July 2, 2022 6:11 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Last July, a federal judge in West Virginia heard closing arguments in the first lawsuit to go to trial over the U.S. opioid addiction epidemic. With an avalanche of documents that included transcripts of testimony and exhibits, Judge David Faber didn’t indicate when he would make a ruling, and his decision wasn’t expected right away. Nearly a year later, a community is still waiting. The lawsuit by Cabell County and the city of Huntington accused distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson of creating a public nuisance. Some 81 million pills were sent to the community of about 93,000 along the Ohio River from 2006 to 2014.
July 2, 2022 6:00 am
(WPXI) – A third monkeypox case in Allegheny County has been confirmed. The Allegheny County Health Department confirmed that three residents have now been diagnosed with monkeypox. Health officials say that all victims of the virus are males in their 20s and 30s. None of the patients have required hospitalization at the time and are isolating at their homes. The county has begun contact tracing protocols. “The ACHD has a highly honed case investigation process and is ready to help contain any possible community spread of the monkeypox virus in Allegheny County,” remarked ACHD Chief Epidemiologist LuAnn Brink. “To contain the virus effectively and efficiently we need residents to work with our nurse case investigators to determine the source of the infection and if it has spread to others. We appreciate any and all assistance.” As of 3:00 p.m. on Friday there were 13 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Pennsylvania.
July 1, 2022 12:35 pm
ALLEN, Ky. (AP) – Two officers were killed when a man opened fire on police attempting to serve a warrant at a home in eastern Kentucky Thursday night. Several officers were shot at the scene in Floyd County. Police took 49-year-old Lance Storz into custody late Thursday night. An arrest citation says two officers were killed at the scene, and five officers were injured. An emergency management official was also injured and a police K9 dog was killed. Storz was arraigned Friday morning in Pike County and jailed on a $10 million bond.
July 1, 2022 4:15 am
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – The Supreme Court’s decision eliminating the constitutional right to abortion is causing anxiety for people in same-sex marriages, particularly those with children. The decision last week overturning Roe v. Wade didn’t directly affect the 2015 ruling that paved the way for gay marriage. But lawyers say now they’re getting questions from same-sex couples worried about the legal status of their marriages and keeping their children. Alabama lawyer Sydney Duncan has received dozens of emails and calls in just a few days. Justice Clarence Thomas has called on colleagues to reconsider cases that allowed same-sex marriage, gay sex and contraception.
July 1, 2022 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – More than 500 days into his presidency, Joe Biden’s hope for saving the Earth from the devastating effects of climate change may not be dead. But it’s not far from it. áA Supreme Court ruling Thursday has not only limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate climate pollution by power plants. It also suggests the court is poised to block Biden’s other efforts to limit the climate-wrecking fumes emitted by oil, gas and coal. It’s a blow to Biden’s commitment to slash emissions in the few years scientists say are left to stave off worse and deadlier levels of global warming. And it’s a sign, to Democrats at home and allies abroad, of the dwindling chances left for Biden to reverse the legacy of President Donald Trump, who mocked the science of climate change.
July 1, 2022 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A new poll finds a growing percentage of Americans calling out abortion or women’s rights as priorities for the government in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, especially among Democrats and those who support abortion access. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds 22% of U.S. adults name abortion or women’s rights in an open-ended question as one of five problems they want the government to work on. That’s nearly tripled since December. The new poll, which included interviews conducted before and after the Supreme Court’s ruling, finds prioritization of the issues grew sharply following the decision. With midterm elections looming, President Joe Biden and Democrats will seek to capitalize on that shift.
July 1, 2022 4:12 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian authorities say Russian missile attacks on residential buildings in a coastal town near the port city of Odesa have killed at least 18 people including two children. Video of the pre-dawn Friday attack showed the charred remains of buildings in the small town of Serhiivka, located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of Odesa. Ukrainian news reports said missiles struck a multi-story apartment building and a resort area. The assault came after Russian forces withdrew from a strategic Black Sea island on Thursday. Russia took control of Snake Island in the opening days of the war, and their withdrawal initially was seen as lessening the threat to the Odesa region.
July 1, 2022 4:09 am
CHARLEROI, Pa. — (WPXI) – A series of car break-ins has neighbors in one Charleroi neighborhood rattled. Neighbors on Oakland Avenue say they feel uneasy on their normally quiet street. “It just doesn’t happen up here,” one neighbor said. “I’ve lived here for 10 years. It’s just not a typical thing here.” The first incident happened in the early morning hours of June 25. A gun was stolen out of a white pick-up truck. “I was going to put my daughter’s car seat in the car, and when I opened the door, all my pap’s stuff was spread out everywhere. I was like ‘oh my God, something happened,’” Marsaidez Newman-Sethman said. “It’s scary because it’s supposed to protect us, and now we know they have a weapon.” A few houses away, would-be thieves rummaged through two more cars, leaving behind valuable items like tools and camera equipment. “Each time, things were just lying out on the seat. Everything was pulled out of the glovebox. Change was taken,” one neighbor said. Charleroi Police say they are looking for up to six people in connection with these break-ins and break-ins in nearby Fallowfield Township. If you have any information, you should contact police.
July 1, 2022 2:47 am
The Washington County Department of Human Services kicked off its new caller intake system to help residents find the services that they need. Instead looking through a myriad of telephone numbers and hoping that the right one is called, residents will now simply dial 724-228-1234 and they will be connected to a live operator that will be able to connect them directly to the office that they need. During business hours of 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Monday thru Friday, callers will be directed immediately to the offices they need. Overnight and over weekends, callers will have their calls answered by 211 and operators there will offer assistance so that help is available 24 hours a day. Residents needing human services assistance will first be met by the Centralized Intake Unit. Depending on their needs they will be directed to any of the following departments. Those departments include Aging Services, Behavior Health and Developmental Services, Children and Youth Services, Housing and Homeless Coordinator, Veterans Affairs, Washington County Drug and Alcohol Commission, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank/Food Helpers and Washingtonpa.findhelp.com
July 1, 2022 2:31 am
HARRISBURG (AP) – A state court is permanently blocking Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to toll as many as nine major bridges on interstates in Pennsylvania, siding with three Pittsburgh-area municipalities that argued that his administration had violated procedures in getting to the advanced stage of considering the idea. A panel of Commonwealth Court judges on Thursday granted the municipalities’ request to effectively declare the plan dead because Wolf’s Department of Transportation hadn’t followed the law. Wolf’s push for tolling comes as states increasingly look to user fees to make up for declining gas tax revenue that is not keeping up with the demands of fixing highways and bridges.
