July 27, 2022 4:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan. That’s according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who also revealed Wednesday that he has asked to speak with his Kremlin counterpart for the first time in months. The statement marked the first time the U.S. government has publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure the release of Griner. It is unclear what the deal is, or whether it will be enough for Russia to release the Americans. (Photo: AP)
July 27, 2022 4:05 am
PENN HILLS, Pa. — (WPXI) – The parking lot looks like it broke in half right in front of a Penn Hills apartment building, leaving over a dozen cars in a giant hole and nearly 50 people displaced.“It looked like it split straight down the middle in sort of a V-formation the whole 50 yards,” said Ronald Como, Penn Hills police chief. Como says the Frankstown Road parking lot dropped between 15 to 20 feet shortly before 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. “When emergency vehicles responded, there was a female in a car,” Como said. That person was Alex Bowens. “I was backing up to park and I heard a noise,” she said. “I paused for a minute because I thought it was loud thunder, or I ran over a grate that was messed up” In a split second, Bowens and her car fell. “Stuff was going into my car and eyes,” she said. Bowens got out with the help of a police office and is doing OK, but her car was not so lucky. Now Bowens and nearly 50 others are displaced “What am I going to do without my house?,” she asked. “At least I still have a job.” The structural integrity of the building will also be checked before anyone is allowed back in, Como doesn’t have a timeline on how long that will take. The cause of the collapse is also under investigation. (PHOTO: WPXI)
July 27, 2022 2:25 am
A Washington man arrested with five others in a Canton Township police search of a house pleaded guilty in court on Tuesday. Kejuan Boozer, 29 was arrested in March during the search of a home owned by Sherman Haddix. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. He received a sentence of 24 months probation with six months served on electronic home monitoring for his plea during his fast track plea hearing on Tuesday. Haddix was to also enter a plea on Tuesday but his case was continued. Four other people arrested that day; Bobbie Jo Chiff, Alvie Dent, Samantha Eckman and Tyree Jackson have their cases working through the court system.
July 27, 2022 2:21 am
A North Franklin Township man was sentenced Tuesday on his conviction for sexual abuse of children, possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communications device. William Dickey, 41 was sentenced to 30 to 60 months in a state prison. A jury convicted him in March for possession of more than 2000 pictures and videos of child pornography. Dickey asked for leniency in his sentencing during a brief allocution statement. During sentencing the judge noted a distinct lack of remorse from Dickey regarding his actions. As part of his sentence Dickey will need to register as a tier 1 sex offender for the next 15 years
July 26, 2022 12:43 pm
“Leave It to Beaver” star Tony Dow was reported to have died Tuesday morning, two months after revealing that he had been diagnosed with cancer, his management team announced in a statement. He was 77. ” But, the rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated. Dow’s wife, Lauren says he is in hospice but still alive. The Facebook post announcing his death has been removed. It was posted by his agent, mistakenly. In May, Dow and his wife, Lauren Shulkind, announced that the actor had “once again been diagnosed with cancer.” They did not specify the type of cancer. Dow is best known for his portrayal of Wally Cleaver, the older brother of Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver, in the sitcom “Leave It to Beaver,” which ran from 1957 to 1963. (Facebook)
July 26, 2022 10:25 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. consumer confidence slid again in July as concerns about higher prices for food and gas continue to weigh on Americans. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell to 95.7 in July from 98.4 in June, largely due to consumers’ anxiety over four-decade high inflation. The business research group’s present situation index – which measures consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions – fell from 147.2 to 141.3. U.S. inflation surged to a new four-decade high in June, squeezing household budgets and pressuring the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates aggressively — trends that raise the risk of a recession.
July 26, 2022 8:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Conflicting signs about the health of the U.S. economy have thrust the Federal Reserve into a difficult spot. With inflation raging at a four-decade high, the job market strong and consumer spending still solid, the Fed is under pressure to raise interest rates aggressively. But other signs suggest the economy is slowing and might even have shrunk in the first half of the year. Such evidence would typically lead the Fed to stop raising rates – or even cut them. For now, though, the Fed is focused squarely on its inflation fight, and this week it’s set to announce another hefty hike in its benchmark interest rate.
July 26, 2022 4:19 am
KHIMKI, Russia (AP) – American basketball star Brittney Griner has returned to a Russian courtroom for her drawn-out trial on drug charges that could bring her 10 years in prison if convicted. The trial of the two-time Olympic gold medalist and Phoenix Mercury standout began July 1 but only four sessions have been held, some them lasting only a few hours. In one session, she acknowledged she was carrying vape canisters containing cannabis oil when she was arrested at a Moscow airport in February but said she had no criminal intent. The slow-moving trial and her five months of detention have raised strong criticism among teammates and supporters in the United States, which has formally declared her to be “wrongfully detained.” Russian officials have rejected that designation.
July 26, 2022 4:18 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris says Indiana’s proposed abortion ban reflects a health care crisis in the United States. She met Monday with Democratic state legislators on the first day of a contentious special legislative session in Indiana. Harris traveled to Indianapolis as several thousand people on both sides of the issue filled Statehouse corridors and lined sidewalks surrounding the building. Indiana’s Republican Senate leaders last week proposed banning abortions with limited exceptions – in cases of rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother. Indiana is one of the first Republican-run states to debate tighter abortion laws following the U.S. Supreme Court decision last month overturning Roe v. Wade.
July 26, 2022 4:17 am
MASKWACIS, Alberta (AP) – Pope Francis has apologized for the Catholic Church’s cooperation with Canada’s “catastrophic” policy of Indigenous residential schools. The pontiff says the forced assimilation of Native peoples into Christian society destroyed their cultures, severed their families and marginalized generations in ways still being felt today. Francis spoke Monday near the site of the former Ermineskin Indian Residential School, on lands of four Cree nations south of Edmonton, Alberta. He said, “I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples.” The long-awaited apology opens Francis’ week-long “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada, which is meant to help the church on its path of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and help victims heal.
