Philadelphia sheriff disputes controller report that her office can’t account for nearly 200 guns
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia’s sheriff on Thursday disputed a city controller report that determined that the sheriff’s office couldn’t account for 185 guns that the controller’s office says are missing. Sheriff Rochelle Bilal said at a news conference that the controller’s report released earlier this week contained “misleading statements,” and she...
Booking a covid-19 vaccine? Some are reporting canceled appointments or insurance issues
MILWAUKEE — Some people seeking the newest covid-19 vaccine are running into high demand, insurance headaches and supply delays coast to coast. Millions of the newly formulated vaccines have shipped out since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on them last week for ages 6 months and...
In a first, Massachusetts to ban purchase of single-use plastic bottles by state agencies
BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order Thursday that she says will make Massachusetts the first state to ban the purchase of single-use plastic bottles by state agencies. Massachusetts buys about 100,000 of the plastic water bottles each year. The order bars all executive offices and agencies in...
Will Pa.’s automatic voter registration policy boost turnout or concerns about election security?
Pennsylvania became the 24th state to enact automatic voter registration when Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro announced the new policy Tuesday. When state residents obtain or renew their driver’s license or ID cards, they automatically are registered to vote, unless they choose to opt out of the process on their driver’s...
Greensburg Garden Center to host fall house tour, garden party
Those seeking inspiration for fall decorations and garden displays need look no further than the Greensburg Garden Center’s fall house tour and garden party. The event, scheduled for Saturday, includes a tour of a mid-century modern home and just under two acres of gardens. In addition to highlighting fall decor...
Powerball jackpot elusive again; Saturday prize rises to $725M
Another Powerball drawing, another night without a big winner. The winning numbers were 16-27-59-62-63 with a Powerball of 23. Up for grabs was $672 million, $320 million for all cash. No entries matched all six numbers in the Powerball drawing Wednesday night, pushing the jackpot to $725 million ($345.7 million...
Jail where murderer Danilo Cavalcante escaped plans to wall off yard, make other upgrades
The Pennsylvania jail from which convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante brazenly escaped, eluding searchers for two weeks, plans to enclose its exercise yards with walls and a roof and make inmates wear brighter uniforms, along with other security improvements. The Chester County jail board unanimously approved plans Wednesday to fully enclose...
Man executed for the 1996 killing of a University of Oklahoma dance student
McALESTER, Okla. — Oklahoma executed an inmate Thursday for the 1996 killing of a University of Oklahoma dance student, in a case that went unsolved for years until DNA from the crime scene was matched to a man serving prison time for burglary. Anthony Sanchez, 44, was pronounced dead at...
Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to financial crimes — the first time he’s admitted blame to a judge
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh did something Thursday he hasn’t done in the two years since his life of privilege and power started to unravel — plead guilty to a crime. Murdaugh admitted in federal court to 22 counts of financial fraud and money laundering. Murdaugh, 55, is...
Penn-Trafford Homecoming game, parade slated for Friday
The streets of Harrison City will be lined with floats Friday for Penn-Trafford’s Homecoming parade and football game. The parade kicks off at Penn Township Municipal Park at 6 p.m. The procession will feature the high school marching band, cologuard, cheerleaders and floats designed by several of the school’s clubs...
Republican David McCormick is expected to announce he’s entering Pa.’s U.S. Senate race
HARRISBURG — Republican David McCormick is expected to announce Thursday that he will enter Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race and make his second bid for the office, this time to take on Democratic Sen. Bob Casey after losing in last year’s crowded Republican primary. McCormick’s aides have sent invites to a...
Zelenskyy delivers upbeat message to U.S. lawmakers on war progress as some Republican support softens
WASHINGTON — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy worked to shore up U.S. support for Ukraine on a whirlwind visit to Washington on Thursday, delivering an upbeat message on the war’s progress while facing new questions about the flow of American dollars that for 19 months has helped keep his troops in the...
Outdated headline sparks vicious online hate campaign directed at Las Vegas newspaper
NEW YORK — A Las Vegas newspaper is being viciously attacked online for its coverage of an alleged murder of a retired police chief, either because of a misunderstanding or a deliberate attempt to mislead. The “firehose of hatred” has led the Las Vegas Review-Journal to sift through email directed...
‘Game of Thrones’ creator and other authors sue ChatGPT-maker OpenAI for copyright infringement
NEW YORK — John Grisham, Jodi Picoult and George R.R. Martin are among 17 authors suing OpenAI for “systematic theft on a mass scale,” the latest in a wave of legal action by writers concerned that artificial intelligence programs are using their copyrighted works without permission. In papers filed Tuesday...
Under pressure over border, Biden administration to protect hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Wednesday that it was granting temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are already in the country — quickly making them eligible to work — as it grapples with growing numbers of people fleeing the South American country and elsewhere to...
Local nonprofit Feeding the Spirit hosts annual fundraiser, notes increase in community need
Feeding the Spirit was founded in 2011 to provide food to those in need of a hot meal. Today, it serves about 250 meals every Thursday night at Greensburg’s Otterbein United Methodist Church and offers a wide range of crisis intervention support — all with grant funding and donations from...
Pa. Senate passes bill allowing more medical marijuana growers to sell directly to patients
The Pennsylvania Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would allow all of the state’s medical marijuana growers and processors to sell their products directly to patients, with several senators speculating that the bill could — and should — become a vehicle for further opening up the commonwealth’s marijuana laws....
More cuts planned at deficit-plagued West Virginia University
West Virginia University Libraries, already hit this year with a 30% cut in its operating budget, now faces up to $800,000 in personnel cuts under measures announced Wednesday to shore up the university’s deficit-plagued finances. The action is outlined in one of the letters delivered by the provost’s office to...
Ohio redistricting panel adopts GOP-drawn Statehouse maps for public discussion, as Democrats object
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Redistricting Commission tentatively adopted a new set of Republican-drawn Statehouse maps over Democrats’ objections Wednesday, a plan that again would deliver large legislative majorities to the GOP. A series of public meetings is expected over the next week to gather public input. The time-crunched panel seeks...
Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson says Rudy Giuliani groped her on Jan. 6, 2021
Rudy Giuliani allegedly molested White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson shortly before the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol, Hutchinson writes in a new book. The book, titled “Enough,” describes Giuliani as acting “like a wolf closing in on its prey,” according to the Guardian, which obtained an advance copy....
John Fetterman offers to wear suit in Senate if House ‘jagoffs’ avoid government shutdown
As chaos within the Republican ranks of the GOP-controlled U.S. House pushes the federal government closer to a shutdown, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman has offered the opposition a sartorial olive branch. On Wednesday, Fetterman, who has been the target of Republican attacks over his insistence on wearing shorts and hoodies...
Pennsylvania’s Senate wants an earlier 2024 presidential primary, partly to have a say on nominees
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state Senate approved a bill Wednesday to move up the state’s 2024 primary election by five weeks to March 19, aiming to avoid a conflict with the Jewish holiday of Passover and give voters more of a say in deciding presidential nominees. The bill passed, 45-2, although...
Biden administration announces $600M to produce covid tests and will reopen website to order them
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is providing $600 million in funding to produce new at-home covid-19 tests and is restarting a website allowing Americans to again order up to four free tests per household — aiming to prevent possible shortages during a rise in coronavirus cases...
Senate confirms chairman of joint chiefs as GOP senator still blocking hundreds of military nomineesVideo
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Gen. CQ Brown as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, putting him in place to succeed Gen. Mark Milley when he retires at the end of the month. Brown’s confirmation on a 83-11 vote, months after President Joe Biden nominated him for...
UN chief warns of ‘gates of hell’ in climate summit, but carbon polluting nations stay silent
UNITED NATIONS — The head of the United Nations warned Wednesday that the “gates of hell” are at hand as climate change intensifies, and top international officials said the world’s leaders still aren’t doing nearly enough to curb pollution of heat-trapping gases. They pleaded with major emitting nations to do...
