Pa. dog license fee hike takes a nip out of owners’ wallets to pay for more wardens
The new year could bring the return of more frequent canvassing of neighborhoods by state dog wardens, checking to make sure dogs have current licenses and rabies vaccinations. That is only one change the new year will usher in as an updated dog law, intended to keep pets and the...
Israel launches heavy strikes across central, southern Gaza after widening its offensive
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israel launched heavy strikes across central and southern Gaza overnight and into Wednesday after broadening its offensive against Hamas to more areas where the military had told Palestinians to seek shelter earlier in the war. Residents reported heavy bombing in the built-up Bureij refugee camp in...
After recalls and infections, experts say safer eyedrops will require new FDA powers
WASHINGTON — When you buy eyedrops at a U.S. store, you might assume you’re getting a product made in a clean, well-maintained factory that’s passed muster with health regulators. But repeated recalls involving over-the-counter drops are drawing new attention to just how little U.S. officials know about the conditions at...
Gettysburg College director killed in crash after hitting a tractor-trailer, coroner says
A woman who was killed when her car struck a tractor-trailer Friday afternoon on Route 15 was a Gettysburg College administrator, according to the school’s student newspaper. The Adams County coroner on Tuesday also provided additional details about the collision in Latimore Township, which killed Sara Gifford, 35. The crash...
Inside the Pa. court case pitting a genealogist against Ancestry.com
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. What began in 2022 as a one-paragraph public records request has morphed into a full-blown court fight over who owns digital copies...
Police investigating incidents involving Colorado justices after Trump removed from state’s ballot
DENVER — Police said Tuesday they are investigating incidents directed at Colorado Supreme Court justices and providing extra patrols around their homes in Denver following the court’s decision to remove former President Donald Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot. The Denver Police Department declined in an email to provide...
Court reverses former Nebraska U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry’s conviction of lying to federal authorities
LOS ANGELES — An appellate court on Tuesday reversed a 2022 federal conviction against former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, ruling that he should not have been tried in Los Angeles. Fortenberry was convicted in March 2022 on charges that he lied to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 contribution...
Teen tourist sisters stabbed in random attack at Grand Central Station
Two teen sisters visiting New York from South America were stabbed in a random attack at Manhattan’s Grand Central Station on Christmas morning, police said Tuesday. The two girls, ages 14 and 16, were eating with their family at Tartinery Cafe in the station’s dining concourse when workers asked Steve...
Ice storms, blizzards pummel central U.S. on the day after ChristmasVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — From an ice storm in North Dakota that sealed windows shut to blizzard conditions in Colorado causing hundreds of airport delays and cancellations, a winter storm pummeled much of the central United States on Tuesday, the day after Christmas. “The heavy snow conditions in the Plains should be...
The rapper Ye, who has a long history of making antisemitic comments, issues an apology in Hebrew
The rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who has a long history of making antisemitic comments, apologized to the Jewish community in an Instagram post written in Hebrew on Tuesday. “I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions,” Ye wrote. “It...
Guesthouse blaze in Romania leaves 6 dead, several others missing
BUCHAREST, Romania — A massive fire at a guesthouse on Tuesday morning in Romania left six people dead, including at least one child, authorities said. Emergency intervention teams were deployed to the blaze in the village of Tohani in Prahova county, where 26 people were staying at the guesthouse, according...
Pennsylvanians ‘should brace for a costly winter,’ warns report
While winter forecasts predict mild weather mixed in with snow, cold temperatures at night will prompt many a household to turn up their thermostats. While how much one pays for heat depends on the type of energy one uses, a recent report has found how Pennsylvania is among the states...
As social media guardrails fade and AI deepfakes go mainstream, experts warn of impact on elections
NEW YORK — Nearly three years after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, the false election conspiracy theories that drove the violent attack remain prevalent on social media and cable news: suitcases filled with ballots, late-night ballot dumps, dead people voting. Experts warn it will likely be worse in the coming...
6-year-old boy traveling to visit grandma for Christmas put on wrong Spirit flight
FORT MYERS, Fla. — A 6-year-old boy who left on a flight for the Christmas holiday to visit his grandmother in southwest Florida instead was put on the wrong plane and ended up 160 miles away in Orlando, Florida. When the grandmother, Maria Ramos, showed up on Thursday at Southwest...
Americans ramped up spending over holidays despite some financial anxiety, higher costs
NEW YORK — Holiday sales rose this year and spending remained resilient during the shopping season even with Americans wrestling with higher prices in some areas and other financial worries, according to the latest measure. Holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.1%, a slower pace...
The right to protest is under threat in Britain, undermining a pillar of democracy
LONDON — For holding a sign outside a courthouse reminding jurors of their right to acquit defendants, a retiree faces up to two years in prison. For hanging a banner reading “Just Stop Oil” off a bridge, an engineer got a three-year sentence. Just for walking slowly down the street,...
Russian naval ship in Crimea damaged in airstrike by Ukrainian forces, Russian Defense Ministry says
KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian naval ship in Crimea was damaged in an airstrike by Ukrainian forces, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday. The landing ship Novocherkassk was hit at a base in the city of Feodosia by plane-launched guided missiles, the ministry said, adding that two Ukrainian fighter jets were...
Israeli military says Gaza ground offensive has expanded into urban refugee camps
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces on Tuesday expanded their ground offensive into urban refugee camps in central Gaza after bombarding the crowded Palestinian communities and ordering residents to evacuate. Gaza’s main telecom provider announced another “complete interruption” of services in the besieged territory. The military’s announcement of the new...
Biden orders strikes on an Iranian-aligned group after 3 U.S. troops injured in drone attack in Iraq
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. military to carry out retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three U.S. service members were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said one of the U.S. troops suffered critical injuries in the attack...
Pa. education bill requires basic financial literacy for high school students
Balancing a checkbook. The basics of taking out a business loan. The impact of a home mortgage. For the average high school student, these don’t sound like exciting concepts. And in adulthood, they don’t get much more exciting. But they are essential. And state legislators want all high school students...
State, federal legislators look to keep AM radio a standard, free feature in vehicles
In recent years, some car manufacturers, including Ford, Tesla and Volkswagen, have quietly proposed removing AM radio from some vehicles. Members of the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters think it’s the tip of a subscription-based iceberg and are hoping recent bipartisan federal legislation can stop it in its tracks. “The best...
Marjorie Taylor Greene targeted by failed Christmas swatting attempt
Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was the target of a swatting attempt at her Georgia residence on Christmas morning, the congresswoman and local police said, marking the latest instance of someone calling in a fake emergency to draw armed officers to her home. The Rome Police Department quickly verified...
Holiday travel is mostly nice, but with some naughty disruptions again on Southwest Airlines
Conditions were mostly nice this year for travelers flying ahead of and on Christmas, but some naughty disruptions again plagued those flying with Southwest Airlines. For millions of people traveling over the holiday, this year was much better than last. Christmas morning put a bow on a relatively smooth weekend....
Kicking Trump off the ballot won’t be easy — here’s why
WASHINGTON — The argument that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution bars Donald Trump from the ballot has rapidly gone from obscurity to the top of the political agenda. In August, when I wrote about why the 14th Amendment needed to be taken seriously and how it had the potential...
Ukraine says it shot down Russian fighter jets and drones as the country officially marks Christmas
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday hailed the shooting down of two Russian fighter jets on Christmas Eve and said “this Christmas sets the right mood for the entire year ahead.” In a Christmas message marking the first time the country has officially observed the holiday on...
