3 U.S. tourists stabbed in popular Puerto Rican neighborhood
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Three U.S. tourists were stabbed in Puerto Rico early Monday after police said someone told them to stop filming in a renowned seaside community known as La Perla that is popular with visitors. The confrontation began when one of the tourists, who lives in South...
Florida teen pleads guilty to fatally stabbing classmate
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A Florida teenager faces a possible life sentence after he pleaded guilty Monday to fatally stabbing a 13-year-old classmate 114 times and leaving her body in a wooded area near their homes in 2021. The plea came as jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday morning...
Super Bowl draws epic air show of private planes to Phoenix
PHOENIX — Former NFL player Jim Bob Morris is heading to the Super Bowl in Phoenix from Bloomington, Illinois, in a newly refurbished set of wheels. His ride has new paint, new seating and even a new bathroom. Morris, who played for the Green Bay Packers, Houston Oilers and was...
$747M Powerball jackpot up to 9th-largest as drawing nears
A $747 million Powerball jackpot will be up for grabs Monday night for players willing to risk $2 against the long, long odds of winning the big prize. No one has won the jackpot since Nov. 19, 2022, allowing the prize to grow larger with each of the game’s three...
China accuses U.S. of indiscriminate use of force over balloon
BEIJING — China on Monday accused the United States of indiscriminate use of force in shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, saying it “seriously impacted and damaged both sides’ efforts and progress in stabilizing Sino-U.S. relations.” The U.S. shot down the balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed...
3.8 magnitude earthquake hits Buffalo
An earthquake struck near Buffalo, N.Y., early Monday morning. The U.S. Geological Survey preliminarily reported a 3.8 earthquake centered east of Buffalo in the suburb of West Seneca at about 6:15 a.m. Seismologist Yaareb Altaweel said it was the region’s strongest quake in at least 40 years. UPDATE: Rare magnitude...
Rescuers scramble in Turkey, Syria after quake kills 4,000Video
ADANA, Turkey — Rescuers in Turkey and war-ravaged Syria searched through the frigid night into Tuesday, hoping to pull more survivors from the rubble after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed more than 4,000 people and toppled thousands of buildings across a wide region. Authorities feared the death toll from...
Summer Lee talks about her goals during 1st term in Congress
Pittsburgh has a new representative in Congress for the first time in nearly three decades. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, was sworn in last month to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, who did not seek reelection. Lee said she has hit the ground running and the region will continue...
Northeast temperatures soar a day after bone-numbing coldVideo
Temperatures in many areas of the Northeast climbed to the mid-40s Fahrenheit on Sunday, a day after the region suffered through temperatures that plummeted into the negative teens and felt like minus 45 to minus 50 degrees with the wind chill. Atop 6,288-foot Mount Washington in New Hampshire, the temperature...
U.S. officials offer Congress briefing on Trump documents
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials have offered to brief congressional leaders on their investigation into the classified documents found at former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence, people familiar with the matter said Sunday. A briefing could come as soon as this week. But it may not meet demands from lawmakers who...
Ohio officials urge evacuation near derailment, fearing explosionVideo
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Officials monitoring the smoldering, tangled wreckage of a train derailment in northeastern Ohio urgently warned hundreds of nearby residents who had declined to evacuate to do so Sunday night, saying a rail car was at risk of a potential explosion that could launch deadly shrapnel as...
Europe bans Russian diesel, other oil products over Ukraine
FRANKFURT, Germany — Europe imposed a ban Sunday on Russian diesel fuel and other refined oil products, slashing energy dependency on Moscow and seeking to further crimp the Kremlin’s fossil fuel earnings as punishment for invading Ukraine. The ban comes along with a price cap agreed by the Group of...
U.S. states take control of abortion debate with funding focus
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Though the Insight Women’s Center sits at the epicenter of a reinvigorated battle in the nation’s culture wars, the only hint of its faith-based mission to dissuade people from getting abortions is the jazzy, piano rendition of “Jesus Loves Me” playing in a waiting room. The Republican-controlled...
Powerball jackpot grows to $747 million after no winner
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Powerball jackpot grew to an estimated $747 million after no one beat the odds and won the top prize in Saturday night’s drawing. The numbers drawn were: 2, 8, 15, 19, 58 and Powerball 10. The $747 million Powerball jackpot up for grabs Monday night...
Balloon bickering over Biden’s actions, China’s intentionsVideo
WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers on Sunday accused China of deliberately surveilling sensitive U.S. military sites with a suspected spy balloon and said the Biden administration had given Beijing an intelligence opening by not downing the balloon during its high-altitude drift through American airspace. The balloon’s presence in the sky above...
Crash averted at Austin airport; FAA, NTSB to investigate
AUSTIN, Texas — A FedEx cargo airplane attempting to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Saturday morning had to change course after a second plane was cleared to depart from the same runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. “The pilot of the FedEx airplane discontinued the landing and initiated...
Downing of suspected China spy balloon draws threat from Beijing
WASHINGTON — China responded with harsh words Saturday to the U.S. military’s downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America. China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian aircraft and threatened repercussions. In its statement Sunday,...
Mars Area basketball coach describes scene when gunman reported outside school
The high school basketball gym had been packed for a game that took three overtimes to decide. After passing through a handshake line, the visiting South Fayette and the home Mars Area boys varsity teams headed downstairs to their locker rooms. It had been an near-ideal Friday night high school...
U.S. downs Chinese balloon over ocean, moves to recover debris
WASHINGTON — The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing. An operation was underway in U.S. territorial waters to recover debris from the...
Tesla hikes price of Model Y after U.S. alters tax credit rule
DETROIT — Tesla has raised prices on its Model Y in the U.S., apparently due to rising demand and changes in U.S. government rules that make more versions of the small SUV eligible for tax credits. The Austin, Texas, electric vehicle company bumped up the price of the Model Y...
Dangerously cold temperatures envelop Northeast
BOSTON — Arctic air descended into the Northeast on Saturday morning, bringing dangerously cold sub-zero temperatures and wind chills that dropped to minus 45 to minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 43 to minus 45 C) in many areas. Atop Mount Washington in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, the overnight wind chill...
‘Died suddenly’ posts twist tragedies to push vaccine lies
Results from 6-year-old Anastasia Weaver’s autopsy may take weeks. But online anti-vaccine activists needed only hours after her funeral this week to baselessly blame the covid-19 vaccine. A prolific Twitter account posted Anastasia’s name and smiling dance portrait in a tweet with a syringe emoji. A Facebook user messaged her...
Why a new Alzheimer’s drug is having a slow U.S. debut
The first drug to show that it slows Alzheimer’s is on sale, but treatment for most patients is still several months away. Two big factors behind the slow debut, experts say, are scant insurance coverage and a long setup time needed by many health systems. Patients who surmount those challenges...
Electronic pollbook security raises concerns going into 2024
ATLANTA — They were blamed for long lines in Los Angeles during California’s 2020 presidential primary, triggered check-in delays in Columbus, Ohio, a few months later and were at the center of former President Donald Trump’s call for supporters to protest in Detroit during last November’s midterms. High-profile problems involving...
Disney World unions vote down offer covering 45,000 workers
ORLANDO, Fla. — Union members voted down a contract proposal covering tens of thousands of Walt Disney World service workers, saying it didn’t go far enough toward helping employees face cost-of-living hikes in housing and other expenses in central Florida. The unions said that 13,650 out of 14,263 members who...