July 21, 2022 4:19 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) – The pop culture extravaganza that is Comic-Con International is back to its old extravagance. Stars, cosplayers and fans are filling the San Diego Convention Center in full force after the pandemic forced it to go virtual for two years. They started pouring in for Wednesday’s preview night. The Mandalorian, Wonder Woman, and Sailor Moon could be seen walking the floor. Anticipated panels this year include a preview from Warner Bros. of the antihero film “Black Adam” featuring star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and peeks at forthcoming fantasy TV series, the “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” and the “Lord of the Rings” prequel “The Rings of Power.”
July 21, 2022 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrats are pushing legislation through the House that would inscribe the right to use contraceptives into law. That vote is planned for Thursday. And it is Democrats’ latest campaign-season response to worries that a conservative Supreme Court that’s erased federal abortion rights could go further. House passage will send the measure to the Senate, where its fate seems uncertain. The push illustrates how Democrats are latching onto their own version of culture-war battles to appeal to female, progressive and minority voters. Democrats are casting the court and Republicans as extremists intent on obliterating rights taken for granted for years.
July 21, 2022 4:17 am
DETROIT (AP) – The FBI says it found no evidence of missing Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa during a search of land under a New Jersey bridge. Hoffa has been missing since 1975 when he was last seen in suburban Detroit. The decades-long mystery turned last year to land next to a former landfill under the Pulaski Skyway in Jersey City. The FBI conducted a search there in early June. Spokeswoman Mara Schneider says “nothing of evidentiary value was discovered.”
July 21, 2022 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A majority of Americans say Congress should pass a law guaranteeing access to legal abortion nationwide. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The Supreme Court’s recent decision overturning Roe v. Wade asserted that abortion is not a constitutional right and handed states the authority to severely restrict or ban abortion. The poll shows many Americans back some restrictions on abortion, especially after the first trimester. It also shows that the most extreme measures introduced in some Republican-led states are at odds with the public – and with many of the people who live in them.
July 21, 2022 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House Jan. 6 committee will hold its final hearing of the summer in prime time. Thursday’s hearing aims to vividly make the case that Donald Trump’s lies about a stolen election fueled the grisly Capitol attack last year. The panel will delve into 187 minutes in which it says Trump did nothing to stop the violence but instead “gleefully” watched on television at the White House. The two-hour hearing will feature live testimony from two former White House aides. Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin says it will be “a profound moment of reckoning for America.”
July 21, 2022 4:11 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – The Washington County coroner’s office announced Wednesday that 106 people died from overdose-related deaths in 2021, making it the county’s second highest year on record. The latest statistics from the coroner’s office show that, when it comes to overdose-related deaths last year, fentanyl was found in 82% of them. According to a news release from the Washington County coroner, “illicit substances are rarely “pure,” and while someone might think they’re buying heroin, the report shows that heroin, on its own, did not appear even once. Fentanyl appeared on its own 14 times. The latest stats show that overdoses deaths were mainly people between the ages of 30 to 59 and the majority of overdose deaths were men. However, 2016 was the county’s record year for overdoses, coming in at 109 fatalities.
July 21, 2022 3:59 am
Nyieka Speer, 29 of Canton Township was found guilty of three felonies in Washington County Court on Wednesday. Speer was convicted in a unanimous verdict on drug delivery resulting in death, criminal use of a communications device and possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance. She was convicted for selling a fatal dose of heroin laced with fentanyl that took the life of 25 year old Sara Nicole Jones of Somerset Township in April of 2019. After only an hour of expert testimony, jurors deliberated 5 hours before delivering the verdict. Assistant District Attorney Rachel Wheeler was pleased with the verdict calling it a long road for the family. Defense Attorney Mark Adams was surprised by the verdict. He stated that there are some issues with discovery evidence and he will be filing an appeal. Speer will be sentenced on October 13.
July 20, 2022 5:22 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Former President Donald Trump, all his children and an array of relatives and friends have paid respects to Ivana Trump at her funeral Mass. It was held Wednesday in New York City. The 1980s style icon and businesswoman died last week at her Manhattan home, at age 73. She helped her husband build an empire that put him on the road toward the presidency. Heading to her funeral, he wrote on his social media platform that it was a very sad day, but a celebration of what he called a wonderful and beautiful life. Ivana and Donald Trump were married from 1977 to 1992. Their divorce was ugly, but in recent years, they were friendly. (Photo: AP)
July 20, 2022 1:51 pm
ELIZABETH, Pa. (AP) – A former police chief in Pennsylvania who was sentenced to probation in state court after admitting to stealing thousands of small bags of heroin and fentanyl from his department’s evidence room has been indicted on federal charges. Timothy Butler Jr., 45, of Finleyville, was indicted by a grand jury on one charge of theft of government property, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Pennsylvania announced Wednesday. Butler, who was the police chief for the Elizabeth Borough Police Department, is accused of drugs recovered through two federal investigations. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. (Photo: WPXI)
July 20, 2022 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House has overwhelmingly approved a bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriages. Tuesday’s vote stands as a direct confrontation with the Supreme Court, whose conservative majority in overturning Roe v. Wade abortion access signaled that other rights may be in jeopardy. While the Respect for Marriage Act easily passed the House, it is likely to stall in the Senate, where most Republicans could stop it with a filibuster. But it’s part of a political strategy setting up an election-year roll call that forced all lawmakers to go on the record with their views. Dozens of Republicans joined Democrats in Tuesday’s House passage.
