House where 4 University of Idaho students were killed is being demolished
MOSCOW, Idaho — The house where four University of Idaho students were killed last year was demolished Thursday, marking an emotional step for the victims’ families and a close-knit community that was shocked and devastated by the brutal stabbings. The sounds of construction equipment pierced the early morning air as...
Gypsy Rose Blanchard out of prison years after persuading boyfriend to kill her abusive mother
Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the Missouri woman who persuaded an online boyfriend to kill her mother after she had forced her to pretend for years that she was suffering from leukemia, muscular dystrophy and other serious illnesses, was released Thursday from prison on parole. Blanchard was released early in the day...
Boebert switches congressional districts, avoiding Democratic opponent who has far outraised her
DENVER — Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert announced Wednesday she is switching congressional districts, avoiding a likely rematch against a Democrat who has far outraised her and following an embarrassing moment of groping and vaping that shook even loyal supporters. In a Facebook video Wednesday evening, Boebert announced she would enter...
Texas has arrested thousands on trespassing charges at the border. Illegal crossings are still high
EAGLE PASS, Texas — Before settling in New York City like thousands of other migrants this year, Abdoul, a 32-year-old from West Africa, took an unexpected detour: Weeks in a remote Texas jail on local trespassing charges after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. “I spent a lot of hours without sleeping,...
North Korea’s Kim vows to bolster war readiness to repel U.S.-led confrontations
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for bolstered war readiness to repel what he said were unprecedented United States-led confrontational moves, state media reported Thursday, as rival South Korea vowed a stern retaliation against any provocations by the North. Kim’s comments during the key political...
Cargo ship picking up Ukrainian grain hits Russian floating mine in Black Sea, officials say
KYIV, Ukraine — A civilian cargo ship struck a Russian mine in the Black Sea near Ukraine’s Danube ports Thursday, injuring two sailors, officials and analysts said, in an incident that underscored the dangers faced by those exporting Ukrainian grain during the war. The Panama-flagged vessel struck the floating mine...
Israeli strikes across Gaza kill dozens of Palestinians, even in largely emptied north
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces bombarded cities, towns and refugee camps across Gaza overnight and into Thursday, killing dozens of people in an air and ground offensive against Hamas that has widened to most of the territory and forced thousands more to flee from homes and shelters. The...
After 60 years, Ligonier barbers hang up their clippers
When cousins Ken Knupp and Walt Boyd closed the doors of their Ligonier Borough barbershop Wednesday, one thing was clear — they will miss their customers the most. After working as barbers for more than 60 years, the two decided to retire together from their longtime practice at Knupp’s Barbershop....
U.S. postal inspectors: Don’t fall for counterfeit stampsVideo
While mailing holiday cards and presents to loved ones, there’s a distinct possibility that you were frantically looking for more stamps at some point last week. In fact, you may have been tempted to buy them in bulk, at a discounted rate, through any number of websites or email links....
Herb Kohl, former senator, owner of Milwaukee Bucks, dies at 88
Herb Kohl, a former Democratic U.S. senator from Wisconsin and former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team, has died. He was 88. His death Wednesday was announced by Herb Kohl Philanthropies, which did not give a cause but said he died after a brief illness. “More than anything, Herb...
Las Vegas opens marriage license pop-up in airport for New Year’s Eve
Las Vegas has opened a pop-up marriage license bureau in the airport for couples getting married in Sin City on New Year’s Eve. Open through Dec. 31, the location in Harry Reid International Airport was created for people tying the knot on 12/31/23. “Bringing the pop-up marriage license bureau to...
Head-on crash kills 6, critically injures 3 on Texas highway
CLEBURNE, Texas — A pickup slammed head-on into a minivan on a north Texas highway, killing six people and critically injuring three, Texas authorities said Wednesday. The deadly crash happened Tuesday near Cleburne, about 33 miles south of Fort Worth, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. A preliminary investigation...
Trump ballot ban appealed to U.S. Supreme Court by Colorado Republican Party
DENVER — The Colorado Republican Party on Wednesday appealed the state’s supreme court decision that found former President Donald Trump is ineligible for the presidency, the potential first step to a showdown at the nation’s highest court over the meaning of a 155-year-old constitutional provision that bans from office those...
Trapped in crashed truck, Indiana man rescued after 6 days surviving on rainwater
PORTAGE, Ind. — A 27-year-old man survived for six days on only rainwater while pinned tightly inside his crashed pickup beneath a highway bridge in northwest Indiana, police said. His ordeal ended when two men scouting for fishing spots Tuesday afternoon noticed the badly damaged vehicle, its white airbag deployed,...
2 robots patrol Denver parking garages, curbing thefts, vandalism
LoDoMus Prime and his sidekick, Dave, roam two downtown Denver parking garages every day, watching people park their cars and rush off to appointments in nearby office buildings. If a person lingers too long, LoDoMus Prime or Dave will start a countdown: “Five, four, three, two, one.” Then the robots...
Democratic mayors criticize drop-offs of migrants from Texas, seek help
CHICAGO — The mayors of Chicago, New York City and Denver renewed pleas Wednesday for more federal help and coordination with Texas over the growing number of asylum-seekers arriving in their cities by bus and plane. The mayors’ requests come as U.S. cities have struggled to manage the increasing number...
Pro-Palestinian protesters block airport access roads in New York, Los Angeles
NEW YORK — Pro-Palestinian protesters briefly blocked entrance roads Wednesday to airports in New York and Los Angeles, forcing some travelers to set off on foot to bypass the jammed roadway. As U.S. airlines contended with a rush of holiday travel, the demonstrations snarled traffic on the outskirts of New...
Automatic pay raises boost Pa. lawmakers’ base salary to over $106K
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 — Pennsylvania lawmakers’ base salary recently rose to more than $106,000, prompting a fresh round of criticism about the annual automatic pay bump. Here’s...
Seton Hill offers free online genocide, Holocaust education certificate program to local teachers
Seton Hill will waive tuition costs for 15 local teachers to complete an online genocide and Holocaust education certificate program starting in March. The nine-credit program features three courses that will give secondary education teachers the strategies to address topics like genocide in the classroom, said James Paharik, director of...
Social media companies made $11 billion in U.S. ad revenue from minors, Harvard study finds
Social media companies collectively made over $11 billion in U.S. advertising revenue from minors last year, according to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published on Wednesday. The researchers say the findings show a need for government regulation of social media since the companies that...
More cold-case sexual assault charges for man accused of 2003 Philadelphia rape and slaying
PHILADELPHIA — A man accused of slashing people with a large knife in recent weeks while riding a bicycle on a trail in Philadelphia and then charged in the cold-case rape and slaying of a medical student has now been charged in several other high-profile unsolved sexual assaults. Elias Diaz,...
Trump says he didn’t know his immigration rhetoric echoes Hitler
NEW YORK — Donald Trump has centered his unlikely rise from reality television star to onetime — and potentially future — president on the idea that he’s wiser than Washington’s bumbling political class, once going so far as to label himself a “very stable genius.” But when it comes to...
Argument over Christmas gifts turns deadly as 14-year-old kills his older sister, Florida deputies sayVideo
LARGO, Fla. — A Florida woman holding her 11-month-old son in a baby carrier was fatally shot by her 14-year-old brother while trying to defuse an argument over Christmas gifts he was having with a 15-year-old brother who also was armed, authorities said. The 15-year-old brother then shot his 14-year-old...
Man trapped for 6 days in wrecked truck in Indiana rescued after being spotted by passersby
PORTAGE, Ind. — A 27-year-old man survived for six days on only rainwater while pinned tightly inside his crashed pickup truck beneath a highway bridge in northwest Indiana, police said. His ordeal ended when two men scouting for fishing spots on Tuesday afternoon noticed the badly damaged vehicle, its white...
Russian presidential hopeful loses appeal against authorities’ refusal to register her for the race
MOSCOW — A Russian politician calling for peace in Ukraine on Wednesday lost her appeal against election officials’ refusal to accept her nomination for the country’s presidential race that President Vladimir Putin is all but certain to win. Former regional legislator Yekaterina Duntsova has promoted her vision of a “humane”...
