August 15, 2024 4:58 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s stunning incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region was a bold gamble for the country’s military commanders, who committed their limited resources to a risky assault on a nuclear-armed enemy with no assurance of success. By Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said they controlled 386 square miles of enemy territory, including at least 74 settlements and hundreds of Russian prisoners of war. But a week after it began, the overall aim of the operation is still unclear. What is clear is that the incursion has changed the battlefield. The shock of Ukraine’s thunder run revealed chinks in the armor of its powerful adversary. The assault also risked aggravating Ukraine’s own weaknesses.
August 15, 2024 11:44 am
(AP) – The creator of the Famous Amos cookie empire has died. Wally Amos’ children say he died Tuesday at his home in Honolulu from complications with dementia. He was 88. Amos eventually lost ownership of the company and rights to use the catchy Amos name. He later became a children’s literacy advocate and proprietor of a cookie shop called Chip & Cookie in Hawaii. He was also co-founder of Uncle Wally’s Muffin Co. His shop had a reading room with dozens of donated books, where he usually spent Saturdays reading to children. (Photo: AP)
August 14, 2024 5:14 pm
Part of I-70 was closed for several hours on Wednesday due to a garbage truck that caught fire. Washington County 911 said emergency crews responded to the Wheeling and Pittsburgh split of the interstate just before two o’clock, where they found a garbage truck nearly engulfed in flames on the shoulder of the interstate. Pennsylvania State Police said it appeared the truck was having some issues and pulled over before catching fire. No one was hurt in the blaze, dispatchers said. (Photo: WPXI)
August 14, 2024 4:44 am
Supervisors in North Franklin Township unanimously affirmed the burn ban that was put in under emergency action on Saturday. Supervisor Chairman Bob Sabot said that all burning and use of fireworks will be prohibited until further notice. Anyone in violation of the ban could be fined $500. The ban will be lifted when sufficient rain falls to ease the drought conditions that exist in the township. Supervisors also took their next steps in developing their Waterside Park project. They awarded nearly $850,000 in contracts to begin work on the Waterside Park Event Center. The center will be housed in the old PA American Water building that is situated next to the municipal building. Supervisors also accepted a contribution of a small parcel of land adjacent to the park from the estate of Edith Sprowls. They expressed their gratitude for the land that is nearly .2 acres in size.
August 14, 2024 5:04 am
Washington County Commissioners appear poised for a vote on a multi-million dollar contract with Motorola for a new emergency radio system. Commissioner’s Chairman Nick Sherman says a meeting is set for today to provide final design and cost numbers. After Tuesday’s agenda meeting, he said they wanted to get this on the agenda for a vote at their Thursday morning meeting. Motorola was one of three bidders looking to overhaul the system after Commissioner’s voted 2-1 back in April to terminate a more-than $22 Million contract with MRA Inc. Sherman and fellow Republican Electra Janis voted in favor of the move. Democrat Larry Maggi was opposed. Thursday’s meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m.
August 13, 2024 2:42 am
WEIRTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia dentist is facing invasion of privacy charges after police say a concealed camera was allegedly found in his office’s employee bathroom. Dr. Jeremy Michael Crow of Washington turned himself in Monday to police in Weirton. Police Chief Charlie Kush says an employee in May reported finding the camera inside a water bottle in the bathroom used by staff at Crow’s office. He says an investigation found that at least 10 female employees reported seeing the same device. Kush says there was no evidence any cameras were placed in the office’s public bathroom. Crow is charged with 39 counts of misdemeanor criminal invasion of privacy, Police Chief Charlie Kush said in a news release. Crow was released on $20,000 bond following arraignment, the police statement said. Crow’s attorney said he looked forward to his acquittal by a jury and that he would keep practicing dentistry while out on bond.
August 14, 2024 7:38 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, will kick off their bus tour in Pittsburgh this weekend, ahead of the Democratic National Convention. A news release from the Harris-Walz campaign says the bus tour will begin in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Harris, Walz, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz will all be in attendance on the tour. The bus tour will focus on meeting voters in community settings. The campaign says this will be Harris’ eighth visit to Pennsylvania this year.
August 14, 2024 8:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Year-over-year inflation reached its lowest level in more than three years in July, the latest sign that the worst price spike in four decades is fading and setting up the Federal Reserve for an interest rate cut in September. Wednesday’s report from the Labor Department showed that consumer prices rose just 0.2% from June to July after dropping slightly the previous month for the first time in four years. Measured from a year earlier, prices rose 2.9%, down from 3% in June. It is the mildest year-over-year inflation figure since March 2021. The government said nearly all the increase last month reflected higher rental prices and housing costs, a trend that, according to real-time data, is easing.
August 14, 2024 5:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, including scores of fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles. The State Department made the announcement Tuesday. Congress was notified of the impending sale, which includes more than 50 F-15 fighter jets, Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs, 120 mm tank ammunition and high explosive mortars and tactical vehicles. It comes at a time of intense concern that Israel may become involved in a wider Middle East war.
August 14, 2024 5:09 am
Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Wednesday killed at least 17 people, including five children and their parents. The latest strikes came on the eve of new talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire in the 10-month-long war. The United States, Qatar and Egypt are hoping to broker an agreement, but the sides remain far apart on several issues even after months of indirect negotiations. One strike hit a family home late Tuesday in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, which dates back to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation. It killed five children, ranging in age from 2 to 11, and their parents, according to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
