Local Election Headlines
Local News
A menagerie of parrots has been rescued from a Florida bird sanctuary after its owners refused to evacuate without them after Hurricane Ian. Read more
"The officer was very lucky." Read more
Initial reports indicated people were being evacuated. Read more
Philadelphia police released new surveillance video in the hunt for the gunmen who opened fire on high school football players leaving a scrimmage. Read more
Internet customers may be able to connect within months. Read more
Some people think she's stuck, but that's not the case at all. Read more
A pumpkin-carver in Wisconsin took the Halloween hobby to the next level, and now he gets to show his creations to a worldwide audience. Read more
One more day of nasty weather, then things will brighten up to the end the week. Read more
The mixed-use building planned for 128 E. Third St. will replace a structure that had once been a store, a plumbing business and later a homebrew supplier. Read more
Donald Smith, an attorney who previously served as executive director of the Berks County Bar Association, held a public program at the Wyomissing library. Read more
New apartment building won't jeopardize Bethlehem's bid to become World Heritage Site, officials say
The building proposed for West Broad Street brought up concerns that it could negatively impact the city's efforts for inclusion as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Read more
Bethlehem City Council on Tuesday night approved a certificate of appropriateness for ArtsQuest's new proposed cultural center. Read more
A $45,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest or conviction. Read more
If the City Council gives the final approval, the ball field will receive $1.5 million. Read more
A Marine was on leave in Pennsylvania when he jumped into action to save a life, a feat which earned him the honor of a Marine Corps Commendation Medal. Read more
Rain is falling over eastern Pennsylvania, and the drought is officially over for the Philadelphia Phillies. Read more
Inside the theater, you'll find the same ceiling and wall designs from nearly a century ago. Read more
The two candidates vying for the 16th District seat have traded barbs during the campaign. Read more
"We just had a wonderful time." Read more
It all stems from complaints about "Doc House LLC," a marijuana growing and processing facility. Read more
Philadelphia ended its long playoff drought with a win over the Houston Astros. Read more
In the meantime, the dogs are back with their owner until that court date on Oct. 24. Read more
Easton's Mayor says the city's Suburban Water Authority is a multi-million-dollar asset that's not returning what it should be. Read more
New renderings on display Tuesday show quite a different look than originally proposed. Read more
COPLAY, Pa. - An ambulance crew in Lehigh County is getting new wheels to help carry out its life-saving mission. Read more
(The Center Square) – Over the weekend, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a bill approved by the General Assembly that would prohibit premature release of a prisoner that has committed a violent offense while imprisoned. Read more
The event is free and open to all, but the chamber asks that participants register on its website. Read more
Police said local facilities and schools were placed on lockdown in abundance of caution after the man crashed the vehicle in Doylestown Borough. Read more
U.S. banks are closing branches all around the country as digital banking continues to take the place. Read more
Somebody smashed the windows of two vehicles on Friday, Sept. 9 around 5:30 p.m. in the upper parking area of Polk Valley Park in Lower Saucon Township. Read more
US and World News
Phil Mickelson is now a member of the MENA Tour. It's part of a strategy by LIV Golf to get world ranking points this week at its Thailand tournament. The MENA Tour stands for Middle East and North Africa. It's been around since 2011 and has received Official World Golf Ranking points since 2016. But it hasn't played a tournament since early in the COVID-19 pandemic. The MENA Tour says in a news release that LIV Golf Invitational events will now be part of its tour schedule. It will be submitting LIV's 48-man field to the OWGR this week for approval. Read more
For more than a decade, Jake Lacy has been a recognizable actor appearing in film and television. He's popped up on the final season of “The Office” as a new salesman at Dunder Mifflin and as a suitor for Rooney Mara in “Carol." He also had a recurring role on “Girls.” But Lacy says once he booked HBO's “The White Lotus,” which earned him an Emmy nod, he began to feel a new sense of job security. He next stars in the Peacock limited series “A Friend of the Family." It's based on the true story of a family whose daughter is kidnapped twice by the same man. Lacy also stars opposite Maika Monroe in the thriller “Significant Other,” debuting on Paramount+. Read more
The full breadth of Hurricane Ian's destruction is still coming into focus a week after it hit southwest Florida. Utility workers continue Wednesday to push ahead to restore power and crews have been searching for anyone still trapped inside flooded or damaged homes. Construction workers are building temporary bridges to barrier islands, including Pine Island, that have been cut off from the mainland. The number of storm-related deaths has risen to at least 84 in recent days. President Joe Biden was scheduled Wednesday to visit Fort Myers’ Fisherman’s Wharf in an area that was especially devastated by winds and surging tides. Read more
Ohio's Republican elections chief says he is responding to Americans’ “crisis of confidence” in the U.S. electoral system by creating a public integrity unit to consolidate his office's investigative work, including rare cases of voter fraud or voter suppression. Secretary of State Frank LaRose says the division announced Wednesday will more efficiently bring together work his office already does, such as voting system certification and investigation of election law violations. Eventually, after the November election, LaRose also wants to incorporate a dedicated team of investigators to focus on any alleged election or voting violations. LaRose says it's another step to boost Ohioans' faith in the election system. Read more
A dramatic family fight has clouded the GOP’s hopes in Georgia’s high-stakes Senate contest. Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker is drawing criticism from his own son as Walker denies a report that he paid for a girlfriend’s abortion. But as the midterm campaign speeds into its final full month, leading Republicans believe the Senate majority remains firmly within their reach. Democratic strategists privately concede that their party's own shortcomings may not be outweighed by the GOP’s mounting challenges. Democrats have no margin for error as they confront the weight of history, widespread economic concerns and President Joe Biden’s weak standing. Read more
The family of a cinematographer shot and killed by Alec Baldwin on the set of the film “Rust” has agreed to settle a lawsuit against Baldwin and the movie's producers, and production may resume on the project in January. Matthew Hutchins, widow of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, says in a statement that a settlement agreement has been reached in the New Mexico lawsuit. Matthew Hutchins says filming will resume on “Rust” in January, with the same principal players as before. New Mexico regulators say the production company has failed to pay a fine for safety violations, and have scheduled a hearing for April. Baldwin, Halyna Hutchins and others were setting up a shot inside a chapel on set when the gun he was holding went off in October 2021. Read more
Authorities say a man suspected of kidnapping a Sikh family in central California tried to kill himself before police found him. The Merced County Sheriff’s Office says the suspect is hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday. The family is still missing. The sheriff’s office says investigators identified 48-year-old Jesus Salgado after he used an ATM card belonging to one of the four victims. They were kidnapped at gunpoint Monday from the office of their trucking company in Merced. Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said via Facebook that the kidnapper took the baby, Aroohi Dheri; the child’s mother, Jasleen Kaur; father Jasdeep Singh; and uncle Amandeep Singh. The sheriff said the kidnapper made no ransom demands or contact of any kind. Read more
A suicide bomber has struck at a center of Taliban power, setting off a blast at a government ministry building in the Afghan capital of Kabul. A Taliban official says four people were killed and 25 were wounded. The Wednesday afternoon attack took place inside a mosque of Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry, which is responsible for security and law enforcement in the country. The Interior Ministry is in its own fortified compound. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion, but the Islamic State group, the chief rival of the Taliban, has been waging a campaign of violence that has intensified since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Read more
Wall Street is giving back some of its big gains from earlier in the week, as rising bond yields amp up the pressure on markets again. The S&P 500 fell 0.8% in afternoon trading Wednesday. It’s coming off its best two-day rally since the spring of 2020, spurred in part by hopes a softening economy may convince central banks to take it easier on interest-rate hikes. But analysts have said such hopes may be premature. A report on U.S. job growth at private employers came in stronger than expected Wednesday, as did a report on the service sector. Read more
A Russian cosmonaut has rocketed from the U.S. for the first time in 20 years, catching a ride with SpaceX. She launched to the International Space Station from Florida on Wednesday alongside two NASA astronauts and one from Japan. Their flight was delayed a couple days by Hurricane Ian. Leading the crew is Nicole Mann, the first Native American woman orbit Earth. She says despite their different backgrounds and the war in Ukraine, she and her crewmates are united in their mission. They should reach the orbiting lab Thursday for a five-month stay. Read more
An 85-year-old Iranian-American detained for six years in Iran on what the U.S. says were specious charges left the country and arrived in Oman on Wednesday on his way for urgent medical treatment. A lawyer for Baquer Namazi's family and the Omani government confirmed his arrival in Muscat. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency published video of Namazi boarding a Royal Oman air force jet in Tehran and later Omani state TV aired video of his arrival in Muscat. Namazi's release is the first of an American by Iran since President Joe Biden took office, although his son, Siamak, and several other Americans remain in Iranian custody. Baquer Namazi's release on humanitarian grounds comes as talks over the tattered 2015 Iran nuclear deal with world powers have stalled. Read more
This year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry has been awarded to Americans Carolyn R. Bertozzi and K. Barry Sharpless, and Danish scientist Morten Meldal for developing a way of “snapping molecules together" that can be used to design better medicines. They were cited for their work on click chemistry and bioorthogonal reactions, which are used to make cancer drugs, map DNA and create materials that are tailored to a specific purpose. Hans Ellegren, secretary general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, announced the winners Wednesday at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Read more
Elon Musk’s sudden about face on a $44 billion agreement to acquire Twitter, reversing an earlier attempt to rescind that offer, came as a surprise even from the mercurial billionaire who loves to shock. But it wasn’t all that surprising to experts who have observed the monthslong legal battle between Musk and Twitter. The news sent shares of the social media platform soaring and stoked alarm among some media watchdogs and civil rights groups. Twitter has been trying to compel the world’s richest man to consummate the buyout he proposed in April. A combination of gambles or missteps by Musk and potential advantages that didn’t pan out made his hand appear weak in the looming trial. Read more
The move Wednesday could deal the struggling global economy another blow and raise politically sensitive pump prices for U.S. drivers just ahead of key national elections. Read more
After a pared down, pandemic-affected edition in 2021, the BFI London Film Festival is back in full swing. The annual event kicks off Wednesday evening with the premiere of a new, musical action adaptation of “Matilda” — the first time in a decade that a family-friendly film has opened the festival. Based on the story by Roald Dahl and featuring the songs of Tim Minchin, newcomer Alisha Weir takes the lead role with support from stars Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch and Stephen Graham. Speaking ahead of the gala, festival director Tricia Tuttle called the choice of opening film “joyous,” adding that “it plays really well to everyone.” Read more
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the final papers to annex four regions of Ukraine while his military struggled to control the new territory. The documents finalizing the annexation were published Wednesday on a Russian government website. In a defiant move, the Kremlin held the door open for further land grabs in Ukraine. Speaking in a conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “certain territories will be reclaimed" and that Russia would continue “consulting” residents about joining Russia. He did not specify which additional Ukrainian territories Moscow is eyeing. The four annexed regions were added in violation of international laws. Read more
Oscar-winning actors Marion Cotillard and Juliette Binoche, as well as other French screen and music stars, have filmed themselves chopping off locks of their hair in a video to support protesters in Iran. The video, released Wednesday on Instagram and hashtagged HairForFreedom, comes as Iran is engulfed by anti-government protests. They were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her arrest for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code. Binoche said “for freedom" as she hacked off a large handful of her hair. Dozens of women took part. They included actors Charlotte Rampling and Charlotte Gainsbourg, who was also filmed cutting hair off her mother, singer Jane Birkin. Read more
President Joe Biden is traveling to hurricane-ravaged Florida with a pledge that federal, state and local governments will work as one to help rebuild homes, businesses and lives. Biden plans to put politics on mute for now to focus on those in need during his tour Wednesday afternoon of Fort Myers, Florida. Biden plans to meet with residents and small business owners, and to thank government officials providing emergency aid and removing debris. Joining Biden in Florida will be two of his most prominent Republican critics, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott. Read more
A trial has opened in Spain over a 2013 train derailment that killed 80 passengers and injured 145 others. Prosecutors are seeking four-year prison sentences for the train's driver and a former security director at the state-owned rail infrastructure company. They both are accused of professional negligence. Protesters screamed insults at the ex-director as he left court on Wednesday. The train crashed against a concrete wall near the city of Santiago de Compostela on July 24, 2013. An investigation showed it was traveling 179 kph (111 mph) on a stretch with an 80 kph (50 mph) speed limit. The probe also revealed the driver answered a phone call from the conductor seconds before the crash. Read more
Republican Tim Michels’ recent reversal to support abortion ban exceptions for rape and incest isn't the first time he's shifted ground on a significant issue in his campaign against Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. Before that, Michels changed his position on what should be done with the state's bipartisan election commission and also started accepting large campaign donations after saying he wouldn't take any larger than $500. The Democratic incumbent is largely focusing on Michels' abortion shift in hopes of winning a second term. Meanwhile, Republicans are hoping to knock off Evers to give Michels a chance to work with a GOP-controlled Legislature keen to change voting laws ahead of the 2024 presidential election in the key swing state. Read more
It's been quite a year for conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson. She formed the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra from scratch and led it on a 12-city tour. Wilson has some Ukrainian roots and felt she had to do something to help that country after Russia invaded it in February Now she's gone straight to the Metropolitan Opera in New York for her conducting debut. She's conducting a Russian opera by Dmitri Shostakovich with the Met's orchestra. Wilson says Russian culture shouldn't be tainted by Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine. And she notes that Soviet authorities tried to silence Shostakovich so she says staging his opera is a slap in the face to Putin. Read more
Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman and Ellen DeGeneres are among the celebrity moderators joining former first lady Michelle Obama on tour for her upcoming book, “The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times.” Other guests include Gayle King, Conan O’Brien, Tracee Ellis Ross, Michele Norris, Elizabeth Alexander and Heather McGhee. On Wednesday, Crown and Live Nation also announced that Obama has added seven stops to her monthlong tour, which begins at Washington's Warner Theatre on Nov. 15, the book’s publication date. Additional appearances have been scheduled in Washington, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco. Read more
The head of the European Union’s executive arm wants to introduce checks on key EU infrastructure, including energy, after the suspected sabotage of natural-gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that the damage last week to the Nord Stream pipelines linking Russia and Germany has shown "how vulnerable our energy infrastructure is.” She says that a comprehensive plan is needed to ensure the safety of key EU networks, including for data. Von der Leyen also says that satellite surveillance will be used to detect potential threats. Read more
Ukrainian soccer federation president Andriy Pavelko says hosting World Cup matches in 2030 would be “the dream of people who survived the horrors of war” after his country launched a joint bid with Spain and Portugal. The leaders of the three soccer federations joined together at UEFA headquarters to present a campaign they hope will connect people beyond the world of sports. Pavelko says the project is backed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. FIFA will pick the host in 2024. Other likely candidates are a four-nation South American bid and a Saudi Arabia-led project involving Egypt. Read more
Jurors in the trial of three men charged in connection with a 2020 anti-government plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have been told about the formation and actions of a paramilitary group the government says trained as part of the scheme. Assistant Attorney General Bill Rollstin described the Wolverine Watchmen on Wednesday as a gang and told jurors in his opening statements in Jackson County Circuit Court that its purpose “was to target law enforcement for violent action.” Rollstin also said Joe Morrison, Pete Musico and Paul Bellar were members of the group. The three are not charged with directly participating in the kidnapping scheme. Instead, they are accused of assisting others who did. Read more
A tender letter that author John Steinbeck penned to his son after the teen confessed he was in love for the first time is going up for auction. Boston-based RR Auction says the handwritten two-page letter shows the Nobel literature laureate's empathy and his expertise on matters of the heart. Thomas Steinbeck was 14 when he told his parents he was in love. His famous father wrote back: “If it is right, it happens — The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away." The “Of Mice and Men” and “Grapes of Wrath” author died in 1968. His son died in 1991. Read more
An independent expert appointed to mediate in the bitter dispute between the Dutch government and the nation’s farmers over plans to drastically slash emissions of nitrogen and ammonia has presented a report that includes a suggestion that the government buy out hundreds of the heaviest polluters. The report published Wednesday could reignite protests by farmers who say their way of life is under threat and cause tensions in Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s four-party ruling coalition over how best to move forward. Johan Remkes said in his 58-page report that “it is necessary in the very short term to emit much less nitrogen.” He adds: “I write this with a heavy heart, but I see no other way.” Read more
Health insurers will flood the Medicare Advantage market again this fall with enticing offers of plans that have no monthly price tag. The number of so-called zero-premium plans has been growing for years, and they can appeal to retirees who live on fixed incomes. But experts say shoppers should exercise caution before jumping at the bargain. Independent broker Melissa Brenner says variables like a plan's doctor and prescription coverage are more important to consider initially than price. Medicare Advantage premiums have been falling, and shoppers might find better coverage that comes with a relatively small monthly cost. Read more
Dallas baseball fan Cory Youmans made the catch of a lifetime, snagging the ball that New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit for his American League-record 62nd home run. Youmans caught the prized souvenir on the fly Tuesday night at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. Youmans, who works in the financial world, said he hasn't decided what he'll do with ball. Youmans was at the second game of a doubleheader between the Yankees and Rangers when Judge led off with a home run. Soon after a local TV station posted a brief interview with the lucky fan, Bri Amaranthus tweeted: “THIS IS MY HUSBAND.” Amaranthus works in local media and is an alum of ABC’s “The Bachelor.” Read more
Loewe’s ever-creative director became the toast of Paris Fashion Week with his subtly provocative, concept-driven runway show. The display had critics and VIP guests, including Karlie Kloss and Alexa Chung, bowled over. Jonathan Anderson's triumph was the highlight of the season so far A giant bright red tropical flower, identified as an anthurium, was the centerpiece of this minimalist runway. The Japanese techno-fabric-loving house of Issey Miyake marked the end of an era, presenting its first collection since the death of the house’s eponymous founder last month. Meanwhile, U.S. Vogue’s Anna Wintour announced on Friday that next year’s Met Gala in New York will be a homage to the late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld. Read more