Court dismisses challenge to Biden’s restoration of Utah monuments shrunk by Trump
A judge Friday dismissed a lawsuit from the state of Utah challenging President Joe Biden’s restoration of two sprawling national monuments in the state that were downsized by President Donald Trump. U.S. District Judge David Nuffer said Biden acted within his authority when he issued proclamations restoring Bears Ears and...
Trailing in polls, DeSantis turns to attention-grabbing moves
TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has long been known for his fiery responses to reporters and disdain for mainstream news outlets. He even blamed “the media” for low polling numbers in July. But in recent weeks, he has pivoted to accommodate and encourage the spotlight. As his presidential...
Pittsburgh area couple shares escape from ‘hellacious’ Maui wildfires
An immigrant cook building a new life. A widow preparing to say goodbye. And a couple taking their vows. All were caught in the crossfire, forced to flee as flames swallowed parts of Maui, that drop in the Pacific where roads wind past waterfalls, turtles glide through gem-blue waters and...
AG Garland appoints special counsel in Hunter Biden probe, deepening investigation
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday he has appointed a special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe, deepening the investigation of the president’s son ahead of the 2024 election. Garland noted the “extraordinary circumstances” of the matter as he named David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware who...
Former Tennessee state senator gets 21-month prison sentence for campaign finance cash scheme
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A former Tennessee state senator on Friday was sentenced to 21 months in prison after he unsuccessfully tried to take back his guilty plea on federal campaign finance charges. Former Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey received his sentence in U.S. District Court in Nashville in the case centering...
Hershey Chocolate World evacuated due to bomb threat
Hershey Chocolate World evacuated its building due to a bomb threat reported at around 3:30 p.m. Friday, according to officials. Security officials from Chocolate World called Dauphin County 911 dispatchers to report the threat, according to Jennifer Fitch, press secretary for Dauphin County. Fitch said the popular tourist destination was...
Judge sends FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried to jail, says crypto mogul tampered with witnesses
NEW YORK — FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried left a federal courtroom in handcuffs Friday after a judge revoked his bail after concluding that the fallen cryptocurrency wiz had repeatedly tried to influence witnesses against him. Bankman-Fried looked down at his hands as Judge Lewis A. Kaplan explained at length why...
South Huntingdon fire department purchases gear for firefighters
The Turkeytown Volunteer Fire Department in South Huntingdon will purchase more than $30,000 worth of gear thanks to a grant from a Florida-based nonprofit. The $30,500 grant from Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation will cover the cost of seven sets of bunker gear. Each set includes a jacket, pants, hood,...
Highmark among insurers that won’t cover new Alzheimer’s treatment for some customers
Some private insurers are balking at paying for the first drug fully approved to slow mental decline in Alzheimer’s patients. Insurers selling coverage in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York, among other states, told The Associated Press they won’t cover Leqembi with insurance offered on the individual market and through...
U.S. suicides hit all-time high in 2022
NEW YORK — About 49,500 people took their own lives last year in the U.S., the highest number ever, according to new government data posted Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which posted the numbers, has not yet calculated a suicide rate for the year, but available data...
W.Va. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says he’s been thinking seriously about becoming an independent
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin said that he has been thinking “seriously” about leaving the Democratic Party and becoming an independent. The West Virginia lawmaker, who has raised his national profile as a swing vote on major spending packages in the closely divided U.S. Senate, made the comments...
More evacuations considered in Norway where swollen rivers continue to rise
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Authorities were on standby to evacuate more people in southeastern Norway Friday, where huge amounts of water, littered with broken trees, debris and trash, were thundering down the usually serene rivers after days of torrential rain. The level of water in swollen rivers and lakes continued to...
Death toll rises to 67 in Maui wildfires
LAHAINA, Hawaii — Incinerated cars crushed by downed telephone poles. Charred elevator shafts standing as testaments to the burned-down apartment buildings they once served. Pools filled with charcoal-colored water. Trampolines and children’s scooters mangled by the extreme heat. Residents of Lahaina were being allowed back home Friday for the first...
Jakarta is the world’s most polluted city. Blame the dry season and vehicles for the gray skies
JAKARTA, Indonesia — The dry season and and motorized vehicles are the main causes of the air pollution in Jakarta, Indonesian authorities said Friday, after a Swiss air quality technology company named the city as the most polluted in the world. Thick smoke and gray skies have appeared every morning...
Florida education commissioner skips forum on criticized Black history standards
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Hundreds of lawmakers, teachers, school board members and parents crowded into a South Florida church Thursday evening for a forum on Florida’s new standards for teaching Black history, which have drawn harsh criticism for requiring teachers to instruct middle-school students that enslaved people “developed skills which,...
Former Pa. corrections officers’ union leaders charged with theft
Five former leaders of Pennsylvania’s corrections officers’ union have been charged with theft after police say they stole union funds by using credit cards for personal expenses and conspiring to conceal their actions. The men were charged in a Harrisburg court last month following a financial crimes investigation led by...
Biden asks Congress for $40B to support Ukraine, replenish U.S. disaster aid and bolster border
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday asked Congress to provide more than $13 billion in emergency defense aid to Ukraine and an additional $8 billion for humanitarian support through the end of the year, another massive infusion of cash as the Russian invasion wears on and Ukraine pushes a...
Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn arrested in 2021 after groping complaints at club, police records show
PHOENIX — Boris Epshteyn, a longtime aide to former President Donald Trump, was arrested in 2021 after he was accused of repeatedly groping two women in an Arizona nightclub, according to police records. Epshteyn pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct charges in Scottsdale city court after prosecutors dropped charges of attempted...
How to help or donate in response to the deadly wildfire in Maui
While rescue and emergency operations continued Thursday at the deadly wildfires that swept across the Hawaiian island of Maui, many people are already looking for ways to support the response and provide relief to those affected. The full extent of the damage and the recovery needs may not be known...
Maui fire deaths surge to 53 and likely to go higher, governor says; over 1,000 structures burned
LAHAINA, Hawaii — A search of the wildfire devastation on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Thursday revealed a wasteland of obliterated neighborhoods and landmarks charred beyond recognition, as the death toll rose to at least 53 and survivors told harrowing tales of narrow escapes with only the clothes on...
6 Western nations demand Russia return 2 regions it took from neighboring Georgia 15 years ago
UNITED NATIONS — Six Western nations marked the 15th anniversary of Russia’s takeover of 20% of Georgia’s territory by demanding on Thursday that Moscow return the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions. A joint statement by the six members of the U.N. Security Council — the United States, United Kingdom, France,...
Rocket with a lunar landing blasts off on Russia’s 1st moon mission in nearly 50 years
LONDON — A rocket carrying a lunar landing craft blasted off Friday on Russia’s first moon mission in nearly 50 years, racing to land on Earth’s satellite ahead of an Indian spacecraft. The launch from Russia’s Vostochny spaceport in the Far East of the Luna-25 craft to the moon is...
Hempfield releases comprehensive plan draft ahead of August vote
Hempfield supervisors will vote this month on a comprehensive plan that maps out the priorities of the township over the next 10 to 15 years. The plan’s goals include improving township signage, expanding sidewalks and trails, removing blighted property, developing available property on Route 30, preserving greenspace and evaluating the...
Western officials: Niger junta warned they’d kill deposed president after any military intervention
NIAMEY, Niger — Niger’s junta told a top U.S. diplomat that they would kill deposed President Mohamed Bazoum if neighboring countries attempted any military intervention to restore his rule, two Western officials told The Associated Press. They spoke to the AP shortly before the West African bloc ECOWAS said it...
Anti-corruption presidential candidate assassinated in Ecuador as country reels from violence
QUITO, Ecuador — An Ecuadorian presidential candidate who recently pledged to root out corruption and lock up the country’s “thieves” was fatally shot at a political rally in the capital as the South American country reels from drug-related crime and violence. Fernando Villavicencio, 59, who was known for speaking up...
