Damage reports, power outages reported after Ohio stormVideo
Authorities say tens of thousands of customers were without power and damage reports were coming in after severe weather including a tornado was reported east of Cincinnati. The National Weather Service office in Wilmington said it was receiving “reports of damage throughout our area” and posted a video of damage...
UN: 2.3 billion people severely or moderately hungry in 2021Video
UNITED NATIONS — World hunger rose in 2021, with about 2.3 billion people facing moderate or severe difficulty obtaining enough to eat — and that was before the Ukraine war, which has sparked increases in the cost of grain, fertilizer and energy, according to a U.N. report released Wednesday. “The...
Homes of 85,000 people at risk, but rain eases around SydneyVideo
SYDNEY — Floodwaters inundated or were threatening the homes of 85,000 people around Sydney on Wednesday as rivers started to recede and the heavy rains tracked north of Australia’s largest city. While rain was easing across Sydney, several waterways including the Hawkesbury-Nepean rivers system on Sydney’s northern and western fringes...
Rural Florida county shocked by fentanyl deaths over holiday
TALLAHASSEE — A small, largely rural county west of Florida’s capital saw an unheard-of spike in deadly drug overdoses believed to be caused by fentanyl mixed with other illegal drugs, a sign that the national problem is becoming even more far-reaching. In all of 2021, Gadsden County had just 10...
FDA allows pharmacists to prescribe Pfizer’s covid-19 pillVideo
WASHINGTON — Pharmacists can prescribe the leading covid-19 pill directly to patients under a new U.S. policy announced Wednesday that’s intended to expand use of Pfizer’s drug Paxlovid. The Food and Drug Administration said pharmacists can begin screening patients to see if they are eligible for Paxlovid and then prescribe...
Ciao! American Kennel Club adds a breed, the bracco Italiano
NEW YORK — U.S. dog lovers, say “benvenuto” to the bracco Italiano. The ancient Italian bird-hunting dog is the 200th member of the American Kennel Club’s roster of recognized breeds, the organization announced Wednesday. That means the handsome, powerful but amiable pointers can now go for best in show at...
Police: July 4 mass shooting thwarted in Virginia’s capital
RICHMOND, Va. — Police in Richmond said Wednesday that they thwarted a planned July 4 mass shooting after receiving a tip that led to the arrest of two men and the seizure of multiple guns — an announcement that came just two days after a deadly mass shooting on the...
Proposed Ohio amendment would limit vaccine mandates
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution that would limit vaccine mandates imposed by businesses, health care providers and governments is a step closer to the statewide ballot. The proposal would prohibit those entities from discriminating against people based on vaccination status or mandating any vaccine, medical...
Sen. Lindsey Graham to fight Georgia election subpoena, lawyers sayVideo
NEW YORK — Attorneys representing Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Wednesday he intends to challenge a subpoena compelling him to testify before a special grand jury in Georgia investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies’ actions after the 2020 election. Graham was one of a handful of...
Judge blocks West Virginia school voucher law
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A judge in West Virginia’s capital struck down a law on Wednesday that would have funneled state money into a program that incentivized families to pull their children out of K-12 public schools. Immediately following the ruling, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said his office plans...
Report details 3 missed opportunities to slow, stop Uvalde gunmanVideo
DALLAS — A report released Wednesday details three missed opportunities to slow — or even stop — the Uvalde gunman before he entered Robb Elementary School, where he ultimately killed 19 students and two teachers in Texas’ deadliest school shooting. The 24-page report by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response...
Trump property appraiser held in contempt in NY civil probe
NEW YORK — A company that has performed hundreds of property appraisals for Donald Trump has been held in contempt of court for missing a deadline to turn over documents in the New York attorney general’s civil investigation into the former president’s business practices. Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron said late...
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream fight in Israel heats up
One week after its parent company found a way to get Ben & Jerry’s ice cream sold in east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, the company known for its stance on social issues almost as much as for its Chunky Monkey ice cream is suing to block that from...
More flexibility proposed for student debt forgiveness
New rules proposed by the Biden administration on Wednesday would make it easier for borrowers to get their federal student debt forgiven through several existing programs. The action is intended to overhaul relief programs that have been criticized for their burdensome paperwork requirements and long processing times. It builds on...
Why more Pa. hunters are using crossbows since they became legal statewide in 2009
There’s no doubt that crossbows have grown in popularity when it comes to archery deer hunting in Pennsylvania, but by just how much may be a bit surprising. First allowed in the state’s special regulations areas, and also for use by individuals who had a disabled hunters permit, crossbows became...
Democrat Josh Shapiro picks up Republican endorsements in race for governor
Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s gubernatorial campaign has earned a slew of endorsements from prominent Republicans. Shapiro, a Democrat from Montgomery County, said his campaign has received nine GOP endorsements from across Pennsylvania. In a swing state like Pennsylvania, having crossover appeal can be paramount to success in statewide races. Republicans...
Parade shooting suspect contemplated 2nd shooting
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — The man charged with killing seven people at an Independence Day parade confessed to police that he unleashed a hail of bullets from a rooftop in suburban Chicago and then fled to the Madison, Wisconsin, area, where he contemplated shooting up an event there, authorities said...
Trump White House counsel Cipollone to testify to Jan. 6 panelVideo
WASHINGTON — Pat Cipollone, Donald Trump’s former White House counsel, is scheduled to testify Friday before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a person briefed on the matter. Cipollone, whose reported resistance to Trump’s schemes to overturn his 2020 election defeat has...
Judge won’t block law banning most Mississippi abortions
JACKSON, Miss. — As attorneys argued about abortion laws across the South on Tuesday, a Mississippi judge rejected a request by the state’s only abortion clinic to temporarily block a law that would ban most abortions. Without other developments in the Mississippi lawsuit, the clinic will close at the end...
UK’s Johnson vows to stay in job after top ministers quit
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday he plans to stay in power despite the resignations of two top Cabinet ministers and a slew of more junior officials. Johnson told lawmakers that “the job of a prime minister in difficult circumstances when you’ve been handed a colossal mandate...
Judges keeping Capitol riot trials in DC amid bias claims
WASHINGTON — For some of the Washington, D.C., residents who reported for jury duty last month, a pro-Trump mob’s assault on the U.S. Capitol felt like a personal attack. Ahead of a trial for a Michigan man charged in the riot, one prospective juror said a police officer injured during...
Capitol quiet during 5th day without new Pennsylvania budget
HARRISBURG — Most Pennsylvania lawmakers were absent from the state Capitol on Tuesday, five days into the new budget year without a state government spending agreement in place. Leaders were hoping negotiations would wrap up over the coming days and the House announced voting sessions were scheduled through Friday. Thursday...
Judge throws out Trump-era rollbacks on endangered species
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a host of actions by the Trump administration to roll back protections for endangered or threatened species, a year after the Biden administration said it was moving to strengthen such species protections. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in Northern California eliminated...
Parents of boy, 2, found alone at Illinois parade shooting among deadVideo
Aiden McCarthy’s photo was shared across Chicago-area social media groups in the hours after the July 4 parade shooting in Highland Park, accompanied by pleas to help identify the 2-year-old who had been found at the scene bloodied and alone and to reunite him with his family. On Tuesday, friends...
Feds sue over new Arizona citizenship proof law for voting
PHOENIX — The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday sued Arizona over a new law requiring people who use a federal form to register to vote to provide additional proof of citizenship if they want to vote for president or using the state’s popular vote-by-mail system. The law signed by...
