NewsRegional & State News
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AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File
Man charged in rape on Philadelphia train held for trial
A man accused of raping a woman on a commuter train outside Philadelphia while other passengers were present was ordered held for trial by a magistrate judge Monday.
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Matt Slocum
Bill Cosby prosecutors ask US Supreme Court to review case
Prosecutors asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision that overturned Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction. In a petition filed Monday, they wrote that courts should not equate a supposed promise made by a former prosecutor to lifetime immunity.
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Gene J. Puskar
Red Sox owners reach agreement to buy Pittsburgh Penguins
Financial details were not released. Sportico valued the Penguins at $845 million last month.
By Will Graves/The Associated Press -
Chris Szagola
Temple fires football coach Carey after 3 lackluster seasons
The Owls completed a 3-9 season on Saturday with their seventh straight lopsided loss, falling to Navy 38-14.
By Dan Gelston/The Associated Press -
Keith Srakocic
As Pa. school funding trial resumes, here’s a cheat sheet on what’s happened so far
If the case is successful, it could dramatically reshape how Pennsylvania funds education.
By Mallory Falk/WHYY
Politics & Policy
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Tim Lambert
Pa. lawmakers prepare for a month of intense redistricting negotiations
Hundreds of small decisions go into the drawing of congressional and state House and Senate maps.
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Photo by Evan Agostini
GOP field in Pennsylvania’s Senate race heads for reshuffle
The high-stakes campaign to replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in the battleground state could determine control of the Senate in next year’s election.
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Min Xian / WPSU
Wolf signals readiness for congressional district map talks
This round of drawing new congressional district boundaries is the first time in three decades where a Republican-controlled Legislature must share the task with a governor who is a Democrat.
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Delaware County Democratic Committee
With incumbent’s concession, Dems have flipped a Pa. Commonwealth Court seat
Drew Crompton’s loss disrupts Republicans’ otherwise complete sweep of statewide judicial races in this year’s election,
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Sam Dunklau
Questions remain about GOP’s election ‘investigation’
Pressed for details about his aims, the firm’s president said his team will examine last year’s presidential election and last May’s primary election.
Health
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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The omicron variant is cause for concern — but not panic, Biden says
President Biden said Monday that while travel restrictions imposed on travelers from several southern African nations would slow the entry of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, “it cannot prevent it.”
By Brian Naylor/NPR -
Brian Inganga
The World Health Organization warns of very high risk posed by the omicron variant
The WHO says the risk to vulnerable populations — especially in countries with low vaccination rates — could be “substantial.”
By Scott Neuman/NPR -
Laura Ungar
Demand is strong for kids’ COVID-19 vaccines in parts of Pennsylvania, pediatricians say
“As soon as we had vaccine available, and as soon as we were able to get our marketing announcement out there, parents began scheduling appointments.”
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Matt Dunham
As Omicron spreads, studies suggest that travel bans alone don’t do much good
Several countries, including the United States and Canada, announced almost immediate travel bans from South Africa and other southern African nations.
By Deepa Shivaram, Emma Bowman, and Jaclyn Diaz/NPR -
Mary Altaffer
How vaccine makers plan to address the new COVID-19 omicron variant
Vaccine makers are already pivoting their efforts to combat the new variant: testing higher doses of booster shots, designing new boosters that anticipate strain mutations, and developing omicron-specific boosters.
By Dustin Jones/NPR
National & World News
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Supreme Court Justices’ views on abortion in their own words and votes
They have had a lot to say about abortion over the years — in opinions, votes, Senate confirmation testimony and elsewhere.
By Mark Sherman and Jessica Gresko/The Associated Press -
Ben Gray
How understaffed are stores? Smaller retailers feel the holiday-shopping strain
The Great Resignation hit retail like a tidal wave during the pandemic.
By Alina Selyukh?NPR -
Scott Applewhite
Supreme Court set to take up all-or-nothing abortion fight
Both sides are telling the Supreme Court there’s no middle ground in Wednesday’s showdown over abortion.
By Mark Sherman/AP
Energy & Environment
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Keith Srakocic
Penn State study: Hunters spread COVID-19 to deer
The report found 80% of white-tailed deer sampled in Iowa tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, last year.
By Megan Frank/WLVR -
David Zalubowski
Advocates hope federal infrastructure money will spur people to buy EVs
More EV use will be needed for the state to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with its climate goal of an 80 percent reduction by 2050.
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Matt Rourke
Biden is tapping oil reserves to try to bring down high gas prices
China, India, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom will take similar steps to release oil from their stockpiles, the White House said on Tuesday.
By Tamara Keith/NPR -
Matt Rourke
Want to start a farm? Good luck finding land
For people who want to start their own farms, there’s no guarantee they’ll find land. It’s a top barrier for newcomers in the agriculture industry.
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Marie Cusick/ StateImpact Pennsylvania
With energy prices high, Pennsylvanians urged to review utility options
The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects households that use natural gas for heat will spend 30 percent more than they spent last winter on average.
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Gene J. Puskar
How will Pennsylvania use infrastructure money?
Billions coming to state as part of $1 trillion infrastructure billBy Scott LaMar -
Susan Phillips/StateImpact Pennsylvania
Midstate towns on the list of safest from crime
Several Pennsylvania cities and small towns made the list of the Safest Small Towns in America and Safest Cities in America
By Scott LaMar -
iStock
Number of murders spiked in 2020-21
By Scott LaMar