Illinois man dies of rabies after apparent bat bite
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A northern Illinois man has died of rabies after apparently being bitten by a bat — the first human case of rabies in the state since 1954, health officials reported this week. The diagnosis has been confirmed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the...
Idaho’s partial vote recount validates 2020 election tallies
BOISE — A partial recount of ballots cast during the last presidential election has validated the accuracy of the results, Idaho officials say, despite manipulation claims by Trump ally and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. The Idaho secretary of state’s office said Wednesday that a hand inspection of ballots in Camas...
Fewer Americans than ever remain opposed to getting a covid-19 vaccine, new poll finds
The number of Americans opposed to getting a covid-19 vaccine reached a new low this month, a poll found. The Gallup poll, conducted Sept. 13-19, found fewer respondents than ever said they don’t plan to get a coronavirus vaccine while more than ever said they are already vaccinated or plan...
Flag-wearing man throws Molotov cocktail into Austin Dems headquartersVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — An arson investigation was underway after a man wearing an American flag bandanna threw a Molotov cocktail into the headquarters of the county Democratic Party in Austin. The incendiary device did not ignite when it was thrown at the Travis County Democratic Party headquarters at about 2...
Gunman who killed 1, injured 3 at San Diego-area synagogue gets life in prison
SAN DIEGO — With victims and their families watching in a crowded San Diego courtroom, the gunman who opened fire at a Poway synagogue in 2019, killing one worshipper and injuring three others, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without parole. It was the expected sentence for John T....
Pa. officials calling thousands in effort to address bus driver shortage
Pennsylvania officials are searching statewide for school bus drivers as the driver shortage plaguing the nation continues to hit close to home. PennDOT is reaching out to about 375,000 people across the state who have commercial driver’s licenses to highlight the need for bus drivers and the process for obtaining...
Military suicides rise 15% as senior leaders call for action
WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. military suicides jumped by 15% last year, fueled by significant increases in the Army and Marine Corps that senior leaders called troubling. They urged more effort to reverse the trend. According to data released Thursday, there were 580 suicides last year compared with 504...
Man stuck in Arizona storm drain saved after he waves arm
GLENDALE, Ariz. — A man who got stuck inside a metro Phoenix storm drain was rescued on Thursday after people passing by saw the man waving his arm from the drain, officials said. The people stopped to see if the man needed help, Glendale Fire Department spokeswoman Ashley Losch said,...
Biden signs bill to avert partial government shutdown
WASHINGTON — With only hours to spare, President Joe Biden on Thursday evening signed legislation that would avoid a partial federal shutdown and keep the government funded through Dec. 3. Congress had passed the bill earlier Thursday. The back-to-back votes by the Senate and then the House averted one crisis,...
United says some workers facing termination got vaccinated
DALLAS — United Airlines says the number of employees facing termination for refusing to get vaccinated against covid-19 has dropped nearly by half, to 320, as more workers provide evidence of vaccination. An airline spokeswoman said Thursday that the declining number of potential firings shows that the company’s policy of...
Baltimore argues Catholic group’s rally could bring violence
A conservative Roman Catholic media outlet seeking to stage a rally during a U.S. bishops’ meeting in Baltimore claims city officials canceled the event because they disapprove of its religious message. The city says the gathering poses a threat to public safety, claiming the fringe group cheered on rioters who...
Boy shot, wounded at Tennessee school; juvenile sought
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A boy was shot and wounded Thursday at a school in Memphis, Tenn., authorities said. The shooting was reported at Cummings School, Memphis police said in a statement. The school includes grades kindergarten through eighth, according to its website. The boy was taken to a hospital in...
Taliban order fighters out of Afghan homes they took over
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban on Thursday ordered their fighters to leave private homes they had taken over during last month’s blitz when the group seized control of Afghanistan, an apparent effort to impose order among Taliban ranks. Meanwhile, in the capital of Kabul, the Taliban fired shots to disperse...
At last minute, Pa. lawmakers vote to extend dozens of covid-19 waivers
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 — The Pennsylvania legislature unanimously voted Wednesday to extend dozens of regulatory waivers put into place last year to help...
Biden plan at stake, Pelosi pushes ahead for $3.5T deal
WASHINGTON — With President Joe Biden’s government overhaul at stake, Democrats charged into trouble Thursday as a promised vote on the first piece, a slimmer $1 trillion public works bill, faltered amid stalled talks on his more ambitious package. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi assembled her leadership team for an early...
Powerball jackpot rises to $620 million, 6th largest largest ever
DES MOINES, Iowa — After nearly four months without a big winner, the Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $620 million, making it the sixth largest ever for the lottery game ahead of Saturday night’s drawing. There have been 39 drawings in a row without a Powerball grand prize...
Woman who survived 1918 flu, world war succumbs to covid
She lived a life of adventure that spanned two continents. She fell in love with a World War II fighter pilot, barely escaped Europe ahead of Benito Mussolini’s fascists, ground steel for the U.S. war effort and advocated for her disabled daughter in a far less enlightened time. She was,...
It’s flu vaccine time, even if you’ve had your covid shots
Amid all the focus on covid-19 vaccinations, U.S. health experts have another plea: Don’t skip your flu shot. Flu cases have dropped to historically low levels during the pandemic. The U.S. and Europe experienced hardly any flu last winter, and the Southern Hemisphere just ended its second flu season of...
South Dakota lawmakers question Gov. Kristi Noem’s meeting with daughter
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota Republican and Democratic legislators alike said Wednesday that they want more details from Gov. Kristi Noem’s administration about a meeting last year that included the governor, her daughter and state employees overseeing an agency that had moved to deny her daughter’s application to become...
3 firefighters critical, 5 other people injured in explosion at Dallas apartment buildingVideo
DALLAS — An explosion tore apart an apartment building Wednesday morning in south Dallas, injuring at least eight people. Dallas Fire-Rescue was called about a gas leak at the Highland Hills Apartments in the Oak Cliff area about 10:20 a.m. When firefighters arrived, they could smell gas near one of...
House panel subpoenas organizers of Jan. 6 Trump rally
WASHINGTON — A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has subpoenaed 11 officials who were involved in planning rallies in support of former President Donald Trump ahead of the violent attack, including one the day of the siege at which the president told his supporters to “fight like...
Postal Service changes may slow some deliveries, boost first-class prices for holidays
Folks dropping letters in the mail starting Friday may want to add a few extra days for transit if their missives are going cross-country. Likewise, anyone sending packages and cards around the holiday season will want to have a smidge of extra cash on hand to pay the postage piper....
State continues exploring public-private partnership for $2 billion major-bridges projectVideo
After utilizing a public-private partnership to replace more than 550 smaller, aging bridges across Pennsylvania, PennDOT officials have their eyes on a bigger prize. Nine prizes, to be specific, in the form of nine large bridges spread across the state in need of replacement and under consideration for the first...
Hurricane Sam bringing a rough surf weekend to East Coast
MIAMI — Beachgoers along the east coast of the United States should beware of life-threatening surf and rip currents this weekend as Hurricane Sam turns northward, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday. Forecasters expect the Category 4 hurricane to remain at sea, but with top wind of 130 mph, it’s...
Friends from Ohio get 45 days in jail for Capitol riot
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Federal prosecutors assert that everybody who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 should be evaluated individually when deciding whether a prison sentence is warranted. On Wednesday, a judge accepted the Justice Department’s assessment that two friends from Ohio fall into a category of rioters who...
