4-year-old among 2 killed in central Pa. fire sparked by smoking, says coroner
A child and an adult were killed in a house explosion in York County on Monday morning, authorities say. The York County coroner’s office late Monday night identified the victims as a 4-year-old boy and a 79-year-old man. Their names will be released on Tuesday, the coroner said. The coroner’s...
Pa. bear harvest lowest in 16 years for hunters, but wildlife experts know the likely causes
After white-tailed deer hunting, no big-game species draws the interest of Pennsylvania sportsmen like black bears. The Keystone State is renowned for its bruin-hunting opportunities, as well as the extremely large bears it gives up annually. Over the years, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) has expanded its bear hunting opportunities...
New rule tightens worker classification standards; Uber, Lyft say their drivers won’t be affectedVideo
The Biden administration enacted a new labor rule Tuesday that aims to prevent the misclassification of workers as “independent contractors,” a step that could bolster both legal protections and compensation for millions in the U.S. workforce. Major app-based platforms including Uber, Lyft and DoorDash expressed confidence that the new rule...
IRS seizes former skill game executive’s cash, accounts as part of tax investigation
Federal investigators have seized more than $400,000 from a retired Pennsylvania State Police corporal who, until recently, served as compliance director for Pace-O-Matic, the maker of Pennsylvania skill games at the center of a legal quandary over whether they are gambling devices. The Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation branch posted...
Aid group says 6,618 migrants died trying to reach Spain by boat in 2023, more than double 2022
MADRID — More than 6,600 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by boat last year, a Spanish non-profit organization said Tuesday. The figure is more than double the number in the previous year, when the organization, Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders), said 2,390 died. The organization said 2023 was the...
Pope Francis calls for a universal ban on surrogacy. He says it exploits mother and child
ROME — Pope Francis called Monday for a universal ban on what he called the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood, as he included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech listing threats to global peace and human dignity. In a foreign policy address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy...
Intensified Russian airstrikes are stretching Ukraine’s air defense resources, officials say
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia’s recent escalation of missile and drone attacks is stretching Ukraine’s air defense resources, a Ukrainian air force official said Tuesday, leaving the country vulnerable in the 22-month war unless it can secure further weapons supplies. “Intense Russian air attacks force us to use a corresponding amount...
South Korea’s parliament passes landmark ban on production and sales of dog meat
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s parliament on Tuesday passed a landmark ban on production and sales of dog meat, as public calls for a prohibition have grown sharply over concerns about animal rights and the country’s international image. Some angry dog farmers said they plan to challenge the bill’s...
With Trump present in court, judges express skepticism of claims that he’s immune from prosecution
WASHINGTON — With Donald Trump listening intently in the courtroom, federal appeals court judges in Washington expressed deep skepticism Tuesday that the former president was immune from prosecution on charges that he plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The panel of three judges, two of whom were...
Explosion at historic Texas hotel injures 21 and scatters debris in downtown Fort Worth
FORT WORTH, Texas — An explosion at a historic Texas hotel in Fort Worth on Monday blew out windows, littered downtown streets with large sections of debris from the building and injured 21 people, including one who was in critical condition, authorities said. The blast flung doors and entire sections...
France gets its youngest-ever prime minister, Gabriel Attal, as Macron shakes up government
PARIS — Gabriel Attal was named Tuesday as France’s youngest-ever prime minister, as President Emmanuel Macron seeks a fresh start for the rest of his term amid growing political pressure from the far right. Macron’s office announced the appointment in a statement. Attal, 34, rose to prominence as the government...
Israel’s military says no damage was caused in a strike on an army base in northern Israel
GHANDOURIYEH, Lebanon — Israel’s military said no damage was caused to one of its army bases in northern Israel after Hezbollah said it launched explosive drones Tuesday toward the area, while an Israeli drone strike in Lebanon killed three members of the militant group, officials said. The Israeli military did...
Spain investigates contamination of Atlantic shore by countless plastic pellets spilled from ship
MADRID — Spanish state prosecutors have opened an investigation of countless tiny plastic pellets washing up on the country’s northwest coastline after they were spilled from a transport ship, posing a possible major ecological problem in the area. The state prosecutor’s office made the announcement late on Monday after having...
Filing alleges ‘improper’ relationship between Fulton County DA, top Trump prosecutor
ATLANTA — District Attorney Fani Willis improperly hired an alleged romantic partner to prosecute Donald Trump and financially benefited from their relationship, according to a court motion filed Monday arguing the indictment was unconstitutional. The bombshell public filing alleged that special prosecutor Nathan Wade, a private attorney, paid for lavish...
White House, Pentagon will review Defense Secretary Austin’s lack of disclosure on his hospital stay
WASHINGTON — Both the White House and Pentagon said Monday they would look into why President Joe Biden and other top officials weren’t informed for days that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized. A Pentagon spokesman pointed to one reason: A key staffer was out sick with the flu....
Park Service retracts decision to take down William Penn statue at Philadelphia historical site
HARRISBURG — The National Park Service withdrew a proposal Monday to take down a statue of William Penn at a Philadelphia historical site as part of a renovation that touched off a torrent of criticism over the legacy of the man who founded the province of Pennsylvania. In a brief...
Explosion at historic Texas hotel injures 21 and scatters debris in downtown Fort WorthVideo
FORT WORTH, Texas — An explosion at a historic Texas hotel in Fort Worth on Monday blew out windows, littered downtown streets with large sections of debris from the building and injured 21 people, including one who was in critical condition, authorities said. The blast flung doors and entire sections...
Florida Republicans oust state party chairman facing rape allegations in critical election year
TALLAHASSEE — The Republican Party of Florida ousted Chairman Christian Ziegler in a special vote on Monday as police investigate a rape accusation against him — a move that came a week before Gov. Ron DeSantis competes in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucus. A majority of about 200 members approved the...
Man caught on camera accosting a Las Vegas judge in court is sentenced in an unrelated attackVideo
LAS VEGAS — The same judge accosted by a defendant in a Las Vegas courtroom last week sentenced her attacker Monday to up to four years in prison in an unrelated case. Deobra Delone Redden leapt over the bench and attacked Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus in...
School funding, permitting at top of Pa. legislature’s 2024 agenda
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — In the new year, Pennsylvania lawmakers plan to put a lot of their energy into changing permitting processes, getting a long-sought constitutional amendment over the...
What to know about the Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet that suffered a blowout
NEW YORK — An emergency landing by an Alaska Airlines jetliner has prompted U.S. federal authorities to ground some Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, adding another episode to the troubled history of Boeing’s Max lineup of jets. Here is what to know about the Max 9 plane involved, and what...
Biden will visit church where Black people were killed to lay out election stakes and perils of hate
CHARLESTON, S.C. — President Joe Biden wants Americans to grasp what he sees as the extraordinary stakes of this year’s presidential election. As part of that effort, he’s revisiting some of the nation’s worst traumas to highlight what can happen when hate is allowed to fester. Biden arrived in Charleston,...
Trump is raising expectations heading into the Iowa caucuses. Now he has to meet them
NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa — When Donald Trump launched his 2024 presidential campaign after a disappointing midterm election for Republicans, his trajectory was something of a mystery. But seven days before Iowa’s kick-off caucuses, his standing among the GOP faithful is hardly in doubt. Voters, campaign operatives and even some of...
White House infrastructure czar Landrieu leaving job and expected to make case for Biden reelection
WASHINGTON — White House infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu is leaving his post after two years and is expected to help push publicly for President Joe Biden’s reelection. The Democratic president tasked the former New Orleans mayor with setting up a system to invest more than $1 trillion over the coming...
Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear forms PAC to support candidates across the country
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who defeated Donald Trump-backed rivals twice in Republican-leaning Kentucky, announced the formation of a federal political action committee on Monday to support candidates across the country as he seeks to broaden his influence beyond the Bluegrass State. Beshear launched a PAC called In...
