Fire from Lebanon kills 2 Israeli civilians as the Israel-Hamas war rages for 100th day
JERUSALEM — Two civilians were killed in northern Israel on Sunday after an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon hit their home in a town near the border, raising new concerns of a second conflict erupting against the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The deadly strike came on the 100th...
‘A pretty overwhelming feeling’: Greensburg Salem, Slippery Rock grad completes ‘Triple Crown of Hiking’
Greensburg native Jared Frith witnessed plenty of breathtaking sunsets and sunrises from the tops of mountains while hiking more than 8,000 miles from June 2021 to November. But Frith found much greater value in the low moments of his journey — shivering in rain-drenched clothes for days during a tropical...
Greensburg bridal store showcases ‘Bridgerton’-themed wedding dress collection
Bishop sleeves, tiered layers and florals are making a comeback in bridal dresses. MB Bride in Greensburg is showcasing Allure Bridals’ new wedding dress line themed after the hit Netflix show “Bridgerton” — a series based on Julia Quinn’s novels about eight siblings in London high society in the early...
Indonesia’s Mount Marapi erupts again, leading to evacuations but no reported casualties
AGAM, Indonesia — Indonesia’s Mount Marapi erupted again on Sunday, spewing smoke and ash high into the air, but no casualties were reported. The Marapi Volcano Observation Post in West Sumatra province recorded an eruption with an ash column about 4,265 feet high from its peak, followed by ash rain....
John Kerry to step down as U.S. climate envoy
WASHINGTON — John Kerry, the U.S. special envoy on climate, is stepping down from the Biden administration in the coming weeks, according to two people familiar with his plans. Kerry, a longtime senator and secretary of state, was tapped shortly after Joe Biden’s November 2020 election to take on the...
Major Republican donor in Iowa says he’s decided to back Trump
DES MOINES, Iowa — Bruce Rastetter, a major Iowa Republican donor, predicted a resounding Iowa caucus victory for Donald Trump, saying the agriculturally-heavy state maintains nostalgia for the former president’s tenure in the White House. At a Des Moines roundtable hosted by Bloomberg News on Saturday morning, Rastetter said, after...
Biden says U.S. doesn’t support Taiwan independence after vote
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said the U.S. does not support independence for Taiwan after voters there defied China and returned the governing Democratic Progressive Party — which has sought to limit Beijing’s influence — to a third consecutive term. “We do not support independence,” Biden told reporters Saturday as...
Trump turns on Ramaswamy, telling Iowans ‘don’t get duped’
Former President Donald Trump trained his sights on rival Vivek Ramaswamy, casting him as a threat to his Make America Great Again movement in what appeared to be a shift in strategy two days before the Iowa caucuses. “Vote for ‘TRUMP,’ don’t waste your vote! Vivek is not MAGA,” Trump...
U.S. says Texas blocked border agents from entering park to try to save 3 migrants who drowned
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The U.S. Homeland Security Department said Saturday that Texas denied federal agents access to a stretch of border when they were trying to rescue three migrants who drowned. The federal government’s account came hours after U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said the Texas Military Department and Texas National...
Massachusetts considers banning book bans in response to rise in challenges
BOSTON — A bill making its way through the Massachusetts legislature would block efforts to ban books from school and public libraries. Lawmakers of the Joint Committee on Education heard testimony from advocates and opponents of “An Act regarding free expression,” which would prevent the removal of books from school...
As shutdown looms, congressional leaders ready stopgap bill to extend government funding to March
WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders are preparing a stopgap bill to keep the federal government running into March and avoid a partial shutdown next week. The temporary measure will run to March 1 for some federal agencies whose approved funds are set to run out Friday and extend the remainder of...
Analysis: Slowing inflation suggests Biden’s policies are helping, but American voters are still hurting
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden can make an increasingly strong case that he’s helped fix inflation — if only he can get voters to believe him. Figures issued this past week reflected a historic level of progress on battling high prices, hinting that inflation could be near the Federal Reserve’s...
Republicans try to block Biden administration plan to cut money for anti-abortion counseling centers
WASHINGTON — In a new twist to the fight over abortion access, congressional Republicans are trying to block a Biden administration spending rule they say will cut off millions of dollars to anti-abortion counseling centers. The rule would prohibit states from sending federal funds earmarked for needy Americans to so-called...
Pa.’s poorest school districts were slated for a funding boost, but aid went to construction instead
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. BELLEFONTE — Pennsylvania’s poorest districts won’t receive $100 million in new money to help fill vacancies and reduce funding deficits after lawmakers diverted those dollars...
Two Navy SEALs missing after night mission off coast of Somalia
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. Navy SEALs are missing after conducting a nighttime boarding mission Thursday off the coast of Somalia, according to three U.S. officials. The SEALs were on an interdiction mission, climbing up a vessel when one got knocked off by high waves. Under their protocol, when one SEAL...
Iowa’s winter blast could make an unrepresentative way of picking presidential nominees even more so
DES MOINES, Iowa — Most Iowans won’t be out Monday night. Never mind that it’s forecast to be well below zero, with wind chills as low as minus 40 degrees, and the roads may still be icy from a set of snowstorms that hammered the state this past week. It’s...
Weekend of ferocious winter weather could see low-temperature records set in U.S. heartland
O’FALLON, Mo. — Icy winter weather blanketed the U.S. on Saturday as a wave of Arctic storms threatened to break low-temperature records in the heartland, spread cold and snow from coast to coast and cast a chill over everything from football playoffs to presidential campaigns. As the three-day Martin Luther...
As a new generation rises, tension between free speech and inclusivity on college campuses simmers
Generations of Americans have held firm to a version of free speech that makes room for even the vilest of views. It’s girded by a belief that the good ideas rise above the bad, that no one should be punished for voicing an idea — except in rare cases where...
War in Gaza, election factor into some of the many events planned for MLK holiday
As communities nationwide prepare this weekend to celebrate the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with events ranging from parades to prayer services, some will take a cue from the slain civil rights icon’s history of protest to demonstrate against the war in Gaza and draw attention to a looming...
U.S. struggles to sway Israel on its treatment of Palestinians. Why Netanyahu is unlikely to yield
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration keeps pressing Israel to reengage with Palestinians as partners once fighting in Gaza is over and support their eventual independence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps saying no. Even on actions to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians, the two allies are far apart. That...
More than 30 Palestinians killed in Israeli Gaza strikes while fears grow the conflict could widen
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — More than 30 Palestinians, including young children, were killed in Israeli bombardments overnight into Saturday in the Gaza Strip, officials said, while a new U.S. strike against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen heightened fears that the Israel-Hamas war could escalate into a regional conflict. Fears of a...
Supreme Court agrees to hear Starbucks appeal in Memphis union case
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear an appeal from Starbucks in a dispute with the National Labor Relations Board over efforts by workers to unionize at a store in Memphis, Tenn. The case has been among the most closely watched in the more than 2-year-old effort...
U.S. military strikes another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military early Saturday struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that it had determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk, two U.S. officials said, a day after the U.S. and Britain launched multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels. Associated Press journalists in Sanaa, Yemen’s...
State trooper plunged into icy Vermont pond to save 8-year-old girl
CAMBRIDGE, Vt. — A Vermont state trooper plunged into a frigid pond and pulled out an 8-year-old girl who had fallen through the ice while playing with siblings. The child survived and fully recovered after a brief hospital stay. The girl and her younger sister fell through the thin ice...
Biden asks Supreme Court to tell Texas to stop blocking U.S. border agents from patrols
McALLEN, Texas — The Justice Department on Friday asked the Supreme Court to order Texas to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border where large numbers of migrants have crossed in recent months, setting up another showdown between Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden...
