October 19, 2022 4:11 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin doubled down Wednesday on his faltering invasion of Ukraine with a declaration of martial law in four illegally annexed regions and preparations within Russia for draconian new restrictions and crackdowns. Putin’s drastic efforts to tighten his grip on Ukrainians and Russians follow a series of embarrassing setbacks: stinging battlefield defeats, sabotage and troubles with his troop mobilization. The martial law order belies the Kremlin’s attempts to portray life in the annexed regions as returning to normal. The reality is that a military administration has replaced civilian leaders in the southern city of Kherson and a mass evacuation from the city is underway as a Ukrainian counteroffensive grinds on.
October 19, 2022 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A new poll shows that many adults remain pessimistic about the state of U.S. democracy and the way elected officials are chosen. The results of the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey come nearly two years after a divisive presidential election spurred false claims of widespread fraud and a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol. The poll found that just 9% of U.S. adults think democracy is working “extremely” or “very well.” In a reversal from two years ago, Republicans are now more likely than Democrats to say democracy is not working well.
October 19, 2022 4:05 am
North Strabane Township will have several reorganization items to vote on at their upcoming legislative meeting. Proposed at the agenda meeting on Tuesday was the reorganization of the police and fire departments and the reorganization of the planning, zoning and code enforcement departments. According to Township Manager Andrew Walz, under the proposal for the police and fire departments, the public safety director would handle the administrative tasks of the police and fire departments and the daily operations of the departments would be handled by a police captain and an assistant fire chief. A new department of Community Development is also under consideration. That proposal would combine the planning and zoning departments with code enforcement so that developers would be able to work with one person from the beginning to the end of the development whether the project is one building or one hundred buildings according to Walz. These items will be voted on at the legislative meeting on October 25.
October 19, 2022 4:02 am
Tuesday afternoon attorneys representing Rudy Zelak (pictured), owner of Bob’s Tavern in Finleyville failed in their opportunity to argue to have an emergency injunction lifted that is keeping that bar closed. Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh asked for that injunction calling the bar a nuisance bar. The action centered on the shooting and killing of Jaisen Irwin who was found in the middle of Washington Avenue in the wee hours of October 10. Police testimony told of numerous calls to the bar over the last several years and surveillance that police have done on the establishment as well. Zelak was called to testify by the commonwealth on activities that have occurred and his lack of interest in calling police when incidents of violence have occurred in the bar or at apartments adjoining the bar. Defense attorneys argued that no evidence of citations or convictions of patrons ever occurred so there are no grounds for the injunction to continue. Judge Michael Lucas saw otherwise granting the preliminary injunction citing Zelak’s reluctance to call police when events warrant, a lack of training for the staff and his not exercising control over his business. A November 30 hearing is scheduled to determine whether the injunction should remain permanent.
October 19, 2022 4:00 am
The Washington County Chamber of Commerce sponsored a Skills Gap Forum that gathered regional companies and school superintendents from Washington and Greene Counties to seek ways to address the growing need for people to enter into job markets that do not require a four year college degree. The forum opened with a presentation that showed how college costs have increased 250% from 1997 to 2022. It compared traditional private university costs and time frames for degrees showing a 5 year completion period costing on average $178,000 to that of a trade school taking 18 moths to complete costing $35,000 on average. Two panel discussions were held with local companies and corporations discussing the need for skilled workers and the difficulties finding them. The biggest obstacles companies are facing is the idea that trades are menial jobs. Panelists spoke to many of their technicians making six figure incomes. Several panelists spoke to the flexibility of work hours also. The Southwest Corner Workforce Development Board was on hand to enhance their role in working with local schools to enhance the communication that skilled trades jobs such as electricians, plumbers and carpenters along with cosmeticians are excellent earning opportunities for students that do not wish to attend a four year college degree program.
October 18, 2022 5:51 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – If mosquitoes love you, new research suggests it may be because of how you smell. A study published Tuesday finds that people who are “mosquito magnets” have high levels of certain chemicals on the skin that are tied to odor. Scientists pitted people’s smells against each other in the lab and saw that the bugs swarmed to the same hosts over time. Bad news for the mosquito magnets: It’s hard to change your skin acid levels. But some scientists hope the new research can help think up new ways to fight off bites.
Everything to know to apply for student loan forgiveness
October 18, 2022 5:49 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is promising that the first bill he sends to Capitol Hill next year will be one that codifies Roe v. Wade – if Democrats control enough seats in Congress for Biden to sign abortion protections into law. In a speech designed to energize his party’s voters just three weeks before the November midterms, Biden said, “If you care about the right to choose, then you gotta vote.” Democrats tried repeatedly in this Congress to enshrine abortion rights into law, only to be thwarted by GOP filibusters and the unwillingness of their own members to change the Senate’s rules. That dynamic is likely to persist no matter what happens in the November elections.
October 18, 2022 11:49 am
MARIETTA, Ohio (AP) – A small plane has crashed into a car dealership parking lot near the border of Ohio and West Virginia, killing two people on board and sparking a large fire. The crash of the the 1974 Beechcraft Air King E90 in Marietta, Ohio, was reported about 7:15 a.m. Tuesday. The Ohio State Highway Patrol says the pilot and another person on board were killed, but no one on the ground was injured. The plane had apparently departed about 30 minutes earlier from John Glenn International Airport in Ohio, but it wasn’t immediately clear where it was headed. Authorities say the two victims – a West Virginia man and an Ohio man – were the only people in the plane.
October 18, 2022 4:43 am
The Peters Township School Board met Monday night. The agenda was light on action items but policy changes from an earlier policy committee meeting were released. Director Lisa Anderson recommends nine policy changes in categories relating to pupils, employees, operations and community. Student discipline, student expression and dissemination of materials along with employee conduct and disciplinary procedures are a few of the details that are under review. A second reading of the policy changes and vote is scheduled for the next regular meeting of the school board on November 21.
October 18, 2022 4:19 am
As the value of the U.S. dollar soars, other currencies around the world are sinking by comparison. This is contributing to skyrocketing prices for everyday goods and services and compounding financial distress, especially in poor countries. The reasons for the dollar’s rise are no mystery. To combat U.S. inflation, the Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark short-term interest rate five times this year. That has led to higher rates on a wide range of U.S. government and corporate bonds, luring investors and driving up the U.S. currency. The dollar is up 18% this year against a basket of key currencies around the globe.
