Israeli restrictions on ‘Holy Fire’ ignite Christian outrage
JERUSALEM — Christians celebrated their “Holy Fire” ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Saturday against a backdrop of rising tensions with Israel, which imposed new restrictions on attendance this year that it said were needed for safety. Israel says it wants to prevent another disaster...
Tour boat with 26 missing in north Japan after distress call
TOKYO — A tour boat with 26 people aboard was missing in rough and cold waters off northern Japan on Saturday after issuing a distress call and reporting to be sinking, the coast guard said. No survivors have been found after more than 10 hours of an intense search involving...
Activist won’t face 2nd trial for illegal voting sign-up
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Prosecutors will no longer pursue illegal voter registration charges against a Tennessee woman who was granted a new trial after she challenged her jury conviction, a district attorney said Friday. Charges against Black Lives Matter activist Pamela Moses, 44, were being dismissed and she will no longer...
Woman rescued after falling in toilet trying to get phone
QUILCENE, Wash. — A woman who accidentally dropped her cellphone into the hole of an outhouse in a national forest and fell in while trying to retrieve it had to be rescued by firefighters in Washington state. Brinnon Fire Department Chief Tim Manly said the woman, who was at the...
Disney government dissolution bill signed by Florida Gov. DeSantis
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Friday to dissolve the private government Walt Disney World controls on its property in the state, punishing the entertainment giant for opposing a new law that critics call “Don’t Say Gay.” The move is expected to have huge tax...
Officials: Mark Meadows was registered to vote in 3 states
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Mark Meadows — a former chief of staff to President Donald Trump who was removed from North Carolina voter rolls earlier this month — is still a registered voter in two other states, according to officials and a published report. Chris Whitmire, a spokesperson for the South...
Ukraine: Russians shift elite units to the new battleground
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia shifted a dozen crack units from the shattered port of Mariupol to eastern Ukraine and pounded away at cities across the region, Ukrainian authorities said Friday, as the two sides hurtled toward what could be an epic battle for control of the country’s industrial heartland. Russian...
Mask mandates return to U.S. college campuses as cases rise
The final weeks of the college school year have been disrupted yet again by covid-19 as universities bring back mask mandates, switch to online classes and scale back large gatherings in response to upticks in coronavirus infections. Colleges in Washington, D.C., New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Texas have reimposed...
Longtime Yukon firefighter served community, country
A longtime Yukon volunteer firefighter was laid to rest Friday in his hometown, given the traditional honor of a procession of firetrucks from several South Huntingdon departments and surrounding communities. The funeral procession for Jeffrey A. Kite, 61, who had been a member of the fire company for 45 years,...
Plan to ban menthol cigarettes prompts last-minute lobbying blitz
As federal officials finalize a long-awaited plan to ban menthol cigarettes, dozens of interest groups have met with White House staffers to try to influence the process, which has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives while wiping out billions in tobacco sales. Biden administration officials have heard...
Death toll in Afghan mosque bombing rises to 33, Taliban say
A Taliban official says a bombing at a mosque and religious school in northern Afghanistan on Friday killed at least 33 people, including students of a religious school. Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted news of the devastating bombing in the town of Imam Saheb, in Kunduz Province, saying it also wounded another...
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s candidacy challenged at hearing
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was engaged in “legitimate political speech” when she called for a response to Joe Biden’s presidential victory prior to last year’s insurrection, her lawyer argued Friday during a hearing over her right to run for reelection. Voters in the Georgia congresswoman’s district have said Greene...
Big greenhouse gas state taking biggest climate step yet
More than two years after he started work on it, Gov. Tom Wolf is set to enact the centerpiece of his plan to fight climate change, making Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy — but it might be a short-lived victory. One lawsuit...
Iowa GOP open to non-Trump prospects as 2024 gets underway
Former President Donald Trump’s persistent flirtation with another White House run is doing little to discourage other potential Republican candidates from stepping up their activity in Iowa, the state that will formally launch the 2024 nomination process. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo quietly finished his fifth trip to Iowa...
Israeli police storm Jerusalem holy site after rock-throwing
Israeli police in full riot gear stormed a sensitive Jerusalem holy site sacred to Jews and Muslims on Friday after Palestinian youths hurled stones at a gate where they were stationed. The renewed violence at the site, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, came despite Israel temporarily halting Jewish...
Satellite photos show possible mass graves near Mariupol
KYIV, Ukraine — Satellite images released Thursday showed what appeared to be mass graves near Mariupol, and local officials accused Russia of burying up to 9,000 Ukrainian civilians there in an effort to conceal the slaughter taking place in the siege of the port city. The images emerged hours after...
Philadelphia to end mask mandate, days after reinstating it
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia is ending its indoor mask mandate, city health officials said Thursday night, abruptly reversing course just days after people in the city had to start wearing masks again amid a sharp increase in infections. The Board of Health voted Thursday to rescind the mandate, according to the...
2 plead guilty in ‘We Build The Wall’ fraudulent fundraiser
NEW YORK — The co-founder of the “We Build The Wall” project aimed at raising money for a border wall pleaded guilty Thursday to charges in a case that once included former President Donald Trump’s adviser Steve Bannon. Brian Kolfage admitted to pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars while promising...
Economist: Gov. Abbott’s border inspections cost Texas $4.2 billion and 36,000 jobs
DALLAS — Long wait lines for trucks at the border after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered increased inspections cost Texas more than $4.2 billion in goods and services and the equivalent of 36,000 jobs, a report from Texas economist Ray Perryman said. The border standoff essentially ended last Friday after nine...
Live TV debate exposes Democrats’ differences in Senate race
HARRISBURG — The first live-televised prime-time debate between leading candidates for the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat exposed differences between the rivals Thursday, as they seized opportunities to attack each other. John Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor who has led polls and fundraising, took the brunt of...
Police in Minnesota say man killed 4 relatives, self
DULUTH, Minn. — A man killed his aunt and uncle, two young cousins and their dog before killing himself at their Minnesota home, police said Thursday. Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken said at a news conference that Brandon Taylor Cole-Skogstad, 29, killed his relatives in their beds sometime Tuesday night,...
6 victims who died in I-81 snow squall pileup identified
The six victims of last month’s deadly crash in a massive vehicle pile-up during a snow squall on Interstate 81 have been identified. Killed in the crash on March 28 in Schuylkill County were: Terri Stull, 56, and Douglas Teeter, 57, of Lexington, Mass.; Rita Matos, 40, and Edward Ramos,...
Disney self-government in peril after Florida House voteVideo
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday gave final passage to a bill that would dissolve Walt Disney World’s private government, handing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis a victory in his feud with the entertainment giant over its opposition to a measure that critics have dubbed the ” Don’t...
Kentucky abortion law blocked in win for clinics
A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a state law that effectively eliminated abortions in Kentucky after the state’s two remaining clinics said they couldn’t meet its requirements. The two Louisville clinics had gone to court immediately after the law took effect, asking that the measure be put on hold...
Florida passes congressional map over Black lawmaker protest
Florida’s Legislature approved a congressional map Thursday pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over the strong objections of Black and Democratic lawmakers who say it will diminish the state’s Black representation in the U.S. House and benefit Republicans. Democratic lawmakers chanted and shouted as the final vote tally was taken...
