Washington County is charging people to search court documents — an unusual and undue burden, experts say
This story first appeared in Spotlight PA’s Investigator newsletter, which offers behind-the-scenes looks at our reporting and a roundup of the best accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. Sign up for free. HARRISBURG — A Western Pennsylvania county is imposing a $10.50 “search fee” on public requests for court documents, a...
Jerry Lee Lewis, outrageous rock ‘n’ roll star, dies at 87
Jerry Lee Lewis, the untamable rock ‘n’ roll pioneer whose outrageous talent, energy and ego collided on such definitive records as “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and sustained a career otherwise upended by personal scandal, died Friday morning at 87. The last survivor of a...
At least 42 dead in floods, landslides in south Philippines
COTABATO, Philippines — Flash floods and landslides set off by torrential rains swamped a southern Philippine province, killing at least 42 people, leaving 16 others missing and trapping some residents on their roofs, officials said Friday. Most of the victims were swept away by rampaging floodwaters and drowned or were...
Miami Beach condo building evacuated near deadly collapse
MIAMI BEACH — An evacuation order has abruptly forced out residents of a 14-story oceanfront building on the same avenue where a condominium collapse killed nearly 100 people last year. The city posted an unsafe structure notice Thursday evening at the Port Royale condominium, Miami Beach spokesperson Melissa Berthier said...
Musk in control of Twitter but where will he go from here?
Elon Musk has taken control of Twitter after a protracted legal battle and months of uncertainty. The question now is what the billionaire Tesla CEO will actually do with the social media platform. Musk ousted three top Twitter executives on Thursday, according to two people familiar with the deal who...
Intruder attacks Pelosi’s husband, calling, ‘Where is Nancy’
SAN FRANCISCO — The husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was attacked and severely beaten with a hammer by an assailant who broke into the couple’s San Francisco home early Friday, searching for the Democratic leader and shouting, “Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?” The assault on the 82-year-old Paul...
2,700-year-old rock carvings discovered in Iraq’s Mosul
BAGHDAD — Archaeologists in northern Iraq last week unearthed 2,700-year-old rock carvings featuring war scenes and trees from the Assyrian Empire, an archaeologist said Wednesday. The carvings on marble slabs were discovered by a team of experts in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, who have been working to restore the site...
Biden to vote early in Delaware with his granddaughter
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will cast his midterm election ballot this weekend in his home state of Delaware, where in-person early voting begins Friday. The White House said Biden will vote alongside his granddaughter Natalie, 18, who is a first-time voter. The Democratic president is casting his ballot as...
2022 election guide: Info on Western Pa. races, candidates and issues
The race for Pennsylvania’s next governor and for its open U.S. Senate seat are the top draws as Western Pa. voters make their way to the polls on Tuesday, Nov 8. Several U.S. House seats are also on the line, as are some state seats. We’ve compiled all our coverage...
8 found dead after house fire in Tulsa area; homicide feared
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Eight people were found dead Thursday in a burning Tulsa-area house in what was being investigated as multiple homicides, police said. The fire was reported about 4 p.m. Thursday in a quiet residential area of Broken Arrow, 13 miles southeast of Tulsa. Broken Arrow police said...
WHO: Tuberculosis cases rise for the first time in years
GENEVA — The number of people infected with tuberculosis, including the kind resistant to drugs, rose globally for the first time in years, according to a report Thursday by the World Health Organization. The U.N. health agency said more than 10 million people worldwide were sickened by tuberculosis in 2021,...
Watchdog group asks feds to investigate funding behind Florida’s ghost candidate scandal
TALLAHASSEE — The secret fundraising network created by political operatives working for Florida Power & Light and other clients appears to have violated campaign finance laws and should be investigated, according to a complaint filed Thursday with the Federal Elections Commission by a Washington-based watchdog group. Citing reports published in...
Rep. Scott Perry drops lawsuit over seized cell data
U.S. Rep. Scott Perry has dropped a lawsuit against the FBI after they seized his cell phone and copied its contents to find links to the Jan. 6 insurrection. The FBI seized Perry’s phone on Aug. 9 while he was on vacation in New Jersey, created an image of the...
Lawmakers send Gov. Wolf large package of energy tax credits
HARRISBURG — State lawmakers have voted for an array of tax credits, including a massive incentive designed to help Pennsylvania land one of the hydrogen energy hubs being funded with federal subsidies. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s spokeswoman said Thursday that he was reviewing the legislation that passed shortly before the...
Within hours, Republicans make impeachment drive against Philly DA Larry Krasner a midterm issue
HARRISBURG — When Pennsylvania Republicans announced they were introducing articles of impeachment against Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner on Wednesday, they said the crime situation in the city had gotten so dire, they couldn’t wait any longer to act. Asked if the unprecedented move had anything to do with the...
Election Day is Nov. 8, but legal challenges already begin
WASHINGTON — Election Day is 12 days away. But in courtrooms across the country, efforts to sow doubt over the outcome have already begun. More than 100 lawsuits have been filed this year around the Nov. 8 elections. The legal challenges, largely by Republicans, target rules for mail-in voting, early...
Biden top aide Ron Klain admonished for violating Hatch Act
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s chief of staff violated the law by retweeting a political message on his government Twitter account, and a warning letter was sent to him, according to a memo from the Office of Special Counsel. Top aide Ron Klain “got it wrong this time” and will...
Arrest in office burglary at Katie Hobbs’ campaign HQ in Arizona
PHOENIX — Phoenix police have made an arrest in connection with a burglary at the campaign headquarters for Katie Hobbs, the Democratic nominee for governor. An officer saw a news story with surveillance photos of the suspect and recognized him as the man arrested for a burglary at another office...
Antisemitism decried 4 years after Tree of Life attack
PITTSBURGH — In what has become an annual ritual, Pittsburgh’s Jewish community Thursday honored the memory of the 11 Jews who were murdered on this date in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. For many community leaders, their grief is mixed with dismay over the continued and growing incidents...
Russia’s Putin rules out using nuclear weapons in Ukraine
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday denied having any intentions of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine but described the conflict there as part of alleged efforts by the West to secure its global domination, which he insisted are doomed to fail. Speaking at a conference of international foreign...
Italy’s fascist past under scrutiny a century after putsch
MILAN — Italy’s failure to come to terms with its fascist past has become evident as it prepares to mark the 100th anniversary Friday of the March on Rome that brought totalitarian dictator Benito Mussolini to power, a milestone that coincides with the country’s first postwar government led by a...
Crisis-stricken Cuba torn between ally Russia, neighbor U.S.
HAVANA — When Hurricane Ian tore through western Cuba in late September, causing an island-wide blackout, it left the government grappling with a deepening energy crisis and simmering discontent among Cubans. It also once again thrust the Caribbean island into the middle of an escalating tug-of-war between its seaside neighbor,...
Battle of the Alps? Water woes loom amid climate change
BRIG, Switzerland — A battle is brewing around Europe’s rooftop over the planet’s most precious resource. The crystal-clear waters issuing from the Alps could become increasingly contested as the effects of climate change and glacier melt become more apparent. Italy wants them for crop irrigation in the spring and summer....
Auto prices finally begin to creep down from inflated highs
DETROIT — All summer long, Aleen Hudson kept looking for a new minivan or SUV for her growing passenger shuttle service. She had a good credit rating and enough cash for a down payment. Yet dealerships in the Detroit area didn’t have any suitable vehicles. Or they’d demand she pay...
In Pa. governor’s race, faith surfaces in contrasting ways
In one of the most closely watched races in one of the most contested of battleground states, both gubernatorial candidates bring up religion. But in starkly different ways. Republican Doug Mastriano’s campaign has several hallmarks of Christian nationalism, which fuses Christian and political imagery, words and rituals and promotes a...
