Pandemic youth mental health toll unprecedented, data show
The pandemic took a harsh toll on U.S. teen girls’ mental health, with almost 60% reporting feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness, according to a government survey released Monday that bolsters earlier data. Sexual violence, suicidal thoughts, suicidal behavior and other mental health woes affected many teens regardless of race...
Gov. Ron DeSantis ponders ending AP classes for Florida studentsVideo
TALLAHASSEE — The feud between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the College Board over Florida rejecting the AP African American studies course escalated Monday with DeSantis threatening to drop the organization’s Advanced Placement classes from Florida high schools. “So this College Board, nobody elected them to anything. They’re just kind of...
Thousands apply, but fewer than 250 qualify for Gov. Wolf’s marijuana pardon
When announcing the marijuana pardon project earlier this year, Gov. Tom Wolf said it had the potential to help thousands of Pennsylvanians clear their records. But it has fallen well short of that goal. More than 3,500 applications were sent in for the program, aimed at wiping out low-level marijuana...
Biden fires Architect of the Capitol over alleged abuses
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has fired embattled Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton, who oversees the historic building that houses Congress and its expansive grounds, as pressure mounted for his removal following a scathing inspector general report of personal and management lapses. The White House said Monday that Blanton’s...
Turkey earthquake survivors seek hot meals as rescues wane
ADIYAMAN, Turkey — Thousands left homeless by a massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria a week ago packed into crowded tents or lined up in the streets Monday for hot meals as the desperate search for survivors entered its last hours. Rescue teams that included Turkish coal miners and...
5 years after Parkland shooting, families cope through good works
PARKLAND, Fla. — After a gunman murdered 14 students and three staff members at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School five years ago Tuesday, their families were left with a burning question: How do we go on with our lives while honoring our loved one’s memory? Most have answered by...
Russia pushes advance on Bakhmut, bolsters defenses in south
KYIV, Ukraine — Fierce battles raged outside Bakhmut as Russian forces pushed their advance on the eastern city with heavy shelling and infantry attacks, Ukraine’s presidential office said Monday, with at least five civilians killed and as many wounded in action across the war-torn country in the last 24 hours....
U-Haul driver’s ‘rampage’ in NYC leaves 8 hurt, police sayVideo
NEW YORK — A man driving a U-Haul truck swerved onto sidewalks and plowed into scooter riders in New York City on Monday, injuring multiple people before police were able to pin the careening vehicle against a building following a mileslong pursuit. At least eight people were hurt, two critically....
Study hints healthier school lunch can reduce obesity
A 2010 federal law that boosted nutrition standards for school meals may have begun to help slow the rise in obesity among America’s children — even teenagers who can buy their own snacks, a new study showed. The national study found a small but significant decline in the average body...
Covid could create crisis in Alex Murdaugh murder trial
Two jurors in the double murder trial of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh have covid, leaving the future of the proceedings in some doubt as they enter their fourth week on Monday. Judge Clifton Newman decided keep the trial going in the packed Colleton County courtroom after the remaining...
Judge to release parts of Georgia special grand jury report
ATLANTA — A Georgia judge on Monday ordered the partial release later this week of a report by a special grand jury that investigated efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss. The report’s introduction and conclusion, as well as a section in...
Lottery for 800 rare whiskeys opens in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s state-run liquor department has opened a limited-release lottery, giving an opportunity to purchase 814 bottles of rare whiskey to those who register. The lottery includes hundreds of rare bottles from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2022 Release, as well as just a handful of bottles of Michter’s Straight Bourbon...
Haley faces ‘high-wire act’ in 2024 bid against Trump
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Few have navigated the turbulent politics of the Trump era like Nikki Haley. In early 2016, the then-South Carolina governor said she was “embarrassed” by candidate Donald Trump and decried his reluctance to condemn white supremacists. Nine months later, she agreed to join his Cabinet, serving as...
Dubai again plans for flying taxi takeoff, this time by 2026
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Dubai again is planning for the takeoff of flying taxis in this futuristic city-state on the Arabian Peninsula, offering its firmest details yet Monday for a pledged launch by 2026. Since 2017, the commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates has offered promises to launch...
Antisemitism worries rising for many U.S. Jews, survey finds
More than four in 10 Jews in the United States feel their status in America is less secure than it was a year earlier, according to a new survey by the American Jewish Committee. The survey, conducted in the fall of 2022, was released Monday by the AJC, a prominent...
Kansas City officer shot, hurt after Chiefs’ Super Bowl win
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City police officer was hit by gunfire and wounded at the department’s headquarters shortly after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, authorities said early Monday. The Kansas City Police Department said the officer’s injuries are not life-threatening. The source and motive of the gunfire...
China says more than 10 U.S. balloons flew in its airspace
BEIJING — China on Monday said more than 10 U.S. high-altitude balloons have flown in its airspace during the past year without its permission, following Washington’s accusation that Beijing operates a fleet of surveillance balloons around the world. The United States denied that it operates any surveillance balloons over China....
5 ways Pa.’s marijuana laws could change in 2023
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 the legislative session picks up, Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a host of changes to the state’s cannabis laws...
College Board accuses Florida of political motivations in AP course dispute
TAMPA, Fla. — Taken aback by Florida’s attacks against its new AP African American studies course, the College Board denounced the state Department of Education, saying it used the course to advance a politically motivated agenda. The organization’s letter, published at 8 p.m. Eastern time Saturday, came just two days...
Kutztown literacy program halted after outcry over book’s focus on climate change
Kutztown School District halted its new One Book, One School program before it reached students after receiving complaints over a book’s focus on climate change. News of the program’s cancellation was met by an outcry by those in favor of the selection of “Two Degrees” by a popular author for...
U.S. jets down 4 objects in 8 days, unprecedented in peacetimeVideo
WASHINGTON — A U.S. fighter jet shot down an “unidentified object” over Lake Huron on Sunday on orders from President Joe Biden. It was the fourth such downing in eight days and the latest military strike in an extraordinary chain of events over U.S. airspace that Pentagon officials believe has...
Mars Wrigley fined after workers fall into vat of chocolate
ELIZABETHTOWN — Federal workplace safety authorities have fined a central Pennsylvania confectionary factory more than $14,500 following an accident last year in which two workers fell into a vat of chocolate. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Mars Wrigley in the June accident at the Elizabethtown M&M/Mars factory, saying...
Biden hosts GOP, Dem governors at White House for dinner
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, hosting both Republican and Democratic governors for a black-tie affair at the White House, raised his glass for a toast. Standing under a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, he told the people in the room to remember who they were. “We’re the United States of America....
Trudeau: U.S. fighter shot down object over northern Canada
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that on his order a U.S. fighter jet shot down an “unidentified object” that was flying high over the Yukon, acting a day after the U.S. took similar action over Alaska. North American Aerospace Defense Command, the combined U.S.-Canada...
Army sees safety, not ‘wokeness,’ as top recruiting obstacle
WASHINGTON — While some Republicans blame the covid-19 vaccine or “wokeness” for the Army’s recruiting woes, the military service says the bigger hurdles are more traditional ones: Young people don’t want to die or get injured, deal with the stress of Army life and put their lives on hold. They...
