Crews remove box covering Columbus statue in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — Crews have removed the plywood box that had been placed over a Philadelphia statue of Christopher Columbus that saw tense standoffs in 2020 between supporters of the monument and opponents who viewed it as a symbol of white supremacy. The box was removed Sunday night, as a small...
Pennsylvania lifts ban on gas production in polluted village
One of Pennsylvania’s largest drillers will be allowed to extract natural gas from underneath a rural Pennsylvania community where it has been banned for a dozen years because of accusations it polluted the water supply, according to a settlement with state regulators. The Department of Environmental Protection quietly lifted its...
Richmond removes its last city-owned Confederate monument
RICHMOND, Va. — The city of Richmond — the capital of the Confederacy for most of the Civil War — removed its last city-owned Confederate statue on Monday, more than two years after it began to purge itself of what many saw as painful symbols of racial oppression. It took...
Supreme Court won’t block California flavored tobacco ban
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday refused a request from tobacco companies to stop California from enforcing a ban on flavored tobacco products that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in November. R.J. Reynolds and other tobacco companies sought the high court’s intervention to keep the ban from taking effect...
Pennsylvanians reminded to review FCC broadband map before Jan. 13Video
Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (Authority) Executive Director Brandon Carson today reminded Pennsylvanians of the important role they have in ensuring their information is correct in the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) broadband access map. “I urge every Pennsylvanian to review the map to help us close the digital divide,” said...
Fettermans to appear in Pennsylvania-shot Netflix film starring Christian Bale
John and Gisele Fetterman already have become political celebrities after the high-profile victory in this year’s Pennsylvania Senate race. Their profiles are poised to rise even higher as both will appear in a new Netflix film that premieres later this month. In a tweet, John Fetterman shared a photo of...
Student loan forgiveness ‘highly unlikely’ as Supreme Court reviews case, says expert
The federal Supreme Court rejected President Biden’s immediate request to revive his student debt relief plan on Dec. 1. The court will review oral arguments in February 2023 and then determine whether the leading lawsuit against the program has merit. As the case reaches the highest U.S. court of law,...
Maduro ally seeks recognition as Venezuela diplomat in court
MIAMI — For more than two years, almost since the time of his arrest on U.S. warrant, Alex Saab has insisted he is a Venezuelan diplomat targeted for his work helping the South American country circumvent American economic sanctions. Starting Monday, the Colombian-born businessman will get a chance to prove...
China vows to drop some travel tracking in covid rule easing
BEIJING — China said it would stop tracking some travel, potentially reducing the likelihood people will be forced into quarantine for visiting Covid-19 hot spots, as part of an uncertain exit from the strict pandemic policies that helped fuel widespread protests. Once midnight hit Monday, the part of a smart...
Divided Republicans point fingers over midterms disaster
With the midterm elections officially over, Republicans are pointing fingers over their disastrous performance — and the divisive role of former President Donald Trump. Herschel Walker’s loss in the closely watched Georgia Senate run off capped a campaign in which the GOP dramatically failed to engineer a sweeping red wave...
Biden restarts task force on immigrants’ success in U.S.
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is reinstating a task force that is aimed at helping immigrants and refugees integrate into the United States. The Task Force on New Americans will be run by the Domestic Policy Council and the focus will be workforce training, education and financial access as well...
Young voters’ enthusiasm for Democrats waned during midterms
WASHINGTON — Young voters who have been critical to Democratic successes in recent elections showed signs in November’s midterms that their enthusiasm may be waning, a potential warning sign for a party that will need their strong backing heading into the 2024 presidential race. Voters under 30 went 53% for...
2nd Oath Keepers Jan. 6 sedition trial to get underway
WASHINGTON — After securing seditious conspiracy convictions against two leaders of the Oath Keepers, the Justice Department will begin Monday to try to make its Capitol riot case against four others affiliated with the far-right extremist group. Openings statements are expected in Washington’s federal court less than two weeks after...
3 children die after fall into icy lake; UK gripped by storm
LONDON — Three young boys who fell through ice covering a lake in central England have died and a fourth remains hospitalized as weather forecasters issued severe weather warnings for large parts of the United Kingdom. Police in full uniform jumped into the water and broke through the ice using...
Storm blowing through California dumps snow in Sierra
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Heavy snow fell in the Sierra Nevada as a winter storm packing powerful winds sent ski lift chairs swinging and closed mountain highways while downpours at lower elevations triggered flood watches Sunday across large swaths of California into Nevada. More than 250 miles (400 km)...
Ukraine PM urges more military aid to counter Russia attacks
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s prime minister is appealing for Patriot missile batteries and other hi-tech air defense systems to counter Russian attacks, as more Russian shelling was reported on Monday in the eastern regions of Ukraine where Moscow is trying to make battlefield gains. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told French...
Iran execution: Man publicly hanged from crane amid protests
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran executed a second prisoner on Monday convicted over crimes committed during the nationwide protests challenging the country’s theocracy, publicly hanging him from a construction crane as a gruesome warning to others. The execution of Majidreza Rahnavard came less than a month after he allegedly...
3 bald eagles die, 10 sick after eating euthanized animals
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minn. — At least 13 bald eagles were likely poisoned by scavenging the carcasses of euthanized animals that were improperly dumped at a Minnesota landfill, and three of the majestic birds have died. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that state and federal wildlife officials are investigating after...
Storm blowing through California dumps snow in SierraVideo
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Heavy snow fell in the Sierra Nevada as a winter storm packing powerful winds sent ski lift chairs swinging and closed mountain highways while downpours at lower elevations triggered flood watches Sunday across large swaths of California into Nevada. More than 250 miles of the...
With suspect in custody, spotlight returns to 1988 bombing
The announcement Sunday that a Libyan man suspected in the 1988 bombing of a passenger jet has been taken into U.S. custody put the spotlight back on the notorious terrorist attack and longstanding efforts to pursue those responsible. The suspect, Abu Agela Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, is accused of building the...
Photos: It’s all downhill for 300 skiing Santas, a Grinch and a tree
NEWRY, Maine — A bunch of Santa lookalikes took to the ski slopes to spread some seasonal cheer on Sunday. More than 300 jolly ol’ elves — all dressed in red — dashed together down a mountain with white beards and Santa hats flapping in the breeze at the Sunday...
‘I want to talk’: Griner opened up during her long trip home
WASHINGTON — WNBA star Brittney Griner didn’t want any alone time as soon as she boarded a U.S. government plane that would bring her home. “I have been in prison for 10 months now, listening to Russian. I want to talk,” Griner said, according to Roger Carstens, the special presidential...
NASA’s Orion capsule blazes home from test flight to moon
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Orion capsule made a blisteringly fast return from the moon Sunday, parachuting into the Pacific off Mexico to conclude a test flight that should clear the way for astronauts on the next lunar flyby. The incoming capsule hit the atmosphere at Mach 32, or 32...
GOP sues over special elections in Pa. House majority battle
HARRISBURG — The top-ranking Republican in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives asked a court late Friday to prevent voters from filling three vacant seats in February that will determine majority control of the chamber. Rep. Bryan Cutler of Lancaster, who served as speaker until Nov. 30, asked Commonwealth Court to...
Japanese company’s lander rockets toward moon with UAE rover
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A Tokyo company aimed for the moon with its own private lander Sunday, blasting off atop a SpaceX rocket with the United Arab Emirates’ first lunar rover and a toylike robot from Japan that’s designed to roll around up there in the gray dust. It will...
