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...
Winter storm closes roads in Wyoming, Colorado, NebraskaVideo
A powerful late winter snowstorm intensified over the central Rocky Mountains on Sunday with heavy snow and wind leading to airport and road closures, power outages and avalanche warnings in parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. The National Weather Service in Wyoming called it a “historic and crippling” winter storm...
Average U.S. price of gas up 25 cents a gallon in past 3 weeks
The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline jumped 25 cents a gallon over the past three weeks to $2.89. The average price in Pennsylvania rose to $3.03 per gallon on Sunday, according to price tracking service GasBuddy, with the Pittsburgh region averaging $3.06. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg...
Fauci: Trump should urge his followers to get vaccinatedVideo
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday he wishes former President Donald Trump would use his popularity among Republicans to persuade more of his followers to get the covid-19 vaccine. In a round of interviews on the morning news shows, the government’s top infectious disease expert lamented polling showing that Trump supporters...
London police under pressure over clashes at women’s vigil
LONDON — London’s Metropolitan Police force was under heavy pressure Sunday to explain its actions during a vigil for a woman whom one of the force’s own officers is accused of murdering. Hundreds defied coronavirus restrictions to gather and protest violence against women, but the event ended with clashes between...
Ireland suspends AstraZeneca vaccine amid blood clot reports
LONDON — Irish health officials on Sunday recommended the temporary suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of serious blood clotting after inoculations in Norway. Dr. Ronan Glynn, Ireland’s deputy chief medical officer, said the recommendation was made after Norway’s medicines agency reported four cases of blood clotting in adults...
2 killed, 13 wounded at party on Chicago’s South Side
CHICAGO — Gunfire erupted at a party on Chicago’s South Side early Sunday, killing two people and wounding 13 others, authorities said. Officers responded at around 4:40 a.m., police spokesman Jose Jara said in a statement. Those shot were between the ages of 20 to 44. Jara earlier said 12...
As pandemic continues, GOP lawmakers prepare for retreat at pricey Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
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. A version of this story originally appeared in our free weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG — When Republican lawmakers come together for their annual retreats this month and next...
Survivors struggle as scientists race to solve covid mystery
There was no reason to celebrate on Rachel Van Lear’s anniversary. The same day a global pandemic was declared, she developed symptoms of covid-19. A year later, she’s still waiting for them to disappear. And for experts to come up with some answers. The Texas woman is one of thousands...
Democrats bank on relief aid to win back wary working class
JEANNETTE — When Joe Biden visited this corner of southwestern Pennsylvania in the final weeks before the election, his goal wasn’t to win it so much as to show the area’s overwhelmingly white working-class electorate that his party was at least willing to try. “A lot of white, working-class Democrats...
In Louisville, Breonna Taylor’s family honors her legacy
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — On the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s death, the slain Black woman’s family continued their call for justice as hundreds of demonstrators gathered in downtown Louisville on Saturday. “Eyes are on Louisville, Kentucky, today so let’s show America what community looks like,” said Taylor’s aunt, Bianca Austin,...
Miami Beach police disperse ‘unruly’ spring break crowd
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Police in Miami Beach kicked off what was expected to be a busy spring break weekend by shooting pepper balls in order to disperse a crowd that had gathered around officers who were making an arrest. The Miami Beach Police Department tweeted Friday night that two...
