U.S. and China launch economic and financial working groups with aim of easing tensions
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department and China’s Ministry of Finance launched a pair of economic working groups on Friday in an effort to ease tensions and deepen ties between the nations. Led by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Vice Premier He Lifeng, the working groups will be divided into...
U.S. education chief considers new ways to discourage college admissions preference for kids of alumni
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s education chief said he’s open to using “whatever levers” are available — including federal money — to discourage colleges from giving admissions preference to the children of alumni and donors. In an interview with The Associated Press, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said legacy admissions must...
Government shutdown risk spikes as House Republicans leave town in disarray amid hard-right revolt
WASHINGTON — With House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s latest funding plan in ruins and lawmakers leaving town for the weekend, there’s no endgame in sight as hard-right Republicans push dangerously closer to a disruptive federal shutdown. The White House will tell federal agencies on Friday to prepare for a shutdown, according...
Tropical storm warning issued for East Coast ahead of potential cyclone, forecasters sayVideo
MIAMI — A tropical storm warning was issued Thursday from coastal North Carolina to Delaware ahead of a potential tropical cyclone that’s approaching the densely populated East Coast. The National Hurricane Center announced the formation of “Potential Tropical Cyclone Sixteen” on Thursday morning. The storm was located about 340 miles...
Bus carrying high school students to band camp crashes, killing 2 and seriously injuring others
WAWAYANDA, N.Y. — A charter bus carrying high school students to a band camp careened off a New York highway and tumbled down an embankment Thursday, killing two adults and seriously injuring several others, officials said. Gov. Kathy Hochul said a failure of a front tire could have contributed to...
David McCormick announces U.S. Senate run with GOP lining up behind him
The Republicans have their preferred candidate in their quest to unseat incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. Former hedge fund CEO David McCormick announced his run for Senate on Thursday evening in Pittsburgh. At a campaign kickoff at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh’s Strip District with more than 200...
Officer’s threat to charge 11-year-old crime victim draws sharp critique of Columbus police
COLUMBUS — When an Ohio father learned that his 11-year-old daughter had been manipulated into sending explicit photos to an adult, he turned to the police for help. But instead of treating the girl as a crime victim, an officer seemingly threatened to charge her under a law most people...
Philadelphia sheriff disputes controller report that her office can’t account for nearly 200 guns
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia’s sheriff on Thursday disputed a city controller report that determined that the sheriff’s office couldn’t account for 185 guns that the controller’s office says are missing. Sheriff Rochelle Bilal said at a news conference that the controller’s report released earlier this week contained “misleading statements,” and she...
Booking a covid-19 vaccine? Some are reporting canceled appointments or insurance issues
MILWAUKEE — Some people seeking the newest covid-19 vaccine are running into high demand, insurance headaches and supply delays coast to coast. Millions of the newly formulated vaccines have shipped out since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on them last week for ages 6 months and...
In a first, Massachusetts to ban purchase of single-use plastic bottles by state agencies
BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order Thursday that she says will make Massachusetts the first state to ban the purchase of single-use plastic bottles by state agencies. Massachusetts buys about 100,000 of the plastic water bottles each year. The order bars all executive offices and agencies in...
Will Pa.’s automatic voter registration policy boost turnout or concerns about election security?
Pennsylvania became the 24th state to enact automatic voter registration when Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro announced the new policy Tuesday. When state residents obtain or renew their driver’s license or ID cards, they automatically are registered to vote, unless they choose to opt out of the process on their driver’s...
Greensburg Garden Center to host fall house tour, garden party
Those seeking inspiration for fall decorations and garden displays need look no further than the Greensburg Garden Center’s fall house tour and garden party. The event, scheduled for Saturday, includes a tour of a mid-century modern home and just under two acres of gardens. In addition to highlighting fall decor...
Powerball jackpot elusive again; Saturday prize rises to $725M
Another Powerball drawing, another night without a big winner. The winning numbers were 16-27-59-62-63 with a Powerball of 23. Up for grabs was $672 million, $320 million for all cash. No entries matched all six numbers in the Powerball drawing Wednesday night, pushing the jackpot to $725 million ($345.7 million...
Jail where murderer Danilo Cavalcante escaped plans to wall off yard, make other upgrades
The Pennsylvania jail from which convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante brazenly escaped, eluding searchers for two weeks, plans to enclose its exercise yards with walls and a roof and make inmates wear brighter uniforms, along with other security improvements. The Chester County jail board unanimously approved plans Wednesday to fully enclose...
Man executed for the 1996 killing of a University of Oklahoma dance student
McALESTER, Okla. — Oklahoma executed an inmate Thursday for the 1996 killing of a University of Oklahoma dance student, in a case that went unsolved for years until DNA from the crime scene was matched to a man serving prison time for burglary. Anthony Sanchez, 44, was pronounced dead at...
Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to financial crimes — the first time he’s admitted blame to a judge
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh did something Thursday he hasn’t done in the two years since his life of privilege and power started to unravel — plead guilty to a crime. Murdaugh admitted in federal court to 22 counts of financial fraud and money laundering. Murdaugh, 55, is...
Penn-Trafford Homecoming game, parade slated for Friday
The streets of Harrison City will be lined with floats Friday for Penn-Trafford’s Homecoming parade and football game. The parade kicks off at Penn Township Municipal Park at 6 p.m. The procession will feature the high school marching band, cologuard, cheerleaders and floats designed by several of the school’s clubs...
Republican David McCormick is expected to announce he’s entering Pa.’s U.S. Senate race
HARRISBURG — Republican David McCormick is expected to announce Thursday that he will enter Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race and make his second bid for the office, this time to take on Democratic Sen. Bob Casey after losing in last year’s crowded Republican primary. McCormick’s aides have sent invites to a...
Zelenskyy delivers upbeat message to U.S. lawmakers on war progress as some Republican support softens
WASHINGTON — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy worked to shore up U.S. support for Ukraine on a whirlwind visit to Washington on Thursday, delivering an upbeat message on the war’s progress while facing new questions about the flow of American dollars that for 19 months has helped keep his troops in the...
Outdated headline sparks vicious online hate campaign directed at Las Vegas newspaper
NEW YORK — A Las Vegas newspaper is being viciously attacked online for its coverage of an alleged murder of a retired police chief, either because of a misunderstanding or a deliberate attempt to mislead. The “firehose of hatred” has led the Las Vegas Review-Journal to sift through email directed...
‘Game of Thrones’ creator and other authors sue ChatGPT-maker OpenAI for copyright infringement
NEW YORK — John Grisham, Jodi Picoult and George R.R. Martin are among 17 authors suing OpenAI for “systematic theft on a mass scale,” the latest in a wave of legal action by writers concerned that artificial intelligence programs are using their copyrighted works without permission. In papers filed Tuesday...
Under pressure over border, Biden administration to protect hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Wednesday that it was granting temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are already in the country — quickly making them eligible to work — as it grapples with growing numbers of people fleeing the South American country and elsewhere to...
Local nonprofit Feeding the Spirit hosts annual fundraiser, notes increase in community need
Feeding the Spirit was founded in 2011 to provide food to those in need of a hot meal. Today, it serves about 250 meals every Thursday night at Greensburg’s Otterbein United Methodist Church and offers a wide range of crisis intervention support — all with grant funding and donations from...
Pa. Senate passes bill allowing more medical marijuana growers to sell directly to patients
The Pennsylvania Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would allow all of the state’s medical marijuana growers and processors to sell their products directly to patients, with several senators speculating that the bill could — and should — become a vehicle for further opening up the commonwealth’s marijuana laws....
More cuts planned at deficit-plagued West Virginia University
West Virginia University Libraries, already hit this year with a 30% cut in its operating budget, now faces up to $800,000 in personnel cuts under measures announced Wednesday to shore up the university’s deficit-plagued finances. The action is outlined in one of the letters delivered by the provost’s office to...
