West Virginia’s opioid crisis transcends partisan politics
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Dr. Frank Annie sees desperation in his hospital, where 30- and 40-year-olds come in with organ failure after injecting opioids with dirty needles. Joe Solomon finds it in the faces of those who line up in the church gyms and parking lots where he passes out overdose...
Last total lunar eclipse for 3 years arrives Tuesday morning
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Better catch the moon’s disappearing act Tuesday — there won’t be another like it for three years. The total lunar eclipse will be visible throughout North America in the predawn hours — the farther west, the better — and across Asia, Australia and the rest of...
Kyiv prepares for a winter with no heat, water or power
KYIV, Ukraine — The mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, is warning residents that they must prepare for the worst this winter if Russia keeps striking the country’s energy infrastructure — and that means having no electricity, water or heat in the freezing cold cannot be ruled out. “We are doing...
Powerball jackpot up to record $1.9 billion after no winner
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A record Powerball jackpot grew to an even larger $1.9 billion after no one won the lottery drawing on Saturday night. The numbers for the drawing were: white balls 28, 45, 53, 56, 69 and red Powerball 20. The website of the California Lottery Association said the...
Manchin: Biden’s coal comments are ‘divorced from reality’
JOLIET, Ill. — President Joe Biden on Saturday was criticized by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democratic antagonist and ally, for being “cavalier” and “divorced from reality” after vowing to shutter coal-fired power plants and rely more heavily on wind and solar energy in the future. The powerful coal-state...
Suit seeks to have mail-in votes lacking dates counted
HARRISBURG — Several Pennsylvania groups represented by the American Civil Liberties Union have filed suit in federal court seeking to have votes from mail-in or absentee ballots counted even if they lack proper dates on their return envelopes. The suit filed Friday night in Western Pennsylvania by state chapters of...
Medicare enrollees warned about deceptive marketing schemes
WASHINGTON — Mailers designed to look like official government forms. Buses sporting scam pitches for Medicare websites. TV commercials featuring celebrities who encourage people to sign up for Medicare plans that do not always include their current doctors. With Medicare’s open enrollment underway through Dec. 7, health experts are warning...
U.S. flu season off to a fast start as other viruses spread
NEW YORK — The U.S. flu season is off to an unusually fast start, adding to an autumn mix of viruses that have been filling hospitals and doctor waiting rooms. Reports of flu are already high in 17 states, and the hospitalization rate hasn’t been this high this early since...
1.4M Pennsylvanians asked to vote by mail — here’s what that means for Election Week counting
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — More than 1.4 million people in Pennsylvania requested to vote by mail for the Nov. 8 election, but county...
Wolf signs hastily passed $2B tax package that encourages natural gas production in Pa.
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf has signed a $2 billion tax credit package for the hydrogen production, milk processing, and biomedical...
Nike splits with Kyrie Irving amid antisemitism fallout
Nike has parted ways with Kyrie Irving. The shoe giant announced Friday night that it will halt its relationship with the Brooklyn guard, who has been suspended by the Nets for what the team called a repeated failure to “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.” The Nets made that...
It’s that time: Daylight saving time out, standard time in
WASHINGTON — A transition is coming across most of the United States, and it has nothing to do with the election. Daylight saving time is out, standard time is in this weekend. Standard time begins at 2 a.m. local time Sunday and lasts until March 12. Relish the chance to...
Pro-Israel group floods airwaves with ads attacking congressional candidate Summer Lee
A pro-Israel political action committee is spending nearly $1 million to air ads attacking Democratic congressional candidate Summer Lee in the final stretch of the race. Some local and national Jewish groups are calling out the ads from United Democracy Project, a PAC tied to the American Israel Public Affairs...
When destitute small towns mean dangerous tap water
KEYSTONE, W.Va. — Donna Dickerson’s heart would sink every time she’d wake up, turn on the faucet in her mobile home and hear the pipes gurgling. Sometimes it would happen on a day when her mother, who is 86 and has dementia, had a doctor’s appointment and needed to bathe....
Powerball jackpot up to $1.6 billion, new lottery record
DES MOINES, Iowa — Strong sales boosted a Powerball jackpot to an estimated $1.6 billion on Friday, making it the largest lottery prize in history. A drawing will be held Saturday night for the Powerball prize, which hasn’t been won in more than three months. That string of 39 consecutive...
Explainer: How impoverished North Korea finances testing spree
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea’s recent barrage of missile tests, including Wednesday’s record of at least 23 launches, is raising an important question about its weapons program: How does the impoverished country pay for the seemingly endless tests? While some experts say each North Korean launch could cost $2...
NASA’s moon rocket returns to pad for next launch attempt
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s moon rocket is back on the pad for another launch attempt, following more repairs. The 322-foot rocket departed its hangar in the middle of the night and completed the 4-mile trip shortly after sunrise Friday. NASA is aiming for a launch attempt on Nov. 14,...
Kellyanne Conway expects Trump to announce 2024 White House bid ‘soon’
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s former senior counselor Kellyanne Conway said she expects the ex-president to announce a widely anticipated comeback bid for the White House “soon.” Conway, who became the first woman to steer a winning presidential campaign with Trump’s surprise 2016 victory, said that she advised her former boss...
Ukraine’s president accuses Russia of ‘energy terrorism’
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of engaging in “energy terrorism” after Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy network left millions of residents without power. About 4.5 million people were without electricity across the country, Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Thursday. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said...
Iran marks 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover amid nationwide protests
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran on Friday marked the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran as its theocracy faces nationwide protests after the September death of a 22-year-old woman who was arrested by the country’s morality police. Iranian state-run television aired live feeds of various commemorations around...
Oprah endorses Fetterman over Oz
HARRISBURG — TV icon Oprah Winfrey on Thursday endorsed Democrat John Fetterman in Pennsylvania’s hotly contested Senate race and rejected Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz, whom she had helped launch to stardom nearly two decades ago when she brought him on her popular daytime talk show as a regular guest. Until...
Gov. Wolf signs law to yank toll scofflaws’ vehicle registrations
HARRISBURG — A measure to help the Pennsylvania Turnpike recover more unpaid tolls was signed into law Thursday, legislation that could trigger the suspension of thousands of vehicle registrations early next year. Gov. Tom Wolf gave final approval to legislation aimed at getting owners or operators of some 25,000 vehicles...
FBI warns of ‘broad’ threat to synagogues in New Jersey
NEWARK, N.J. — The FBI said on Thursday it had received credible information about a “broad” threat to synagogues in New Jersey, a warning that promoted some municipalities to send extra police officers to guard houses of worship. The nature of the threat was vague. The FBI’s Newark office released...
Judge says he’ll appoint monitor for Donald Trump’s company
NEW YORK — A Manhattan judge said Thursday he will appoint an independent monitor for former President Donald Trump’s real estate empire, restricting his company’s ability to freely make deals, sell assets and change its corporate structure. Judge Arthur Engoron ordered the outside watchdog for the Trump Organization as he...
Paul Pelosi released from hospital a week after assault
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her husband, Paul Pelosi, was released from the hospital Thursday after his treatment for injuries from a violent assault last week in which he was attacked with a hammer. Pelosi said, “Paul remains under doctors’ care as he continues to progress on a long recovery...
