Nebraska declares pro-meat day on Colorado meatless day
OMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts railed Monday against a proclamation by the governor of neighboring Colorado that encourages people to avoid meat for one day a week, calling it a “direct attack on our way of life” and signing a pro-meat declaration of his own. Ricketts surrounded himself...
Partisan Pa. websites masquerading as local news threaten trust in journalism, new report finds
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan 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 — The majority of news outlets in Pennsylvania rank high on trustworthiness, but there is a growing crop of digital...
Myanmar junta orders martial law in 6 Yangon neighborhoods
YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar’s ruling junta has declared martial law in a wide area of the country’s largest city, as security forces killed dozens of protesters over the weekend in an increasingly lethal crackdown on resistance to last month’s military coup. The United Nations said at least 138 peaceful protesters...
Police say Indiana man killed 4, abducted baby after argument
INDIANAPOLIS — A man suspected of killing three adults and a child and abducting his baby daughter had pulled out a gun and opened fire following a heated argument at an Indianapolis home, police said Monday. The baby’s mother was also wounded in Saturday night’s shootings. The 6-month-old girl was...
Colorado court: Speed-reading bills violates constitution
The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that state Senate Democrats violated the constitution in 2019 when they responded to Republicans’ request that bills be read at length by having computers speed-read the bills in an intelligible garble. The Colorado Sun reports that in a 4-3 ruling released Monday, the court...
U.S. to house up to 3,000 immigrant teens at Dallas site
DALLAS — The U.S. government plans to use the downtown Dallas convention center to hold up to 3,000 immigrant teenagers as sharply higher numbers of border crossings have severely strained the current capacity to hold youths, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press. The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention...
Why some countries are halting the AstraZeneca shot
LONDON — Nearly a dozen countries including Germany, France and Italy have all temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine after reports last week that some people in Denmark and Norway who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there’s no evidence that the shot was responsible. The...
Wolf: Bar service in Pa. to return, alcohol curfew to lift on Easter
Pennsylvania bars and restaurants can resume bar service, sell alcohol without a food purchase and operate at 75% capacity beginning April 4, Gov. Tom Wolf said Monday. The curfew on alcohol sales also will be lifted. Currently, bars and restaurants must stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m. and clear tables...
Tornadoes reported in Texas Panhandle, no injuries reported
AMARILLO, Texas — Several suspected tornadoes touched down Saturday afternoon in the Texas Panhandle between Lubbock and Amarillo, according to the National Weather Service, but no injuries or fatalities were reported. Two possible tornadoes touched down south of Amarillo, near Palo Duro Canyon State Park, said meteorologist Trent Hoffeditz in...
Men from Morgantown, State College charged in assault of Capitol officer who died after riotVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials have arrested and charged two men with assaulting U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick with bear spray during the Jan. 6 riot, but they do not know yet whether it caused the officer’s death. George Tanios, 39, of Morgantown, W.Va., and Julian Khater, 32, of State...
Much of Europe tightens anti-pandemic rules as virus surges
ROME — Tighter restrictions aimed at reining in surging coronavirus infections took hold in much of Italy and parts of Poland on Monday, while in France, Paris risks being slapped with a weekend lockdown as ICUs near saturation with covid-19 patients. In line with an Italian government decision late last...
U.S. prison guards refusing vaccine despite covid-19 outbreaks
A Florida correctional officer polled his colleagues earlier this year in a private Facebook group: “Will you take the covid-19 vaccine if offered?” The answer from more than half: “Hell no.” Only 40 of the 475 respondents said yes. In Massachusetts, more than half the people employed by the Department...
7 jurors picked, 7 to come in ex-cop’s trial in George Floyd death
MINNEAPOLIS — Jury selection continues Monday in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death, with the process halfway complete after the first week. Seven people have been picked to hear evidence in the trial against Derek Chauvin, who is charged with murder and manslaughter....
2 key U.S. Cabinet members visit Japan for China-focused talks
TOKYO — Shared concerns about China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region will take center stage when President Joe Biden’s defense chief and secretary of state visit Japan for their first in-person talks with their Japanese counterparts. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tokyo...
Vatican excludes gay union blessing as God ‘can’t bless sin’
ROME — The Vatican decreed Monday that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions since God “cannot bless sin.” The Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy can bless gay unions. The answer, contained...
Pa. cheerleader’s mom accused of making ‘deepfakes’ of rivals
DOYLESTOWN — A Pennsylvania woman is accused of doctoring photos and video of her daughter’s cheerleading rivals to try to get them kicked off the squad, officials said. The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office last week charged Raffaela Spone, 50, with three misdemeanor counts of cyber harassment of a child...
National Park Service expands protected historic battlefields in Pennsylvania by 73 acres
The National Park Service has announced $2,188,052.50 in grants from the American Battlefield Protection Program to protect 225.33 acres at three Civil War and Revolutionary War battlefields. The grants will be used to acquire portions of Brandywine and Gettysburg battlefields in Pennsylvania and Shepherdstown Battlefield in West Virginia. The Battlefield...
State TV: Iran inaugurates new underground missile facility
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard on Monday inaugurated a new underground facility designated for missile storage, the country’s state TV reported. The report quotes Guard commander Gen. Hossein Salami as saying that cruise and ballistic missiles will empower the force’s navy even more. The TV report showed footage...
Arrest warrant issued after woman rejects mask at Texas bank
GALVESTON, Texas — An arrest warrant was issued for a woman who refused to wear a mask at a Texas bank, saying to a police officer: “What are you going to do, arrest me?” Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Terry Wright, 65, of Grants Pass, Oregon....
During height of coronavirus pandemic, Pa. lawmakers still cashed in big on meals, lodging
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan 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 — Within weeks of the first coronavirus cases last spring, as large swaths of Pennsylvania’s economy shut down, the state...
Coworkers: Army reservist charged in Capitol riot had a Hitler mustache
WASHINGTON — An Army reservist charged with taking part in the attack on the U.S. Capitol was known as a Nazi sympathizer who wore a Hitler mustache, coworkers told federal investigators. Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, 30, was employed as a security contractor at a Navy base when he was alleged to have...
Georgia Lt. Gov. Duncan sharpens rift with GOP over Trump, says he won’t run for SenateVideo
ATLANTA — Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan further distanced himself from many in his party’s conservative base on Sunday in a “Meet the Press” interview when he blasted proposed election restrictions as “solutions in search of a problem” and sharpened his criticism of former President Donald Trump. The first-term Republican...
All Duke University undergrads must quarantine
DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University issued a quarantine order for all of its undergraduates effective Saturday night because of a coronavirus outbreak caused by students who attended recruitment parties, the school said. The university said in a statement that all undergraduate students will be forced to stay-in-place until at least...
IRS online tool lets you track your stimulus money
Once again, the U.S. government is handing out money. And, once again, there’s a way to find out where your check is. A year ago, the IRS launched the online “Get My Payment” tool that let you check your payment status and confirm your payment type: direct deposit or check....
Pelosi pledges swift work on major infrastructure packageVideo
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday pledged swift work by Congress on a job and infrastructure package that will be “fiscally sound,” but said she isn’t sure whether the next major item on President Joe Biden’s agenda will attract Republican backing. Fresh off a major legislative victory on...
