Westmoreland County recognizes paraeducator as she pursues teaching certificate in pilot program
After more than three decades working as a paraeducator in Westmoreland County, Terri Pajak’s favorite part of the job is watching her students grow. Approaching her fourth year working at Greensburg’s partial mental health hospitalization program, Pajak fills in any needs her middle and high school students may have —...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he’s suspending presidential bid, backing Donald Trump
PHOENIX — Robert F. Kennedy said Friday he is suspending his independent presidential bid and is backing Donald Trump. Kennedy said his internal polls had showed that his presence in the race would hurt Trump and help Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. He cited free speech, the war in Ukraine and...
Maryland police officer convicted of tossing smoke bomb at police during Capitol riot
WASHINGTON — A Maryland police officer was convicted on Friday of charges that he joined a mob’s Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and hurled a smoke bomb and other objects at police officers guarding a tunnel entrance. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden heard two days of trial...
A woman plunges into a 26-foot-deep hole after pavement sinks in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A plunged into a 26-foot-deep sinkhole in the center of Kuala Lumpur after the pavement caved in, Malaysian police said. She was then believed to have been swept away by an underground water current, The incident happened in the Dang Wangi area of the Malaysian capital,...
Judge declines to dismiss murder case against Karen Read after July mistrial
DEDHAM, Mass. — A judge ruled that Karen Read can be re-tried for murder in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, dismissing arguments that jurors came forward after the mistrial to say they had unanimously agreed she wasn’t guilty on two of the three charges she faced. Read...
Biggest diamond in over a century found in Botswana — a whopping 2,492 carats
GABORONE, Botswana — The largest diamond found in more than a century has been unearthed at a mine in Botswana, and the country’s president showed off the fist-sized stone to the world at a viewing ceremony Thursday. The Botswana government says the huge 2,492-carat diamond is the second-biggest ever discovered...
Iceland volcano erupts again but spares the nearby town of Grindavik for now
GRINDAVIK, Iceland — Lava continued to spew from a volcano in southwestern Iceland on Friday — the sixth time since December the volcano has erupted on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The eruption from a new fissure began shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday following a series of strong earthquakes and within the...
As Harris accepts nomination, many women say a female president is long overdue
WASHINGTON — “Electric.” “Joyful.” The kinetic energy powering Kamala Harris ’ whirlwind presidential campaign carries the hopeful aspirations of history and the almost quaint idea of electing the first woman to the White House. But inside it, too, is the urgent and determined refusal of many Democratic female voters to...
Biden to dispatch adviser to China as he looks to sharpen policy focus in final months
BUELLTON, Calif. — President Joe Biden plans to dispatch his national security adviser Jake Sullivan to China as the White House aims to sharpen its focus on foreign policy in the Democrat’s final months in office. Sullivan’s visit to meet with his counterpart, Wang Yi, is expected to take place...
Casey slams ‘greedflation’ at DNC, touts Harris’ consumer advocacy
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey briefly spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday to deride corporate-fueled “greedflation” and tout Vice President Kamala Harris’ work to help consumers. Casey’s 2-minute-long address came during the lead-up to the primetime slots that will culminate in Harris officially accepting the party’s presidential nomination. Although...
Death toll from bandit attack on police in Pakistan rises to 12
LAHORE, Pakistan — The death toll from Pakistan’s deadliest bandit attack on police rose to 12 after one of the wounded officers died in a hospital, as police pursued suspects in the eastern province of Punjab, officials said Friday. Thursday’s attack with guns and rocket-propelled grenades also wounded eight officers....
Ukraine says it has recaptured land in the Kharkiv region, reversing some Russian gains there
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces say they have recaptured territory in the eastern region of Kharkiv, where Russia launched a large offensive in the spring that brought initial gains but the operation soon stalled. Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade said in a statement late Thursday that its forces advanced about...
Last body from sunken superyacht has been recovered off Sicily
ROME — Italian rescuers brought ashore the body of the final missing person who was on a superyacht that sunk off the coast of Sicily. The woman’s body was detected on Friday, the Coast Guard said. She has not been officially identified, but Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of British...
Southern Arizona man arrested after alleged threats against Trump as candidate visited border
BISBEE, Ariz. — A southern Arizona man was arrested for allegedly making death threats against Donald Trump on social media, authorities said Thursday, the same day the Republican former president and 2024 candidate was in the area to visit the U.S.-Mexico border. The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect...
Billions of crabs suddenly died in ocean around Alaska. Things may get worse
The plummeting population of snow crabs off of Alaska’s shores shocked fishermen and scientists alike in 2022. Now, scientists believe they have more evidence for a bleak explanation about the species dying by the billions. CNN reports that the latest studies reveal climate change led to the crabs massive death...
Kamala Harris at DNC summons Americans to reject divisions and defeat threat of Trump’s candidacyVideo
CHICAGO — Vice President Kamala Harris called on Americans to join her to “chart a new way forward” as she accepted the Democratic nomination on Thursday, arguing her personal story and prosecutorial background made her uniquely qualified to protect their interests and beat Republican Donald Trump. Taking the stage to...
Outgoing Pa. state system chancellor Greenstein reflects on achievements and challenges
Months after becoming chancellor of Pennsylvania’s state-owned universities, Daniel Greenstein shared an ambitious goal for a system already underfunded and headed toward controversial campus mergers and spending cuts. “In a transformed system — a sharing system — every student on every campus has access to the full breadth of academic...
Sudden fame for Tim Walz’s son focuses attention on challenges of people with learning disabilitiesVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — An unexpected highlight of the Democratic National Convention on Night Three was an outburst of pride from the son of vice presidential candidate Tim Walz. “That’s my dad!” 17-year-old Gus Walz could be seen exclaiming Wednesday night. He stood, tears streaming down his face, and pointed to his...
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says Donald Trump is ‘obsessed’ with him after his ‘antisemitic’ Truth Social rantVideo
CHICAGO — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday said former President Donald Trump was “obsessed” with him and accused him of promoting “antisemitic tropes,” following the former president’s late-night social media attack on Shapiro. After Shapiro’s speech Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention, Trump called him a “highly overrated...
Family of West Virginia governor, running for Senate, has deal to avoid Greenbrier hotel foreclosure
CHARLESTON — The family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has reached an agreement with a credit collection company to avoid the foreclosure of their historic hotel as he runs for U.S. Senate, the resort announced Thursday. The Republican governor’s family had been set to appear in court Friday to...
Supreme Court rejects GOP push to block 41K Arizona voters, but partly OKs proof of citizenship law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a Republican push that could have blocked more than 41,000 Arizona voters from casting ballots for president in the state that Democratic President Joe Biden won by less than 11,000 votes four years ago. But in a 5-4 order, the high court...
Body of British tech magnate Mike Lynch is among those recovered from yacht wreckage, officials say
PORTICELLO, Sicily — The Italian coast guard said Thursday the body of British tech magnate Mike Lynch is among those recovered off the coast of Sicily from the wreckage of a superyacht whose builders had called unsinkable. One woman remains missing. She has not been identified, but Hannah Lynch, Lynch’s...
What polling shows about Americans’ views of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
WASHINGTON — Republicans are more likely than Democrats to have a favorable opinion of Robert F. Kennedy Jr, recent polls show, as allies of Donald Trump urge the independent presidential candidate to drop out and endorse the former Republican president. Kennedy’s support appears to have declined in recent polls as...
A 2nd ex-Memphis officer accused in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols is changing his plea
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A second former Memphis police officer charged with federal civil rights violations in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols last year is changing his not-guilty plea, in a case that sparked outrage and calls for police reform. Emmitt Martin is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge...
FDA approves updated covid-19 vaccines; shots should be available in days
U.S. regulators approved updated covid-19 vaccines Thursday, shots designed to more closely target recent virus strains — and hopefully whatever variants cause trouble this winter, too. With the Food and Drug Administration’s clearance, Pfizer and Moderna are set to begin shipping millions of doses. A third U.S. manufacturer, Novavax, expects...
