Wisconsin judge rules GOP-controlled Senate’s vote to fire elections official had no effect
MADISON, Wis. — A vote by the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate last month to fire the state’s nonpartisan top elections official had no legal effect, and lawmakers are barred from ousting her while a lawsuit plays out, a Dane County judge ruled Friday. Administrator Meagan Wolfe will continue serving as head...
New York City sets up office to give migrants one-way tickets out of town amid shelter crunch
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York City is intensifying efforts to transport migrants out of the city as its shelter system reaches capacity, setting up a dedicated office to provide asylum-seekers with free, one-way tickets to anywhere in the world. City Hall confirmed the establishment of a new “reticketing center” in...
Covid-19 treatments to enter market with hefty price tag
WASHINGTON — The covid-19 treatments millions of Americans have taken for free from the federal government will enter the private market next week with a hefty price tag. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is setting the price for a five-day treatment of Paxlovid at $1,390, but Americans can still access the pills...
Rep. Dean Phillips announces primary challenge to Biden. He says Democrats need to focus on future
CONCORD, N.H. — For months, Dean Phillips called for a Democratic primary challenge to President Joe Biden, drawing no public interest from governors, lawmakers, and other would-be alternatives. The 54-year-old Minnesota congressman finally entered the race himself on Friday in an event outside New Hampshire’s statehouse, saying, “It is time...
Private colleges in Western Pa. eye shared services, cooperative purchasing
Apparently for colleges in and around Pittsburgh, the idea of joining forces is worth a look. With enrollment at many colleges dropping and cost pressures growing, several private colleges in Western Pennsylvania have been considering whether they ought to form a consortium to share services and make joint purchases. For...
Daughter Ivanka Trump must testify at Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial, judge rules
NEW YORK — Ivanka Trump will have to take the witness stand in the civil fraud case against her father, her brothers and the family business, a judge ruled Friday. The ruling came weeks into the trial of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against former President Donald Trump,...
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried testifies, acknowledging customers were hurt but denying fraud
NEW YORK — FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried testified at his New York trial on Friday, denying that he defrauded anyone but acknowledging that the innovative business he had hoped would move the cryptocurrency ecosystem forward ended up hurting customers instead. The onetime cryptocurrency golden boy lost his businesses and his...
Cruise, GM’s robotaxi service, suspends all driverless operations nationwide
NEW YORK — Cruise, the autonomous vehicle unit owned by General Motors, is suspending driverless operations nationwide days after regulators in California found that its driverless cars posed a danger to public safety. The California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the license for Cruise, which recently began transporting passengers throughout...
Multiple people injured after tent collapses at Pennsylvania Amish wedding
Multiple people were injured Thursday after a tent that was set up for an Amish wedding in Pennsylvania partially collapsed. The incident occurred around 9 a.m. along the 900 block of Lower George’s Valley Road in Gregg Township. About 300 to 400 people were inside the tent when it collapsed,...
Penn State suspends ‘Skulls’ fraternity over ‘widespread’ hazing violations
For the second time this month, Penn State University has suspended a fraternity over hazing violations. The school announced on Wednesday that the Psi Chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity is on indefinite suspension for hazing violations and conduct prohibited by the university’s anti-hazing policy. In a statement, school officials...
War-weary mothers, wives and children of Ukrainian soldiers demand a cap on military service time
KYIV, Ukraine — Scores of protesters gathered on the streets of Ukrainian cities on Friday to demand a cap of 18 months on mandatory military service, amid new suggestions of possible Ukrainian and international weariness with the 20-month war. Both the warring sides are striving to keep their military momentum,...
Israel expects ‘long’ ground war in Gaza to destroy Hamas and its many tunnels
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel expects to launch a long and difficult ground offensive into Gaza soon to destroy Hamas, the country’s defense minister said Friday, describing a campaign that will require destroying a vast network of tunnels used by the territory’s militant rulers. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke...
Massive search for mass killing suspect continues as Maine residents remain behind locked doors
LEWISTON, Maine — Shocked and fearful Maine residents kept to their homes Friday as hundreds of heavily armed police and FBI agents searched intensely for Robert Card, an Army reservist authorities say fatally shot 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in the worst mass killing in state...
U.S. expands its effort to cut off funding for Hamas
LONDON — The U.S. on Friday expanded its effort to cut off funding for Hamas, announcing a second round of sanctions against people and organizations linked to the group since it launched an attack on Israel that killed more than 1,400 people. The new sanctions highlight Iran’s role in providing...
Pope orders Vatican to reopen case of priest ousted from Jesuits after claims of adult abuse
ROME — Pope Francis has ordered the Vatican to reopen the case of a well-known priest-artist accused of sexually, psychologically and spiritually abusing adult women, and removed the statute of limitations on their claims, the Vatican said Friday. The announcement marked a major turnaround for the Holy See and followed...
George Santos pleads not guilty to new fraud charges in New York
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded not guilty Friday to revised charges accusing him of several frauds, including making tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on credit cards belonging to some of his campaign donors. The New York Republican appeared at a courthouse on Long...
Everything we know about suspected Maine gunman Robert Card
An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for Sgt. 1st Class Robert Card, a military man and firearms instructor accused of gunning down 18 people inside a Maine bowling alley and bar Wednesday night. Card is so far facing eight counts of murder in connection with the violence inside the Just-In-Time...
Radio host Larry Elder ends Republican presidential campaign and endorses Donald Trump
Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder announced Thursday that he was ending his 2024 Republican campaign for president and endorsing former President Donald Trump. Elder, who sought to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a failed 2021 recall effort, said in a statement that he had made the “difficult decision”...
2% of kids and 7% of adults have received the new covid shots, U.S. data show
NEW YORK — A month after federal officials recommended new versions of covid-19 vaccines, 7% of U.S. adults and 2% of children have gotten a shot. One expert called the rates “abysmal.” The numbers, presented Thursday at a meeting held by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, come from...
U.S. strikes Iran-linked sites in Syria in retaliation for attacks on U.S. troopsVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. fighter jets launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Pentagon said, in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region that began early last week. The U.S. strikes...
Hurricane Otis survivors search for friends, necessities in devastated AcapulcoVideo
ACAPULCO, Mexico — Survivors of a Category 5 storm that killed at least 27 people as it devastated Mexico’s resort city of Acapulco spent Thursday searching for acquaintances and necessities and hoping that aid would come quickly in the wake of Hurricane Otis. The Pacific storm had strengthened with shocking...
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee votes against pro-Israel resolution on Hamas attack
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, voted against a pro-Israel resolution that passed the House on Wednesday in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks on the Middle Eastern country. Lee, who has condemned Hamas’ recent attack on Israel, said she voted against Wednesday’s Meeks-McCaul resolution because it fell short of acknowledging...
Number of freshmen seeking bachelor’s degrees at U.S. colleges drops 6%, report says
The number of college freshmen enrolling in bachelor’s degree programs nationally declined this fall by 6% from last year, but overall enrollment rose 2.1%, according to a report released Thursday. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center report offered a mixed enrollment picture as higher education emerges from the pandemic. The...
Hempfield unveils decade-long vision for township park
Hempfield Park is set to undergo a series of improvements over the next decade under an updated master plan presented at the township supervisors meeting this week. The plan focuses on enhancing the park environment, expanding recreation opportunities, fine-tuning operations, increasing accessibility, improving facilities and increasing staff, said Chris Sarson,...
Many Israelis are furious at their government’s chaotic recovery efforts after Hamas attack
JERUSALEM — More than two weeks after Hamas militants rampaged through a string of sleepy farming towns, many Israelis are furious at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, not just for failing to prevent the attack, but for failing to come to their aid afterward. While the military is launching unrelenting...
