Political
Need information regarding current political news? Here we'll keep you updated on the latest political news, locally and nationally.
3 council members renew oaths of office in Ephrata
EPHRATA — Three Ephrata City Council Members were sworn in Wednesday evening after winning their respective races.…
Portland residents felt 'abandoned' by police during clash
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — For nearly 30 minutes, armed protesters from opposing groups — the far-right Proud Boys and far-left antifascists — clashed last weekend in the streets, business parking lots and school ground…
Latino city in Arizona grew, but census says it shrank
SOMERTON, Ariz. (AP) — It’s a Thursday evening in Somerton, Arizona, and parents and students packed inside a middle school gym are roaring for the school’s wrestling team at decibels that test the eardrum.
Eviction ban's end will allow pandemic lockouts to resume
PHOENIX (AP) — Tenant advocates and court officials were gearing up Friday for what some fear will be a wave of evictions and others predict will be just a growing trickle after a U.S. Supreme Court action allowing…
California looking to pay drug addicts to stay sober
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Frustrated by out-of-control increases in drug overdose deaths, California's leaders are trying something radical: They want the state to be the first to pay people to stay sober.
US intelligence still divided on origins of coronavirus
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence agencies remain divided on the origins of the coronavirus but believe China's leaders did not know about the virus before the start of the global pandemic, according to results r…
100,000 more COVID deaths seen unless US changes its ways
The U.S. is projected to see nearly 100,000 more COVID-19 deaths between now and Dec. 1, according to the nation's most closely watched forecasting model. But health experts say that toll could be cut in half if ne…
Israeli PM and Biden postpone meeting because of Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett have postponed their White House meeting as Biden focused his attention on dealing with the aftermath of deadly explosions near the K…
Judge blocks Florida governor’s order banning mask mandates
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida school districts can legally require their students to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a judge ruled Friday, saying Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority whe…
Masks ordered for most Florida students, defying DeSantis
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Just over half of Florida’s 2.8 million public school students now face mandates to wear masks in classrooms as a courtroom battle continues over efforts by Gov. Ron DeSantis to leave su…
US airstrike targets Islamic State member in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting swiftly on President Joe Biden's promise to retaliate for the deadly suicide bombing at Kabul airport, the U.S. military said it used a drone strike to kill a member of the Islamic State gr…
Harris holds steady on Southeast Asia trip as crises loom
HONOLULU (AP) — In Singapore, in between a foreign policy speech and a roundtable talk about supply chain issues, Vice President Kamala Harris stopped to smell the flowers.
Washington state orders the killing of up to 2 wolves
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The state of Washington on Thursday ordered the killing of one or two wolves from the Togo pack in Ferry County in response to repeated attacks on cattle.
Bernie Sanders sells big government's virtues in red states
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) —
Pandemic windfall for US schools has few strings attached
As the federal government releases historic sums of pandemic aid to the nation’s schools, it’s urging them to dream big, to invest in seismic changes that will benefit students for generations to come. But many dis…
Supreme Court allows evictions to resume during pandemic
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court's conservative majority is allowing evictions to resume across the United States, blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban that was put in place because o…