Pa. was deluged by election lawsuits in 2020 and experts say 2024 will be even more intense
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 — Earlier this year, a group of Republican state lawmakers filed suit in federal court to throw out executive actions aimed at expanding voter...
Nikki Haley wins the District of Columbia’s Republican primary and gets her first 2024 victory
WASHINGTON — Nikki Haley has won the Republican primary in the District of Columbia, notching her first victory of the 2024 campaign. Her victory Sunday at least temporarily halts Donald Trump’s sweep of the GOP voting contests, although the former president is likely to pick up several hundred more delegates...
Pennsylvania woman faces life after conviction in New Jersey murders of father, his girlfriend
TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A Pennsylvania woman faces a life term after being convicted of murder and weapons offenses last week in the shooting and stabbing deaths of her father and his longtime girlfriend 2 1/2 years ago in New Jersey. The Asbury Park Press reported that 57-year-old Sherry Lee...
Malaysia may renew the search for MH370 a decade after the flight disappeared
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s government said Sunday it may renew the hunt for MH370 after a U.S. technology firm proposed a fresh search in the southern Indian Ocean where the Malaysia Airlines plane is believed to have crashed a decade ago. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Texas-based Ocean Infinity...
Congressional leaders come out with 6 spending bills in a drive to avoid a partial shutdown
WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders on Sunday came out with a package of six bills setting full-year spending levels for some federal agencies, a step forward in a long overdue funding process beset by sharp political divisions between the two parties as well as infighting among House Republicans. The release of...
Key Northern California highway closed as snow continues to fall in the blizzard-hit Sierra NevadaVideo
TRUCKEE, Calif. — A major highway was closed and ski resorts were shut down Sunday as the effects of a powerful blizzard continued to cause problems across the Sierra Nevada, and forecasters warned that more heavy snow was on the way for Northern California. Sections of Interstate 80 to the...
Cancer patient dragged by New York City bus, partially paralyzed, awarded $72.5 million in lawsuit
NEW YORK — A Florida woman who says she was struck and dragged by a New York City bus and left partially paralyzed has been awarded $72.5 million in her lawsuit against the city’s transit agency. A city jury found in favor of Aurora Beauchamp, now 68, who was hit...
Post-pandemic vaccine hesitancy fueling latest measles outbreak
WASHINGTON — Cases of measles are rising across the country and seem to be striking counties at random, but experts say there is one thing the public health system can do to turn the tide, and that’s to stem the post-pandemic vaccine lag and get parents to vaccinate their kids....
A Supreme Court decision could come Monday in a case about barring Trump from the 2024 ballot
WASHINGTON — A Supreme Court decision could come as soon as Monday in the case about whether former President Donald Trump can be kicked off the ballot over his efforts to undo his defeat in the 2020 election. Trump is challenging a groundbreaking decision by the Colorado Supreme Court that...
Netanyahu rival’s visit to U.S. highlights cracks within Israel’s wartime leadershipVideo
TEL AVIV, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuked a top Cabinet minister arriving in Washington on Sunday for talks with U.S. officials, according to an Israeli official, signaling widening cracks within the country’s leadership nearly five months into its war with Hamas. The trip by Benny Gantz, a centrist...
Kamala Harris leads Bloody Sunday memorial as marchers’ voices ring out for voting rightsVideo
SELMA, Ala. — Vice President Kamala Harris told thousands gathered for the 59th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday attacks on civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama, that fundamental freedoms are under attack in America even today. Harris joined those gathered at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where voting...
Haley says she no longer feels bound by the GOP pledge requiring her to support the eventual nominee
WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Sunday she no longer feels bound by a pledge that required all GOP contenders to support the party’s eventual nominee in order to participate in the primary debates. The Republican National Committee had made the pledge a prerequisite for all candidates, and...
Penn-Trafford 8thgraders collect donations for school food program
When tasked with completing a community service project leading up to their Catholic confirmation ceremony, eighth grade Penn-Trafford students Jillian Rettger, Ashley Hetrick and Gabby Geary knew they wanted to support the district’s supplemental nutrition program, Backpacks-to-Go. The program, which supports the district’s families in need, gathers meals and snacks...
Trump wins Missouri, Idaho caucuses, sweeps Michigan GOP convention as he moves closer to nomination
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Former President Donald Trump continued his march toward the GOP nomination Saturday, winning caucuses in Idaho and Missouri and sweeping the delegate haul at a party convention in Michigan. Idaho Republicans planned to caucus later. Nikki Haley, the former U.N. ambassador who is his last major rival,...
Oil spill, fertilizer leak from sinking of cargo ship highlight risks to Red Sea from Houthi attacks
MIAMI — A vibrant fishing industry, some of the world’s largest coral reefs, desalination plants supplying millions with drinking water. They’re all at risk from large amounts of fertilizer and oil spilled into the Red Sea by the sinking of a cargo ship attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Officials on...
Firefighters face difficult weather conditions as they battle the largest wildfire in Texas history
STINNETT, Texas — Firefighters battling the largest wildfire in Texas history face increasingly difficult weather conditions on Saturday. The Smokehouse Creek Fire that began Monday has killed at least two people, left a charred landscape of scorched prairie, dead cattle and destroyed as many as 500 structures, including burned-out homes,...
Train derailment leaves cars on riverbank or in water; no injuries, hazardous materials reported
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Authorities say a train derailment in eastern Pennsylvania has left some railroad cars along a riverbank Saturday morning and at least one partially in the river itself. Dispatchers in Northampton County said the derailment was reported at 7:14 a.m. in Lower Saucon Township. Authorities said it was...
Many of those killed or wounded in Gaza stampede for aid were shot by Israel’s army, EU arm says
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Many of the Palestinians killed or wounded in the chaos as they tried to get bags of flour from an aid convoy were hit by Israeli army fire, the European Union’s diplomatic service said Saturday, urging an international investigation. Outrage is rising over the desperation of...
Ballot order is critical for candidates. In Pa., it’s determined by luck.
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. As Sajda Blackwell approached the front of the room, she did a little dance of excitement — a shimmy as she pumped both fists in the air. “All right,...
‘We’re not leaving the community’: Manor Bar & Grille to close doors, reopen in Irwin
Derek and Megan Gutkowski’s three children grew up at Manor Bar & Grille. Howie, 14, cleaned dishes, and Julia, 17, and Madison, 19, helped serve customers. The family’s lives were dedicated to the Manor restaurant, Derek said. “At Manor Grille, if you go in there in our dining room, we...
Haley says she raised $12M in February but can’t point to plan to beat Trump
WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Friday she raised $12 million in February, a haul that likely will allow her to remain in the Republican primary against former President Donald Trump past next week’s Super Tuesday — even though she can’t point to an upcoming state where she...
Biden will push higher taxes for the rich in State of the Union
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will advocate plans to increase taxes on the wealthy and corporations, as well as to lower prescription drug prices, in his State of the Union address next week, in what aides describe as an effort to lay out second-term proposals for protecting and implementing his...
Arizona voting laws that require proof of citizenship not discriminatory, U.S. judge rules
PHOENIX — A federal judge is upholding provisions of new Arizona laws that would require counties to verify the status of registered voters who haven’t provided proof of U.S. citizenship and cross-check voter registration information with various government databases. In a ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton concluded Arizona...
Paramedic gets 5 years in prison for Elijah McClain’s death
DENVER — A Colorado paramedic was sentenced Friday to five years in prison for the death of Elijah McClain in a rare prosecution of medical responders that has left officials rethinking how they treat people in police custody. The convictions of Peter Cichuniec and a fellow paramedic sent shockwaves through...
Lobster catch dips to lowest level since 2009 as fishers grapple with climate change, whale rules
PORTLAND, Maine — America’s lobster fishing business dipped in catch while grappling with challenges including a changing ocean environment and new rules designed to protect rare whales. The lobster industry, based mostly in Maine, has had an unprecedented decade in terms of the volume and value of the lobsters brought...
