Penn Township to host info session on zoning change amid resident concerns
Penn Township will host an informational meeting this month to explain a series of potential zoning changes. Meant to encourage economic development in the township, the proposed changes include Harrison-City Export Road, Mellon Road near Bushy Run Corporate Park and near the intersection of Route 130, Pleasant Valley Road and...
Hoarding disorder can drive families and communities apart. An Irwin nonprofit can help
This story first appeared in How We Care, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring original reporting and perspectives on how we care for one another at all stages of life. Sign up for free here. Cindy’s home has so much stuff that she can’t use certain areas. Boxes form...
Democrat Ruben Gallego wins Arizona U.S. Senate race against Republican Kari Lake
PHOENIX — Democrat Ruben Gallego has been elected Arizona’s first Latino U.S. senator, defeating Republican Kari Lake and preventing Republicans from further padding their Senate majority. Gallego’s victory continues a string of Democratic successes in a state that was reliably Republican until Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. Arizona...
South Carolina lab recaptures 5 more escaped monkeys but 13 are still loose
YEMASSEE, S.C. — Employees at a South Carolina compound that breeds monkeys for medical research have recaptured five more animals that escaped last week from an enclosure that wasn’t fully locked. As of Monday afternoon, 30 of the 43 monkeys that made it outside the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee...
Trump planning to choose Marco Rubio to lead State Department in historic first
President-elect Donald Trump plans to tap U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, making him the first Latino to helm the State Department, according to a source familiar with the plans. Trump’s selection of Rubio, born in Miami to Cuban parents, is expected to assuage fears among GOP...
Black cheerleader at Cumberland Valley made to act like a ‘pet’ as white teammates took videos, lawsuit says
A competitive cheer team from a Pennsylvania high school was staying in a Florida hotel to compete in a national competition when a freshman cheerleader received a knock on her door. It was a teammate telling her to come to another room where other members had gathered during the February...
Haiti’s main airport shuts down as gang violence surges and a new prime minister is sworn inVideo
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haiti’s international airport shut down on Monday after gangs opened fire at a commercial flight landing in Port-Au-Prince, prompting some airlines to temporarily suspend operations as the country swore in a new interim prime minister who promised to restore peace. The Spirit Airlines flight headed from Fort...
McCormick to go to Washington for Senate orientation over Schumer objections
Republican Dave McCormick said Monday he is off to Washington, D.C. for freshman orientation at the U.S. Senate, even as the chamber’s Democratic leaders are withholding an invitation while waiting for the remaining votes to be counted in Pennsylvania. The Associated Press Friday declared McCormick the winner in an upset...
Harriet Tubman posthumously named a general in Veterans Day ceremony
CHURCH CREEK, Md. — Revered abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who was the first woman to oversee an American military action during a time of war, was posthumously awarded the rank of general on Monday. Dozens gathered on Veterans Day at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park in Maryland’s Dorcester County...
Fire crews on both coasts battle wildfiresVideo
RINGWOOD, N.J. — Fire crews battled small wildfires across the Northeast U.S. on Monday, including a blaze in New York and New Jersey that killed a parks employee over the weekend and postponed Veterans Day plans. A quarter-inch of rain fell overnight from Sunday into Monday in a forest area...
Indiana man found guilty of murder in the 2017 killings of 2 teenage girlsVideo
DELPHI, Ind. — A former drugstore worker in the small Indiana community of Delphi was found guilty of murder on Monday in the killings of two teenage girls who vanished during an afternoon hike. Jurors convicted Richard Allen of two counts of murder and two additional counts of murder while...
How did Pa. Dems keep the state House during a red wave? Meet Frank Burns
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania House Democrats have clung to their one-vote majority despite a statewide wave of GOP wins that...
Biden and Harris are appearing together for the first time since she lost the election to Trump
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday made their first joint appearance since her election loss when they observed Veterans Day together by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Biden honored the service and sacrifice of America’s...
Trump names Lee Zeldin to lead EPA, Stephen Miller to be deputy chief of policy
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump on Monday named former Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency as he continues to build out his future administration with loyal supporters. Trump, in a statement, said Zeldin, who mounted a failed bid for governor of New York in 2022, would...
When to catch the last supermoon of the year
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Better catch this week’s supermoon. It will be a while until the next one. This will be the year’s fourth and final supermoon, looking bigger and brighter than usual as it comes within about 225,000 miles (361,867 kilometers) of Earth on Thursday. It won’t reach its...
Trump chooses New York Rep. Elise Stefanik as ambassador to United Nations
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Rep. Elise Stefanik to serve as his ambassador to the United Nations. “Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,” Trump said in a statement Monday announcing his pick. Stefanik, 40, who serves as House Republican Conference Chair, has...
Gallery: Photos from Steelers’ win over the Commanders
The Pittsburgh Steelers rallied and held on for a win against the Washington Commanders on Sunday at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. Quarterback Russell Wilson lofted a picturesque 32-yard fade pass to wide receiver Mike Williams for the go-ahead touchdown with 2 minutes, 22 seconds remaining in a 28-27 comeback...
Round 2 in the Trump-vs-Mexico matchup looks ominous for Mexico
MEXICO CITY — Mexico is facing a second Donald Trump presidency, and few countries can match its experience as a target of Trump’s rhetoric: There have been threats to close the border, impose tariffs and even send U.S. forces to fight Mexican drug cartels if the country doesn’t do more...
Will Trump’s hush money conviction stand? A judge will rule on the president-elect’s immunity claim
NEW YORK — A gut punch for most defendants, Donald Trump turned his criminal conviction into a rallying cry. His supporters put “I’m Voting for the Felon” on T-shirts, hats and lawn signs. “The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people,” Trump proclaimed after his conviction...
Trump on Day 1: Begin deportation push, pardon Jan. 6 rioters and make his criminal cases vanish
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has said he wouldn’t be a dictator — “except for Day 1.” According to his own statements, he’s got a lot to do on that first day in the White House. His list includes starting up the mass deportation of migrants, rolling back Biden administration policies...
Trump names Tom Homan, former director of immigration enforcement, as ‘border czar’
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump says Tom Homan, his former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, will serve as “border czar” in his incoming administration, a position that is likely to play a key role in Trump’s campaign pledges to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and mount a massive deportation...
A person is dead and 16 are hurt after a shooting at Tuskegee University; 1 arrest madeVideo
ATLANTA — A shooting early Sunday during homecoming weekend at Tuskegee University in Alabama left one person dead and injured 16 others, a dozen of them by gunfire, authorities said. One arrest was announced hours later. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Jaquez Myrick, 25, of Montgomery, was taken into...
Trump pressures candidates for Senate GOP leader to fill his Cabinet right away
WASHINGTON — Days before Senate Republicans pick their new leader, President-elect Donald Trump is pressuring the candidates to change the rules and empower him to appoint some nominees without a Senate vote. Republican Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida are running...
Frustrated Americans await economic changes they voted for with Trump
WASHINGTON — Fed up with high prices and unimpressed with an economy that by just about any measure is a healthy one, Americans demanded change when they voted for president. They could get it. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to topple many of the Biden administration’s economic policies. Trump campaigned...
St. Vincent recognizes Westmoreland high school students in mock trial competition
Students from three Westmoreland high schools were recognized for their performance at a mock trial competition at Saint Vincent College last month. Hosted by the college for more than five years, the competition assesses students on their ability to form and deliver opening statements and closing arguments in a hypothetical...
