partake in the sacrament, despite the opposition of some conservatives in the U.S. upset with his position on abortion. Biden and his wife,...
Crowds come out for Mt. Lebanon’s Pumpkin Patch Parade
Crowds came out for the annual Mt. Lebanon Pumpkin Patch Parade on Saturday. The parade strolled through the township’s Uptown section on Washington Road from the public safety center to Washington elementary school. The parade featured the police color guard leading the way, several fire trucks, the Mt. Lebanon High...
How ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ became code for insulting Joe Biden
WASHINGTON — When Republican Rep. Bill Posey of Florida ended an Oct. 21 House floor speech with a fist pump and the phrase “Let’s go, Brandon!” it may have seemed cryptic and weird to many who were listening. But the phrase was already growing in right-wing circles, and now the...
