Another guilty plea entered in Trump Georgia election interference probe
ATLANTA — Another defendant has reached a plea deal in the Fulton County election interference case, ending a trial that was set to begin with jury selection Friday. Attorney Kenneth Chesebro — one of the authors of a plan to use Republican presidential electors to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s victory...
Penn Township family receives community support after house fire
Greg Benson and his wife, Donna, had no idea their house was on fire Thursday evening. “A passerby came beating on the front door. We have two chocolate Labs, and I thought it was my oldest son just trying to irritate the dogs,” said Greg, 65, of Penn Township. “I...
Maryland police officer suspended after arrest on Capitol riot charges
SILVER SPRING, Md. — A Maryland police officer who fatally shot a stabbing suspect this year was arrested Thursday on charges he assaulted police during a mob’s Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Montgomery County Police Department said in a news release it has suspended Officer Justin...
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office will pay $295K to settle sexual harassment allegation against top aide
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 — Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office agreed to pay $295,000 to quietly settle a sexual harassment complaint against one of his most trusted advisors, according...
300-year-old painting stolen by American soldier during World War II returned to German museum
CHICAGO — After a stopover in the U.S. that lasted the better part of a century, a baroque landscape painting that went missing during World War II was returned to Germany on Thursday. The FBI handed over the artwork by 18th century Austrian artist Johann Franz Nepomuk Lauterer to a...
PennWest, other universities weigh options for unused student housing
“Live here, live well.” That’s the online pitch promoting “Vulcan Village” apartments near PennWest University’s California campus in Washington County. The student complex has a resort-inspired outdoor pool, around-the-clock maintenance and a fitness center. But these days, there aren’t enough students living there. Fewer than half of its 770 beds...
Judge fines Trump over social media post, threatens jail for further violations
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump was fined $5,000 on Friday after a disparaging social media post about a key court staffer in his New York civil fraud case lingered on his campaign website for weeks after the judge ordered it deleted. Judge Arthur Engoron avoided holding Trump in...
Judge rules Alex Jones can’t use bankruptcy protection to avoid paying Sandy Hook families
HOUSTON — A Texas judge has ruled that Infowars host Alex Jones cannot use bankruptcy protection to avoid paying more than $1.1 billion to families who sued over his conspiracy theories that the Sandy Hook school massacre was a hoax. The decision is another significant defeat for Jones in the...
Pig heart transplant recipient reaches 1-month mark, pushing through physical therapy
WASHINGTON — It’s been a month since a Maryland man became the second person to receive a transplanted heart from a pig — and hospital video released Friday shows he’s working hard to recover. Lawrence Faucette was dying from heart failure and ineligible for a traditional heart transplant when doctors...
CVS Health pulls some cough-and-cold treatments with ingredient deemed ineffective by doctors
CVS Health is pulling from its shelves some cough-and-cold treatments that contain an ingredient that has been deemed ineffective by doctors and researchers. The drug store chain said it will remove a small number of products that contain phenylephrine as the only active ingredient. CVS also said it will still...
House Republicans drop Jim Jordan as their nominee for speaker, falling back to square one
WASHINGTON — Republicans dropped Rep. Jim Jordan on Friday as their nominee for House speaker, making the decision during a closed-door session after the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump failed badly on a third ballot for the gavel. The blocked-House impasse deepening, Republicans have no realistic or workable plan to...
Leaders of Ukraine and Russia assess their resources as their war heads into winter
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke by phone with U.S. President Joe Biden about Washington’s future support for Kyiv, and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a military base near the Ukrainian border, as the warring countries laid plans for the winter and next year’s combat operations....
Gale-force winds and floods strike Northern Europe; at least 1 killed in Scotland
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Gale-force winds and floods struck several countries in Northern Europe as the region braced for more heavy rain on Friday. In Scotland, one person was reported dead after being swept into a river and authorities searched for a man thought to be trapped in his vehicle. The...
Maryland circuit court judge was fatally shot in the driveway of his home, police say
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — A Maryland circuit court judge was fatally shot in the driveway of his home, police said. Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson, 52, was found with apparent gunshot wounds around 8 p.m. Thursday, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Wilkinson was taken from the home...
Israel doesn’t plan to control ‘life in Gaza’ after destroying Hamas, defense minister says
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israel’s defense minister said Friday that after the country destroys the Hamas militant group, the military does not plan to control “life in the Gaza Strip.” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s comments to lawmakers were the first time an Israeli leader discussed its long-term plans for...
Stampede in Kenya leaves 4 dead, about 100 injured at holiday event
NAIROBI, Kenya — A stampede in Kenya during celebrations to mark an annual public holiday killed at least four people on Friday and injured 100 others, authorities said. The stampede happened when thousands of people struggled to get inside Kericho stadium in western Kenya at dawn, police said. The stadium...
Hempfield celebrates township’s past, future at 250th anniversary gala
Hempfield closed out a year of celebrations surrounding its 250th anniversary at a gala Thursday night. About 200 township residents of all ages attended the event, held at Live Casino Pittsburgh’s venue space at Westmoreland Mall. “We’re recognizing Hempfield Township as a part of the founding of Westmoreland County 250...
Army private who fled to North Korea charged with desertion, held by U.S. military, officials tell AP
WASHINGTON — An Army private who fled to North Korea before being returned home to the United States earlier this month has been detained by the U.S. military, two officials said Thursday night, and is facing charges including desertion and possessing sexual images of a child. The eight counts against...
Biden says support for Israel and Ukraine is ‘vital’ for U.S. security, will ask Congress for billionsVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden declared it is “vital for America’s national security” for Israel and Ukraine to succeed in their wars, making the case Thursday night for deepening U.S. involvement in two unpredictable foreign conflicts as he prepared to ask for billions of dollars in military assistance for both...
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office quietly settled sexual harassment allegation against top aide
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds the powerful to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office quietly entered into a settlement agreement to resolve allegations of sexual harassment...
Pa. higher ed system seeks 6.5% boost in state funding to maintain tuition freeze
The board overseeing Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities said Thursday it aims to freeze tuition for a sixth consecutive year in 2024-2025, provided the state boosts the system’s funding by 6.5%. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s board of governors voted to send Gov. Josh Shapiro an appropriation request of...
Biden will deliver a rare Oval Office address as he seeks billions of dollars for Israel and Ukraine
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will deliver a rare Oval Office address Thursday night as he prepares to ask for additional billions of dollars in military assistance for Israel and Ukraine, deepening American involvement in two very different, unpredictable and bloody foreign conflicts. The speech will be an opportunity for...
GOP’s Jordan says he’s still running for House gavel, but there’s no plan for next action
WASHINGTON — Refusing to drop out, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan told GOP colleagues Thursday he would back a temporary U.S. House speaker for the next several months as he works to shore up support to win the gavel himself. Jordan delivered the message at a closed door meeting at the...
China is building up its nuclear weapons arsenal faster than previous projections, a U.S. report says
WASHINGTON — A Pentagon report on China’s military power says Beijing is exceeding previous projections of how quickly it is building up its nuclear weapons arsenal and is “almost certainly” learning lessons from Russia’s war in Ukraine about what a conflict over Taiwan might look like. The report released Thursday...
Sidney Powell vowed to ‘release the Kraken’ to help Donald Trump. She may now testify against him
NEW YORK — The Kraken has cracked. Lawyer Sidney Powell, who famously vowed to unleash a mythical sea monster of litigation to prove that Donald Trump didn’t lose the 2020 election, has now struck a deal with Georgia prosecutors admitting she conspired to wrongly interfere with the state’s election results....
