Pa. hospital’s revoked property tax exemption is ‘warning shot’ to other nonprofits, expert says
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. HARRISBURG — A Commonwealth Court judge recently revoked a Southeastern Pennsylvania hospital’s property tax exemption and denied appeals regarding three others, decisions...
Michael Cohen to testify before grand jury in Trump hush money probe
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen testified Monday before a Manhattan grand jury investigating hush money payments made on the former president’s behalf. A Trump loyalist turned adversary, Cohen spent around three hours answering questions in the secret proceeding. He is scheduled to return again...
Woody Guthrie’s family to Josh Hawley: Stop using his lyrics, insurrectionist
WASHINGTON — Sen. Josh Hawley referenced Woody Guthrie last week when he sponsored a bill to prevent people associated with the Chinese Communist Party from owning U.S. farmland and called it the “This Land is Our Land Act.” But the family of one of America’s most revered folk singers wasn’t...
Pfizer buys Seagen for $43B, boosts access to cancer drugs
Pfizer is spending about $43 billion to reach deeper into new cancer treatments that target tumor cells while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. The pharmaceutical giant said Monday it will pay $229 in cash for each share of Seagen Inc. Pfizer then plans to let the biotech drug developer “continue innovating,”...
Report: Ukraine world’s 3rd biggest arms importer in 2022
HELSINKI — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that has led to a substantial flow of military aid to Kyiv from the United States and Europe made Ukraine the world’s third largest importer of arms in 2022, a Swedish think tank said Monday. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI, reported...
Biden tells U.S. to have confidence in banks after 2 collapse
NEW YORK — President Joe Biden on Monday told Americans the nation’s financial systems were safe, seeking to project calm following the swift and stunning collapse of two banks that prompted fears of a broader upheaval. “Your deposits will be there when you need them,” he said. U.S. regulators closed...
West Virginia GOP Legislature passes transgender care ban
CHARLESTON — A bill that would ban evidence-based health care for transgender minors in West Virginia, the state estimated to have more transgender youth per capita than any other in the nation, is headed to the desk of Gov. Jim Justice. The Republican governor has not taken a public stance...
As atmospheric river exits, another awaits to hit CaliforniaVideo
WATSONVILLE, Calif. — Wet, miserable weather continued across huge swaths of California on Sunday as an atmospheric river that caused major flooding flowed eastward, and as a new system threatens the region with another onslaught of rain, snow and gusting wind as soon as Monday night. The National Weather Service...
8 dead after smuggling boats capsize off San Diego coast
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — At least eight people were killed when two migrant smuggling boats capsized in shallow but treacherous surf amid heavy fog, authorities said Sunday, marking one of the deadliest maritime human smuggling operations ever off of U.S. shores. A Spanish-speaking woman on one of the panga-style boats...
U.S. government moves to stop potential banking crisis
NEW YORK — The U.S. government took extraordinary steps Sunday to stop a potential banking crisis after the historic failure of Silicon Valley Bank, assuring depositors at the failed financial institution that they would be able to access all of their money quickly. The announcement came amid fears that the...
Bill banning marriages under age 16 passes in West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A child marriage bill is heading to the West Virginia governor’s desk after lawmakers agreed to let 16- and 17-year-olds get married with restrictions. The House of Delegates passed the bill 83-9 without debate Saturday, a day after the Senate easily endorsed it after making changes to...
Anti-Trump GOP voters mostly loyal in 2022, but not entirely
WASHINGTON — Rep. Lauren Boebert’s grip on Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District didn’t seem in question heading into last year’s midterms. But in the end, the congresswoman who gained a national reputation as a combative member of the “Make America Great Again” movement won reelection by just 564 votes. “This was...
Pence says Trump ‘endangered my family’ on Jan. 6
WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday harshly criticized former President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, widening the rift between the two men as they prepare to battle over the Republican nomination in next year’s election. “President Trump was...
Reliving Mazeroski’s historic World Series homer perched atop the Cathedral of Learning
Woody Turner couldn’t concentrate. He was working on an assignment, perhaps for a Roman history class, but he’s not sure. What mattered on Oct. 13, 1960, was that the University of Pittsburgh senior chose to be in — of all places — the library on the fifth floor of a...
Determining if someone is mentally fit for trial in Pa. often traps them in the place making them worse — jail
This story is a collaboration between Spotlight PA and the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, published as part of a Pittsburgh Media Partnership project. Sign up for Spotlight PA’s free newsletters here. Rachel Bridgeman thought she could hear God. Locked in the Allegheny County Jail, she slid from reality. The...
3D-printed rocket remains grounded after more launch aborts
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A rocket made almost completely of 3D-printed parts came within a half-second of blasting off Saturday on its debut flight, but remained grounded after back-to-back launch aborts. The engines ignited, but abruptly shut down, leaving Relativity Space’s rocket, named Terran, standing on its pad. Launch controllers...
From wine country to London, bank’s failure shakes worldwide
NEW YORK — It was called Silicon Valley Bank, but its collapse is causing shockwaves around the world. From winemakers in California to startups across the Atlantic Ocean, companies are scrambling to figure out how to manage their finances after their bank suddenly shut down Friday. The meltdown means distress...
West Virginia Senate passes modified transgender care ban
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s Republican supermajority Senate passed a bill Friday that would ban certain health care for transgender youth after approving a significant change to add exceptions for young people at risk for self harm or suicide. “These kids struggle, they have incredible difficulties,” said Majority Leader Tom...
Will it take market crash for Congress to raise debt limit?
WASHINGTON — There’s one way to force President Joe Biden and Congress to solve the looming crisis over the debt limit: a financial market crash. That’s a view held by several economists and a former White House official, mindful that Congress rarely acts unless an emergency forces lawmakers to. “For...
Standard time giving way to daylight saving in most of U.S.
WASHINGTON — Standard time comes to an end in most parts of the United States this weekend. You’ll lose an hour of sleep for one night but gain more daylight in the evening in the months ahead. The transition to daylight saving time is official at 2 a.m. local time...
Ukrainian firefighters on risky mission to save lives, homes
KOSTIANTINIVKA, Ukraine — Thick grey smoke pours from the roof as the firefighters arrive at the brick house, one of several homes hit by Russian shelling in a residential neighborhood of Kostiantinivka. The city in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk province has come under intense bombardment in recent days amid a Russian...
Maine college goes into lockdown after shot fired on campus
The campus of a liberal arts college in Maine was put on lockdown early Saturday morning after a shot was fired in a student housing complex during what one student called a massive annual party. Colby College said no students were hurt during an altercation that involved a firearm being...
Americans’ fun road trip to Mexico became days of horror
LAKE CITY, S.C. — It was supposed to be a fun road trip to Mexico, a post-pandemic adventure for a group of childhood friends. One was treating herself to cosmetic surgery after having six children. It was a 34th birthday celebration for another. They rented a white van in South...
New Air Force One will stay blue and white, Biden decides
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is sticking with a blue-and-white color scheme for the exterior of the replacement Air Force One aircraft, the first of which is expected to be delivered in four years. The Air Force said late Friday that the light blue on the new model of the...
Sexual assault reports increase at U.S. military academies
WASHINGTON — Reported sexual assaults at U.S. military academies shot up during the 2021-22 school year, and one in five female students told an anonymous survey that they had experienced unwanted sexual contact, the Pentagon said Friday. The survey results were the highest since the Defense Department began collecting that...
