May 17, 2022 4:17 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Donald Trump faces the strongest test yet of his ability to shape a new generation of congressional Republicans in Tuesday’s primary races. GOP primary voters in Pennsylvania and North Carolina are deciding whether to rally around the former president’s hand-picked choices for critical U.S. Senate seats. Trump’s preferred candidate in North Carolina’s GOP Senate primary, congressman Ted Budd, is expected to best a packed field. In Pennsylvania’s GOP race for governor, Doug Mastriano was already leading before Trump backed him. But Trump’s pick in Pennsylvania’s GOP Senate primary, Mehmet Oz, could struggle against far-right opponent Kathy Barnette. Three other states – Kentucky, Oregon and Idaho – are also voting Tuesday.
May 17, 2022 4:15 am
Lightning has sparked a few new small fires in the drought-stricken Southwest. But the thunderstorms brought welcome rain Monday to the monster blaze that’s been churning for a month in New Mexico. It’s now the largest in the state’s recorded history. The fire east of Santa Fe and south of Taos has destroyed at least 260 homes and burned an area about one-quarter the size of Delaware. Forecasters say crews should have another chance Tuesday to to make progress battling the flames from the ground and the air. Officials at another big fire west of Santa Fe are preparing to relax evacuation orders around the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
May 17, 2022 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Opening statements are set to be delivered in the trial of a lawyer for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign who is accused of lying to the FBI as it investigated potential ties between Donald Trump and Russia in 2016. Prosecutors and defense lawyers in the case of Michael Sussmann spent all day Monday picking a jury for the trial. It’s the first arising from special counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe. Sussmann denies he lied. The trial in Washington’s federal court is expected to last roughly two weeks.
May 17, 2022 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Signs of Republican resistance are mounting over a $40 billion aid package to Ukraine. It’s a reemergence of the Trump-led isolationist wing of the GOP coming at a crucial moment as Ukraine desperately battles the Russian invasion. The Senate voted late Monday to advance the Ukraine aid toward final passage by week’s end. Eleven Republicans opposed. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell led a delegation of GOP senators to the region in a show of support over the weekend. He vowed to push past detractors, finish the aid package and vote this summer on expanding NATO to welcome Sweden and Finland.
May 17, 2022 4:11 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – The fall of Mariupol appears at hand as Ukraine is moving to abandon a sprawling steel plant where its soldiers had held out under relentless bombardment for months, which would make it the biggest city to fall into Russian hands. Much of it, though, has been reduced to rubble. Ukraine estimates some 20,000 civilians have been killed in the Russian assault on Mariupol, a city on the Azov Sea that stands between the Russian mainland and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014. Hundreds of Ukrainian fighters have left the Azovstal steel plant and turned themselves over to Russian hands.
May 17, 2022 4:10 am
LAGUNA WOODS, Calif. (AP) – Authorities say the man killed trying to stop a gunman at a Southern California church may have saved dozens of lives. Dr. John Cheng was shot after tackling David Chou on Sunday at a Taiwanese church in Orange County. Chou was then subdued by elderly parishioners. Five people were wounded. Authorities say Chou had driven to the church from Las Vegas and was motivated by hatred against Taiwan. He was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday on charges of murder and attempted murder. It was not immediately clear whether Chou had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Tensions between China and Taiwan are at the highest in decades, with Beijing stepping up its military harassment of the self-governing island.
May 17, 2022 4:09 am
A warning about possible violence last year involving the 18-year-old now being held in the Buffalo, New York, supermarket shooting is turning attention to New York’s “red flag” law. Such laws are designed to keep firearms away from people who could harm themselves or others. Payton Gendron was still able to legally buy an AR-15-style rifle even though police had investigated a report of concerning behavior. State police say no request was made to remove any firearms. In many cases, family members or law enforcement must petition the court for an order. In New York, educators can also start the process.
May 17, 2022 4:01 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – Police are investigating after a woman’s body was found inside a Washington County motel room. Investigators believe she may have been dead for several days before they found her. South Strabane police responded to the Rodeway Inn on Motel 6 Drive on Saturday afternoon for a report of a woman’s body found. The 42-year-old woman was discovered in a bathtub by a customer checking into that room. The motel manager tells our news partners at Channel 11 the woman and her boyfriend checked into the room for five to six days. The boyfriend asked housekeeping not to enter the room, saying they did not want to be disturbed and not to give them any housekeeping services. The manager said this is common and didn’t raise any alarms. The woman has not yet been identified and police are still investigating. The manager was asked why housekeeping didn’t clean the room before the next guest checked in and discovered the body and he said it was an error in the computer system.
May 17, 2022 3:55 am
The Peters Township School Board met and approved the preliminary budget for the 2022-2023 school year. Next year’s spending plan comes in at $76,954,523 and will be attained by instituting a .49 mill tax increase on Peters Township residents. Brad Rau, Business Manager for the district indicates that the average home in the district assessed at $300,000 will see an increase in taxes of $147. Rau states that this is the final tax increase in a series of increases that were approved to build the new high school and renovate the middle school. Rau stated that the district always intended to levy the highest increase allowed by law for this increase. He indicated that some pandemic related costs are being carried over into this budget and unforeseen costs such as fuel and energy are also being addressed. Rau said it is too early to tell if any of the latent pandemic costs and projected energy costs will necessitate a tax increase next year.
May 17, 2022 2:54 am
A McMurray man facing felony aggravated assault charges pleaded guilty to lesser charges Tuesday. Dean Dapra, 33 pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of terroristic threats and reckless endangerment. Dapra was accused of firing shots at a driver as both traveled E. McMurray Road. The victim explained to police that he tried to alert Dapra his lights were out by flashing his. Dapra initially told police he did not remember firing his gun but later confessed. Dapra appeared at his hearing via video from the Washington County Jail. He was sentenced to 96 days to 12 months on both charges served concurrently. He is being given credit for time served and will be released immediately. He will serve 23 months probation once he is released.
