New Mexico legislators may block local abortion ordinances
SANTA FE, N.M. — A standoff over abortion in politically conservative regions of New Mexico is looming as Democratic state legislators present a bill that would prohibit local governments from interfering with women’s access to reproductive health care. The initiative from state House Democrats responds to abortion restrictions recently adopted...
U.S. may lift protections for Yellowstone, Glacier grizzlies
BILLINGS, Mont. — The Biden administration took a first step Friday toward ending federal protections for grizzly bears in the northern Rocky Mountains, which would open the door to future hunting in several states. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the governors of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming provided “substantial”...
Frontier Airlines, which flies out of 3 Pa. cities, cuts price on unlimited summer pass
It is still chilly outside and summer is still a few months away, but no doubt there are plenty of folks in Pennsylvania already dreaming of taking that summer vacation. But, heck, why not go ahead and make that plural? Vacations. If that sounds dreamy, Frontier Airlines might have a...
Baltic leaders warn Olympic boycott possible if Russians compete
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The prime ministers of the three Baltic countries urged the International Olympic Committee to ban Russian athletes from next year’s Paris Games because of the war in Ukraine, saying Friday a boycott was a possibility. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said athletes from her country could be...
Companies pledge millions in Fed effort to stem road deaths
WASHINGTON — Nearly 50 businesses and nonprofits — including rideshare companies Uber and Lyft, industrial giant 3M and automaker Honda — are pledging millions of dollars in initiatives to stem a crisis in road fatalities under a new federal effort announced Friday. It’s part of the Department of Transportation’s “Call...
NATO urges Russia to respect nuclear pact with the U.S.
BRUSSELS — NATO called on Russia on Friday to respect the only treaty it has with the United States aimed at keeping a lid on nuclear weapons expansion and urged Moscow to allow on-the-ground inspections of military sites to resume. The so-called New START Treaty was signed by Russia and...
Some 1/6 rioters change tune after apology
WASHINGTON — Appearing before a federal judge after pleading guilty to a felony charge in the deadly Capitol riot, former West Virginia lawmaker Derrick Evans expressed remorse for letting down his family and his community, saying he made a “crucial mistake.” Less than a year later, Evans is portraying himself...
U.K. man admits treason over crossbow plot against queen
LONDON — A man who was arrested on the grounds of Windsor Castle with a loaded crossbow pleaded guilty to treason on Friday for planning to attack Queen Elizabeth II. Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, admitted to a charge under the Treason Act of intending to “injure the person of Her...
Eye drops recalled after U.S. drug-resistant bacteria outbreak
NEW YORK — U.S. health officials said Thursday a company is recalling its over-the-counter eye drops that have been linked to an outbreak of drug-resistant infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week sent a health alert to doctors, saying the outbreak included at least 55 people in...
Big China spy balloon moving east over U.S., Pentagon says
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said at midday Friday that a Chinese spy balloon had moved eastward and was over the central United States, and that the U.S. rejected China’s claims that it was not being used for surveillance. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, refused to provide details on...
Bill Clinton back at White House to push paid family leave
WASHINGTON — Three decades after Bill Clinton signed the nation’s family and medical leave law, he was back at the White House on Thursday to hold forth on what it’s meant to the country, unspooling his trademark blend of storytelling and wonkiness. The 42nd president, now more than two decades...
U.S. reunites nearly 700 kids taken from parents under Trump
WASHINGTON — A Biden administration task force designed to reunite children separated from their families during President Trump’s presidency has reconnected nearly 700 children with their families, officials said Thursday. President Joe Biden issued an executive order on his first day in office to reunite families that were split up...
How the U.S. is boosting military alliances to counter China
WASHINGTON — The U.S. is expanding it military presence in Asia, in a string of moves aimed at countering Beijing and reassuring Indo-Pacific allies that America will stand with them against threats from China and North Korea. The U.S. actions stretch from Japan to the Solomon Islands. And they involve...
Hawaii whale dies with fishing nets, plastic bags in stomach
HONOLULU — A whale that washed ashore in Hawaii over the weekend likely died in part because it ate large volumes of fishing traps, fishing nets, plastic bags and other marine debris, scientists said Thursday, highlighting the threat to wildlife from the millions of tons of plastic that ends up...
U.S. to send Ukraine longer-range bombs in latest turnaround
WASHINGTON — After months of agonizing, the U.S has agreed to send longer-range bombs to Ukraine as it prepares to launch a spring offensive to retake territory Russia captured last year, U.S. officials said Thursday, confirming that the new weapons will have roughly double the range of any other offensive...
After Tyre Nichols’ funeral, Biden faces pressure on policing
WASHINGTON — When Vice President Kamala Harris was called to the pulpit at the funeral for Tyre Nichols, she said the White House would settle for nothing less than ambitious federal legislation to crack down on police brutality. “We should not delay. And we will not be denied,” Harris said...
Inside the hunt for a serial kidnapper, and a bloody finale
SALEM, Ore. — Police in rural southwest Oregon were on high alert: A man with a history of kidnapping and torturing women in two states was on the run in their territory. When a tip came in from a cab company that had given him a ride, they went house-to-house...
Biden’s handwritten notes part of classified docs probe
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is a man who writes down his thoughts. And some of those handwritten musings over his decades of public service are now a part of a special counsel’s investigation into the handling of classified documents. It isn’t clear yet what the investigators are looking for...
How anxiety came to dominate the big business of medical marijuana cards in Pa.
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. When Lehigh Valley doctor Charles Harris started approving patients for medical marijuana a few years ago, most of them were dealing...
Shapiro administration orders 2,300 state employees to return to the office
Gov. Josh Shapiro is ordering many state employees to return to the office. Here are the details: What’s new: About 2,300 state government employees, many of whom had been working a hybrid schedule allowing them to work remotely, will now be reporting to the office at least three days a...
Autonomous Zamboni developed by Carnegie Mellon students
Rathin Shah, who grew up in India, had never been to a professional hockey game until the Pittsburgh Penguins invited him and four other graduate student researchers to PPG Paints Arena for an unlikely reason. There was plenty of fast-paced action in the game between the Penguins and Florida Panthers...
Adnan Syed case: Maryland judges question whether Lee family appeal is ‘moot’
BALTIMORE — Lawyers for the state of Maryland, Adnan Syed and Hae Min Lee’s brother argued Thursday morning before the Appellate Court of Maryland about whether that body should reinstate Syed’s 22-year-old murder conviction and order a redo of the September hearing that set him free. Syed’s case, made famous...
House GOP votes to oust Democrat Omar from major committee
WASHINGTON — The Republican-led House voted after raucous debate Thursday to oust Democrat Ilhan Omar from the chamber’s Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her anti-Israel comments, in a dramatic escalation after Democrats last session booted far-right GOP lawmakers over incendiary remarks. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was able to solidify Republican support...
Beyond Phil: Other rodents that purport to ‘predict’ weather
Rodents predicting weather trends. Why? Just as fair a Groundhog Day question, though, is this: Why not? And more importantly, why should Punxsutawney Phil always get to, well, hog the press? The spring-heralding (or spring-delaying) small animal has taken firm root in some swaths of American culture. And while Phil...
Blood-flavored ice helps zoo animals beat Rio’s heat
RIO DE JANEIRO — Rio de Janeiro’s brutal summer heat has reached 122 degrees on some recent days, sending locals to cool off in the ocean. There weren’t many options for residents of the city’s zoo, however, until a team of experts started offering them exotic frozen treats. The flavors...
