GOP lawmakers take aim at LGBTQ+ ‘safe places’ program in small Florida town
MOUNT DORA, Fla. — Some central Florida lawmakers said they were considering “all legislative, legal and executive options available” to stop business owners in a small town from voluntarily displaying rainbow decals in their windows indicating that they are “safe place” for LGBTQ+ people who feel threatened. Four Republican lawmakers...
Killer who escaped suburban Philadelphia prison is spotted on surveillance cameras
WEST CHESTER — A recently convicted murderer who’s been on the run for days after escaping a suburban Philadelphia prison was spotted shortly after midnight Saturday by residential security cameras in an area not far from the prison, authorities said. Authorities haven’t disclosed the circumstances of how Danelo Cavalcante, 34,...
Biden is surveying hurricane’s toll from the sky and ground in Florida
LIVE OAK, Fla. — President Joe Biden got a look Saturday from the sky at Hurricane Idalia’s impact across a swath of Florida before setting out on a walking tour of a city recovering from the storm. Notably absent from his schedule was any time with Gov. Ron DeSantis, a...
Children hit hardest by the pandemic are now the big kids at school. Many still need reading help
They were the kids most disrupted by the pandemic, the ones who were still learning to write their names and tie their shoes when schools shut down in the spring of 2020. Now, they’re the big kids at elementary schools across the United States. Many still need profound help overcoming...
Coach who lost his job for praying on field kneels again in first game after years of legal battles
BREMERTON, Wash. — An assistant high school football coach in Washington state who lost his job during a controversy over his public post-game prayers was back on the field Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court held his practice was protected by the Constitution. Joe Kennedy strode alone to midfield, knelt...
India launches a spacecraft to study the sun after successful landing near the moon’s south pole
NEW DELHI — India launched its first space mission to study the sun on Saturday, less than two weeks after a successful uncrewed landing near the south polar region of the moon. The Aditya-L1 spacecraft took off on board a satellite launch vehicle from the Sriharikota space center in southern...
As workers scramble to finish upscale student high-rise in Pittsburgh, college students scattered in temporary housing
Hailey Garza, a Carnegie Mellon University sophomore, envisioned herself this fall in luxury high-rise student housing just off campus on Forbes Avenue — a complex with a 24-hour fitness center, coffee bar and hot tub. Instead, she’s in Shadyside — in a basement Airbnb that sometimes has a subterranean smell...
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says number missing from Maui fire could drop from 388 to less than 100
HONOLULU — The number of people listed as missing from Maui’s devastating wildfire could drop from nearly 400 to fewer than 100 when authorities provide an update Friday on their efforts to locate them, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said. “We think the number has dropped down into the double digits,...
Rudy Giuliani pleads not guilty in Georgia election case, won’t attend arraignment hearing
ATLANTA — Rudy Giuliani on Friday pleaded not guilty to Georgia charges that accuse him of trying, along with former President Donald Trump and others, to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state. In filing his not guilty plea with the court, the former New York...
Russia deploys ICBM that Putin says will make enemies ‘think twice’
MOSCOW — The head of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency said Friday that the country has deployed an advanced intercontinental ballistic missile that President Vladimir Putin once said will make Russia’s enemies “think twice.” Agency head Yuri Borisov said Sarmat missiles have been placed on combat duty, according to Russian news...
Spotlight PA fights to unseal lobbyist communications with the legislature
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Deep within Pennsylvania’s 36-page Right-to-Know Law, a clause says that correspondence between a state lawmaker and a person seeking their help is off-limits to the...
Proud Boy who smashed Capitol window on Jan. 6 gets 10 years in prison, then declares, ‘Trump won!’
WASHINGTON — A former member of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group who smashed a window at the U.S. Capitol in the building’s first breach of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot was sentenced on Friday to 10 years in prison — and then defiantly declared as he walked out of...
Schooner that sank in Lake Michigan in 1881 found intact, miles off Wisconsin coastline
ALGOMA, Wis. — Shipwreck hunters have discovered the intact remains of a schooner that sank in Lake Michigan in 1881 and is so well-preserved it still contains the crew’s possessions in its final resting spot miles from Wisconsin’s coastline. Wisconsin maritime historians Brendon Baillod and Robert Jaeck found the 156-year-old...
Biden approves Medal of Honor for Army helicopter pilot who rescued soldiers in a Vietnam firefight
WASHINGTON — As an Army first lieutenant and Cobra helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, Larry Taylor flew hundreds of missions and saved countless lives. But no rescue flight was as daring, or as meaningful to Taylor, as the one for which he will receive the Medal of Honor from...
Federal judge strikes down Texas law requiring age verification to view porn sites
A federal judge has struck down a Texas law requiring age verification and health warnings to view pornographic websites and blocked the state attorney general’s office from enforcing it. In a ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge David Ezra agreed with claims that House Bill 1181, which was signed into law...
U.S. will regulate nursing home staffing for 1st time, but proposal lower than many advocates hoped
NEW YORK — The federal government will, for the first time, dictate staffing levels at nursing homes, the Biden administration said Friday, responding to systemic problems bared by mass covid deaths. While such regulation has been sought for decades by allies of older adults and those with disabilities, the proposed...
From strikes to new union contracts, Labor Day’s organizing roots are especially visible this year
NEW YORK — Labor Day is right around the corner, along with the big sales and barbecues that come with it. But the activist roots of the holiday are especially visible this year as unions challenge how workers are treated — from Hollywood to the auto production lines of Detroit....
U.S. employers added 187,000 jobs in August in sign of a still-resilient labor market
WASHINGTON — The nation’s employers added 187,000 jobs in August, evidence of a slowing but still-resilient labor market despite the high interest rates the Federal Reserve has imposed. The job growth marked an increase from July’s revised gain of 157,000 but still pointed to a moderating pace of hiring compared...
Pa. to end state funding for anti-abortion counseling centers
HARRISBURG — For nearly 30 years, Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania have approved millions of taxpayer dollars for an anti-abortion program. Now the state’s new governor plans to end the contract as the organization that distributes those funds and other groups like it gain attention since the overturning of...
Man convicted of killing girlfriend escapes Pa. prison
WEST CHESTER — A man recently convicted of murder in Pennsylvania for the fatal stabbing his ex-girlfriend remained at large Friday, a day after he escaped from a county jail. Danelo Cavalcante, 34, is also wanted in his native Brazil in a separate slaying and is considered an extremely dangerous...
Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell can continue with his work schedule, congressional physician says
WASHINGTON — The attending physician to Congress said Thursday that he had cleared Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell to continue with his planned schedule after evaluating an incident in which McConnell appeared to freeze up at an event in Kentucky. But the health episode — his second in public this...
CCAC to offer free courses in computer information technology
The Community College of Allegheny County will offer free, for-credit courses in computer information technology starting next week at its Homewood-Brushton Center. The menu of 12- and 14-week, in-person courses have two start dates: next Tuesday and on Sept. 18, officials said Thursday. Costs for tuition, fees and textbooks are...
Elon Musk says X, formerly Twitter, will have voice and video calls, updates privacy policy
SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk said Thursday that his social network X, formerly known as Twitter, will give users the ability to make voice and video calls on the platform. Musk, who has a history of making proclamations about coming features and policies that have not always come to fruition,...
Squeezing in one last summer trip over Labor Day weekend? Expect crowded airports and full flights
DALLAS — By some measures, air travelers have enjoyed a less stressful summer than last year, but canceled flights remain elevated as airlines face their last big test of the prime vacation season: Labor Day weekend. The Federal Aviation Administration predicts that this will be the third busiest holiday weekend...
Texas high court allows law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors to take effect
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Supreme Court allowed a new state law banning gender-affirming care for minors to take effect Friday, setting up Texas to be the most populous state with such restrictions on transgender children. Legal advocates who sued on behalf of the families and doctors, including the American...
