May 24, 2023 11:35 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Target is removing certain items from its stores and making other changes to its LGBTQ+ merchandise nationwide ahead of Pride month, after an intense backlash from some customers including violent confrontations with its workers. Target declined to confirm which items it was removing but among the ones that garnered the most attention were “tuck friendly” adult women’s swimsuits that allow trans women who have not had gender-affirming operations to conceal their private parts. Designs by Abprallen, a London-based company which designs and sells occult- and satanic-themed LGBTQ+ clothing and accessories, have also sparked a backlash.
May 24, 2023 9:37 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Authorities say a fifteen-year-old student was arrested in the shooting death of another fifteen-year-old student just outside of a Pittsburgh school. Police say the shooting happened by the steps of Oliver Citywide Academy shortly before classes were due to start Wednesday morning. Officers say they found Derrick Harris with gunshot wounds in front of the school. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died. Another student, identified as Jamier Perry, was seen running from the scene with a gun and was arrested. Police say a firearm was found as well. A city spokeswoman said most students were still on their way to the school when the shooting happened. (Photo: WPXI)
May 24, 2023 4:24 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Half of the people in the U.S. support the Pentagon’s ongoing supply of weapons to Ukraine for its defense against Russian forces. That’s according to a new survey by the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and NORC. The survey finds American support for Washington’s backing of Ukraine has ebbed slightly since the war began 15 months ago. But U.S. public support for Ukraine’s defense remains strong. Samuel Charap is a senior political scientist at the RAND Corp. research center. He says, “There’s no ground-swelling of American Ukraine fatigue here, and that has always been the fear.”
May 24, 2023 4:23 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A criminal investigation in Texas over the hesitant police response to the Robb Elementary School shooting is still ongoing a year after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde. Wednesday marks one year since the deadliest school shooting in Texas history. The continuing investigation underlines the lasting fallout over the shooting and how the days after the attack were marred by authorities giving inaccurate and conflicting accounts about efforts made to stop a teenage gunman. The Uvalde school district permanently closed the Robb Elementary campus and plans for a new school are in the works. Schools in Uvalde will be closed Wednesday.
May 24, 2023 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Politicians in Washington may be offering assurance that the government will figure out a way to avert default, but around the country, economic anxiety is rising and some people already are adjusting their routines. Government beneficiaries, social service groups that receive state and federal subsidies and millions more across the country are contemplating the possibility of massive and immediate cuts if the U.S. were to default on its financial obligations. Some are cutting back on necessities and others are finding ways to save money.
May 24, 2023 4:20 am
MIAMI (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has entered the 2024 presidential race. He’s stepping into a crowded Republican primary contest that will test his national appeal as an outspoken cultural conservative and the party’s willingness to move on from former President Donald Trump. DeSantis revealed his decision in a Federal Election Commission filing before a planned online conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk. It marks a new chapter in DeSantis’ rise from congressman to two-term governor to a leading figure in the nation’s bitter fights over race, gender, abortion, and other divisive issues. Questions loom about his readiness for the national stage. But DeSantis is seen as Trump’s strongest Republican rival.
May 24, 2023 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Debt ceiling negotiations are locked on a classic problem that has vexed Washington before: Republicans led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy want to roll back federal government spending, while President Joe Biden and other Democrats do not. Time is short to strike a deal before a deadline as soon as June 1, when the Treasury says the government risks running out of cash to pay its bills. Negotiators are to reconvene Wednesday. McCarthy is rejecting a White House counter-offer to freeze spending instead of cutting it as the two sides try to strike a budget deal in exchange for a vote to raise the government’s borrowing limit.
May 24, 2023 4:15 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court will take its first crack at whether a governor can force power plant owners to pay for their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, or whether he first needed approval from a Legislature that opposed the plan. Hanging in the balance is Pennsylvania’s effort to become the first major fossil fuel-producing state to adopt carbon pricing. On Wednesday, the state’s highest court will hear arguments on whether a lower court was right to halt Pennsylvania’s participation in a multistate consortium that imposes a price and declining cap on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. The way the justices react could give hints as to how they might ultimately rule.
May 24, 2023 4:13 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – You can now add electricity to what feels like a growing list of consumer goods rising in price, thanks to inflation. Starting June 1, the average cost of a kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity, which is how your electric bill is calculated, is going up. By how much? That depends on your provider. Duquesne Light customers will see a 1.8% increase in the cost of a kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity; but, if you’re a West Penn Power customer, the hike is 20.7% per kilowatt hour. Our news partners at Channel 11 crunched the numbers and found that the average electric usage in Allegheny County is about 1,168 kilowatt hours per month. Once the hike takes effect next Thursday, if you have Duquesne Light, the average bill will rise by roughly $2.30 a month, or $28 a year. If you have West Penn Power, the average bill will go up by $19.87 a month, which comes out to more than $238 a year.
May 24, 2023 4:10 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A student is dead and another is in custody following a shooting outside of Oliver Citywide Academy in Pittsburgh Wednesday morning. A ShotSpotter alert was received around 7:25 a.m. for 11 rounds total in the area of the school, located at 2323 Brighton Road in the city’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. Responding officers found the victim, identified as Derrick Harris, 15, with gunshot wounds and immediately began rendering aid, according to Cmdr. Richard Ford of Pittsburgh police. Harris was transported to a local hospital in critical condition but later died. Another officer saw the potential suspect running from the scene with a gun and took him into custody. The suspect was later identified as Jamier Perry, 15. He has been charged with criminal homicide, possession of firearm by minor and firearms not to be carried without a license. He’s currently being housed in the Allegheny County Jail.
