Decision 2024: How Pittsburgh became the center of the political universe
Forget spotted lanternflies, controversial restaurant visits or even an assassination attempt. Whatever peculiar problems the Pittsburgh region might pose, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump just can’t stay away. With 19 precious Electoral College votes at stake in Pennsylvania, the world’s two most-watched politicians have crisscrossed our area over the past...
Penn Township church aims to raise $10K to fight food insecurity
Daniel Stones has participated in Penn Township’s annual fundraiser to fight food insecurity since before he could walk. The CROP Walk, hosted by First United Church of Christ in Harrison City, used to draw 75 walkers raising money to fight hunger locally and worldwide. Since the pandemic, attendance has dropped...
McCormick narrows gap with Casey in Pennsylvania, new poll shows
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania’s nationally watched U.S. Senate race is tightening, with Republican Dave McCormick now just 4 percentage points behind Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey, according to a new poll by The Inquirer, The New York Times, and Siena College. About 48% of respondents said they supported Casey, who is...
Floridians cleaning up from Hurricane Milton are hampered by a widespread fuel shortage
CORTEZ, Fla. — Floridians recovering from Hurricane Milton, many of whom were journeying home after fleeing hundreds of miles to escape the storm, spent much of Saturday searching for gas as a fuel shortage gripped the state. In St. Petersburg, scores of people lined up at a station that had...
Heavy Israeli bombardment in northern Gaza as UN peacekeepers in Lebanon are hit again
BEIRUT — Palestinians in northern Gaza described heavy Israeli bombardment Saturday in the hours after airstrikes killed at least 22 people, as Israel continued to tell people there and in southern Lebanon to get out of the way of its offensives against the Hamas and Hezbollah militant groups. In Lebanon,...
Far from where Hurricane Milton hit, tornadoes wrought unexpected damage
WELLINGTON, Fla. — Tony Brazzale, a diving boat captain who has lived for 10 years in his Wellington home in southeastern Florida, wasn’t worried about Hurricane Milton. The storm’s center was forecast to make landfall on the opposite side of the peninsula and then cross the state well to the...
Harris’ doctor reports she’s in ‘excellent health.’ Her campaign wants to draw a contrast with Trump
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris is in “excellent health” and “possesses the physical and mental resiliency” required to serve as president, her doctor said in a letter released Saturday that summarizes her medical history and status. Dr. Joshua Simmons, a U.S. Army colonel and physician to the vice president,...
Children and adults transported to Pa. hospital after ingesting ‘toxic mushrooms’
PEACH BOTTOM TOWNSHIP — Children and adults were transported to a hospital in Pennsylvania Friday night after being sickened by mushrooms, authorities said. Emergency medical personnel responded to a report around 9:30 p.m. of 11 people becoming ill after ingesting the mushrooms in Peach Bottom Township, the Delta-Cardiff Volunteer Company...
Why is Donald Trump campaigning in California, a state he’s almost certain to lose?
LOS ANGELES — With the presidency on the line in battlegrounds like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, why would Donald Trump venture into California, one of the most solidly Democratic states, just weeks before Election Day? Trump is almost certain to lose California, and that won’t change after his scheduled Saturday stop...
NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft will scour Jupiter moon for the ingredients for life
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A NASA spacecraft is ready to set sail for Jupiter and its moon Europa, one of the best bets for finding life beyond Earth. Europa Clipper will peer beneath the moon’s icy crust where an ocean is thought to be sloshing fairly close to the surface....
Ukrainian recruiters descend on Kyiv’s nightlife in search of men not registered for conscription
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian military recruitment officers raided restaurants, bars and a concert hall in Kyiv, checking military registration documents and detaining men who were not in compliance, local media reported Saturday. Officers reportedly descended on Kyiv’s Palace of Sports venue after a concert Friday night by Ukrainian rock band...
Bethany Beach firefly could be 1st on endangered species list
The Bethany Beach firefly could be added to the Endangered Species Act list, the Washington Post reported. If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal goes through to classify it as threatened, it would be the first time a firefly is added to the list. The Bethany Beach fireflies emerge...
Westmoreland, Allegheny community colleges aim to increase graduation rates with national program
Andrew Barnette wants to spend more time reading names while standing on the stage at Westmoreland County Community College’s graduation ceremony. “I am privileged to be asked every year to read names at graduation,” said Barnette, dean of the School of Art, Humanities, Social Sciences and Public Service. “It’s the...
Judge blocks vote to remove Penn State trustee
PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania judge has blocked Penn State’s Board of Trustees from voting to remove a member who is suing the board over access to financial information, calling the vote potentially “retaliatory.” Board member Barry Fenchak, an investment advisor, believes the board has been paying unusually high advisory fees...
‘The View’ abortion ad signals wider effort to use FCC regulation to spread message
An anti-abortion ad that aired during “The View” this past week and criticized the show’s personalities was the most visible manifestation of a campaign that is making use of a federal law that forbids broadcasters from turning it down. In the ad, a narrator says, “I am so sick of...
Man settles suit against ex’s friends accused of helping her get abortion pills in Texas
A Texas man’s first-of-its kind lawsuit against three women who he alleged helped his ex-wife obtain pills to induce an abortion in 2022 has been settled, according to court documents. A notice to dismiss the lawsuit was filed Thursday by Jonathan Mitchell, a notable anti-abortion attorney, on behalf of the...
Woman in labor has ‘white-knuckle’ ride to hospital during hurricane, Florida cops say
The closest route was through a town under a flash flood warning. Heavy rain was falling, electricity for traffic lights was spotty and wind gusts carried potentially dangerous debris. Nonetheless, a pregnant Florida woman was in labor Thursday as Hurricane Milton was crossing Polk County, and she desperately needed to...
What’s behind the northern lights that dazzled the sky farther south than normal
Another in a series of unusually strong solar storms hitting Earth produced stunning skies full of pinks, purples, greens and blues farther south than normal, including into parts of Germany, the United Kingdom, New England and New York City. There were no immediate reports of disruptions to power and communications....
A couple’s passion for early childhood learning spawns hub at PennWest California
Giving children an early jump on learning is about to become a more visible endeavor on Pennsylvania Western University’s California campus thanks to the latest gift from a couple who has championed the cause. Tom Rutledge, a 1977 alumnus who headed Charter Communications, and his wife Karen Rutledge, announced a...
Revenue drop averted at Bushy Run thanks to community support
Bushy Run lost dozens of trees in a tornado that whipped through Penn Township this summer, but a community donation may help restore that loss across the 213-acre park. Friends of PTARC — the nonprofit fundraising group associated with the Penn-Trafford Area Recreation Commission — donated $1,000 to support the...
Greensburg Central Catholic to host open house for prospective students
Greensburg Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School will host an open house on Nov. 3 for prospective students. The open house will start at 1 p.m. Students and their parents will be able to tour the campus and classrooms, connect with members of student clubs and sports teams, meet the faculty...
Israel’s deadliest strike in central Beirut leaves Lebanese stunned as they dig through the rubble
BEIRUT — Rescue workers searched through the rubble of a collapsed building in central Beirut on Friday morning, hours after two Israeli strikes hit the Lebanese capital, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens. The air raid was the deadliest attack on central Beirut in over a year of...
North Korea accuses South Korea of flying drones to its capital and threatens to attack next time
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has accused rival South Korea of flying drones to its capital to drop anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets and threatened to respond with force if such flights occur again. North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday that South Korean drones were detected in...
The drownings of 2 Navy SEALs were preventable, military investigation finds
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. Navy SEALs drowned as they tried to climb aboard a ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen because of glaring training failures and a lack of understanding about what to do after falling into deep, turbulent waters, according to a military investigation into the January deaths....
Harris viewed more positively by Hispanic women than by Hispanic men: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — A solid majority of Hispanic women have a positive opinion of Vice President Kamala Harris and a negative view of former President Donald Trump, but Hispanic men are more divided on both candidates, according to a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Hispanic...
