With Russia revolt over, mercenaries’ future and direction of Ukraine war remain uncertainVideo
Russian government troops withdrew from the streets of Moscow on Sunday and the rebellious mercenary soldiers who had occupied other cities were gone, but the short-lived revolt has weakened President Vladimir Putin just as his forces are facing a fierce counteroffensive in Ukraine. The aborted march on the capital by...
Pitt, Penn State branch campuses bleeding enrollment; decline expected to continue
Brianna Guinther studies nursing minutes from her Greensburg home at a University of Pittsburgh branch campus, a leafy suburban setting with plenty of quiet study spaces and a new Life Sciences Building. Having Pitt-Greensburg as an option spared her a more arduous commute as she pursues a four-year degree. She...
A bridge over Yellowstone River collapses, sending a freight train into the waters below
COLUMBUS, Mont. — A bridge that crosses Yellowstone River in Montana collapsed overnight, causing portions of a freight train, including some cars carrying hazardous material, to plunge into the water below. The train crew was safe and no injuries were reported after the bridge collapse, according to a statement from...
One year later, the Supreme Court’s abortion decision is both scorned and praised
Activists and politicians are marking the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned a nationwide right to abortion by both bashing and celebrating it. Rallies on both sides were scheduled for Saturday in Washington and across the country. In a statement, President Joe Biden pledged to protect...
Safety, oversight concerns raised as Pa. lawmakers pursue billions for hydrogen hubs
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 Pennsylvania Senate is weighing a measure that would give state regulators, rather than federal ones, the power to...
Russia says Wagner Group’s leader will move to Belarus after his rebellious march challenged Putin
The head of the private Russian military company Wagner will move to neighboring Belarus as part of deal to defuse rebellion tensions and the criminal case against him will be closed, the Kremlin said Saturday. Yevgeny Prigozhin’s troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those...
Walk or run, this busy spot on Pitt campus has a new name
So, will it be Gallagher Walk or Gallagher Run? University of Pittsburgh trustees Friday renamed a spot in the heart of campus for departing Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, saying it reflected a transformational project during his nine-year tenure, and something else about him. The plaza and walkway that were chosen wrap...
What role will liability waivers play in the aftermath of the Titan sub tragedy?
BOSTON — Before they boarded the submersible that imploded near the Titanic wreck, the passengers who died this week were most likely asked signed liability waivers. One of the waivers, signed by a person who planned to go on an OceanGate expedition, required passengers to acknowledge risks involved with the...
Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro affirms support for funding private school vouchers amid budget push
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 — A coalition with wealthy backers is pushing Pennsylvania lawmakers to use public dollars to create tuition vouchers so K-12...
West Virginia University approves $7M in staff cuts, 3% tuition increase
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With more cuts expected, West Virginia University’s governing board moved forward Friday with slashing 12 graduate and doctorate programs amid a $45 million budget shortfall and approved a just under 3 percent tuition increase. The estimated $1.2 billion fiscal year 2024 budget approved by the institution’s Board...
Xylazine-laced fentanyl is causing wounds and scrambling efforts to stop overdoses
WASHINGTON — A powerful animal sedative in the illicit drug supply is complicating the U.S. response to the opioid crisis, scrambling longstanding methods for reversing overdoses and treating addiction. Xylazine can cause severe skin wounds, but whether it is leading to more deaths — as suggested by officials in Washington...
Interstate 95 reopens to some traffic less than 2 weeks after collapse in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — Interstate 95 reopened Friday less than two weeks after a deadly collapse in Philadelphia, a quicker-than-expected rebuild to get traffic flowing again on a heavily traveled stretch of the East Coast’s main north-south highway. Workers put the finishing touches on an interim six-lane roadway that will serve motorists...
Ukraine’s president tells other countries to act before Russia attacks nuclear plant
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine wants other countries to heed its warning that Russia may be planning to attack an occupied nuclear power plant to cause a radiation disaster, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Members of his government briefed international representatives on the possible threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Zelenskyy...
The latest on Titan submersible tragedy and what’s next in recovery efforts
The desperate search to find the missing Titan submersible turned into a recovery effort Thursday after officials announced the vessel imploded sometime this week, killing all five aboard, near the Titanic shipwreck. Deep-sea robots will continue searching the sea floor for clues about what happened deep in the North Atlantic....
House Republicans push off Biden impeachment bid for now as hard-right clamors for action
WASHINGTON — Eager to impeach President Joe Biden, hard-right House Republicans forced a vote Thursday that sent the matter to congressional committees in a clear demonstration of the challenge that Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces in controlling the majority party. The ability of a single lawmaker in the 435-member House to...
Former FBI analyst sentenced for keeping classified documents at Kansas City-area home
A former FBI analyst has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for keeping classified documents at her Kansas City-area home. Kendra Kingsbury, 50, pleaded guilty in October to two counts of unlawfully retaining documents related to national defense. She was sentenced Wednesday to three years and 10 months...
DeSantis sues Biden administration over university accrediting system
TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that the state has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration and the Department of Education over accreditation agencies, which control federal aid for students. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale federal court, challenges a federal law that requires colleges...
Temporary lanes on I-95 will reopen at noon Friday, Gov. Shapiro says
PHILADELPHIA — The temporary lanes for the damaged section of Interstate 95 in Northeast Philadelphia will reopen noon Friday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office announced. “Thanks to the crews that have worked around the clock to repair I-95, six lanes of traffic will reopen to motorists at 12:00 PM ET...
Judge blocks Wyoming’s 1st-in-the-nation abortion pill ban while court decides lawsuit
CHEYENNE — Abortion pills will remain legal in Wyoming for now, after a judge ruled Thursday that the state’s first-in-the-nation law to ban them won’t take effect July 1 as planned while a lawsuit proceeds. Attorneys for Wyoming failed to show that the ban wouldn’t harm the plaintiffs before their...
Pa. trooper remains hospitalized in critical condition after ‘ambush’
A Pennsylvania State Police lieutenant shot in Juniata County last weekend during an attack that left another trooper and the shooter dead is still in critical condition on Thursday, authorities said. Lt. James Wagner, 45, was shot by Brandon Stine, 38, during one of several encounters Stine had with troopers...
Pennsylvania House lawmakers pass bill to recruit more educators by offering $10K stipends
HARRISBURG — Faced with a rising number of Pennsylvania teachers leaving the profession, state House lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill to recruit more educators by giving student teachers a stipend while they’re in the classroom. The legislation seeks to remove the barriers for prospective teachers, whose work in the...
Rep. George Santos’ aunt, dad signed his bail bond to keep him out of jail while awaiting trial
NEW YORK — The two people who bailed Rep. George Santos out of federal custody have been revealed to be his father and his aunt, a detail the Republican fought to keep secret as he faces criminal charges and swirling questions about his finances. Gercino dos Santos Jr. and Elma...
Carnegie Mellon president, chair of Pa. university system named to Homeland Security panel
Carnegie Mellon University’s president and the Fox Chapel-based board chair of Pennsylvania’s state-owned university system have been added to an advisory council to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Farnam Jahanian from CMU and Cynthia Shapira from the State System Higher Education’s board of governors are among 20 additions announced...
Fetterman’s bill would free money to fix Pennsylvania streets
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has proposed a bill to make streets safer, citing Harrisburg as once being home to the “deadliest road in America” and the traffic fallout of the Interstate 95 collapse in Philadelphia. “The recent disaster on I-95 and the subsequent detour to the already dangerous Roosevelt Boulevard...
Past deep sea rescues show the challenges of saving those on board
BOSTON — The desperate search for a submersible that disappeared while taking five people to view the Titanic wreckage has drawn attention to other deep-sea rescues. Those rescue efforts — from a submersible off Ireland to a submarine off the New Hampshire coast — offer some measure of hope for...
