Ballot order is critical for candidates. In Pa., it’s determined by luck.
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. As Sajda Blackwell approached the front of the room, she did a little dance of excitement — a shimmy as she pumped both fists in the air. “All right,...
‘We’re not leaving the community’: Manor Bar & Grille to close doors, reopen in Irwin
Derek and Megan Gutkowski’s three children grew up at Manor Bar & Grille. Howie, 14, cleaned dishes, and Julia, 17, and Madison, 19, helped serve customers. The family’s lives were dedicated to the Manor restaurant, Derek said. “At Manor Grille, if you go in there in our dining room, we...
Haley says she raised $12M in February but can’t point to plan to beat Trump
WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Friday she raised $12 million in February, a haul that likely will allow her to remain in the Republican primary against former President Donald Trump past next week’s Super Tuesday — even though she can’t point to an upcoming state where she...
Biden will push higher taxes for the rich in State of the Union
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will advocate plans to increase taxes on the wealthy and corporations, as well as to lower prescription drug prices, in his State of the Union address next week, in what aides describe as an effort to lay out second-term proposals for protecting and implementing his...
Arizona voting laws that require proof of citizenship not discriminatory, U.S. judge rules
PHOENIX — A federal judge is upholding provisions of new Arizona laws that would require counties to verify the status of registered voters who haven’t provided proof of U.S. citizenship and cross-check voter registration information with various government databases. In a ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton concluded Arizona...
Paramedic gets 5 years in prison for Elijah McClain’s death
DENVER — A Colorado paramedic was sentenced Friday to five years in prison for the death of Elijah McClain in a rare prosecution of medical responders that has left officials rethinking how they treat people in police custody. The convictions of Peter Cichuniec and a fellow paramedic sent shockwaves through...
Lobster catch dips to lowest level since 2009 as fishers grapple with climate change, whale rules
PORTLAND, Maine — America’s lobster fishing business dipped in catch while grappling with challenges including a changing ocean environment and new rules designed to protect rare whales. The lobster industry, based mostly in Maine, has had an unprecedented decade in terms of the volume and value of the lobsters brought...
The CDC has relaxed covid guidelines. Will schools and day cares follow suit?
Four years after the covid-19 pandemic closed schools and upended child care, the CDC says parents can start treating the virus like other respiratory illnesses. Gone are mandated isolation periods and masking. But will schools and child care centers agree? In case you’ve lost track: Before Friday, all Americans, including...
Trump’s Florida trial on secret documents will likely be postponed
A federal judge in Florida indicated Donald Trump’s trial on charges that he mishandled classified documents likely will be postponed from the current May 20 start date, putting his legal schedule in limbo as he campaigns again for the White House. Judge Aileen Cannon indicated during a hearing with prosecutors...
CVS and Walgreens plan to start dispensing abortion pill mifepristone soon
The drugstore chains CVS Health and Walgreens plan to start dispensing an abortion pill in a few states within weeks. CVS Health will start filling prescriptions for mifepristone in Rhode Island and neighboring Massachusetts “in the weeks ahead,” spokeswoman Amy Thibault said Friday. Walgreens will begin dispensing the medication within...
Parts of the Sierra Nevada likely to get 10 feet of snow from powerful storm by weekend
RENO, Nev. — At least nine Lake Tahoe ski resorts closed and visitors to Yosemite National Park were told to urgently leave Friday as California’s most powerful storm of the season bore down on the Sierra Nevada, where residents were urged to take shelter as they prepared for up to...
U.S. health officials drop 5-day isolation time for covid-19
NEW YORK — Americans who test positive for covid-19 no longer need to stay in isolation for five days, U.S. health officials announced Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its longstanding guidance, saying that people can return to work or regular activities if their symptoms are mild...
China pledges to increase opportunities for foreign companies as it seeks to boost its economy
BEIJING — Chinese Vice President Han Zheng pledged Friday to provide more opportunities for foreign companies in China as the government tries to restore confidence in the world’s second largest economy. Han told an audience of American business people in Beijing that the government would continue to open up more...
Woman convicted of murder conspiracy, coverup, in 2019 disappearance of Connecticut mother
A woman was convicted Friday of conspiring to murder missing mother-of-five Jennifer Dulos, who vanished from a wealthy Connecticut enclave in 2019 and was never found. Prosecutors said Michelle Troconis, 49, helped her then-boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, in his plot to kill his estranged wife and cover it up. In addition...
With trash bins now required in NYC, only the rats are sorry to see the garbage piles go
NEW YORK — New York City’s tradition of piling garbage bags on the sidewalk for pickup is going the way of the dinosaur. As of Friday, all 200,000 businesses in the Big Apple are required to put out their bags of trash in garbage bins, as communities across the county...
N.Y. man sentenced to 25 years to life for killing woman who wound up in his driveway after wrong turn
FORT EDWARD, N.Y. — A man who fatally shot a 20-year-old woman after the SUV she was riding in mistakenly drove into his rural driveway in upstate New York was sentenced Friday to 25 years to life in prison. Kevin Monahan, 66, was convicted of second-degree murder in the death...
Takeaways from Hunter Biden’s combative deposition with Republican lawmakers
WASHINGTON — The transcript of the congressional deposition of Hunter Biden was released late Thursday, providing a full view of the contentious testimony that took place behind closed doors Wednesday as Republicans aggressively questioned the central figure in their impeachment inquiry. The nearly 230 pages of questioning laid bare the...
With salacious testimony finished, legal arguments to begin over Fani Willis’ future in Trump case
ATLANTA — After several days of extraordinary testimony, the judge in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump is set to hear arguments Friday over whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be removed from the prosecution over a romantic relationship. Lawyers for Trump and other...
Gaza doctor says gunfire accounted for 80% of the wounds at his hospital from aid convoy bloodshed
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The head of a Gaza City hospital that treated some of those wounded in the bloodshed surrounding an aid convoy said Friday that more than 80% had been struck by gunfire, suggesting there had been heavy shooting by Israeli troops. At least 112 Palestinians were killed...
Putin foe Alexei Navalny is buried in Moscow as thousands attend under a heavy police presence
Under a heavy police presence, thousands of people bade farewell Friday to opposition leader Alexei Navalny at his funeral in Moscow after his still-unexplained death two weeks ago in an Arctic penal colony. Navalny was buried at a cemetery in the snowy southeastern outskirts of the capital after a short...
On the Rio Grande, 300 miles apart, Biden and Trump try to use immigration to election advantage
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — On the banks of the same Rio Grande but 300 miles apart, President Joe Biden and GOP challenger Donald Trump on Thursday surveyed the U.S.-Mexico border and tussled from a distance over who is to blame for the nation’s broken immigration system and how to fix it....
Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira expected to plead guilty in federal case
BOSTON — Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member accused of leaking highly classified military documents on a social media platform, is expected to plead guilty in his federal case, according to court papers filed Thursday. Prosecutors asked the judge to schedule a change of plea hearing, but no...
Missouri Republicans try to remove man with ties to KKK from party ballot
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Republican Party on Thursday denounced a GOP candidate for governor with ties to the Ku Klux Klan, saying party officials will go to court if necessary to remove him from the ticket. Southwestern Missouri man Darrell Leon McClanahan, who has described himself as “pro-white,”...
Court worker serving an eviction notice and an officer were fatally shot in Missouri, police say
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — A court employee and a police officer were fatally shot Thursday after the court process server tried to serve an eviction notice at a home in Missouri, authorities said. A second officer was critically injured, but is expected to survive, police said. Independence Police Chief Adam Dustman...
Federal prosecutors seek July trial for Trump in classified documents case
WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors are requesting a trial on July 8 for former President Donald Trump on charges that he illegally retained and concealed classified documents. Defense lawyers say no trial should be conducted this year but proposed August 12 as an alternative possibility. The dueling proposals were submitted Thursday...
