2 killed, 2 injured in NYC subway stabbing attacks
NEW YORK — An unidentified man could be responsible for four separate stabbings that occurred within a few hours in the New York City subways, leaving two people dead, authorities said. The assaults happened between Friday morning and early Saturday, New York Police Department officials said during a news conference....
Northwest ice storm power outages could last through weekend
LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. — A winter storm blanketed the Pacific Northwest with ice and snow on Saturday, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power and disrupting travel across the region. Freezing rain left roads, power lines and trees coated in ice in the Portland, Oregon, region, and by Saturday...
Sen. Pat Toomey breaks with Republicans to vote for Trump’s conviction
Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., voted Saturday to convict former President Donald J. Trump in his second impeachment trial. Toomey is one of seven Republican senators who voted “guilty” on the charge of inciting an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. All 50 Democratic senators voted to convict. But...
High court denies accused Ghosn smugglers’ bid to stay in U.S.
BOSTON — The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way Saturday for the extradition of an American father and son wanted by Japan in the escape of former Nissan Motor Co. boss Carlos Ghosn. Justice Stephen Breyer denied a bid to put the extradition on hold to give Michael and Peter...
Trump acquitted, denounced in historic impeachment trial
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump was acquitted Saturday of inciting the horrific attack on the U.S. Capitol, concluding a historic impeachment trial that spared him the first-ever conviction of a current or former U.S. president but exposed the fragility of America’s democratic traditions and left a divided nation to come to...
With more snow on way, Pa. Turnpike, PennDOT put truck restrictions in place
UPDATE: These restrictions were lifted as of 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning, per PennDOT and the Turnpike Commission. Stay updated on the latest traffic advisories at 511PA.com. With more winter snow making its way toward Pittsburgh en route to the East Coast, PennDOT and and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission have implemented...
Pennsylvania logs 4,000 more covid cases, 113 deaths
Pennsylvania health officials on Saturday reported 4,088 new coronavirus cases, a slight increase, as hospitalizations continue to decrease in the Keystone State. The new data bring the total cases to 892,344. That’s a jump of almost 27,000 additional cases from this time last week. Two weeks ago, the increase was...
AP: GOP leader Mitch McConnell will vote to acquit Trump
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell will vote to acquit Donald Trump in the former president’s impeachment trial. That’s according to a source familiar with McConnell’s thinking who was not authorized to publicly discuss the decision and spoke on condition of anonymity. Word of McConnell’s decision came Saturday before...
Pennsylvania grant program to support hemp industry, which shrunk in 2020
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has announced a new grant program to promote the state’s hemp products, supporting a nascent agricultural industry that has faced plenty of growing pains. Pennsylvania farmers planted less than 1,000 acres of hemp last year, down about 75% from 2019. Less than half of those...
Trump lawyers argue impeachment based on ‘hatred,’ not facts
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s impeachment lawyers accused Democrats of waging a campaign of “hatred” against the former president as they sped through their defense of his actions and fiery words before the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, hurtling the Senate toward a final vote in his historic trial....
Cuomo administration ‘froze’ over nursing home data requests
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide told Democratic lawmakers that the administration took months to release data revealing how many people living at nursing homes died of covid-19 because officials “froze” over worries the information was “going to be used against us.” Republicans who term the...
Judge: Man impersonating Chicago cop ‘danger’ to community
CHICAGO — A man arrested at least three times for impersonating a Chicago police officer, including once at age 14, appeared in court Friday on charges that he did the same crime three times this year, including once when he allegedly pulled over a vehicle and searched its occupants. During...
Trump lawyer mistakenly refers to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger
Fumble! It has not been a great week for former Montgomery County district attorney Bruce Castor. The lead lawyer of former President Donald Trump’s defense team during an unprecedented second impeachment trial before the U.S. Senate committed a gaffe Friday afternoon that brought some humor to the serious charges against...
Biden will try to close Guantanamo Bay prison after ‘robust’ review
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will seek to close the prison on the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay following a review process, resuming a project begun under the Obama administration, the White House said Friday. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said it was the “intention” of the Biden administration...
Philadelphia-area lawyer defending Trump accustomed to political disaster
HARRISBURG — Bruce L. Castor Jr. answered his cellphone, but he had no time to talk. “I’m 12 minutes from prime time,” he said, before heading to the well of the U.S. Senate to defend his client, Donald Trump, as one of the defense lawyers in the ex-president’s second impeachment...
CDC: In-person schooling can be done safely if guidelines are followed
The nation’s top public health agency on Friday provided a roadmap for reopening schools in the middle of a pandemic, emphasizing mask wearing and social distancing and saying vaccination of teachers is important but not a prerequisite for reopening. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the long-awaited update,...
Pennsylvania adds 3,987 covid cases, 99 deaths
Pennsylvania on Friday reported 3,987 additional cases of covid-19, keeping the seven-day average below 4,000 for the eighth consecutive day. The state’s seven-day case average has been trending mostly downward since peaking above 10,000 in mid-December. It currently sits at 3,797. Of the newly reported cases, 3,337 are confirmed via...
Air travelers to Canada to isolate at hotels starting Feb. 22
Air travelers to Canada will quarantine in a hotel starting on Feb. 22 as they await the result of a coronavirus test, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday. Trudeau previously announced stricter restrictions would be imposed on nonessential air travelers in response to new, likely more contagious variants. Government officials...
White House aide suspended for threatening reporter
WASHINGTON — White House deputy press secretary T.J. Ducklo has been suspended for a week without pay after he reportedly issued a sexist and profane threat to a journalist seeking to cover his relationship with another reporter. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Friday that Ducklo...
Montana governor lifts statewide mask mandate
HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s statewide mask mandate that had been in place since July was lifted Friday by Gov. Greg Gianforte, but some cities and counties are keeping local mask requirements because they think the governor’s move was premature. Gianforte, a Republican, promised the day after assuming office in January...
Putin pitches Russia’s covid vaccine but still won’t take it
While Vladimir Putin this week hailed international recognition of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against covid-19, the Kremlin says the president still hasn’t taken the inoculation that he enthusiastically recommends to other world leaders. Putin is following a vaccination schedule that requires him to take other shots first, including against flu...
Tennessee man leaves $5 million to pet border collie
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It won’t be a dog’s life for a Tennessee canine whose owner recently died. Lulu, an 8-year-old border collie, will be living the good life in Nashville after inheriting $5 million in her owner’s will, WTVF-TV reported. Martha Burton, Lulu’s caretaker, told the station Lulu’s owner, Bill...
Mississippi Senate: Ban transgender athletes on female teams
JACKSON, Miss. — Transgender athletes would be banned from competing in girls’ or women’s sports in Mississippi schools and universities, under a bill that comes at a time of renewed focus on transgender rights. Mississippi is one of a dozen states with lawmakers proposing restrictions on athletics or gender-confirming health...
Bidens view Valentine’s Day decorations on White House lawnVideo
WASHINGTON — First lady Jill Biden had installed before dawn Friday special Valentine’s Day artwork on the North Lawn of the White House: giant pink, white and red hearts that resemble the popular candy. President Joe Biden stepped out with his wife early on Friday morning to inspect the colorful...
Biden administration to allow 25,000 asylum-seekers into U.S.
SAN DIEGO — The Biden administration on Friday announced plans for tens of thousands of asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico for their next immigration court hearings to be allowed into the United States while their cases proceed. The first of an estimated 25,000 asylum-seekers in Mexico with active cases will be...
