September 7, 2022 3:14 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) -Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have unveiled their official White House portraits. President Joe Biden on Wednesday hosted a ceremony at the White House where America’s first Black president and first lady revealed portraits with a modern vibe. Obama is seen standing, wearing a black suit and gray tie against a white background. Mrs. Obama wears a formal light blue dress while seated on a sofa in the Red Room. Obama chose artist Robert McCurdy for his portrait. Mrs. Obama went with artist Sharon Sprung.
September 7, 2022 2:36 pm
(AP) A judge has struck down Michigan’s 1931 anti-abortion law, months after suspending it last spring. Judge Elizabeth Gleicher of the Court of Claims said the law violates the Michigan Constitution. It was long dormant before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. The 1931 law makes it a crime to perform abortions unless the life of the mother is in danger. Separately, the Michigan Supreme Court is considering whether to place a proposed amendment on the Nov. 8 ballot that would add abortion rights to the Michigan Constitution. Supporters submitted more than 700,000 signatures, easily clearing the threshold. But a tie vote by the Board of State Canvassers over spacing issues on the petition has kept it off the ballot so far.
September 7, 2022 4:24 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Students in Uvalde are going back to school for the first time since a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in a classroom attack that shocked the country. Children began arriving at Uvalde Elementary before dawn, walking through newly installed 8-foot (2.4-meter) metal fencing that surrounds the campus and past a state trooper standing guard outside an entrance. Colorful flags hung inside the hallways, and teachers wore turquoise shirts that read “Together We Rise & Together We Are Better” on the back. State troopers were parked on every corner outside the school. The district announced in late June that the scene of the assault, Robb Elementary, would be permanently closed.
September 7, 2022 4:20 am
JAMES SMITH CREE NATION, Saskatchewan (AP) – As a Canadian Indigenous community comes to grips with a deadly stabbing rampage by two of its own, many blamed rampant drug and alcohol use on the reserve. One of the suspects, Myles Sanderson, has 59 criminal convictions, according to parole documents, and he acknowledged that drug and alcohol use made him out of his mind. Many of his past crimes happened when he was in a state of intoxication. He had been sought for a parole violation since May, and it’s not clear why he had not been apprehended. The other suspect, his brother Damien, was found dead on Monday.
September 7, 2022 4:19 am
BOSTON (AP) – A former state representative endorsed by former President Donald Trump, Geoff Diehl, has won the Republican nomination for Massachusetts governor over a businessman, Chris Doughty, who was considered the more moderate candidate in the race. Diehl will face Democrat Maura Healey, now the state’s attorney general. She would be the first openly gay person and the first woman elected governor of Massachusetts if she wins. The state’s current governor, Republican Charlie Baker, decided against seeking a third term. Republican voters made Massachusetts the latest blue state to nominate a Trump loyalist in a high-profile race, potentially dooming the party’s chances of winning in November.
September 7, 2022 4:18 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – The U.N. atomic watchdog agency is urging Russia and Ukraine to establish a “nuclear safety and security protection zone” around the Zaporizhzhia power plant amid mounting fears the fighting could trigger a catastrophe in a country still haunted by the Chernobyl disaster. The report was issued Tuesday following a visit to the plant experts from the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency last week. It said shelling should stop immediately.
September 7, 2022 4:16 am
A new report says that the names of hundreds of U.S. law enforcement officers, elected officials and military members appear on the leaked membership rolls of a far-right extremist group that’s accused of playing a key role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. The Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism pored over more than 38,000 names on leaked Oath Keepers membership lists to find more than 370 people it believes are currently working in law enforcement agencies. Several people told The Associated Press they were briefly members years ago and are no longer affiliated with the group.
September 7, 2022 4:12 am
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – A local teacher and youth sports coach accused of sexually assaulting multiple children over the past several years is facing more charges. According to a release from Allegheny County police, additional charges were filed against Eric Fairman on Tuesday night. Police said these charges stem from five newly identified incidents over the past several years, involving three additional victims. Fairman is currently incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail. The investigation is ongoing.
September 7, 2022 4:06 am
Canonsburg Council is making plans for holiday celebrations from now until the end of the year. Already in the works is the annual Oktoberfest celebration taking place the weekend of September 16 and their annual Christmas celebration the first week of December. Council was approached by the board of the 2000 Turkeys fundraising campaign to ask if they would be interested in helping raise donations for their annual drive to help feed families that are food insecure. Board member Laural Ziemba of Range Resources asked council if they would like to help the committee raise funds by having volunteers collect non-perishable food items and cash donations by gathering donations in their annual street corner donation program. Ziemba said the campaign began in the city of Washington in 2015 and ran through 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic changed the drive to a Facebook telethon for 2020 and 2021. The committee would like to bring back the canvassing drive and include Canonsburg in those efforts. Ziemba says that increased costs of not just turkey, but the trimmings are going to make things much different this year to help those in need. The board felt that with all of the great things happening with business development in Canonsburg, an expansion there would be a huge success. Council will consider the request to collect donations on the corners of Pike Street and North Central Avenue at their voting meeting on September 12.
September 7, 2022 2:18 am
AAA is reporting that gas prices took a drop this week, after the summer driving season ended yesterday, Prices in the area are averaging $4.01, down from last week’s average of $4.18. Gas prices at this time last year was $3.32. More information can be found at http://GasPrices.AAA.com.
