11 hurt in mass shooting that marked a weekend of gun violence in Savannah, Georgia
SAVANNAH, Ga. — An argument between two women led to a gunfight that left 11 people hurt in a busy tourist area of Savannah, Georgia, late Saturday, one of five weekend shootings in the city, two of which were fatal, authorities said. Two people were injured in separate shootings Friday....
Pro-Palestinian protesters set up a new encampment at Drexel University
PHILADELPHIA — Pro-Palestinian protesters set up a new encampment at Drexel University in Philadelphia over the weekend, prompting a lockdown of school buildings, a day after authorities thwarted an attempted occupation of a school building at the neighboring University of Pennsylvania campus. After several hundred demonstrators marched from Philadelphia’s City...
Pa.’s judges must reveal the perks they accept, but the public won’t find those disclosures online
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Every year, thousands of officials in state government must fill out reports by May 1 that disclose their sources of income, creditors, and business interests,...
Giuliani becomes final defendant served indictment among 18 accused in Arizona fake electors case
Arizona’s attorney general says former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been served an indictment in the state’s fake elector case alongside 17 other defendants for his role in an attempt to overturn former President Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes...
What we’ve learned so far in the Trump hush money trial and what to watch for as it wraps up
NEW YORK — Testimony in the hush money trial of Donald Trump is set to conclude in the coming days, putting the landmark case on track for jury deliberations that will determine whether it ends in a mistrial, an acquittal — or the first-ever felony conviction of a former American...
The Senate filibuster is a hurdle to any national abortion bill. Democrats are campaigning on it
CHICAGO — Sen. Tammy Baldwin, facing a tough reelection fight in one of the races that will determine control of Congress, has made protecting reproductive rights a cornerstone of her campaign, and she’s willing to back that up by pledging to change the Senate filibuster rules if Democrats retain control...
Biden tells Morehouse graduates that he hears their voices of protest over the war in Gaza
ATLANTA — President Joe Biden on Sunday told Morehouse College graduates during his commencement speech that he heard their voices of protest over the Israel-Hamas war, and that scenes from the conflict in Gaza have been heartbreaking. “I support peaceful nonviolent protest,” he told students at the all-male, historically Black...
Botanists scouring U.S.-Mexico border to document forgotten ecosystem split by giant wall
JACUMÉ, México — Near the towering border wall flanked by a U.S. Border Patrol vehicle, botanist Sula Vanderplank heard a quail in the scrub yelp “chi-ca-go,” a sound the birds use to signal they are separated from a mate or group. Then silence. A quail on the Mexican side called...
Franklin Regional Intermediate School named among Discovery Education Schools of the Year
During the 2017-18 school year, Franklin Regional administrators and staff opted to partner with Discovery Education, which helps educators integrate modern technology into their lesson plans, and provides academic support through multimedia content and other classroom tools. During the same time period, district officials were working to put a Google...
Jesus is their savior, Trump is their candidate: Ex-president’s backers say he shares faith, values
As Donald Trump increasingly infuses his campaign with Christian trappings while coasting to a third Republican presidential nomination, his support is as strong as ever among evangelicals and other conservative Christians. “Trump supports Jesus, and without Jesus, America will fall,” said Kimberly Vaughn of Florence, Ky., as she joined other...
Chapel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s son closed because of landslide
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. — A decades-old landslide that’s rapidly accelerating has forced the dismantling of Wayfarers Chapel, an iconic Southern California church that was designed by one of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s sons and built among soaring redwoods and sweeping Pacific Ocean views. The earth beneath the chapel...
‘Liability’ to ‘tremendous asset’: How Johnstown’s Stonycreek River has gone from toxic mine drainage to recreational hub
For Jason Albert, whitewater kayaking is a form of therapy. Albert, 38, of Oak Ridge, N.J., has been kayaking since 2017. This is his first season back on the water following a two-year recovery from a car accident that hurt his back. “There’s a lot of people that have come...
Heat poses risk as thousands without power after deadly Houston storm
HOUSTON — As the Houston area works to clean up and restore power to hundreds of thousands after deadly storms left at least seven people dead, it will do so amid a smog warning and scorching temperatures that could pose health risks. National Weather Service meteorologist Marc Chenard said Saturday...
Member of Israel’s War Cabinet says he’ll quit government unless there’s a new war plan
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Benny Gantz, a popular centrist member of Israel’s three-member War Cabinet, threatened Saturday to resign from the government if it doesn’t adopt a new plan in three weeks’ time for the war in Gaza, a decision that would leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more reliant...
Education funding boost, tax cuts on table as Pa. budget talks begin
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. HARRISBURG — More than a month out from the June 30 budget deadline, top Pennsylvania lawmakers are beginning a new round of negotiations with few...
‘She fought until the very last day’: Youngwood organ donor helps save 3 after overdose death
From the printer to the sweeper to the decorations on the wall, almost everything in Anna Vukovich’s Youngwood home reminds her of her daughter Jennifer. Jennifer’s comforter is still on the bed in her childhood bedroom, her purse still hangs on a hook on the wall. “Everytime I pull something...
Claim Democrats want to ‘execute babies’ one of many abortion falsehoods during campaign season
Former President Donald Trump recently told a crowd of thousands in Wildwood, N.J., the baseless claim that Democrats want to pass an abortion law that enables doctors to “execute” newborns. “If the radical Democrat extremists get their way,” Trump said during his May 11 rally, “they will have a federal...
Sen. John Fetterman wants to create a national mental health commission
PHILADELPHIA — Sen. John Fetterman, who has been open about his struggle with depression, wants to create a federal commission focused on mental health. Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, introduced a bill last week with Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., to create the commission, which would provide policy recommendations to Congress and...
Tick season has arrived. Protect yourself with these tips
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Tick season is starting across the U.S., and experts are warning the bloodsuckers might be as plentiful as ever. Another mild winter and other favorable factors likely means the 2024 tick population will be equal to last year or larger, some researchers say. “It’s very bad...
Man convicted of attacking ex-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer sentenced to 30 years
SAN FRANCISCO — The man convicted of attempting to kidnap then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacking her husband with a hammer was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley handed down the sentence for David DePape, 44, whom jurors found guilty in November of attempted kidnapping...
Israeli army finds bodies of 3 hostages in Gaza killed at Oct. 7 music festival
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said Friday its troops in Gaza found the bodies of three Israeli hostages killed by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack, including German-Israeli Shani Louk. A photo of 22-year-old Shani’s twisted body in the back of a pickup truck ricocheted around the world and brought...
Trucks are rolling across a new U.S. pier into Gaza. But challenges remain to getting enough aid in
WASHINGTON — Trucks carrying badly needed aid for the Gaza Strip rolled across a newly built U.S. pier and into the besieged enclave for the first time Friday as Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fighting hindered the delivery of food and other supplies. The shipment is the first...
South Africa ends rescue efforts at collapsed building and revises figures: 33 dead, no more missing
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — An exhaustive rescue operation to find missing construction workers trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in South Africa ended Friday after nearly two weeks, as authorities released a major revision of their figures and said they now believe that no one else is...
Hezbollah introduces new weapons and tactics against Israel as war in Gaza drags on
BEIRUT — The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah this week struck a military post in northern Israel using a drone that fired two missiles. The attack wounded three soldiers, one of them seriously, according to the Israeli military. Hezbollah has regularly fired missiles across the border with Israel over the past...
Slovak prime minister underwent another operation, remains in serious condition
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation after he was shot on Wednesday and remains in serious condition, the country’s deputy prime minister and defense minister said Friday. Fico, 59, was shot multiple times as he was greeting supporters after a government meeting in the...
