September 3, 2022 4:36 am
MOSCOW (AP) — Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who launched dramatic reforms that helped end the Cold War and precipitated the breakup of the Soviet Union, is set to be buried in a relatively low-key ceremony snubbed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin’s refusal to declare a state funeral reflects its uneasiness about the legacy of Gorbachev, who has been venerated worldwide for bringing down the Iron Curtain but reviled by many at home for the Soviet collapse and the economic meltdown that plunged millions into poverty. On Thursday, Putin privately laid flowers at Gorbachev’s coffin at a Moscow hospital where he died. The Kremlin said the president’s busy schedule would prevent him from attending the funeral.
September 3, 2022 4:33 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvanians with minor, nonviolent marijuana criminal convictions are eligible to be pardoned under a joint effort from Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. Beginning Thursday, anyone who has been convicted of possession of marijuana or small amount of personal use will be able to apply. There is no limit for the age of conviction. Officials estimate that thousands of Pennsylvanians are eligible due to convictions over the past several decades, even pre-dating marijuana’s criminalization under federal law. The application period ends at the end of the month. Republican opponents panned the effort as Democrats caving to their political base.
September 3, 2022 4:30 am
DUQUESNE, Pa. (WPXI) — A young woman is dead after a shooting in the city of Duquesne, police say. Allegheny County dispatchers confirm that police and medics were sent to the 700 block of Priscilla Avenue at around 5:13 p.m. Authorities found a victim shot at the scene. The victim later died at the scene. Police said the victim was a passenger inside of a burgundy Chevy Cruze when the shooting happened.
September 3, 2022 1:35 am
Workers from 14 Pennsylvania nursing homes went on strike Friday after marathon contract negotiations failed to produce a deal. About 700 unionized workers walked off the job in a dispute over pay, benefits and staffing levels. The union accused the nursing home operators of “failing to create the kind of wage scales we’ve been able to achieve with other providers.” The strike impacted homes in a dozen counties throughout the state, including The Grove on Wylie Avenue in Washington. Nursing homes have been struggling with high turnover during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state recently boosted Medicaid payments and sent another $130 million in federal coronavirus aid to help nursing homes hire and retain workers.
September 2, 2022 8:42 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – America’s employers slowed their hiring in August in the face of rising interest rates, high inflation and sluggish consumer spending, all of which weakened the outlook for the economy. The government reported that the economy added 315,000 jobs last month, down from 526,000 in July and below the average gain of the previous three months. The unemployment rate rose to 3.7%, from a half-century low of 3.5% in July, as more Americans came off the sidelines to look for jobs. The smaller August gain will likely be welcomed by the Federal Reserve. The Fed is rapidly raising interest rates to try to cool hiring and wage growth, which have been consistently strong.
September 2, 2022 4:24 am
Washington City Council met Thursday and in a brisk meeting took action to make sure businesses are complying with city taxes. Council approved two measures that ask the solicitor to prepare and advertise changes to the city code increasing fines on businesses that do not pay their mercantile tax and business privilege tax. The fines proposed will be increased to $750 on each tax. Council passed an ordinance that will restrict parking. The ordinance will now reflect a no parking zone on the eastern side of Forrest Avenue from E. Walnut Street to Central Avenue. Council also approved Trick or Treat time in the city. Kids may go out and Trick or Treat from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm on October 31.
September 2, 2022 4:20 am
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – For at least the third time in a dozen years, portable toilets are parked outside the ornate Mississippi Capitol because Jackson’s water system is in crisis. The big “Gotta Go” trailer is just one example of the city’s desperation. Many homes, businesses and government offices have had little or no running water this week, forcing people to wait in long lines for bottled water to drink or to flush toilets. The scenes testify to the near collapse of a water system that residents could not trust even in the best of times. The failure to provide such an essential service reflects decades of government dysfunction, population change and decaying infrastructure.
September 2, 2022 4:18 am
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – An extremist Israeli lawmaker who was once relegated to the margins of Israeli politics is surging in the polls ahead of the country’s November elections. Itamar Ben-Gvir is poised to emerge as a major force in the upcoming elections and could propel former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu back to power. His rise from extremist rabble-rouser to influential politician highlights the Israeli electorate’s shift to the right, legitimizing ultranationalist views that were once shunned by the mainstream and all but extinguishing hopes for Palestinian statehood.
September 2, 2022 4:17 am
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) – A U.N. inspection team has arrived at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on a mission to safeguard it from catastrophe. It reached the site Thursday amid fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces that prompted the shutdown of one reactor and underscored the urgency and the danger of the task. The 14-member team from the International Atomic Energy Agency reached Europe’s biggest nuclear plant in a convoy of SUVs and vans, after months of negotiations to get inside the complex and take steps to prevent a disaster on the continent.
September 2, 2022 4:17 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Holding little back, President Joe Biden is sounding an alarm about what he views as extremist threats to the nation’s democracy from what he views as the evil force of Trumpism. In a newly confrontational speech Thursday night, he framed the November elections as part of an ongoing battle for the “soul of the nation.” In the speech from Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Biden declared that Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans “fan the flames of political violence” and subvert American democracy. Biden pointed to the large number of Trump adherents who still deny the nation’s 2020 election results and sow doubt about future contests.
