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...
Attorney: Texas A&M student injured at Astroworld dies
HOUSTON — A 22-year-old college senior who was critically injured at the Astroworld festival in Houston has died, the family’s lawyer said Thursday, making her the 9th person to die in a crowd surge after fans pushed toward the stage during a performance by headliner Travis Scott. Bharti Shahani died...
Pennsylvania to begin counting covid reinfections
Thousands of new covid-19 cases could appear in the state Department of Health’s Monday report as Pennsylvania begins counting reinfections, officials said. For the past 19 months, state health officials have counted only one case per infected person, even if that individual contracted the virus again at some later time....
Big Bird backlash: Vax lands even Muppet in political flap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Smokey Bear taught kids the importance of preventing wildfires. McGruff the Crime Dog warned them not to talk to strangers. And in 1972, Big Bird lined up on “Sesame Street” to receive a measles vaccine as part of a campaign to get more youngsters inoculated against the...
Slovakia rejects proposed law restricting access to abortion
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovakia’s parliament on Thursday narrowly rejected proposed legislation that would have tightened access to abortion in the European Union country. The bill was rejected by one vote, as 67 of the 134 lawmakers present in the 150-seat house voted in favor of it. A similar proposal to...
Palace: Queen Elizabeth II will attend remembrance service
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II, who has canceled recent public appearances on her doctors’ advice, will attend a national service of remembrance for Britain’s war dead this weekend, Buckingham Palace confirmed Thursday. The palace said the 95-year-old monarch will watch the somber ceremony at the Cenotaph memorial in central London...
Austrian leader says lockdown for the unvaccinated is likely
BERLIN — Austria’s chancellor on Thursday stepped up threats of lockdown measures for unvaccinated people, as new coronavirus cases in the Alpine nation are soaring. The country’s worst-affected province said it plans to take that step next week. Austria has taken a series of measures in recent weeks in an...
U.S. urges citizens to leave Haiti amid deepening turmoil
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The U.S. government is urging U.S. citizens to leave Haiti because of the country’s deepening insecurity and a severe lack of fuel that has affected hospitals, schools and banks. Gas stations remained closed on Thursday. The rare warning from the U.S. State Department comes as Haiti’s government...
France: Life sentence for killing of Holocaust survivor
PARIS — A French man has been sentenced to life in prison for stabbing an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor to death in an antisemitic attack, a case that triggered widespread outrage and called attention to resurgent anti-Jewish sentiment in France. After horror and grief, Mireille Knoll’s family feels justice after Wednesday’s...
