Monroeville 17-year-old finishes high school, community college, master’s degree in 8 years
About this time, most 17-year-olds are looking forward to the end of another year of high school and a little summer vacation. R.J. Krishnaswamy of Monroeville was graduating from the University of Pittsburgh. Again. Krishnaswamy graduated from community college at 13 and earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from...
Hempfield sets opening date for Weatherwood Park bids
After meeting with about 12 contractors to discuss the first phase of the township’s Weatherwood Park and municipal complex projects, Hempfield plans to open construction bids May 16. Supervisors may vote on the contractors for the projects during their May 20 meeting, township Manager Aaron Siko said. “(It was) a...
Police move in and begin dismantling pro-Palestinian demonstrators’ encampment at UCLAVideo
LOS ANGELES — Police removed barricades and began dismantling a pro-Palestinian demonstrators’ fortified encampment early Thursday at the UCLA campus after hundreds of protesters defied police orders to leave, about 24 hours after counter-protesters attacked a tent encampment on the campus. Police detained a handful of people on campus, tying...
Police kill student outside Wisconsin school after reports of someone with a weapon, official saysVideo
MOUNT HOREB, Wis. — Police shot and killed a student Wednesday outside a Wisconsin middle school after receiving a report of someone with a weapon, the state’s attorney general said in the first law enforcement briefing on gunshots that sent children fleeing and prompted an hourslong lockdown of local schools....
Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens must remain jailed, appeals court rules
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected a bid to release from jail a former FBI informant who is charged with fabricating a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden’s family. Alexander Smirnov’s lawyers had urged the California-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower...
Prince William shares positive health update about Kate Middleton amid cancer battle
Prince William shared a heartening health update about his wife and children following Catherine’s disclosure in March that she has cancer. The heir apparent to the British throne, who was back to his royal duties Tuesday attending the grand opening of James Place Newcastle, was asked how his wife and...
Pa. Senate Republicans pass bill allowing certain energy projects to bypass administration
The Pennsylvania Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would overhaul elements of the commonwealth’s energy development system — a move hailed by the Republican majority as a way to attract more investment but decried by Democrats as an attempt to skirt environmental regulations. The bill, which passed on a...
House passes bill to expand definition of antisemitism amid growing campus protests over Gaza war
WASHINGTON — The House passed legislation Wednesday that would establish a broader definition of antisemitism for the Department of Education to enforce anti-discrimination laws, the latest response from lawmakers to a nationwide student protest movement over the Israel-Hamas war. The proposal, which passed 320-91 with some bipartisan support, would codify...
Charges revealed against former Trump chief of staff in Arizona fake elector case
PHOENIX — The chief of staff for former President Donald Trump faces the same conspiracy, fraud and forgery charges as the other named defendants in Arizona’s fake elector case, the state attorney general’s office said Wednesday. Mark Meadows wasn’t named in a grand jury indictment last week because he hadn’t...
Democrats advance election bill in Pennsylvania long sought by counties to process ballots faster
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill long sought by counties seeking help to manage huge influxes of mail-in ballots during elections in the presidential battleground state and to avoid a repeat of 2020’s drawn-out vote count. The bill comes barely six months before Pennsylvania could...
‘A step back in time’: America’s Catholic Church sees an immense shift toward the old ways
MADISON, Wis. — It was the music that changed first. Or maybe that’s just when many people at the pale brick Catholic church in the quiet Wisconsin neighborhood finally began to realize what was happening. The choir director, a fixture at St. Maria Goretti for nearly 40 years, was suddenly...
Prosecutors seek September retrial for Harvey Weinstein after rape conviction was tossed
NEW YORK — Prosecutors asked for a September retrial for Harvey Weinstein during a hearing at a Manhattan courthouse Wednesday, the disgraced movie mogul’s first appearance since his 2020 rape conviction was overturned by an appeals court last week. Weinstein, wearing a navy blue suit, was seated in a wheelchair...
Florida’s 6-week abortion ban takes effect as doctors worry women will lose access to health care
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Florida’s ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant, went into effect Wednesday, and some doctors are concerned that women in the state will no longer have access to needed health care. Dr. Leah Roberts, a reproductive...
Rollout of transgender bathroom law sows confusion among Utah public school families
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah public schools have been rushing to prepare students and teachers as the state starts cracking down Wednesday on any school found not enforcing new bathroom restrictions for transgender people. Residents and visitors are required under state law to use bathrooms and changing rooms in government-owned...
George W. Bush’s portraits of veterans are heading to Disney WorldVideo
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.— Walt Disney World will host dozens of portraits of service members and veterans from the nation’s Painter-in-Chief. The George W. Bush Institute will loan the 60 color portraits by the former U.S. president to the Florida theme park resort. The paintings of service members and veterans...
Maryland approves more than $3M for a man wrongly imprisoned for murder for 3 decades
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland officials on Wednesday approved more than $3 million in compensation for a Baltimore man who spent 31 years in prison on a wrongful murder conviction. Gov. Wes Moore apologized to Gary Washington during a Board of Public Works meeting where the compensation was approved. “On the...
Northwestern University’s deal with student protesters offers example of successful negotiations
CHICAGO — For five days, the shouts of student protesters and supporters rang out from Northwestern University’s Deering Meadow as they joined demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war unfolding on college campuses nationwide. But the meadow on the suburban Chicago campus fell silent hours after student organizers and the school announced...
So, you’ve lost weight using Wegovy. Does that mean you can stop taking it?
Millions of Americans who have dropped pounds and boosted their health using popular obesity drugs like Wegovy are facing a new dilemma: What happens if they stop taking them? Many worry that they’ll regain weight and revert to old habits. In studies, people who paused the drugs put back on...
Paul Auster, prolific and experimental man of letters and filmmaker, dies at 77Video
NEW YORK — Paul Auster, a prolific, prize-winning man of letters and filmmaker known for such inventive narratives and meta-narratives as “The New York Trilogy” and “4 3 2 1,” has died at age 77. Auster’s death was confirmed Wednesday by his literary representatives, the Carol Mann Agency, which did...
Top Pa. Game Commission official resigns amid questions over side business
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has a new executive director this week after the agency’s former head resigned abruptly on Monday after issues were raised by commissioner members and lawmakers about his business dealings with employees. Bryan Burhans, who served as its executive director since 2017, was replaced by deputy executive...
U.S. job openings fall to 8.5 million in March, the lowest level in over 3 years
WASHINGTON — U.S. jobs openings slid in March to the lowest level in more than three years, but stayed at historically high levels in a sign that the job market remains resilient in the face of higher interest rates. The Labor Department reported Wednesday that employers posted 8.5 million vacancies...
30 people are injured when a trailer overturns in southwestern Germany
BERLIN — An accident involving a trailer in southwestern Germany on Wednesday left 30 people injured, 10 of them seriously, police and local media reports said. According to the German news agency dpa, the accident happened near the city of Freiburg. Police say it took place in the village of...
United Methodists repeal longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — United Methodist delegates repealed their church’s longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy with no debate Wednesday, removing a rule forbidding “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained or appointed as ministers. Delegates voted 692-51 at their General Conference — the first such legislative gathering in five years. That overwhelming...
Explainer: What marijuana reclassification means for the U.S.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Justice Department proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis, but wouldn’t legalize it for recreational use. The proposal would move marijuana from the “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated...
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene vows to force a vote next week on ousting House Speaker Mike JohnsonVideo
WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Wednesday she would call a vote next week on ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson, forcing her colleagues to choose sides in a difficult showdown after Democratic leaders announced they would provide the votes to save the Republican speaker’s job. Speaking outside the...
