Hegseth vows to reopen key strait as U.S. measures fail to calm oil fears
U.S. officials on Friday vowed to thwart Iran’s attempts to block the Strait of Hormuz, as oil markets appeared largely unmoved by the Trump administration’s efforts to avert an energy crisis stemming from the Middle East war. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a news conference that the disruptions in...
Ex-Gettysburg mayor performed sex acts with teen during ‘late night talks’ on Skype: police
Gettysburg’s recently resigned mayor exchanged sexually explicit messages and photos with a teenage boy more than 10 years ago while working together at the community theater that he founded, police said. Chad-Alan Carr, 48, was the executive director of the Gettysburg Community Theater when the abuse happened in 2011-13, with...
Club at Blackthorne requests zoning variance to operate without ties to golf course, Penn Township attorney says
The Club at Blackthorne, a private event and wedding venue located in a Penn Township housing community, is requesting a zoning variance to operate without ties to a nearby golf course. The 36,000-square-foot site — the subject of longstanding community and legal disputes — is located off of Harrison City-Export...
Michigan House votes to hike alcohol content limits for canned cocktails
LANSING, Mich. — The alcohol content in canned, ready-to-drink mixed spirits would increase significantly under legislation approved this week by the Michigan House. The lower chamber voted 82-22 on Thursday in favor of a bill that would increase the allowed alcohol content in canned mixed spirit beverages distributed by beer...
Old Dominion shooter was convicted of Islamic State group ties and freed from prison 2 years before attack
NEW YORK — Court documents show less than two years after Mohamed Bailor Jalloh was released from prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State group, he opened fire in a classroom at Virginia’s Old Dominion University on Thursday before ROTC students subdued and killed him. The shooting that left...
A U.S. military refueling plane crashed in Iraq, killing 6. Here’s what to know:
SEOUL, South Korea — All six crew members of a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting operations against Iran are dead, the U.S. military said Friday, after their plane crashed in western Iraq. The U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft...
After latest attack, some Jews wonder how much more security is possible
In the eight years since a gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh — the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history — synagogues and other Jewish institutions across the country have gone to great lengths to fortify themselves. They have hired security guards, installed metal...
Cuban president says talks were recently held with the U.S. to resolve differences
HAVANA — Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Friday that his government has held recent talks with the U.S., marking the first time the Caribbean country confirms such speculation. He said the talks “were aimed at finding solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences between our two nations. International factors facilitated...
Blast rocks Tehran after Israel threatened to target area where pro-government rally was being held
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A large explosion rocked an area of Iran’s capital where thousands were gathered Friday for the annual state-organized Quds Day to support the Palestinians and call for Israel’s demise. Israel had earlier warned that it would target the area in central Tehran. There were no...
Man in Michigan synagogue attack lost family members in Israeli airstrike in Lebanon, official says
WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. — A man with a rifle who crashed into a large Michigan synagogue in what federal officials are saying was an attack had lost four family members in an Israeli airstrike in his native Lebanon last week, an official said Friday. Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, a naturalized...
Westmoreland County schools invite public to view screening of documentary on career-based learning
After remaining stagnant for decades, K-12 education is due for a revamp, said Hempfield Area Deputy Superintendent Emily Sanders. “If you think about our schools, they haven’t changed much in the last 100 years, from the way they look to the way that they operate,” she said. That’s a problem...
U.S. military refueling plane crashes in Iraq, rescue underway
WASHINGTON — An American military refueling plane taking part in the operation against Iran crashed in Iraq and rescue efforts were underway, U.S. Central Command said Thursday. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. A U.S. official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity...
Trump administration denounces CNN for airing messages from Iranian leaders
The Trump administration denounced CNN on Thursday for airing a portion of the new Iranian supreme leader’s public statement, the second time in three days that he’s targeted the network for reporting on how the regime is responding to the American attacks. The attack illustrated the care news outlets must...
Senate again deadlocks on Homeland Security funding as shutdown persists
WASHINGTON — The congressional impasse over funding the Department of Homeland Security is entering its second month after the Senate on Thursday again deadlocked over providing money for the agency, even as airports continued to experience security line backups. With Democrats refusing to back money for the agency without significant...
FBI: Attack at Michigan synagogue was a ‘targeted act of violence against the Jewish community’Video
WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. — An attacker armed with a rifle was killed after ramming his vehicle into one of the nation’s largest Reform synagogues Thursday in what federal investigators said was an act of violence targeting the Jewish community. Jennifer Runyan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit...
Will independents ever get to vote in Pa. primaries? Advocates hope a lawsuit moves the needle
HARRISBURG — Supporters of opening Pennsylvania’s primaries to more than 1 million unaffiliated voters hope the courts will accomplish what the legislature couldn’t for decades. Pennsylvania is one of just eight states with a closed primary system, meaning only voters registered as Democrats or Republicans can participate in their respective...
Will independents ever get to vote in Pa. primaries? Advocates hope a lawsuit moves the needle.
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Supporters of opening Pennsylvania’s primaries to more than 1 million unaffiliated voters hope the courts will accomplish...
ROTC students at Old Dominion subdued and killed the shooter who killed 1 person, wounded 2Video
ROTC students subdued and killed a gunman who yelled “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire Thursday in an Old Dominion University classroom, killing one and wounding two, according to the FBI, which said the shooter had been in the Army and pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to aid the Islamic...
Trump discourages Iranian soccer team from attending the World Cup, citing safety concerns
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he did not think it would be “appropriate” for the Iranian soccer team to attend this year’s World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, and cited safety concerns as a reason on Thursday, while the countries are embroiled in a war. “The Iran National...
Competency review ordered for leader of cultlike Zizians group that has been linked to 6 deaths
BALTIMORE — A lawyer representing the leader of the cultlike Zizians group that has been linked to six deaths told a judge Thursday that there is reason to believe his client is mentally incompetent to stand trial. Jack LaSota, a transgender woman who goes by “Ziz,” was supposed to be...
AI chatbots want your health records. Tread carefully.
SAN FRANCISCO — For the last few years, the tech industry has convinced people that their artificially intelligent chatbots get better the more data you feed them. The next step is to get users to share their most sensitive information: their health records. What could go wrong? Microsoft this week...
Gallery: Around the world or close to home, the world in focus on March 12, 2026
Every photograph tells a story. From the rolling hills of Western Pennsylvania to far-flung corners of the globe, TribLive’s gallery brings those stories to life — moments of connection, place and the quiet beauty of everyday life. It’s more than a look at Western Pennsylvania. It’s a view of the...
AI writes buggy code. A Silicon Valley startup wants to fix it
PALO ALTO, Calif. — In January, a team of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University published a study analyzing the use of artificial intelligence technologies that can generate their own computer code. The study found that while these increasingly popular AI systems could speed up software development, they could also degrade...
Utah’s anti-gambling tradition meets Kalshi and Polymarket in a new legal fight
SALT LAKE CITY — For more than a century, Utah has kept gambling almost entirely out of the state. There are no casinos, no lotteries and no racetracks that allow bets, a prohibition rooted in the conservative ideals of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which views gambling...
Slavery exhibit is changing at the African American history museum as a loan agreement ends
WASHINGTON — A Smithsonian museum exhibit about the maritime journey that millions of Africans were forced to take across the Atlantic to slavery in the Americas will change later this month, when a remnant from one of the first sunken slave ships ever recovered is taken off display in Washington....
