April 12, 2022 5:37 pm
Christians around the globe are celebrating Holy Week in person and for the most part, without masks this year, unlike the previous two years, in which face masks and social distance guidelines were in effect as the coronavirus pandemic dramatically altered the sacred Easter season. Father John Lynam, Pastor at Saint James Parish in Washington County, which covers Immaculate Conception and St. Hilary in Washington and Sacred Heart Church in Claysville, is welcoming back parishioners in full force this year with many opportunities to attend a Mass or other special service. (Photo: AP)
April 12, 2022 3:47 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Gilbert Gottfried, the actor and legendary stand-up comic known for his raw, scorched voice and crude jokes, has died. His publicist Glenn Schwartz said in a statement that Gottfried died Tuesday at age 67. Gottfried was a fiercely independent and intentionally bizarre comedian’s comedian, as likely to clear a room with anti-comedy as he was to kill with his jokes. He first came to national attention with frequent appearances on MTV in its early days and as a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” in the 1980s. Gottfried also did voice work for children’s television and movies, most famously playing the parrot Iago in Disney’s “Aladdin.”
April 12, 2022 10:36 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Police found an unoccupied U-Haul van in Brooklyn matching the description and license plate number of the vehicle being sought in connection with Tuesday’s shooting on a rush-hour subway train, a law enforcement official said. Police were closing off a street about four miles from the shooting scene and clearing nearby businesses while awaiting a bomb squad and the highly specialized emergency services unit. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Officers around the city had been told that if they spotted the U-Haul truck, they should stop it and detain all occupants immediately.
April 12, 2022 4:07 am
(AP) – President Joe Biden has for the first time referred to Russia’s invasion in Ukraine as a “genocide.” The conflict has seen Russia carry out atrocities against Ukrainian civilians. Speaking in Iowa at an event Tuesday about steps his administration is taking to staunch rising fuel costs because of the war, Biden said Russian troops have committed “genocide.” Biden said, “Your family budget, your ability to fill up your tank, none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide a half a world away.” Biden has previously stated that he did not believe Russia’s actions amounted to genocide, but rather were “war crimes.”
April 12, 2022 4:05 am
ATLANTA (AP) – The National Urban League has released its annual report on the State of Black America, and its findings are grim. This year’s Equality Index shows Black people still get only 73.9 percent of the pie white people enjoy. While Black people have made gains in economic indicators and measures of health, they’ve fallen farther behind whites in education, social justice and civic engagement. Urban League President Marc Morial says the index shows how hard it is to overcome systemic racism that’s made life harder in many ways for people of color. The civil rights organization is launching a “Reclaim Your Vote” campaign. Morial says change starts at the ballot box.
April 12, 2022 4:04 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Inflation soared over the past year at its fastest pace in more than 40 years, with costs for food, gasoline, housing and other necessities squeezing American consumers and wiping out the pay raises that many people have received. The Labor Department said its consumer price index jumped 8.5% in March from 12 months earlier – the biggest year-over-year increase since December 1981. Prices have been driven up by bottlenecked supply chains, robust consumer demand and disruptions to global food and energy markets worsened by Russia’s war against Ukraine. The government’s report also showed that inflation rose 1.2% from February to March, up from a 0.8% increase from January to February.
April 12, 2022 4:04 am
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) – Ukraine says it is investigating a claim that a poisonous substance was dropped on the besieged city of Mariupol. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Tuesday it was possible that phosphorus munitions – which cause horrendous burns but are not classed as chemical weapons – had been used. Now the question is how to establish the truth amid the fog of war that has descended over a city still under attack from Russian forces. The global chemical weapons watchdog said Tuesday it is “concerned by the recent unconfirmed report of chemical weapons use in Mariupol” and is closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine. But experts says it’s much too dangerous now to send an investigation team into Mariupol.
April 12, 2022 4:01 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – Counselors and coaches were on hand at Beth Center Middle school after the death of a 13-year-old student. Seventh-grader Jayden Anderson was killed Friday in a car accident on Sunset Drive in West Pike Run Township. “Jayden stood out, not just on the athletic field, but in the classroom, in the hall, he was Mister Personality,” said Gary Welsh, Anderson’s English teacher. “It’s a tremendous loss… our hearts go out to his family and everyone close to him. It’s a tough time for Beth Center.” Pennsylvania State Police say Jayden was a passenger in a car that was speeding as it went around a curve in the road. The driver lost control before hitting the hillside and rolling multiple times. The driver was flown from the scene. A 13-year-old in the back seat survived the crash with minor injuries. A friend of Jayden told our news partners at Channel 11 that he had raw talent as an athlete, but beyond that was kind, respectful and made his friends feel seen. His English teacher agreed. “Just a great kid with a bright future gone way too soon. He will be missed.”
April 12, 2022 3:56 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Federal authorities have announced charges in connection with hundreds of firearms they say were illegally trafficked to Philadelphia from two states in the South. Officials said fourteen people face gun trafficking and conspiracy charges in connection with nearly 400 firearms purchased in Georgia and South Carolina. Matthew Varisco of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said some of the firearms allegedly trafficked were used in crimes in the city, including shootings. He said most of the trafficked weapons were handguns and dozens of the guns remain on the streets.
April 12, 2022 3:54 am
FORWARD TOWNSHIP, Pa, — (WPXI) – The Forward Township Police Department announced that they are being disbanded effective at midnight on April 12. In a Facebook post, the department said the Forward Township Supervisors announced the decision at the monthly municipal meeting. The post also said the reasons behind disbanding the department were money and staffing issues. “We are surprised and saddened at this turn of events,” the police department said. There’s no word on which jurisdiction Forward Township will fall under now.
