News category, Page 478
University of Pittsburgh, Steelworkers reach tentative agreement on 1st faculty labor contract
The union representing 3,400 University of Pittsburgh faculty has tentatively agreed with the school administration on their first labor contract — a pact running through June 30, 2026. The United Steelworkers union announced the deal late Thursday and said it included what it calls “historic language on wages and job...
Casey, McCormick agree to 3 debates across Pa. in U.S. Senate race
With the primary election just barely in the rearview mirror, the candidates for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate wasted no time in thinking ahead to November. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey announced Thursday he wants to participate in three debates this fall. Casey, of Scranton, proposed holding debates in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia,...
These people were charged with interfering in the 2020 election. Some are still in politics today
ATLANTA — As Donald Trump seeks a return to the White House, criminal charges are piling up for the people who tried to help him stay there in 2020 by promoting false theories of voter fraud. At least five states won in 2020 by President Joe Biden have investigated efforts...
With Democrat Janelle Stelson’s win, analyst dials back chances for GOP to hold Rep. Perry’s seat
On the heels of Janelle Stelson’s win on Tuesday as the Democratic challenger to GOP U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, a well-known political forecaster has slightly downgraded Perry’s chances of victory in November. Kyle Kondik with University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball said this week he was...
Higher internet costs could be on the way for low-income Pa. residents as federal subsidies run out
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 — Thousands of Pennsylvanians could soon be hit with higher internet bills when a federal program that gives a discount to low-income households starts...
Gay actor’s speech back on at Pennsylvania school after cancellation over his ‘lifestyle’
A gay actor’s speech that was canceled over his “lifestyle” is back on at a Pennsylvania school after residents spoke out. The Cumberland Valley School District’s board voted 5-4 Wednesday night to allow children’s book author Maulik Pancholy, who is gay, to speak against bullying during an assembly on May...
USC cancels graduation ceremony as college officials worry about pro-Palestinian protest disruptionsVideo
The University of Southern California canceled its main stage graduation ceremony Thursday as college officials across the U.S. worried that ongoing campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war could disrupt May commencement ceremonies. Some universities called in police to break up the demonstrations, resulting in ugly scuffles and dozens of arrests,...
Body believed to be that of trucker who went missing in November found in Iowa farm field
A body believed to be that of a missing truck driver has been found in a northwest Iowa field not far from where his abandoned rig was discovered on an isolated highway just before Thanksgiving , but details of his death remain a mystery. The Iowa Department of Public Safety...
Body-cam footage shows police left an Ohio man handcuffed and facedown on a bar floor before he diedVideo
TOLEDO — An Ohio man who was handcuffed and left facedown on the floor of a social club last week died in police custody and the officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave. Police body-camera footage released Wednesday shows a Canton police officer responding to a report of...
Massive policing for Paris Olympics to include security checks for some of the capital’s residents
PARIS — Special anti-terrorism measures being put in place to safeguard the unprecedented opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics on the River Seine will also apply to all buildings along the route, meaning people who work and live there and their guests will be subjected to background security checks, Paris...
National Enquirer was go-to American tabloid for many years; Donald Trump helped change that
NEW YORK — Catch and kill. Checkbook journalism. Secret deals. Friends helping friends. Even by National Enquirer standards, testimony by its former publisher David Pecker at Donald Trump’s hush money trial this week has revealed an astonishing level of corruption at America’s best-known tabloid and may one day be seen...
Ashley Judd and Aloe Blacc help the White House unveil its national suicide prevention strategy
WASHINGTON— Actor Ashley Judd and singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc, who both lost loved ones to suicide, on Tuesday helped the Biden administration promote its new national strategy to prevent suicide. Judd’s mother, country star Naomi Judd, died nearly two years ago. Blacc’s frequent collaborator, Tim Bergling, died in 2018. Both were...
Planned Parenthood announces $10 million voter campaign in North Carolina for 2024 election
RALEIGH, N.C. — Abortion continues to be a key part of Democrats’ election playbook in North Carolina, which for 2024 will include what abortion-rights advocates call an unprecedented investment in get-out-the-vote efforts. Planned Parenthood affiliated groups in North Carolina announced on Thursday a $10 million campaign in the state that...
Supreme Court seems skeptical of Trump’s claim of absolute immunity but decision’s timing is unclear
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday appeared likely to reject former President Donald Trump’s claim of absolute immunity from prosecution over election interference, but it seemed possible Trump could still benefit from a lengthy trial delay, possibly beyond November’s election. Chief Justice John Roberts was among at least five...
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
NEW YORK — As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye. But when it came to the seamy...
Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction overturned by New York’s top courtVideo
NEW YORK — New York’s highest court on Thursday threw out Harvey Weinstein ’s 2020 rape conviction with a ruling that shocked and disappointed women who celebrated historic gains during the #MeToo era and left those who testified in the case bracing for a retrial against the ex-movie mogul. The...
U.S. births fell last year, marking an end to the late pandemic rebound, experts say
NEW YORK — U.S. births fell last year, resuming a long national slide. A little under 3.6 million babies were born in 2023, according to provisional statistics released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s about 76,000 fewer than the year before and the lowest one-year tally...
Man caught with 9 pounds of heroin in 2016 sentenced to 6½ years in prison
A native of the Dominican Republic who was caught with 9 pounds of heroin in 2016 but escaped back to his homeland only to be extradited was sentenced this week for his crimes. Habys Omar Meran, 38, was sentenced to 6½ years in federal prison for possession of drugs with...
Navy sailor formerly stationed in Norfolk found guilty of attempted espionage
NORFOLK, Va. — A Navy chief was convicted of attempted espionage last week in a San Diego military court after he was accused of providing classified documents to a foreign contact while stationed in Norfolk and Japan. Chief Fire Controlman Bryce S. Pedicini was found guilty of attempted espionage, failure...
Sharks ‘adapting their movements and routines,’ great white researchers discover
Do great white sharks change their behaviors in different environments, or do the apex predators follow the same routines regardless of location? Researchers recently set out to solve this shark puzzle, as they reportedly discovered great white behaviors by attaching smart tags and cameras to their fins. Great whites adapt...
‘You never think something you are doing is going to take off’: Greensburg Night Market returns for 6th season
When Jessica Hickey launched the Greensburg Night Market in 2019, 28 vendors lined half a block of South Pennsylvania Avenue. Starting its sixth season Thursday, the night market series has expanded to feature food trucks, live music and more than 150 food, beverage, art and craft vendors. Each market —...
Arizona indicts 18 in case over 2020 election, including Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows
PHOENIX — An Arizona grand jury has indicted former Donald Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows and lawyer Rudy Giuliani along with 16 others in an election interference case. The indictment released Wednesday names 11 Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring that Donald Trump beat Joe Biden...
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war growsVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests. At the University of Texas at Austin, hundreds of local and state police — including...
Biden pardons 11 people and shortens the sentences of 5 others convicted of non-violent drug crimes
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has granted clemency to 16 people who were convicted of nonviolent drug crimes, issuing pardons to 11 men and women and commuting the sentences of five other people in the latest use of his clemency power to address racial disparities in the justice system. Biden...
Former Wisconsin college chancellor fired over porn career is fighting to keep his faculty post
MADISON, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s top official has taken the first steps toward removing a faculty member who was earlier fired from his job as chancellor over his fledgling porn career. The former chancellor, Joe Gow, said Wednesday that interim Chancellor Betsy Morgan filed three charges against...
