Pennsylvania State News

New York City, Philadelphia finally get notable snow while other parts of the US get a deep shiver

Updated 1 hr ago

Major cities on the U.S. East Coast have broken a snow drought of sorts. Meanwhile, other parts of the country were struggling Tuesday with perilously low temperatures that closed schools, cut power and likely contributed to cold exposure deaths. New York City’s Central Park has recorded more than an inch of snow in a single day for the first time since 2022. The National Weather Service says Philadelphia’s 715-day streak without a similar amount has ended, too. More than 100,000 U.S. homes and businesses are without power, most of them in Oregon, Texas and Louisiana, after widespread outages that started over the weekend.

Synopsys buying Ansys in $35 billion deal, creating automation and engineering software giant

Updated 2 hrs ago

Synopsys is buying Ansys in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $35 billion, the first big buyout attempt of the year that would join two big automation and engineering software companies.

Editorial Roundup: Pennsylvania

6 hrs ago

LNP/LancasterOnline. January 10, 2024.

MLK Jr. holiday celebrations include acts of service and parades, but some take a political turn

Updated 13 hrs ago

Communities across the nation have been celebrating the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with acts of service, prayer services and parades. But with the November presidential election as a backdrop, some events on Monday took on an overtly political turn. In Atlanta, Liz Cheney spoke at the the annual commemorative service at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King served as pastor. The former U.S. Representative who served on the U.S. House Committee that investigated the Jan. 6 insurrection, had especially harsh words for Trump. She referred to him only as “a former president” and said he “threatens the foundations of our nation and everything Dr. King persevered to save.”

Fake 911 report of fire at the White House triggers emergency response while Biden is at Camp David

Updated Jan 15, 2024

A fake 911 call that the White House was on fire has sent emergency vehicles to the complex. President Joe Biden and his family were at Camp David in Maryland when the call came in Monday morning. A person familiar with the matter says fire engines and other emergency vehicles responded to a report the White House was ablaze and a person was trapped inside. District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services and U.S. Secret Service personnel determined it was a false report and called off the response. Biden is scheduled to return to the White House on Monday afternoon after participating in an event in Philadelphia marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Vandalism probe opened after swastika painted on Philadelphia wall adjacent to Holocaust memorial

Jan 15, 2024

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Police have opened a vandalism investigation into the spray-painting of a swastika on a wall adjacent to a Holocaust memorial in Philadelphia over the weekend.

US company's lunar lander will burn up in Earth's atmosphere after failed moonshot

Updated Jan 15, 2024

A U.S. company's lunar lander will soon burn up in Earth's atmosphere after a failed moonshot. Astrobotic Technology says its lander is now headed back from the vicinity of the moon. Company officials expect the mission to end Thursday. They stress that the lander poses no safety risk during its fiery reentry. The lander rocketed from Florida last week. It quickly developed a fuel leak that forced Astrobotic to abandon its attempt to make the first U.S. lunar landing in more than 50 years.

Former high-ranking Philadelphia police commander to be reinstated after arbitrator's ruling

Jan 14, 2024

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia police say a former high-ranking commander fired after he was charged with sexual assault will be reinstated following an arbitrator's ruling in the wake of the dismissal of the cases against him.

2 killed, 4 hurt in shooting at Philadelphia home where illegal speakeasy was operating, police say

Jan 14, 2024

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Gunfire at a north Philadelphia home apparently being used as an illegal speakeasy killed two people and wounded four others over the weekend, authorities said.

A man is charged in a 2013 home invasion slaying and assault in suburban Philadelphia

Updated Jan 13, 2024

A man has been charged in a home-invasion slaying and sexual assault in suburban Philadelphia a decade ago, authorities said.

As a new generation rises, tension between free speech and inclusivity on college campuses simmers

Updated Jan 13, 2024

The expansive version of free speech long accepted in American society is facing more forceful competition than it has seen in a century. On college campuses, a newer version of free speech is emerging as young generations redraw the line where expression crosses into harm. Their version has no tolerance for speech leading to physical or psychological harm. The Israel-Hamas war and its rhetoric appear to be widening the fault lines and pushing students to demand that university leaders take a side between clashing versions of free speech. Some First Amendment scholars say younger generations are misguided in their approach to free speech, while some say it's part of a natural cultural progression.

Biden stops by Pennsylvania stores to talk up his record on small business creation

Updated Jan 12, 2024

President Joe Biden is trying his hand at retail politics. He stopped in a trio of shops in Emmaus, Pennsylvania to tout the value of small businesses and promote his economic record. It was a distinct change from the set speeches that the Democratic president usually gives to highlight his policies about an economy with strong employment but levels of inflation that worry voters. Biden says people are starting to feel better about the economy, even if he's not getting the credit for making it happen.