Debate continues about teaching ‘Persepolis’ at Franklin Regional schools
Franklin Regional School Board members, administrators and parents on Wednesday continued their discussion about the district’s decision to pause the teaching of “Persepolis,” Marjane Satrapi’s award-winning graphic novel, in the ninth grade honors English class. District officials said earlier this month that the school board’s curriculum committee wanted to make...
Biden to call China’s Xi to discuss Russia, economic issues
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will speak Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss ongoing economic competition between the two countries and Russia’s war against Ukraine. White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced the upcoming phone call in a Thursday statement that said it’s “part of our ongoing efforts...
Rescuers search theater rubble as Russian attacks continue
KYIV, Ukraine — Rescue workers searched for survivors Thursday in the ruins of a theater blown apart by a Russian airstrike in the besieged city of Mariupol, while scores of Ukrainians across the country were killed in ferocious urban attacks on a school, a hostel and other sites. Hundreds of...
Who is a war criminal, and who gets to decide?
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden flatly called Russia’s Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” for the unfolding onslaught in Ukraine, where hospitals and maternity wards have been bombed. But declaring someone a war criminal is not as simple as just saying the words. There are set definitions and processes for determining...
Italy seeks to study, sample Europe’s southern-most glacier
ON THE CALDERONE GLACIER, Italy — Italian scientists are racing against time to study, scan and sample Europe’s southernmost glacier before it melts and disappears as a result of rising global temperatures. Researchers conducted a preliminary radar survey of the Calderone glacier in Italy’s central Apennine Mountains on March 13...
Florida massacre families to get millions for FBI’s inaction
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Federal officials confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Justice has reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with the families of most of those killed or wounded in a 2018 Florida high school massacre over the FBI’s failure to stop the gunman even though it had received information...
Pa. Supreme Court rejects legal challenges to state’s new legislative maps
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court has affirmed the state’s new legislative district...
Court upholds new maps for Pennsylvania General Assembly
HARRISBURG — New maps of General Assembly districts that reflect the past decade’s population changes in Pennsylvania survived legal challenges on Wednesday, as the state Supreme Court cleared the way for candidates to begin circulating petitions to get on the spring primary ballot. The justices rejected various arguments against the...
9 dead in Texas crash involving U. of Southwest golf teams
HOBBS, N.M. — Nine people have died in a fiery, head-on collision in West Texas, including six New Mexico university students and a coach returning from a golf tournament, as well as a 13-year-old boy, authorities said. Those killed in the Tuesday evening crash included University of the Southwest students...
Diabetes & covid-19: Scientists explore potential connection
When their 11-year-old son started losing weight and drinking lots of water, Tabitha and Bryan Balcitis chalked it up to a growth spurt and advice from his health class. But unusual crankiness and lethargy raised their concern, and tests showed his blood sugar levels were off the charts. Just six...
7.3 magnitude quake hits north Japan, tsunami alert issued
A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan on Wednesday evening, triggering a tsunami advisory. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake struck 36 miles below the sea. The region is part of northern Japan that was devastated by a deadly 9.0 quake and...
Russia’s onslaught continues amid optimism over talks
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces destroyed a theater in Mariupol where hundreds of people were sheltering Wednesday and rained fire on other cities, Ukrainian authorities said, even as the two sides projected optimism over efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting. The airstrike ripped apart the center of the...
Ex-hedge fund CEO aims to be hometown boy in Senate race in Pennsylvania
LEBANON — As CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund, David McCormick wore suits, lived on Connecticut’s ritzy Gold Coast, talked up bipartisanship and described China as America’s most important “bilateral relationship.” Now, as a Republican running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, McCormick wears jeans and casual dress shirts. He...
Glimmers of hope seen at talks as Russia’s onslaught goes on
KYIV, Ukraine — Both Russia and Ukraine projected optimism ahead of another scheduled round of talks Wednesday, even as Moscow’s forces rained fire on Kyiv and other major cities in a bid to crush the resistance that has frustrated Kremlin hopes for a lightning victory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile,...
Senate votes to overturn mask mandate on airplanes, transit
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday voted 57-40 to overturn a federal requirement that passengers on U.S. airplanes and other modes of public transportation wear masks. The Congressional Review Act measure, introduced by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is the latest salvo in a fight between congressional Republicans and the Biden...
Poll: Most in U.S. say they’d go back to wearing masks if covid cases rise again
Now that it’s two years into the pandemic, most living in the United States aren’t as worried about the health risks covid-19 poses compared with the last several months — but they say they’d wear face masks if needed, according to a new poll. In fact, 3 in 4 U.S....
2 Fox News journalists killed in Ukraine, underscoring dangersVideo
NEW YORK — A veteran videographer and a 24-year-old Ukrainian journalist working for Fox News were both killed when their vehicle came under fire outside of Kyiv, the network said on Tuesday. Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, and Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova were traveling Monday in Horenka with Fox News reporter Benjamin Hall,...
Doug Emhoff tests positive for covid-19, VP Kamala Harris still negative
WASHINGTON — Second gentleman Doug Emhoff has tested positive for covid-19, the White House announced Tuesday. Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative, but is curtailing her schedule as a result of her husband’s positive test. Harris spokesperson Sabrina Singh said Harris would not participate in a planned Equal Pay Day...
20,000 evacuate besieged port in Ukraine as Kyiv is hit
KYIV, Ukraine — An estimated 20,000 civilians fled Mariupol by way of a humanitarian corridor Tuesday in the biggest evacuation yet from the besieged Ukrainian port city, while Russian forces stepped up their bombardment of Kyiv, smashing apartments, a subway station and other civilian sites. On the diplomatic front, a...
Merger of 6 Pennsylvania state universities gets OK by accrediting body
Pennsylvania’s state university system can proceed with plans to merge six of its 14 universities into two new entities under a decision announced Tuesday by its accrediting body. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education announced on its website the decision, which was one of the last significant hurdles for...
Senate approves bill to make daylight saving time permanentVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate unanimously approved a measure Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent across the United States next year. The bipartisan bill, named the Sunshine Protection Act, would ensure Americans would no longer have to change their clocks twice a year. But the bill still needs approval...
Man suspected of stalking, killing homeless people arrestedVideo
WASHINGTON — A man suspected of stalking and shooting homeless people asleep on the streets of New York City and Washington, D.C., was arrested early Tuesday. Police said at least two people were killed and three others wounded in the attacks. The suspect, Gerald Brevard, 30, was arrested in Washington...
Lawmakers send Texas-styled abortion bill to Idaho governorVideo
BOISE — Legislation aimed at banning abortions in Idaho after six weeks of pregnancy by allowing potential family members to sue a doctor who performs one headed to the governor. The House voted 51-14 late Monday with no Democratic support to approve the legislation modeled after a Texas law that...
Proud Boys leader charged in Jan. 6 plot jailed until trial
MIAMI — A leader in the far-right Proud Boys extremist group will remain jailed until his trial on charges that he remotely led a plot to stop Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory. In a Miami courtroom Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Lauren F. Louis cited the danger that...
Drug task force head accused of taking $200K in seized cash
HARRISBURG — The fired head of Lancaster County’s drug task force was charged Tuesday with stealing more than $200,000 in money seized or forfeited by court orders during drug investigations over a six-year period. State prosecutors filed charges against John E. Burkhart, 56, of theft and tampering with evidence and...
