August 8, 2024 4:28 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Leaders of the United States, Egypt and Qatar are jointly demanding that Israel and Hamas return to stalled talks on the war in Gaza. The three leaders issued a statement Thursday saying “only the details” remain to get a cease-fire deal and hostage release. President Joe Biden, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt and Emir Tamim al-Thani of Qatar are signaling growing frustration, saying they would accept “no excuses from any party for further delay.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday that it had agreed to attend the Aug. 15 talks. There was no immediate word from Hamas. Hamas’ top representative to the talks was killed July 31 in an assassination widely blamed on Israel.
August 9, 2024 3:40 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — Kennywood Park will be closed on Friday, Aug. 9, due to remnants of Tropical Storm Debby that are expected to move through the area. In a social media post, the park said all tickets dated for Aug. 9 will be valid for any operating day through Sept. 14. “We will see you on Saturday!” the post said.
August 9, 2024 3:45 am
PITTSBURGH —(WPXI)-Several people are facing charges after detectives executed search warrants on encampments in Downtown Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh police said Narcotics, Violence Prevention Unit, and Downtown Public Safety Center detectives executed search warrants on two tents located on Grant Street between First Avenue and Fort Pitt Boulevard on Aug. 7. Detectives seized quantities of crack cocaine and lorazepam pills believed to be intended for distribution from this location, police said. Two people were removed from the tents and were interviewed at police headquarters. David Brown and Daidra Lomax were arrested and charged with narcotics violations. Tracy Smith was arrested on an outstanding warrant and William Mazon and Lamar Williams were arrested via summons for possession of a controlled substance. Each person who was arrested provided police with a valid home address, officials said. The area surrounding the tents is a public health and fire hazard, police said. Piles of trash, crack pipes/needles, rotten food, human feces and urine bottles are strewn throughout, and several propane tanks are located around and inside tents. Any obvious health/bio hazards and trash will be removed from the area, police said.
August 8, 2024 5:46 pm
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump has recommitted to debating Vice President Kamala Harris after recently backing out. The Republican presidential nominee held a lengthy news conference Thursday in which he taunted his new rival, boasted of his crowd on Jan. 6, 2021, and lashed out at questions about the enthusiasm her campaign has been generating. As he addressed reporters at his Palm Beach, Florida, estate, ABC announced that Trump and Harris have agreed to a Sept. 10 presidential debate. In taking questions from reporters for more than an hour, Trump tried to draw a contrast with Harris, who has not held a news conference since she became the likely Democratic nominee following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race. (Photo: AP)
August 8, 2024 9:09 am
The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits fell last week but remain at slightly elevated though not troubling levels. Jobless claims for the week of Aug. 3 fell by 17,000 to 233,000 last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 240,000 analysts surveyed by FactSet were expecting. Weekly unemployment claims are widely considered representative of layoffs, and though they have trended higher recently, they remain at historically healthy levels. Continuing claims, which represent the total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits, rose by 6,000 to 1.88 million for the Week of July 27. That the most since the week of Nov. 27, 2021.
August 8, 2024 4:50 am
The Canon-McMillan School District held a public hearing regarding the construction of the new Wylandville Elementary School. School administrators, engineers and financial experts laid out the details of the project. What is proposed is a three story building that will hold grades kindergarten through four and is more than four times bigger than the current building. It will replace the current one story building that was built in 1962 and employs a portable trailer for needed classroom space. Aside from space constraints, the current building does not meet ADA codes nor current fire, plumbing, electrical and other codes. Many of the current aspects of the facility are at or near the end of their expected lifespan. The new building will be built behind the current building on the 14.2 acre site. Total cost of the project is estimated at $76,120,675. The financing for the project will be a 20 year bond with a $19 million dollar cash contribution coming from the district’s available funds. As for taxes, the new building could come with a .78 mill tax increase. Superintendent Dr. Greg Taranto cautioned that that number could be less as the district continues to grow and revenues grow also. Taranto also said that the completion of this project will allow Canon-McMillan to move forward with its goal to offer full day kindergarten. Construction is expected to begin in January of 2025 with an anticipated completion date of July 2026.
August 8, 2024 5:49 pm
(AP) – Federal food safety officials say three people have now died in a listeria food poisoning outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats. The overall number of people sickened has risen to 43. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a news release Thursday that the additional death happened in Virginia. The other two deaths were in New Jersey and Illinois. The CDC also said nine more cases were reported since a July 31 release about the outbreak, which started in late May. Boar’s Head recalled 7 million pounds of deli meats on July 30th. (Photo: AP)
August 8, 2024 5:00 am
HUGER, S.C. (AP) — Tropical Storm Debby has made a second landfall in South Carolina on its way up the East Coast, where residents as far north as Vermont could get several inches of rain this weekend. The National Hurricane Center says Debby came ashore early Thursday near Bulls Bay, South Carolina. The storm is expected to keep moving inland, spreading heavy rain and possible flooding all the way up through the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast by the weekend. Debby first made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday on the Gulf Coast of Florida.
August 8, 2024 4:54 am
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – A local softball coach is accused of sexually assaulting a teen girl over the last three years. James Muir, of Blawnox, served as an assistant softball coach with multiple local organizations including Fox Chapel Area High School and Penn State New Kensington. According to Allegheny County Police, the girl, who is currently 17, told investigators about the alleged sexual abuse last month, saying it began as inappropriate sexually explicit comments when she was just 14 and soon escalated to physical contact. Channel 11 has learned Muir served as an assistant softball coach with multiple organizations including Fox Chapel Area High School and Penn State New Kensington. According to the police report, Muir would give the teen girl vapes or alcohol in exchange for sexual favors. She told police Muir would record video of the sexual encounters. Investigators found multiple nude images of the victim on his phone as well as videos of them having sex. Muir was denied bail and is being held at the Allegheny County Jail.
August 8, 2024 4:57 am
MONROEVILLE, Pa. — (WPXI) – An 18-year-old was reported missing two hours before police say they found her shot to death in Monroeville. Emergency crews were called to Cambridge Square Apartments around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday. Once on scene, they found the victim, Joselyn Thomas, 18, shot to death. Thomas was reported missing to North Versailles police at 1:20 p.m. Wednesday. Detectives say Albert Williams, 18, of Wilkinsburg, is responsible for the deadly shooting. Williams has been arrested and detectives are working with the DA’s office on appropriate charges. A motive has not been revealed.
