Storms, tornadoes slam South, killing at least 7 peopleVideo
SELMA, Ala. — A giant, swirling storm system billowing across the South on Thursday killed at least six people in central Alabama, where a tornado ripped roofs off homes and uprooted trees in historic Selma, while another person was killed in Georgia, where severe winds knocked out power to tens...
Pa. Commonwealth Court releases opinion calling impeachment articles against DA Larry Krasner legally insufficient
Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court said Thursday that the state House’s decision to impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner appeared largely based on disagreements about how he was running his office and said that was “not enough to create a constitutionally sound basis for impeaching and removing” the city’s top prosecutor. In...
New ‘kraken’ mutation of the covid-19 virus is most contagious subvariant yet
Medical experts say the new covid-19 mutation dubbed “kraken” is the most contagious subvariant of the virus to emerge since the pandemic began — and it’s becoming the dominant strain in the United States. As cases of this latest subvariant, known as XBB.1.5, surge across the northeastern section of the...
Here’s what outgoing Gov. Tom Wolf will be remembered for
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 began and ended his eight years in the state’s top job with the same mantra: He...
Carnegie Mellon administrator Rick Siger nominated by Gov.-elect Shapiro for cabinet post
A Carnegie Mellon University administrator and former Obama administration official is Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro’s pick to serve as secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development. Rick Siger, chief of staff and senior adviser to the president at Carnegie Mellon, will begin the job next Tuesday after Shapiro...
UPMC East to add robotic surgical system in Monroeville
UPMC East will join more than 20 other hospitals throughout the health system in adding robotic-assisted surgery as an option for patients. The da Vinci Surgical System allows surgeons to make small incisions and perform surgery using tiny robotic surgical instruments and cameras. At UPMC East, a dual-console system will...
Shapiro taps ex-lawmakers, Carnegie Mellon official for Cabinet
HARRISBURG — Two just-retired state lawmakers will help fill out the Cabinet of the incoming Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, who also said Thursday that he will pluck a pair of nominees from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pennsylvania who each held senior federal government posts. Former Republican Sen....
Idaho stabbing suspect to face preliminary hearing in June
The man charged in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students will have a preliminary hearing in late June, when prosecutors will try to show a judge that they have enough evidence to justify the felony charges. Bryan Kohberger waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing during...
Russian forces press deadly assault for breakthrough in east
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia said Thursday that its forces are edging closer to capturing a salt-mining town in eastern Ukraine, which would mark an elusive victory for the Kremlin but come at the cost of heavy Russian casualties and extensive destruction of the territory they claim. More than 100 Russian...
U.S. kindergarten vaccination rate dropped again, data shows
NEW YORK — Vaccination rates for U.S. kindergarteners dropped again last year, and federal officials are starting a new campaign to try to bring them up. Usually, 94% to 95% of kindergarteners are vaccinated against measles, tetanus and certain other diseases. The vaccination rates dropped below 94% in the 2020-2021...
A side-by-side look at the Trump, Biden classified documents
The revelation that classified materials were discovered at think tank offices formerly used by President Joe Biden, as well as at the president’s Delaware home, has prompted questions on how the circumstances compare with the seizure last year of hundreds of documents marked as classified from Mar-a-Lago, the Florida residence...
Trump to hold 1st public campaign event in South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Former President Donald Trump is planning to hold the first public campaign event of his 2024 White House bid in the early-voting state of South Carolina. Campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told The Associated Press on Thursday that Trump will visit South Carolina later this month. No other...
Valuable winning lottery ticket could be in your coat pocket
DES MOINES, Iowa — Thinking of lining up at the mini-mart for a shot at a $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot? Maybe you should first dig into your coat pockets or your car’s glove box to make sure you don’t already have a winning ticket from an earlier drawing. As...
Premature shutdown behind rocket launch fail of Virgin Orbit craft
LONDON — Virgin Orbit said Thursday its first attempt to launch satellites into orbit from the U.K. failed after its rocket’s upper stage prematurely shut down. The U.S.-based company used a modified Boeing 747 plane to carry one of its rockets from Cornwall in southwestern England over the Atlantic Ocean...
Burning Man latest foe of green energy project in Nevada
RENO, Nev. — Add Burning Man to the list of plaintiffs challenging one of the growing number of “green energy” projects in the works in Nevada. Lithium mines aimed at boosting production of electric vehicle batteries and geothermal power plants that tap underground water to produce renewable energy are at...
2022 was 5th or 6th warmest on record as Earth heats up
DENVER — Earth’s fever persisted last year, not quite spiking to a record high but still in the top five or six warmest on record, government agencies reported Thursday. But expect record-shattering hot years soon, likely in the next couple years because of “relentless” climate change from the burning of...
Tourists may get refunds over covid measures says E.U. court
BERLIN — Travelers whose package tours were ruined by the imposition of restrictions to combat the covid-19 pandemic may be entitled to at least a partial refund, the European Union’s highest court said Thursday. The European Court of Justice weighed in after being asked for its opinion by a court...
Nebraska governor names predecessor to U.S. Senate seat
LINCOLN, Neb. — In one of his first acts as Nebraska’s governor, Republican Jim Pillen named his predecessor to the state’s vacant U.S. Senate seat on Thursday. Pillen surprised no one in naming fellow Republican Pete Ricketts to the seat vacated Sunday by Ben Sasse. The governor said 111 people...
Mexico City sends National Guard into subways after accident
MEXICO CITY — The mayor of Mexico City announced Thursday that 6,060 National Guard officers will be posted in the city’s subway system after a series of accidents. Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said a series of mechanical problems in recent months may have been due to “not normal” causes. Sheinbaum appeared...
Minimal airline delays, cancellations a day after U.S. outage
Delays and cancellations among flights across the United States were minimal on Thursday, a day after a system that offers safety information to pilots failed, grounding U.S. air traffic and leading to thousands of stranded travelers. There were 636 delays into, within or out of the U.S. as of Thursday...
Disney faces proxy fight as Peltz pushes to join board
Activist investor Nelson Peltz is fighting for a seat on the board of Walt Disney Co., claiming that the company is struggling with self-inflicted problems. Peltz’s attempt to join Disney’s board comes just months after the company brought back longtime CEO Bob Iger to lead Disney again. Disney urged shareholders...
Merrick Garland appoints special counsel to investigate Biden docsVideo
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appointed a special counsel to investigate the presence of classified documents found at President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, and at an unsecured office in Washington dating from his time as vice president. Robert Hur, a onetime U.S. attorney appointed by...
Shooting fallout: Metal detectors in elementary schools?
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The shooting of a first-grade teacher by a 6-year-old boy has plunged the nation into uncharted waters of school violence, with many in the Virginia shipbuilding city where it happened demanding metal detectors in every school. But experts warn there are no easy solutions when it...
In Washington, ‘classified’ is synonymous with ‘controversy’
WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton’s presidential dreams were undermined by her use of a private email server that included classified information. Donald Trump has risked criminal charges by refusing to return top-secret records to the government after leaving the White House. And now misplaced files with classified markings could cause a...
Pa. state police seized $65 million worth of illegal drugs last year
Pennsylvania State Police troopers got more than $65 million worth of illegal drugs off streets across the commonwealth in 2022, according to a report released Wednesday. That includes 547 pounds of cocaine and 348 pounds of fentanyl, with a combined street value of $20.9 million. State troopers in Westmoreland County...
