13 Nassar victims seeking $130M from FBI over bungled probe
Thirteen sexual assault victims of Larry Nassar are seeking $10 million each from the FBI, claiming a bungled investigation by agents led to more abuse by the sports doctor, lawyers said Thursday. It’s an effort to make the government responsible for assaults that occurred after July 2015. The Justice Department’s...
Biden drug control plan stresses harm reduction, treatment
President Joe Biden is sending his administration’s first national drug control strategy to Congress as the U.S. overdose death toll hit a new record of nearly 107,000 during the past 12 months. The strategy, released Thursday, is the first national plan to prioritize what’s known as harm reduction, said White...
Florida Legislature votes to strip Disney self-government
The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday gave final passage to a bill that would dissolve Walt Disney World’s private government, handing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis a victory in his feud with the entertainment giant over its opposition to a measure that critics have dubbed the ” Don’t Say Gay...
Michigan lawmaker’s forceful speech rebuts ‘grooming’ attackVideo
LANSING, Mich. — Republican Sen. Lana Theis opened a Michigan Senate session with an invocation by claiming children are being attacked by “forces” that want to indoctrinate them with ideas their parents do not support. Three Democrats walked out of last week’s meeting to protest her apparent reference to how...
2 schools, 6 sets of sports teams: NCAA gives OK to merger
HARRISBURG — Sports teams at six state-owned Pennsylvania universities will still compete against each other despite merging into two umbrella institutions, the State System of Higher Education announced Wednesday. The decision by the NCAA Division II Membership Committee pertains to sports in Division II at Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield, California,...
Parachute demo at Nats Park causes brief Capitol evacuationVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Capitol was briefly evacuated Wednesday evening when police identified an aircraft that they said posed “a probable threat” — but the plane was actually carrying members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights, who then parachuted into Nationals Park for a pregame demonstration. The alert from the...
Justice Department to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said Wednesday. The notice came minutes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked the Justice Department to appeal...
Florida Senate passes bill to end Disney self-government
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Senate on Wednesday passed a bill to repeal a law allowing Walt Disney World to operate a private government over its properties in the state, escalating a feud with the entertainment giant over its opposition to what critics call the ” Don’t Say Gay ”...
It’s April 20. Here’s why everyone associates 420 with marijuana.
Whether you know a lot about marijuana or very little, chances are you’ve heard that the numbers 420 are particularly significant in weed culture. But what does it mean? And why do weed aficionados hold April 20 and 4:20 p.m. so sacred? According to Time Magazine, 420 can be traced...
5 takeaways from Spotlight PA’s Republican gubernatorial debate
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 — Five of the nine Republican candidates running to be Pennsylvania’s next governor participated in a debate hosted by Spotlight...
Court halts South Carolina plan for firing squad execution
South Carolina’s highest court on Wednesday issued a temporary stay blocking the state from carrying out what was set to be its first-ever firing squad execution. The order by the state Supreme Court puts on hold at least temporarily the planned April 29 execution of Richard Bernard Moore, who drew...
Explainer: Why Mideast tensions are soaring yet again
JERUSALEM — Everyone worried this might happen. In the weeks before a rare confluence of major Jewish, Christian and Muslim holidays, with tens of thousands of visitors expected in Jerusalem for the first time since the pandemic, Israeli, Palestinian and Arab leaders discussed how to calm tensions. Israel took steps...
Mega dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say
Every year, one of the world’s leading dance competition companies sells the dream of Hollywood fame to hundreds of thousands of ambitious young dancers hoping to launch careers on television, in movies and on stage. But behind the bright lights and pulsing music, some dancers say they were sexually assaulted,...
Can Texas declare a border ‘invasion’ and return migrants to Mexico?
HOUSTON — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is facing mounting pressure from far-right and former Trump administration officials to immediately declare a migrant “invasion” at the U.S.-Mexico border, under a constitutional provision that would allow local law enforcement and National Guard troops to stop migrants at the border and send them...
Climate change, big agriculture combine to threaten insects
Climate change and habitat loss from big agriculture are combining to swat down global insect populations, with each problem making the other worse, a new study finds. While insects may bug people at times, they also are key in pollinating plants to feed people, making soil more fertile and they...
Birth of endangered Hawaiian monk seal caught on camera
Images of a Hawaiian monk seal being born on an Oahu beach have been captured on camera. An employee of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources shot video and photos of the pup emerging from the mother onto white sands last week. “As soon as its (amniotic) sac...
Poll: Majority of Americans want masks for travelers
A majority of Americans continue to support a mask requirement for people traveling on airplanes and other shared transportation, a new poll finds. A ruling by a federal judge has put the government’s transportation mask mandate on hold. The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds...
Photo gallery: Eyes of Ukraine refugees reflect war and welcome
The United Nations’ refugee agency says more than 5 million people have left Ukraine since Russian troops invaded the country almost eight weeks ago. The Geneva-based U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Wednesday that data from official border crossing points put the total number of war refugees at 5.03 million....
Hunters could see boom in turkeys in Pa. forests this year: Game Commission
Hunters should find the largest wild turkey population they’ve seen at any point in the past few years when they head out into the Pennsylvania forests for the upcoming spring gobbler hunting seasons, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission turkey biologist Mary Jo Casalena. Recruitment of new, young turkeys into the...
Southwest wildfires force evacuations, tighten resourcesVideo
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — An Arizona wildfire more than tripled in size as relentless wind pushed the flames through neighborhoods on the outskirts of a college and tourist town, keeping hundreds of residents away from their homes and destroying more than two dozen structures. The blaze continued its run Wednesday through...
Relentless attacks pound last defenders holed up in Mariupol
KYIV, Ukraine — Relentless Russian attacks pounded the last Ukrainian stronghold in the besieged city of Mariupol as a fighter apparently on the inside issued a video plea for help, saying defenders holed up in a giant steel plant “may have only a few days or hours left.” Another attempt...
One month on, cause of China Eastern crash still a mystery
BEIJING — One month after a China Eastern passenger jet crashed mid-flight, killing all 132 people on board, investigators say they have not determined a cause. A report issued Wednesday by the Civil Aviation Administration of China said no abnormalities had been found in the plane, its crew or external...
Florida man pleads guilty to threatening Rep. Ilhan Omar
TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida man pleaded guilty Tuesday to threatening U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar nearly three years ago. David Hannon, 67, of Sarasota, pleaded guilty in Tampa federal court to one count of threatening a federal official, according to court records. The charge carries a penalty of up to...
Ohio doctor found not guilty in 14 hospital patient deaths
An Ohio doctor accused of ordering excessive amounts of painkillers that led to multiple patient deaths at a Columbus-area hospital was acquitted of 14 counts of murder Wednesday following a weekslong trial. Dr. William Husel, 46, was accused of ordering the drugs for patients in the Mount Carmel Health System....
After School Satan Club rejected by Northern York School Board vote
A near-unanimous school board vote Tuesday night struck down a proposal to create an After School Satan Club at the Northern York Elementary School. The proposal was initiated by Samantha Groome, a resident of the district. Every board member except Thomas Welch voted against allowing the club to form. “Someone...
