Death of beloved New York City owl, Flaco, devastates fans
Tributes poured in Saturday for Flaco, the beloved Eurasian eagle-owl that became a feel-good New York story after escaping its Central Park Zoo enclosure and flying free around Manhattan. Flaco was found dead on a New York City sidewalk Friday night after apparently flying into a building. It was a...
Israel war cabinet to meet as Gaza cease-fire talks progress
Israel’s war cabinet is expected to convene Saturday night for a briefing on efforts advancing in Paris toward a deal to pause the fighting in Gaza and return hostages held there. Israeli media, citing people familiar with the situation, reported talks on Friday involving the Israeli delegation and representatives from...
U.S., British strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen answer militants’ surge
WASHINGTON — The U.S. and Britain struck 18 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, answering a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including a missile strike this past week that set fire to a cargo vessel. According...
Hundreds attend funeral Mass for woman killed during Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Hundreds of mourners attended a funeral mass Saturday for a Kansas City-area DJ who was killed when she was shot during a celebration of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory. Lisa Lopez-Galvan was one of about two dozen people who were shot when gunfire erupted Feb. 14...
An RNC member is trying to stop the party from paying Donald Trump’s legal bills
COLUMBIA, S.C. — At least one member of the Republican National Committee is working to slow Donald Trump’s attempted takeover of the organization by pushing to keep the committee neutral until Trump is officially the presidential nominee and avoid picking up his legal bills. Two draft resolutions are being circulated...
The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother, aide says
The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother, a top aide to Navalny said Saturday on his social media account. Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, made the announcement on his Telegram account and thanked “everyone” who had called on Russian...
What to know about Shapiro’s pitch to legalize marijuana, its chances in the Pa. legislature and more
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. HARRISBURG — In his state budget pitch, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro called for the Pennsylvania legislature to legalize recreational marijuana. Shapiro is not breaking new...
Trump says his criminal indictments boosted his appeal to Black voters
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Former President Donald Trump claimed Friday that his four criminal indictments have boosted his support among Black Americans because they see him as a victim of discrimination, comparing his legal jeopardy to the historic legacy of anti-Black prejudice in the U.S. legal system. Trump argues he is...
Ukraine marks 2 years since Russia’s full-scale invasion as troops face challenges on front line
KYIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Western leaders to Kyiv Saturday to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and foreign aid hangs in the balance. Zelenskyy posted a video from the Hostomel airfield together with Italian Premier Giorgia...
Man guilty in Black transgender woman’s killing in 1st federal hate crime trial over gender identity
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina man was found guilty Friday of killing a Black transgender woman in the nation’s first federal trial over a hate crime based on gender identity. After deliberating for roughly four hours, jurors convicted Daqua Lameek Ritter of a hate crime for the murder of...
Pope Francis cancels meeting with Rome deacons because of mild flu, the Vatican says
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has canceled an audience scheduled for Saturday as a precaution after coming down with mild flu, the Vatican press office said in a short statement, without adding further details. Francis was scheduled to meet with Rome deacons in the morning. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said...
Chief enforcer of U.S. gun laws fears Americans may become numb to violence with each mass shooting
LEWISTON, Maine — The head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says he fears that a drumbeat of mass shootings and other gun violence across the United States could make Americans numb to the bloodshed, fostering apathy to finding solutions rather than galvanizing communities to act....
3 women found dead in Vienna brothel; suspect arrested
VIENNA — Police in Vienna launched a criminal investigation after three women were found dead in a brothel, authorities said Saturday. A witness discovered traces of blood outside the building, located near the Danube River, and alerted police on Friday evening. The bodies of the three victims had “cuts and...
Tired of diesel fumes, these moms are pushing for electric school buses
Areli Sanchez’s daughter, Aida, used to be one of 20 million American kids who ride a diesel bus to school each day. Aida has asthma. When she was little, she complained about the smell and cloud of fumes on her twice-daily trip. “When she would come home from school or...
Alabama IVF ruling puts spotlight on state plans for tax breaks and child support for fetuses
TOPEKA, Kan. — The recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are legally protected children is highlighting how support for the idea that a fetus should have the same rights as a person underpins far less dramatic laws and proposals from abortion foes across the U.S. Lawmakers in at...
Greensburg hires new planning and development director, code enforcement officer
When Director Jeff Raykes resigned in November to focus on his private planning firm, it left a void in Greensburg’s planning and development department, Alec Italiano said. Greensburg council hired Italiano last week to fill the gap as the city’s new planning and development director, with a starting salary of...
Marjorie Taylor Greene wants top Homeland Security job under Trump
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Madame Secretary? Forget the jockeying to be Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said at a stop in Greenville ahead of Saturday’s GOP primary there that she has her eye on a key Cabinet position if the former president wins in November....
Small, nonthreatening balloon intercepted over Utah by NORAD
SALT LAKE CITY — A small, nonthreatening balloon spotted flying high over the mountainous Western United States was intercepted by a fighter jet over Utah on Friday, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command. NORAD fighter pilots sent in the morning to investigate the balloon determined it was “not...
Police: 7 farmworkers in van, 1 pickup driver killed in California crash
MADERA, Calif. — Seven farmworkers traveling in a van and the driver of a pickup truck were killed Friday in a head-on crash in a farming area in central California, police said. The crash at 6:15 a.m. left the van almost completely crumpled among blooming almond trees near the town...
Private U.S. spacecraft is on its side on the moon, company says
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A private U.S. lunar lander tipped over at touchdown and ended up on its side near the moon’s south pole, hampering communications, company officials said Friday. Intuitive Machines initially believed its six-footed lander, Odysseus, was upright after Thursday’s touchdown. But CEO Steve Altemus said Friday the...
Jury: Former NRA chief Wayne LaPierre misspent gun rights group’s money, owes more than $4M
NEW YORK — The longtime head of the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre, misspent millions of dollars of the organization’s money, using the funds to pay for an extravagant lifestyle that included exotic getaways and trips on private planes and superyachts, a New York jury determined Friday. The jury found...
West Virginia University police investigate campus burglaries and arsons
West Virginia University police are investigating multiple burglaries and arsons reported this week inside the school’s Life Sciences Building, including one faculty office targeted twice in two days. The university issued an alert Friday following the incidents on its Downtown campus. In the first burglary, reported Wednesday morning, testing material...
Trump urges Alabama to protect in-vitro fertilization access after court ruling
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump urged Alabama’s legislature to protect the availability of in-vitro fertilization after the state high court ruling that threatens to make it harder for people to access fertility treatments. “Under my leadership, the Republican Party will always support the creation of strong, thriving, healthy American families....
What Reddit going public means for the social media platform
Reddit has made its IPO filing public ahead of the social media company’s entrance to the U.S. stock market in March, as reported by Reuters. An IPO, or initial public offering, means shares of a private company are made available to the public for the first time — and the...
Woman found dead on University of Georgia campus after she failed to return from run
ATHENS, Ga. — A woman found dead on the University of Georgia campus was a student at a nearby nursing school, said authorities, who were checking security cameras and advising students to travel in groups and avoid the wooded area where her body was found. Police do not have a...
