Pakistan sends troops after Muslim mob attacked Hindu temple
MULTAN, Pakistan — Pakistan on Thursday deployed paramilitary troops in a conservative town in the country’s eastern Punjab province, a day after a Muslim mob attacked and badly damaged a Hindu temple there. In New Delhi, India’s foreign ministry summoned a Pakistani diplomat to protest the attack and demand protection...
Moderna plans booster doses to help fight virus
WASHINGTON — Moderna officials say while its covid-19 vaccine’s protection is holding up, it’s planning for booster doses to help fight the highly contagious delta variant. With “the rising force of infection” from that variant and eventual waning immunity, a “booster will likely be necessary to keep us as safe...
Penn State University requires masking at all campuses
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State University will require students, staff and visitors at all its campuses to wear masks while indoors, the school announced Wednesday, responding to a statewide surge in coronavirus cases. The masking rule will apply to everyone, regardless of vaccination status, Penn State officials said. “As we...
Pennsylvania girl injured in suspected shark attack in Ocean City, Md.Video
OCEAN CITY, Md. — A 12-year-old Pennsylvania girl suffered injuries after a suspected shark attack in Maryland that left her with 42 stitches for 20 cuts, family members said. Jordan Prushinski and her family, of Luzerne County, told WBRE-TV that they were on vacation Monday at the beach in Ocean...
U.S. plans to require covid-19 shots for foreign travelers
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is taking the first steps toward requiring nearly all foreign visitors to the United States to be vaccinated for the coronavirus, a White House official said Wednesday. The requirement would come as part of the administration’s phased approach to easing travel restrictions for foreign citizens...
Missouri health leaders warn of covid-19 increase in children
Springfield and St. Louis area health leaders are asking adults to wear masks and get the covid-19 vaccine to protect children as hospitals report admitting more young patients with the disease, including some in intensive care. Spring Schmidt, deputy director of the St. Louis County health department, said Wednesday about...
At least 10 dead as van carrying migrants crashes in Texas
An overloaded van carrying 29 migrants crashed Wednesday on a remote South Texas highway, killing at least 10 people, including the driver, and injuring 20 others, authorities said. The crash happened shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday on U.S. 281 in Encino, Texas, about 50 miles north of McAllen. Sgt. Nathan...
Federal judge rebukes Jan. 6 defendant, sentences him to time served
A federal judge on Wednesday assailed the false claims of election fraud pushed by former President Donald Trump and his supporters as she sentenced a member of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to time served, saying the Michigan man “placed his trust in someone who...
Feds roll back ‘confusing’ addiction funding rules that had deadly consequence in Pa.
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 federal agency that sends billions of dollars to states to help them respond to the opioid crisis is...
Marist poll finds 59% New Yorkers say Cuomo should resign in wake of sexual harassment reportVideo
ALBANY, N.Y. — A majority of New Yorkers think it’s time for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to go, according to a new Marist poll. The survey, conducted overnight and released Wednesday, found that 59% of Empire State voters, including 52% of Democrats, believe Cuomo should resign following the bombshell attorney general’s...
Passenger charged with groping, punching flight attendants
MIAMI — An Ohio man was arrested in Florida during the weekend after being accused of groping two female flight attendants and punching a male flight attendant during a flight from Philadelphia to Miami, officials said. Maxwell Berry, 22, of Norwalk, Ohio, was arrested Saturday at Miami International Airport and...
Nursing home to workers: Get vaccine or lose your job
NEW YORK — The U.S. nursing home industry’s resistance to forcing workers to get vaccinated against covid-19 for fear that too many of them might quit began to crack this week when its biggest player announced its employees must get the shot to keep their jobs. The new requirement at...
Q&A: Outdoor transmission of delta is still unclear. Here’s what experts think about covid-19 risk
As the delta variant pushes covid-19 case counts upward again, people are being more careful about wearing masks and distancing indoors. But what about the outdoors, which has been a refuge from the pandemic isolation because of reduced transmission risk? Last weekend, photos of maskless revelers at Lollapalooza, an outdoor...
Gulf of Mexico’s ‘dead zone’ larger than average this year
This year’s Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” — an area where there’s too little oxygen to support marine life — is larger than average, according to researchers. Scientists supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration determined that the area off Louisiana and Texas’ coasts covers about 6,334 square miles,...
Coroner: Blair County woman killed by house explosion blast, not fire
TYRONE — A coroner has ruled that a woman killed in a house explosion in Pennsylvania last month was killed by the explosion itself rather than the ensuring fire. The (Altoona) Mirror reports that Blair County Deputy Coroner Samantha Kimberling said “injuries from the blast” that occurred July 26 in...
Mike Pompeo got $5,800 whisky gift from Japan, but where is it?
WASHINGTON — The State Department said Wednesday it’s looking into the apparent disappearance of a nearly $6,000 bottle of whisky given more than two years ago to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by the government of Japan. Pompeo knows nothing about the gift or an inquiry, a representative said. In...
Head of U.N. health agency seeks vaccine booster moratoriumVideo
GENEVA — The head of the World Health Organization called Wednesday for a moratorium on administering booster shots of covid-19 vaccines as a way to help ensure that doses are available in countries where few people have received their first shots. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the appeal mostly...
Sturgis bike rally revs back bigger, despite delta variant
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Crowds of bikers are rumbling their way toward South Dakota’s Black Hills this week, raising fears that covid-19 infections will be unleashed among the 700,000 people expected to show up at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The rally, which starts Friday, has become a haven for those...
Majority of New York Assembly would oust Cuomo if he doesn’t quitVideo
ALBANY, N.Y. — A majority of state Assembly members support beginning impeachment proceedings against Gov. Andrew Cuomo if he doesn’t resign over investigative findings that he sexually harassed at least 11 women, according to an Associated Press count Wednesday. At least 83 of the body’s 150 members have said publicly...
UPMC Magee and Pitt to study covid-19 vaccines immune response in pregnancy and postpartum
A top medical facility and university are joining in a study looking at covid-19 vaccines, pregnancy and postpartum. UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine will participate in a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases study of the immune response to covid-19 vaccines among pregnant...
Hot, gusty weather could mean explosive fire growth in West
GREENVILLE, Calif. — California’s largest wildfire continued to grow Wednesday as thousands of firefighters prepared for a tougher fight as dangerous weather returns. A red flag warning was issued through Thursday because of hot, bone-dry conditions with winds up to 40 mph (64 kph). That could drive flames through timber,...
This hurricane season could see even more storms than first expected, NOAA says
MIAMI — Just a few weeks shy of the peak of hurricane season, NOAA released an updated prediction for the number of storms to expect this year — and it’s a bit higher. The latest prediction calls for 15 to 21 named storms, an uptick from the May update that...
16 killed by lightning on way to wedding party in Bangladesh
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Lightning killed at least 16 people who were traveling to a wedding party in western Bangladesh and injured several others, including the groom, an official said.. Local government official Sakib Al-Rabby said the bride was not with the group when the incident occurred Wednesday in Shibganj in...
Mexico sues U.S. gun manufacturers over arms trafficking toll
The Mexican government sued United States gun manufacturers and distributors Wednesday in U.S. federal court, arguing that their negligent and illegal commercial practices have unleashed tremendous bloodshed in Mexico. The unusual lawsuit was filed in U.S. federal court in Boston. Among those being sued are some of the biggest names...
Ex-Penn State President Graham Spanier released from jail after serving sentence in Sandusky scandal
Former Penn State President Graham Spanier was released from jail Wednesday morning after serving a nearly two-month sentence for child endangerment in a case connected to the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. Spanier reported to Centre County Correctional Facility, about 6 miles from the Penn State campus, on June...
