MICHAEL RUBINKAM

Michael is a Pennsylvania-based general assignment reporter.

Supreme Court allows Pennsylvania to count contested provisional ballots, rejecting Republican plea

The Supreme Court has rejected an emergency appeal from Republicans that could have led to thousands of provisional ballots not being counted in Pennsylvania.

Trump says his New York rally marked by crude and racist insults was ‘an absolute lovefest’

Donald Trump says his weekend rally that was marked by crude and racist insults was a “lovefest.” That’s a term the former president has also used to reference the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S.

Thousands mourn the Turkish spiritual leader who died in US

Family, friends and followers of Fethullah Gülen have gathered to pay respects to the influential Turkish spiritual leader and Islamic scholar who died this week in self-exile in the United States.

Self-exiled Turkish spiritual leader Fethullah Gülen dies in the US

Fethullah Gülen, a reclusive U.S.-based Islamic cleric who inspired a global social movement while facing accusations he masterminded a failed 2016 coup in his native Turkey, has died.

Ohio sheriff deletes online post about Harris supporters and their yard signs after public outcry

An Ohio sheriff has deleted a social media post in which he said people with Kamala Harris yard signs should have their addresses written down so that immigrants can be sent to live with them.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy visits Pennsylvania ammunition plant to thank workers and ask for more

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited the Pennsylvania ammunition factory that is producing one of the most critically needed munitions for his country’s fight to fend off Russian ground forces.

Ohio sheriff condemned for saying people with Harris yard signs should have their addresses recorded

An Ohio sheriff is under fire for a social media post in which he said people with Kamala Harris yard signs should have their addresses recorded so that immigrants can be sent to live with them if Harris wins.

What to know about the threats in Springfield, Ohio, after false claims about Haitian immigrants

A small Ohio city has been inundated with hoax bomb threats since last week’s presidential debate, when former President Donald Trump falsely accused members of Springfield’s Haitian community of abducting and eating cats and dogs.

Overseas threats hit the Ohio city where Trump and Vance lied about Haitians eating pets

Ohio officials have stationed state police at Springfield schools in response to bomb threats that officials say are mostly coming from overseas. Gov.

Ohio state police to protect schools after furor over Haitian immigrants in Springfield

Ohio state police will help protect schools in a city that has endured dozens of violent threats in the wake of a national political furor over Haitian migrants.

Investigators will test DNA found on a wipe removed from a care home choking victim’s throat

The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office plans to test DNA from a hair found on a wipe that was pulled from the throat of a woman who lived at a care home for people with developmental difficulties.

Jewish family can have anti-hate yard signs after neighbor used slur, court says

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that a Jewish family had the free-speech right to blanket their yard with signs decrying hate and racism after their next-door neighbor hurled an antisemitic slur at them during a property dispute 10 years ago.

Pennsylvania ammo plant boosts production of key artillery shell in Ukraine’s fight against Russia

A Pennsylvania ammunition plant that makes a key artillery shell in Ukraine’s fight against Russia has managed to boost production by 50% to meet surging demand, with more capacity set to come on line.

Pennsylvania museum to sell painting in settlement with heirs of Jewish family that fled the Nazis

A Pennsylvania museum has agreed to sell a 16th century portrait that once belonged to a Jewish family that was forced to part with it while fleeing Nazi Germany.

Jury sides with Pennsylvania teacher in suit against district over Jan. 6 rally

A federal jury says a Pennsylvania school district violated a teacher’s constitutional rights by falsely suggesting he took part in the U.S.

Trump zigzags between economic remarks and personal insults at rally in critical Pennsylvania

Donald Trump is rallying supporters in the pivotal battleground state of Pennsylvania, where he hopes conservative, white working-class voters near President Joe Biden’s hometown will boost his chances.

By the dozen, accusers tell of rampant sexual abuse at Pennsylvania juvenile detention facilities

A group of nearly 70 people allege they were sexually abused as children while housed in detention centers in Pennsylvania.

Chicken wings advertised as ‘boneless’ can have bones, Ohio Supreme Court decides

The Ohio Supreme Court says consumers can’t expect boneless chicken wings to actually be free of bones.

Antisemitism runs rampant in Philadelphia schools, Jewish group alleges in civil rights complaint

The Philadelphia school district has failed to protect Jewish students from “a virulent wave of antisemitism” that swept through classrooms after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, according to a federal complaint filed Tuesday.

The man killed at a Trump rally died shielding his family. Neighbors share stories of 2 others hurt

Loved ones of the man killed when a sniper opened fire at a rally for former President Donald Trump describe him as a beloved family man and girl dad who served his community with “quiet resilience.”

Philadelphia labor union powerbroker gets 6 years for bribery and theft

A former Philadelphia labor leader who once wielded clout in state and local politics has been sentenced to six years in prison for bribery and theft.

Scammers are swiping billions from Americans every year. Worse, most crooks are getting away with it

Sophisticated overseas criminals are stealing tens of billions of dollars from Americans every year, a crime wave projected to get worse as the U.S. population ages and technology makes it easier to successfully perpetrate fraud.

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey stands by Biden, says voters will decide on issues, not on a bad debate

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey says President Joe Biden is able to run a strong race and serve a second term in the Oval Office.

Family wants DNA testing on strand of hair that could hold key to care home resident’s death

A single black hair could help bring clarity to the mysterious death of a 50-year-old Philadelphia woman who choked on a large disinfectant wipe at a care home for people with development difficulties.

Probe finds carelessness caused Jewish student group’s omission from New Jersey high school yearbook

An investigation into how and why a Jewish student group was erased from a New Jersey high school yearbook has found the omission was caused by negligence and carelessness, but was not done on purpose or out of malice.

When colleges close, students are left scrambling. Some never go back to school

More colleges around the country have been closing as they cope with steep declines in enrollment. That’s a consequence of both changing demographics and the effects of the pandemic.

Probe launched after Jewish student group omitted from New Jersey high school yearbook

A New Jersey school district has hired an outside law firm to investigate how and why a Jewish student group was omitted from the high school yearbook.

Heartbreak, anger and many questions follow University of the Arts’ abrupt decision to close

Fallout is spreading over the impending closure of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. The nearly 150-year-old school says it plans to close its doors Friday.

Drexel threatens to clear encampment as arrests linked to Israel-Hamas war protests exceed 3,000

Drexel University in Philadelphia is threatening to clear an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters as arrests linked to campus demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war surpassed the 3,000 mark nationwide.

Troops fired on Kent State students in 1970. Survivors see echoes in today’s campus protests

Kent State University is marking another solemn anniversary of the National Guard shootings that killed four unarmed students and wounded nine others on May 4, 1970.