July 4, 2022 4:10 am
Canonsburg held its 59th annual 4th of July celebration Monday. The day started out with the Whiskey Rebellion 5K Race and Walk at 7:30 a.m. Opening remarks took place at the reviewing stand along Pike Street at 9:05 and the parade kicked-off at 10:00 a.m. Town Park Pool offered free admission from noon to 6:00 p.m. with live music from the main pavilion at 1:30 and 3:30. The celebration capped off with a Zambelli fireworks display at 10:00 p.m. Canonsburg Memorial Stadium was not open to the public for watching fireworks this year.
July 3, 2022 8:20 am
SYDNEY (AP) — Thousands of residents in Sydney suburbs were told to evacuate their homes on Sunday after heavy rains caused floodwaters to rise and rivers to overflow in what authorities called life-threatening emergencies. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for heavy rain and flash floods and winds of up to 55 miles per hour along the coast of Australia’s most populous city and other parts of New South Wales state. Authorities said that Warragamba Dam in western Sydney began overflowing overnight and the peak spill would be comparable to devastating flooding in March last year. Residents in a number of suburbs have been ordered to evacuate, but Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said people don’t need to wait to be told to leave.
July 3, 2022 8:18 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s defense minister said Russian forces took control Sunday of the last major Ukrainian-held city in Ukraine’s Luhansk province, bringing Moscow closer to its stated goal of seizing all of Ukraine’s Donbas region. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin that Russia’s troops together with members of a local separatist militia “have established full control over the city of Lysychansk,” a ministry statement said. Taking Lysychansk constitutes “the liberation of the Luhansk People’s Republic,” one of two separatist regions in Ukraine that Russia recognizes as sovereign, the statement said. Ukrainian fighters spent weeks trying to defend Lysychansk and to keep it from falling to Russia, as neighboring Sievierodonetsk did a week ago. A presidential adviser predicted late Saturday that the city’s fate could be determined within days. Ukrainian officials did not immediately provide an update on its status.
July 3, 2022 8:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Last Fourth of July, President Joe Biden gathered hundreds of people outside the White House for an event that would have been unthinkable for many Americans the previous year. With the coronavirus in retreat, they ate hamburgers and watched fireworks over the National Mall. Within weeks, even some of the president’s allies privately admitted that the speech had been premature. Soon the administration would learn that the delta variant could be transmitted by people who had already been vaccinated. Masks went back on, then came polarizing vaccination mandates. The even-more-contagious omicron variant would arrive months later, infecting millions and causing chaos during the holiday season. That sunny speech one year ago marked a crossroads for Biden’s presidency. The pandemic appeared to be waning, the economy was booming, inflation was negligible and public approval of his job performance was glowing. As Biden approaches his second Fourth of July in the White House, his standing couldn’t be more different. A series of miscalculations and unforeseen challenges have Biden struggling for footing as he faces a potentially damaging verdict from voters in the upcoming midterm elections. Even problems that weren’t Biden’s fault have been fuel for Republican efforts to retake control of Congress. “People are grouchy,” said Lindsay Chervinsky, a presidential historian. The latest poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that his approval rating remains at 39%, the lowest since taking office and a steep slide from 59% one year ago. Only 14% of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction, down from 44%.
July 3, 2022 8:02 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (WPXI) — Allegheny County police have arrested the man they believe robbed two convenience stores and attempted to rob a third in one night. According to police, a robbery happened in West Mifflin at the BP station at 4731 Buttermilk Hollow Road at 8:20 p.m. on Friday. Police said the suspect involved in the incident is believed to have robbed a BP station in Pleasant Hills about 30 minutes earlier. Officers then responded to an attempted robbery in Monroeville. Monroeville police arrested a man during the attempted third robbery. Police have identified 29-year-old David Vankavelaar of Clairton as the man in custody. Vankavelaar is being held at the Allegheny County Jail and charged with robbery, terroristic threats, theft by unlawful taking, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.
July 2, 2022 8:18 am
The Washington County Democratic Committee sponsored a rally Friday afternoon to rally citizens for the right for women to have choice over their bodies. The event held on the courthouse steps was estimated to be roughly 500 people. Abortion rights supporters lined Main Street from Cherry Street to West Beau Street on both sides. The vocal crowd heard several speeches harkening back to the days before the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision became law. The crowd spanned multiple generations and was not made up solely of women. A large contingent of men also rallied for women’s rights. Ultimately, all of the speakers made it a point to make sure all participants get out and vote and encourage all of their friends and family to get out and vote.
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.
