April 11, 2022 4:23 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian forces are digging in while Russia’s military lines up more firepower, tapping an experienced general to command the war. The next phase of battle is expected to be a showdown in eastern Ukraine. The outcome could determine the course of the conflict, which has flattened cities and killed untold thousands of people. Questions remain about the ability of Russia’s depleted and demoralized forces to conquer much ground after their advance on the capital, Kyiv, was repelled by determined Ukrainian defenders. Britain’s Defense Ministry says Russian forces are trying to compensate for mounting casualties by recalling veterans discharged in the past decade.
April 11, 2022 4:22 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Tesla CEO Elon Musk won’t be joining Twitter’s board of directors as previously announced. The tempestuous billionaire remains Twitter’s largest shareholder. Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal tweeted the news, which followed a weekend of Musk tweets suggesting possible changes to Twitter, including making the site ad-free. Nearly 90% of Twitter’s 2021 revenue came from ads. Agrawal didn’t offer an explanation for Musk’s apparent decision, although he dropped one major hint. The Twitter board “believed having Elon as a fiduciary of the company, where he, like all board members, has to act in the best interests of the company and all our shareholders, was the best path forward,” he wrote.
April 11, 2022 4:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is taking fresh aim at “ghost guns,” the privately made firearms without serial numbers that are increasingly cropping up in violent crimes. At the White House on Monday, Biden highlighted the Justice Department’s work to finalize new regulations to crack down on the guns. He also announced the nomination of Steve Dettlebach, who served as a U.S. attorney in Ohio from 2009 to 2016, to run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Still, the announcement of the new regulation also highlighted the limits of Biden’s influence to push a sweeping congressional overhaul of the nation’s firearm laws. Congress has deadlocked on legislative proposals to reform gun laws for a decade.
April 11, 2022 4:17 am
New Zealand will send a military transport plane and a support team of 50 to Europe, as well as give money to Britain to buy weapons, as it significantly steps up its response to the war in Ukraine. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday that the C130 Hercules plane would travel throughout Europe to carry much-needed equipment and supplies to key distribution centers. She said the plane wouldn’t fly directly into Ukraine as most military equipment is transported into the country by land. Ardern said her government would also spend an additional $9 million on military and human rights support, including money for Britain to buy weapons and ammunition.
April 11, 2022 4:15 am
ERIE, Pa. (AP) – School authorities say metal detectors will be installed at schools in the northwestern Pennsylvania district in which a student was injured in a shooting. Erie’s Public Schools announced last week that planned security changes include “installation of fully functioning metal detectors.” The Erie Times-News said the portable detectors are planned at the district’s two high schools and three middle schools. Other changes are planned, including enabling teachers to lock classroom doors from the inside. One student was stable after the Tuesday morning shooting in an Erie High School hallway, and another student is facing juvenile counts.
April 11, 2022 4:13 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Republican candidates for Pennsylvania governor are pledging to open up natural gas production, but there are constraints to what a governor can do. While governors can influence state agencies and lawmaking, they have limited ability to make the major moves the industry really wants, like building interstate pipelines and big processing facilities. That’s because other states and federal policy are involved. But industry advocates say a governor could be a vocal advocate while working to speed up Pennsylvania’s permitting process and slash its corporate tax rate to help lure big projects. There are also opportunities as the U.S. looks to expand natural gas shipments to Europe.
April 11, 2022 4:11 am
POTTSVILLE, Pa. (AP) – Authorities say genetic material will be needed to positively identify the six people killed during an 80-vehicle pileup on a Pennsylvania interstate during a snow squall last month. Dr. David Moylan III, the Schuylkill County coroner, told The (Pottsville) Republican-Herald on Friday that “we need to get some DNA samples” from relatives of the four men and two women killed in the March 28 crash on I-81. Officials said earlier that the victims of the March 28 crash near the Minersville exit of I-81 were all between 40 to 70 years old and all burned beyond recognition. Two dozen people were injured.
April 11, 2022 2:57 am
CALIFORNIA, Pa. — Part of Route 88 is closed in Washington County because of a landslide. It happened on the portion of Route 88 that runs through California Borough Saturday morning. The busy road is closed between Mechanic Street and Highpoint Drive according to PennDOT. There is no word yet on when crews will be able to clear the scene and reopen the road.
April 11, 2022 2:27 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — The City of Washington hired a new city administrator this week. City Council approved the hiring of Donn Henderson to the position effective May 2nd. Henderson replaces Lynn Galluze who retired back in October of 2021. Henderson currently serves as the manager and treasurer in Sewickley Township, Westmoreland County. Before that role, he spent time as the borough manager in Wilkinsburg and Charleroi. The City of Washington advertised this position in January and selected Henderson out of three candidates.
April 10, 2022 10:29 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — After its striking post-invasion setbacks, Russia has appointed a new Ukraine war commander, a U.S. official said Sunday. Russia has turned to Gen. Alexander Dvornikov, 60, one of Russia’s most experienced military officers and — according to U.S. officials — a general with a record of brutality against civilians in Syria and other war theaters. The senior official who identified the new commander was not authorized to be identified and spoke on condition of anonymity. But the White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said “no appointment of any general can erase the fact that Russia has already faced a strategic failure in Ukraine.” “This general will just be another author of crimes and brutality against Ukrainian civilians,” Sullivan told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “And the United States, as I said before, is determined to do all that we can to support Ukrainians as they resist him and they resist the forces that he commands.” The decision to establish new battlefield leadership comes as Russia gears up for what is expected to be a large and more focused push to expand Russian control in the Donbas and follows a failed opening bid to conquer Kyiv, the capital.
