A rapidly melting Antarctica gets the attention of UN chief ahead of COP28 climate talks
KING GEORGE ISLAND, Antarctica — On the cusp of the COP28 climate talks, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited frozen but rapidly melting Antarctica and said Thursday that intense action must be taken at the conference where countries will address their commitments to lowering emissions of planet-warming gases. “We are witnessing...
Israel releases 39 Palestinians from prison as part of cease-fire swap
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Hamas on Friday released 24 hostages who had been held captive in Gaza for weeks, and Israel freed 39 Palestinians from prison in the first stage of a swap under a four-day cease-fire deal. The freed hostages included 13 Israelis, 10 people from Thailand and...
UN confirms sexual spread of mpox in Congo for the 1st time as country sees a record outbreak
LONDON — The World Health Organization said it has confirmed sexual transmission of mpox in Congo for the first time as the country experiences its biggest-ever outbreak, a worrying development that African scientists warn could make it more difficult to stop the disease. In a statement issued late Thursday, the...
Balloons, bands and Santa: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ushers in holiday season in New York
NEW YORK — Beloved characters like Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants soared through the skies above New York City on Thursday and bands marched along the streets below as the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ushered in the holiday season. The parade started on Manhattan’s Upper West Side making its way...
FBI ends investigation of car wreck at Niagara Falls bridge, no indication of terrorism
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — The FBI has ended its investigation of a fiery car wreck that killed two people at a border checkpoint in Niagara Falls after finding no evidence that it was a terror attack, easing a period of high tensions as Americans headed into the Thanksgiving holiday. The...
New Girl Scout troop for migrants in New York shelter aims to empower youths as they navigate challenges
NEW YORK — Earlier this year, about 100 new Girl Scouts took their first trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, touring the sights, learning their history and hearing how New York City has long been a beacon to migrants from across the globe. The spring visit had...
Hezbollah fires rockets at north Israel after an airstrike kills 5 of the group’s senior fighters
BEIRUT — The militant Hezbollah group fired more than 50 rockets at military posts in northern Israel on Thursday, a day after an Israeli airstrike on a home in southern Lebanon killed five of the group’s senior fighters. The waves of rockets sent over the border represented one of the...
Qatar says Gaza cease-fire will begin at 7 a.m. Friday, with aid to follow ‘as soon as possible’
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Qatar said Thursday that a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war will begin at 7 a.m. Friday, with aid “going in as soon as possible.” Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, made the announcement in a news conference in Doha, Qatar. The cease-fire had...
OxyContin maker’s settlement plan divides victims of opioid crisis. Now it’s up to the Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — The agreement by the maker of OxyContin to settle thousands of lawsuits over the harm done by opioids could help combat the overdose epidemic that the painkiller triggered. But that does not mean all the victims are satisfied. In exchange for giving up ownership of drug manufacturer Purdue...
Feral hogs roaming into Pennsylvania from South pose threat to forests, agriculture
Feral hogs are 300-pound, 30 mile-per-hour rampaging, crop-eating machines and they are moving north into Pennsylvania. A recent study by outfitter Captain Experiences using data from the University of Georgia found that about three dozen hogs have been spotted in 14 Pennsylvania counties. An expert at Penn State told WJAC-TV...
Walmart shooter who injured 4 in Ohio may have been motivated by racial extremism, FBI says
A white gunman who opened fire inside a Walmart in Ohio and wounded four people before killing himself may have been motivated by racist extremism, the FBI said Wednesday. Four shoppers — two Black women, a white woman and a white man — were wounded in the attack at the...
Police say some 70 bullets fired in North Philadelphia shooting that left 2 dead, 5 woundedVideo
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia police investigation into the shooting of seven men, including two who died, continued Wednesday but authorities said no arrests have been made. Several guns were recovered from the scene and police said at least 70 rounds were fired around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, leaving bullet holes in...
Automatic pay raise pays dividends, again, for top state officials in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Pennsylvania law that delivers automatic pay raises for state officials will pay dividends next year for lawmakers, judges and top executive branch officials. The law will give more than 1,300 officials — including Gov. Josh Shapiro, 253 lawmakers and seven state Supreme Court justices — a...
Fiery crash kills 2 at Niagara Falls’ Rainbow border bridge. Officials say no sign of terrorismVideo
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — A vehicle speeding toward a U.S.-Canada bridge from the American side crashed and exploded at a checkpoint in Niagara Falls on Wednesday, killing two people and prompting the closing of multiple border crossings for hours. Authorities weren’t sure what spurred the wreck but said there were...
Susan Sarandon dropped from Hollywood company after comments on Israel-Hamas war
NEW YORK — Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon and “Scream” star Melissa Barrera were each dropped by Hollywood companies after making comments on the Israel-Hamas war that some deemed antisemitic. Spyglass Media Group, the production company behind the upcoming “Scream VII,” acknowledged Barrera’s exit from the horror franchise. “The Mexican-born actress,...
Pope meets relatives of Israeli hostages and Palestinians in Gaza and sets off firestorm over words
Pope Francis met separately Wednesday with relatives of Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinians living through the war and set off a firestorm by using words that Vatican diplomats usually avoid: “terrorism” and, according to the Palestinians, “genocide.” Francis spoke about the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians after his...
Democrats who swept Moms For Liberty off school board fight superintendent’s $700,000 exit deal
PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania school board that banned books, Pride flags and transgender athletes slipped a last-minute item into their final meeting before leaving office, hastily awarding a $700,000 exit package to the superintendent who supported their agenda. But the Democratic majority that swept the conservative Moms For Liberty slate...
Greensburg Garden Center gears up for annual holiday sale
Wreaths, garlands, trees, ornaments and other handmade decorations will be up for grabs at the Greensburg Garden Center’s annual holiday sale next week. The sale, scheduled for Dec. 1 and 2, features decorations made by about 30 of the center’s volunteers, said Co-President Carla Rusnica. Common items are artificial and...
Biden’s plan would raise salaries for Head Start teachers but could leave fewer spots for kids
WASHINGTON — A new plan from the Biden administration could significantly increase salaries for thousands of low-paid early childhood teachers caring for the country’s poorest children but might force some centers to reduce their enrollment. The Health and Human Services agency’s proposed federal rule would require Head Start programs, which...
If you haven’t started your Thanksgiving trip, you’re not alone. The busiest days are still to come
The late crush of holiday travelers is picking up steam, with about 2.7 million people expected to board flights on Wednesday and millions more planning to drive to Thanksgiving celebrations. Airline officials say they are confident that they can avoid the kind of massive disruptions that have marred past holiday...
The journey of Minnesota’s Rutt the moose is tracked by a herd of fans
A herd of followers are tracking a moose on the loose in southern Minnesota, hoping the majestic animal’s journey ends safely after it was spotted Tuesday 140 miles (225 km) northwest of Minneapolis. Fans have been tracking the young male moose for weeks and posting updates on a Facebook page...
JFK assassination remembered 60 years later by surviving witnesses to history, including AP reporter
DALLAS — Just minutes after President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot as his motorcade rolled through downtown Dallas, Associated Press reporter Peggy Simpson rushed to the scene and immediately attached herself to the police officers who had converged on the building from which a sniper’s bullets had been fired....
Israeli official says talks continuing, hostage release won’t take place before Friday
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser says a planned hostage-for-prisoner swap with Hamas has been delayed until at least Friday. In a statement released late Wednesday, Tzachi Hanegbi said that contacts on the deal were continuing. “The release will begin according to the original agreement between...
Pennsylvania governor appeals decision blocking plan to make power plants pay for greenhouse gases
HARRISBURG — Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said Tuesday that it is appealing a court ruling that blocked a state regulation to make Pennsylvania’s power plant owners pay for their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, even as the Democrat warned lawmakers to get to work on a better alternative. In a statement,...
Authorities capture man accused of killing 3 in simmering Colorado property dispute
DENVER — A man was captured Tuesday after being on the run for one day after police say he fatally shot three people and critically wounded a fourth over a years-long property dispute regarding the use of an easement on the suspect’s property in rural Colorado, authorities said. The suspect,...
