July 16, 2022 9:28 am
NEW YORK (AP) – New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is among the most famous politicians in America, perhaps the most famous member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and it shows even in the most run-of-the-mill parts of the job. Ocasio-Cortez says in an interview that she wants to ensure she’s connected to her district and does not appear out-of-touch while having an outsized national profile. She’s building those local ties by holding town halls, steering earmarks to her district and helping constituents navigate government programs. That routine work lays the roots for a long congressional career, if that’s what she chooses to pursue.
July 16, 2022 9:24 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Two news outlets’ decision to release an excruciating 77-minute video this week showing police inaction during the Robb Elementary School mass shooting drew a harsh response from residents of Uvalde, Texas, even though they have sought this type of transparency for weeks. Families of the 19 children and two teachers killed by an 18-year-old gunman on May 24 said the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV displayed insensitivity by releasing the video to the public before those directly affected had a chance to see it. The community’s response reflects the raw feelings directed toward reporters who came to Uvalde to probe what happened, and the reality that journalism often steps on toes.
July 16, 2022 9:22 am
MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexican marines were closing in on infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero deep in the mountains of his native state of Sinaloa. But it was a 6-year-old bloodhound named “Max” who rousted from the undergrowth the man allegedly responsible for the murder of a U.S. DEA agent more than three decades ago. While the United States’ motivation to find Caro Quintero was never in doubt – hence the $20 million reward for information leading to his capture – there was less certainty about the commitment of Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who had made clear his disinterest in pursuing drug lords, was less certain. Yet on Friday, three days after López Obrador and U.S. President Joe Biden met in the White House, the DEA’s most wanted target was in Mexican custody.
July 16, 2022 9:15 am
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) – President Joe Biden has told Arab leaders that the United States “will not walk away” from the Middle East. Biden spoke Saturday at a summit of Arab Gulf countries being held in Saudi Arabia. Biden pledged continued U.S. involvement in the region as he tries to help foster stability in a volatile corner of the world. The U.S. president is on the final leg of a four-day trip to the region. Hours before the summit, the White House released intelligence showing Russian officials have recently visited Iran to see weapons-capable drones it is looking to acquire to use against Ukraine.
July 16, 2022 3:50 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf signed legislation Monday to increase penalties for motorists who have multiple DUI convictions to try to end what critics call Pennsylvania’s “revolving door” for the most serious drunken drivers. The state Senate passed the final version last week after a couple of attempts to get the bill through the Legislature. The new law takes effect in November and increases penalties for some offenders who receive a third or subsequent DUI conviction. It aims to lengthen sentences by requiring someone convicted of a third DUI offense to serve consecutive sentences for separate counts, instead of serving the sentences at the same time. The law also increases the grading of offenses — and the potential length of the sentence — for someone convicted of a fourth DUI if they are caught with drugs or record a high blood alcohol content. The bill was inspired by the death of Deana Eckman. A five-time drunken driver killed the 45-year-old Delaware County woman in 2019 when he drove his pickup truck across a double yellow line and slammed head-on into the car she was riding in, driven by Eckman’s husband, who was seriously injured. The 30-year-old pickup driver pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and other charges and was sentenced to 25 1/2 to 51 years in prison. The driver, David Strowhouer, had been freed from state prison a few months before the crash after serving a concurrent sentence for his fifth DUI conviction.
July 16, 2022 3:50 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. (WPXI) — A Washington man has been federally charged for cyberstalking following a PFA order from his ex-wife. Authorities say 53-year-old Eric Scholl placed a GPS device underneath his ex-wife’s car, tracking her location for months. They say he also hacked into her phone, changing the linked email address to his own. According to 53-year-old Eric Scholl’s ex-wife, the abuse began in March of 2021 when Scholl placed his hands on her neck. And police say Scholl didn’t stop. After the PFA was filed, he turned to the internet, weaponizing her personal information. Authorities say he hacked her cell phone, changed the linked email to his own, posted lewd sexual videos to Reddit as if it was her, and infiltrated her PayPal. Officials say he committed many of these crimes while living in a halfway house in downtown Pittsburgh. According to the criminal complaint, Scholl sent threatening emails, broke into her home, removed her firearm and camera, placed a GPS tracker on her car, and terrorized the woman for nearly 2 years. Scholl was indicted in federal court on a count of cyberstalking and is detained.
July 16, 2022 3:50 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — Washington City Council continued its battle against blight by approving nine more properties to be demolished. Combined with last month’s list the City of Washington will send 16 properties to the Washington County Redevelopment Authority for tear down. Mayor Scott Putnam says it is important to get these properties torn down for safety reasons. He also pointed out that it will help neighboring home owner’s property values to have these properties gone. Putnam also discussed the high number of rental homes in the city. He stated that the stock of rental properties in the city is nearly double of any other municipality in the county. He pointed to home buyer assist programs through Blueprints, the Redevelopment Authority and local bank’s first time buyer programs as methods to get new buyers into the market and hopefully move out absentee landlords that do not care for their properties. Putnam was also happy with the latest façade improvements made with LSA grants through the city’s façade improvement program. Putnam says $125,000 has been distributed and the business district is seeing results from the grants.
July 15, 2022 3:51 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A four-paragraph anecdote in a regional newspaper ignited a media fire over abortion that engulfed President Joe Biden, the partisan press and some of the nation’s top news organizations. The story about an alleged rape of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who had to travel to Indiana for an abortion touched on a white-hot issue due to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion. The speed at which the story moved also raised questions about journalist’s sourcing in stories and how stories can be quickly taken over by political pundits. The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post issued corrections or clarifications to what they had written about the case.
July 15, 2022 3:50 am
VINNYTSIA, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say Russian missiles that struck a city in central Ukraine killed at least 23 people and wounded more than 100 others, including children, while dozens were missing. Officials say cruise missiles fired from a Russian ship in the Black Sea struck a medical center, stores and residential buildings in Vinnytsia, a city southwest of Kyiv, the capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is accusing Russia of intentionally aiming missiles at civilians and repeating his call for Russia to be declared a state sponsor of terrorism. One military analyst thinks Thursday’s attack mirrors previous ones on residential areas that Moscow has launched “to try to pressure Kyiv to make some concessions.”
July 15, 2022 3:49 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House has voted to restore abortion access nationwide. It’s Democrats’ first legislative response to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion. But the House bill approved Friday has little chance of becoming law, with the necessary support lacking in the 50-50 Senate. But the vote marks the beginning of a new era in the abortion debate as lawmakers, governors and legislatures grapple with the impact of the Supreme Court decision. The House also passed a separate bill to prohibit punishment for a woman or child who decides to travel to another state to get an abortion.
