Despite dangerous pregnancy complications, abortions denied
Weeks after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Dr. Grace Ferguson treated a woman whose water had broken halfway through pregnancy. The baby would never survive, and the patient’s chance of developing a potentially life-threatening infection grew with every hour. By the time she made it to Pittsburgh to see Ferguson,...
Police: Gunman kills 5 at gay nightclub, subdued by patronsVideo
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A 22-year-old gunman opened fire inside a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, killing five people and leaving 25 injured before he was subdued by “heroic” patrons and arrested by police who arrived within minutes, authorities said Sunday. Two firearms, including a “long rifle,” were found Saturday...
Tree of Life shooting survivors’ stories told in documentary
PITTSBURGH, Pa — Filmmaker Trish Adlesic was in Pittsburgh celebrating her father’s 91st birthday on October 25, 2018. Two days later, a gunman walked into the nearby Tree of Life synagogue and killed 11 people in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. “It shook me to my core,” said...
Holmes gets more than 11 years in prison for Theranos scam
A federal judge on Friday sentenced disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes to more than 11 years in prison for duping investors in the failed startup that promised to revolutionize blood testing but instead made her a symbol of Silicon Valley’s culture of audacious self-promotion. The sentence imposed by U.S. District...
Coroner: Idaho students were stabbed to death in their beds
SPOKANE, Wash. — Four University of Idaho students who were found dead in a rental house last Sunday were stabbed to death in their beds and likely were asleep when the attacks occurred, the Latah County coroner told a cable news channel on Friday. Cathy Mabbutt also told NewsNation that...
Garland names special counsel to lead Trump-related probes
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland named a special counsel on Friday to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into the presence of classified documents at former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate as well as key aspects of a separate probe involving the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and efforts to undo...
U.S. bid to kill American-JetBlue partnership goes to judge
Airline lawyers and the Justice Department delivered starkly contrasting views of an alliance between American Airlines and JetBlue during closing arguments Friday in a case that will test the Biden administration’s aggressive enforcement of antitrust laws. The partnership lets American and JetBlue coordinate schedules and share revenue on many routes...
Pfizer booster spurs immune response to new omicron subtypes
Pfizer said Friday that its updated covid-19 booster may offer some protection against newly emerging omicron mutants even though it’s not an exact match. Americans have been reluctant to get the updated boosters rolled out by Pfizer and rival Moderna, doses tweaked to target the BA.5 omicron strain that until...
Kherson’s newly liberated residents wonder: Who collaborated with the Russians?
KHERSON, Ukraine — First came rejoicing. Now comes the reckoning. The southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, the only provincial capital captured by Russia since it invaded in February, is back in Ukrainian hands, though Moscow’s forces are still close enough to remain a menace. The outburst of joy over the...
Pa. report shows a drop in sales at state liquor stores
The pandemic period of unprecedented home booze consumption in Pennsylvania appears to be over, but that doesn’t mean overall alcohol consumption is down. After record spirit and wine sales at state stores in the 2020-21 fiscal year, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board reported the 2021-22 fiscal year saw retail dollar...
Finland to start building fence on Russian border next year
HELSINKI — Construction of a planned barbed-wired fence along Finland’s long border with Russia will start early next year, Finnish border guard officials said Friday, amid concerns in the Nordic country over the changing security environment in Europe. The initial three kilometer (1.8 mile) stretch of the fence will be...
The Democratic takeover of the Pa. House will be a little messy to start. Here’s why.
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 Democrats have won control of the Pennsylvania House, but the party will need to rely on Republican support...
North Korea fires suspected ICBM after warning U.S. on exercises
North Korea test-fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile with an estimated range long enough to carry a warhead to the American mainland, prompting the U.S. to condemn what it said was an unlawful action. The North Korean missile was launched Friday, a day after Pyongyang warned the U.S. to halt...
Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro taking complaints over Taylor Swift Ticketmaster problems
Pennsylvania’s top law enforcement official thinks Ticketmaster might be in some “trouble, trouble, trouble” after a fiasco over canceled sales for pop star Taylor Swift’s latest concert tour. On Thursday, Ticketmaster canceled the planned public sale of tickets for Swift’s Eras Tour that were set to drop Friday, and Pennsylvania...
Republican Lauren Boebert’s tight race likely headed to recount
DENVER — Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, a renowned conservative firebrand whose combative style helped define the new right, is likely headed to an automatic recount in her bid to fend off a surprisingly difficult challenge from a Democratic businessman from the ritzy ski town of Aspen. The Associated Press has...
Judge blocks Florida Gov. DeSantis law on barring ‘woke’ education
TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge in Florida on Thursday blocked a law pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that restricts certain race-based conversations and analysis in colleges. Tallahassee U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a temporary injunction against the so-called “Stop Woke” act in a ruling that called the legislation “positively...
Biden administration to ask high court to take up student debt plan
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration plans to ask the Supreme Court to reinstate the president’s student debt cancellation plan, according to a Thursday legal filing warning that Americans will face financial strain if the plan remains stalled in court when loan payments are scheduled to restart in January. The Justice...
Democrats get nominal control of Pa. House with win in Montgomery County
State Rep. Todd Stephens, R-Montgomery County, has conceded in his race for a seventh term representing the 151st District, giving Democrats at least a nominal majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the first time since 2010. Democratic challenger Melissa Cerrato holds a 16,800 to 16,741 lead according to...
Driver arrested in crash into Los Angeles County sheriff’s recruits
LOS ANGELES — Authorities have arrested a 22-year-old driver on suspicion of attempted murder for allegedly plowing his vehicle into Los Angeles County sheriff’s academy recruits on a training run, injuring more than two dozen people. Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez was arrested Wednesday for investigation of attempted murder on a peace...
Ohio GOP aims to change voting laws during lameduck session
COLUMBUS — Ohio’s elections chief on Thursday championed a lameduck push to require a supermajority of voters in order to pass certain constitutional amendments, a move that came the same day further voter restrictions were added to a significant rewrite of Ohio’s election laws. Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose...
Buffalo mass shooter to plead guilty, victims’ lawyers say
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The man who killed 10 people in a racist mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket plans to plead guilty to all of the state charges against him, according to lawyers representing families of the victims. Payton Gendron, 19, is scheduled to appear in court Monday, according to...
Safety tips to avoid accidental holiday cooking firesVideo
Pennsylvania Acting Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys, Department of Health Acting Secretary and Pennsylvania Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson, and Pennsylvania Acting State Fire Commissioner Charles McGarvey joined Harrisburg Fire Bureau officials to offer safety advice for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. “This holiday, as we gather to celebrate with loved ones,...
Buffalo, western N.Y. brace for potentially dangerous stormVideo
BUFFALO, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Thursday for parts of western New York ahead of a dangerous storm that had the potential to dump several feet of snow on some communities on the eastern ends of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The worst...
Pelosi won’t seek leadership role, plans to stay in Congress
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she will not seek a leadership position in the new Congress, making way for a new generation to steer the party after Democrats lost control of the House to Republicans in the midterm elections. Pelosi announced in a spirited speech on...
Gabby Petito family settles $3M suit in killing by fiance
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The families of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie have reached a $3 million settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed after authorities concluded he strangled her during a cross-country trip in August 2021. The settlement was signed Thursday by Sarasota County Circuit Judge Hunter W. Carroll....
