Judge nixes Trump’s bid to move hush-money criminal case, keeping it in New York state court
NEW YORK — Donald Trump can’t make a federal case out of this one. U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein on Wednesday rejected the former president’s bid to move his hush-money criminal case from New York state court to federal court, ruling that Trump’s lawyers had failed to meet a...
Report: Rising gambling revenue for June closes out record haul for fiscal year
June proved to be another lucrative month for Pennsylvania’s gambling joints. Last month, the combined total revenue generated from all forms of gaming clocked in at nearly $440.5 million, a 13% increase compared to June 2022, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Still, it was a drop compared to...
Dark money group puts pressure on Pa. lawmakers after Shapiro vows voucher veto
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — As Pennsylvania’s budget impasse drags on, a group that keeps its donors secret is pressuring key lawmakers to support...
Maine governor expands access to abortion later in pregnancy
AUGUSTA, Maine — Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill into law Wednesday that expands access to abortions later in pregnancy in Maine, joining a half-dozen states that leave it to doctors and patients to make the decision without restrictions on timing. The new law allows abortions at any time...
Trump’s target letter suggests sprawling U.S. probe into 2020 election is zeroing in on him
WASHINGTON — A target letter sent to Donald Trump suggests that a sprawling Justice Department investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election is zeroing in on him after more than a year of interviews with top aides to the former president and state officials from across the country. Federal...
Sara Innamorato resigns from state House amid budget impasse
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — The state House will once again be tied at 101-101 following the resignation of a Western Pennsylvania Democrat. State...
Fear, distrust, and an ethics office in chaos erode Penn State’s post-Sandusky reforms
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. STATE COLLEGE — John Champagne submitted his report just before noon on Oct. 28, 2021....
Have you reported misconduct at Penn State? We want to hear from you.
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. Spotlight PA wants to better understand how Penn State handles reports of misconduct, no matter...
How Spotlight PA and the Centre Daily Times reported ‘Missed Conduct’
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. STATE COLLEGE — A recent investigation by Spotlight PA and the Centre Daily Times into...
Dog gets $2,000 reward for helping capture escaped Pennsylvania inmate Michael Burham
A chocolate Lab mix in Warren County is getting spoiled after his owners were presented Tuesday with $2,000, part of a reward authorities had offered for information leading to the apprehension of jail escapee Michael Burham. Ron and Cindy Ecklund were given $2,000 cash from Warren County Crime Stoppers for...
Canadian wildfires hit Indigenous communities hard, threatening their land and culture
EAST PRAIRIE METIS SETTLEMENT, Alberta — Carrol Johnston counted her blessings as she stood on the barren site where her home was destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire that forced her to flee her northern Alberta community two months ago. Her family escaped unharmed, though her beloved cat, Missy, didn’t make...
Gucci’s CEO is stepping down as its French parent shakes up leadership
LONDON — The president and CEO of Gucci is stepping down later this year, the latest shakeup to the luxury fashion brand and coming as part of a series of changes to its parent company, the French conglomerate Kering. Marco Bizzarri will depart the Italian design house in September after...
Pitt’s new chancellor begins her tenure with some questions for students, staff
College and university leaders who are new in their job almost always arrive on campus promising some form of a listening tour to take the pulse of the place. At the University of Pittsburgh, Chancellor Joan Gabel is taking things a bit further in her first week. She emailed Pitt’s...
House passes resolution to show support for Israel after Democrat’s comments about ‘racist’ state
WASHINGTON — The House on Tuesday passed a Republican-led resolution reaffirming its support for Israel with strong bipartisan approval — an implicit rebuke of a leading Democrat who, over the weekend, called the country a “racist state” but later apologized. The resolution, introduced by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, passed with...
Pennsylvania prosecutor asks the state to take over the probe into a homicide suspect’s jail escape
WARREN — A county prosecutor in Pennsylvania said Tuesday that he has asked the state attorney general’s office to take over the investigation surrounding a homicide suspect’s escape because of the possibility that jail staff might be charged with criminal negligence. Warren County District Attorney Rob Greene said reports from...
Michigan charges 16 fake electors for Donald Trump with election law and forgery feloniesVideo
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan’s attorney general filed felony charges Tuesday against 16 Republicans who acted as fake electors for then-President Donald Trump in 2020, accusing them of submitting false certificates confirming they were legitimate electors despite Joe Biden’s victory in the state. Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, announced Tuesday...
Scientists studying rhesus monkeys find surprising benefits to same-sex relationships
A group of monkeys is challenging humans’ views on sexuality by showing that same-sex behavior among males strengthens their social networks and may even help them father more offspring. The findings, reported this month in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, suggest that same-sex behavior is not only natural in...
Gas leaked from bad fitting at Pennsylvania chocolate factory where 7 died in blast, report says
Natural gas leaked from a defective fitting at a Pennsylvania chocolate factory where a powerful explosion leveled one building, heavily damaged another and killed seven people, federal safety investigators said Tuesday, while noting they have yet to determine the cause of the blast. The leak at the R.M. Palmer Co....
Deaths of 4 Oregon women over 3 months are linked, authorities say, reversing earlier call
SALEM, Ore. — The bodies of four women began appearing in wooded areas in northwest Oregon in February, though police initially said the cases appeared to be unconnected. But on Monday, prosecutors dropped a bombshell, saying they are linked and “at least one person of interest” has been identified. The...
Mammals may have hunted down dinosaurs for dinner, rare fossil suggests
NEW YORK — An unusual find in China suggests some early mammals may have hunted dinosaur for dinner. The fossil shows a badgerlike creature chomping down on a small, beaked dinosaur, their skeletons intertwined. The find comes from a site known as “China’s Pompeii,” where mud and debris from long-ago...
Effort to find 2 children lost in a Pennsylvania flash flood may soon pivot to an underwater search
WASHINGTON CROSSING — A broad effort to find two young siblings who were swept away from their car during flash flooding in the Philadelphia suburbs over the weekend may soon pivot to underwater searching, authorities said Tuesday. Upper Makefield Fire Chief Tim Brewer provided an update near the search area,...
Trump says he’s been told he is a target of U.S. probe into efforts to overturn 2020 election
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has received a letter informing him that he is a target of the Justice Department’s investigation into efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election, an indication that he could soon be indicted by federal prosecutors. Trump made...
Russia targets Ukraine’s port of Odesa, calls it payback for strike on key bridge to Crimea
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine said its forces shot down Russian drones and cruise missiles targeting the Black Sea port of Odesa before dawn Tuesday in what Moscow called “retribution” for an attack that damaged a crucial bridge to the Crimean Peninsula. The Russians first sought to wear down Ukraine’s air...
Judge signals December may be too soon for Trump’s classified documents case, but doesn’t set date
FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A federal judge signaled Tuesday that December may be too soon to begin former President Donald Trump’s landmark criminal trial concerning the mishandling of classified documents, but did not say whether she would agree to Trump’s request to put the trial off until after the 2024...
Trump and his legal problems overshadow DeSantis campaigning in South Carolina
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a brief news conference Tuesday as part of a shift in strategy for his presidential campaign, but the governor took only four questions, almost all of which centered on the party’s front-runner Donald Trump. DeSantis’ attempt to change the conversation, which came while campaigning in...
