Biden administration restricts oil and gas leasing in 13 million acres of Alaska’s petroleum reserve
JUNEAU, Alaska — The Biden administration said Friday it will restrict new oil and gas leasing on 13 million acres (5.3 million hectares) of a federal petroleum reserve in Alaska to help protect wildlife such as caribou and polar bears as the Arctic continues to warm. The decision — part...
12 students and teacher killed at Columbine to be remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
DENVER — The 12 students and one teacher killed in the Columbine High School shooting will be remembered Friday in a vigil on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the tragedy. The gathering, set up by gun safety and other organizations, is the main public event marking the anniversary,...
FAFSA mess leads to deadline extension for students to apply for state grants
Students hoping for a Pennsylvania state grant to help pay for college have an extra month — until June 1 — to submit the federal form that is needed to be considered for financial aid. The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) on Thursday announced that it has pushed back...
Tesla recalling more than 3,000 of its 2024 Cybertrucks due to faulty pedal
Tesla is recalling more than 3,000 of its newly launched 2024 Cybertrucks because of the possibility that a pedal can get stuck and cause the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally, increasing the risk of a crash. Tesla said that the accelerator pedal pad may dislodge and become trapped by the interior...
Israel gave U.S. last-minute warning about drone attack on Iran, Italian foreign minister says at G7
CAPRI, Italy — The U.S. told the Group of Seven foreign ministers on Friday that it received “last minute” information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, but didn’t participate in the apparent attack, officials said. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who chaired the meeting of ministers of industrialized...
2 suspects detained in Poland after last month’s attack on a Navalny ally in Lithuania
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Two Polish citizens have been detained in Poland on suspicion of attacking Russian activist Leonid Volkov, an ally of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, in Lithuania, officials said on Friday. Volkov was attacked on March 12 outside his home in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, where he...
Ukraine claims it shot down a Russian strategic bomber as Moscow’s missiles kill 8 Ukrainians
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s air force claimed Friday it shot down a Russian strategic bomber, but Moscow officials said the plane crashed in a sparsely populated area due to a malfunction after a combat mission. Neither claim could be independently verified. Previous Ukrainian claims of shooting down Russian warplanes during...
Israel targets air defense system in Syria, state news agency says
Israel carried out a missile strike targeting an air defense unit in southern Syria, causing material damage, state-run SANA news agency quoted a military statement as saying Friday. The warplanes were seen around the time loud noises and drones were reported near a major Iranian air base and nuclear site...
Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear siteVideo
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on Israel. No Iranian official...
York police officer raped baby during bathtime, court documents revealVideo
A York police officer raped a 13-month-old girl while he was bathing her over the weekend in a Dauphin County home, police wrote in court documents. The baby’s Halifax daycare center called Pennsylvania State Police on Monday requesting a welfare check after the girl was dropped off with “severe bruising”...
Man charged with 4 University of Idaho deaths was out for a drive that night, his attorneys say
MOSCOW, Idaho — Bryan Kohberger, the man charged in the deaths of four University of Idaho students in late 2022, was out for a drive the night they were killed, his attorneys said in a new court filing that lays out more details of the alibi defense he intends to...
Biden administration moves to make conservation an equal to industry on public lands
BILLINGS, Mont. — The Biden administration on Thursday finalized a new rule for public land management that’s meant to put conservation on more equal footing with oil drilling, grazing and other extractive industries on vast government-owned properties. Officials pushed past strong opposition from private industry and Republican governors to adopt...
Shapiro says Pennsylvania will move all school standardized testing online in 2026
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Thursday that his administration will move all standardized school assessment tests online in an effort to save more classroom time for instruction, create a user-friendly exam for students and relieve a burden from teachers and administrators. Shapiro, in a news conference at Northgate Middle School...
Kansas GOP congressman Jake LaTurner won’t seek reelection, citing family reasons
TOPEKA — Two-term Republican U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner is not running for reelection this year in his GOP-leaning eastern Kansas district so that he can spend more time with his four young children, he announced Thursday. LaTurner is among nearly two dozen Republicans in the U.S. House who are not...
Pennsylvania House Democrats take step toward expelling state Rep. Kevin Boyle
HARRISBURG — A top House Democratic leader took a first step toward expelling State Rep. Kevin Boyle from the state House, as the lawmaker faces criminal charges and his family says he’s experiencing a serious mental health condition. House Majority Leader Matt Bradford, D-Montgomery, in response to Boyle’s situation, on...
Sweeping gun legislation approved by Maine lawmakers after deadliest shooting in state history
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Legislature approved sweeping gun safety legislation including background checks on private gun sales, waiting periods for gun purchases and criminalizing gun sales to prohibited people before adjourning Thursday morning, nearly six months after the deadliest shooting in state history. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and the...
Sheetz hit with discrimination lawsuit
The Sheetz convenience store chain has been hit with a lawsuit by federal officials who allege the company discriminated against minority job applicants. Sheetz Inc., which operates more than 700 stores in six states, discriminated against Black, Native American and multiracial job seekers by automatically weeding out applicants whom the...
Kennedy family makes ‘crystal clear’ its Biden endorsement in attempt to deflate RFK Jr.’s candidacy
PHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden scooped up endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kerry Kennedy, a daughter of former Attorney General Robert F....
12 jurors picked for Donald Trump’s hush money trial. Selection of alternates ongoing
NEW YORK — A jury of 12 people was seated Thursday in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial in New York, and the court quickly turned to selecting alternate jurors. The rapid progress Thursday afternoon propelled the case closer to opening statements and weeks of testimony in a case...
Israelis grapple with how to celebrate Passover, a holiday about freedom, while many remain captive
JERUSALEM — Every year, Alon Gat’s mother led the family’s Passover celebration of the liberation of the ancient Israelites from Egypt thousands of years ago. But this year, Gat is struggling with how to reconcile a holiday commemorating freedom after his mother was slain and other family members abducted when...
United Arab Emirates struggles to recover after heaviest recorded rainfall ever hits desert nation
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates struggled Thursday to recover from the heaviest recorded rainfall ever to hit the desert nation, as its main airport worked to restore normal operations even as floodwater still covered portions of major highways and roads. Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest...
Justice Department ramps up efforts to reduce violent crime with gun intel center, carjacking forces
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is ramping up its efforts to reduce violent crime in the U.S., launching a specialized gun intelligence center in Chicago and expanding task forces to curb carjackings. In an interview with The Associated Press, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said there is “absolutely much more...
Roundup: Lawrenceville Shop n’ Save to close in May
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, April 18. Lawrenceville Shop n’ Save set to close next month The Shop n’ Save grocery store located in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood will close mid-May, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The store reached an agreement with its...
Biden is off on details of his uncle’s WWII death as he calls Trump unfit to lead the military
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday misstated key details about his uncle’s death in World War II as he honored the man’s wartime service and said Donald Trump was unworthy of serving as commander in chief. While in Pittsburgh, Biden spoke about his uncle, 2nd Lt. Ambrose J. Finnegan...
Trump presses Republicans for kickbacks when using his likeness
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s presidential campaign wants other Republicans to pay up, if they use the former president’s name, image or likeness in any fundraising solicitations, according to a new campaign memo obtained by Bloomberg News. Signed by co-campaign managers, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, the memo asks that all...
