July 10, 2021 5:04 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House says President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call that he must “take action” against cybercriminals acting in his country and that the U.S. reserves the right to “defend its people and its critical infrastructure.” The warning to Putin was largely a repetition of the tough rhetoric Biden had used during their meeting in Geneva last month, when he warned that there would be consequences for continuing cyberattacks emanating from Russia. Since then, a new ransomware attack linked to the Russia-based REvil hacking group has caused widespread disruption, placing Biden under growing pressure to this time marry the warning with actions. None were immediately announced.
July 10, 2021 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House says President Joe Biden has fired the Social Security commissioner. Biden has also accepted the resignation of the agency’s deputy commissioner. The White House says Biden asked Commissioner Andrew Saul to resign, and Saul’s employment was terminated when he refused the Democratic president’s request. Deputy Commissioner David Black agreed to step down. Both officials had been put in place under President Donald Trump, a Republican. Biden has named Kilolo Kijakazi, the agency’s deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy, to lead the agency in an acting capacity.
July 10, 2021 4:59 am
HAITI (AP) – An American arrested in connection to the assassination of Haiti’s president worked alongside Sean Penn to rebuild the country from a devastating earthquake in 2010, according to three people familiar with the Hollywood actor’s decade-old relief drive. The two people said James Solages worked as a driver and in a security capacity for J/P Haitian Relief Organization, which was started by Penn following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in 2010 that killed more than 300,000 people in the impoverished Caribbean nation. One of the people said Solages had left the organization sometime in 2011. All three people requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
July 10, 2021 4:57 am
BECKWOURTH, Calif. (AP) – A Northern California wildfire exploding through bone-dry timber has prompted Nevada authorities to evacuate a border-area community. The Beckwourth Complex – a merging of two lightning-caused fires – headed into Saturday showing no sign of slowing its rush northeast from the Sierra Nevada. Across the state line, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office asked people to evacuate a section of Rancho Haven, north of Reno. Other fires are burning in Oregon, Arizona and Idaho. Authorities say fire conditions are tough as a heat wave engulfs the region, promising triple-digit temperatures in many areas through the weekend.
July 10, 2021 4:55 am
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – The death toll in the Florida condominium collapse has risen to 78 after 14 additional victims were pulled out of the rubble. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced the new number at a Friday news conference, calling it both “staggering” and “heartbreaking.” An additional 62 people are still unaccounted for. On Thursday, Paraguay’s foreign minister said in a radio report that the body of the sister of that country’s first lady was among those found. Several Latin American citizens were reported in the building when it collapsed. Rescue workers now focused on finding remains instead of survivors have pledged to keep up their search for victims until they clear all the debris at the site.
July 10, 2021 4:55 am
PHOENIX (AP) – Authorities say a fiery crash that killed six people and injured five others happened after two vehicles crossed an interstate median to pull over and get help with a flat tire. The two vehicles were hit from behind by a semi-trailer after making a U-turn in a median on Interstate 10 west of Phoenix. The state Department of Public Safety says the July 2 crash split Natisha Moffett’s car in half, and it burst into flames. The 35-year-old Arizona resident and her five children were killed. Her friend and her four children who were traveling in the other vehicle were injured.
July 10, 2021 4:53 am
MIAMI (AP) — Officials say the Miami-Dade County Courthouse will begin undergoing repairs immediately after a review found safety concerns within the building. A joint statement from multiple leaders late Friday says the review was prompted by the collapse of a condo building in Surfside that killed at least 86 people and left 43 people missing. An engineer’s report recommended floors 16 and above be closed to courthouse staff. The leaders decided all courthouse employees would go back to working from home. Employees only recently returned to the building after working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Court operations will proceed in a remote format until the safety concerns are addressed.
July 10, 2021 4:30 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A Pittsburgh museum is returning to public view a 19th-century diorama that shows lions attacking a camel and its human rider. The curtain around “Lion Attacking a Dromedary” was removed last week, about a year after the Carnegie Museum of Natural History covered up the display in response to complaints about how the courier was depicted. Information is now posted to address the controversy. X-rays have confirmed that the figure contains a human skull and jaw, presenting an ethical problem for the museum. A new sign says the exhibit is popular but reinforces stereotypes.
July 10, 2021 4:25 am
After a forced break because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Whiskey Rebellion Festival is back Saturday, although in a scaled-back way. Co-chair of the festival, Joe Piszczor says the key components of the festival will still be there, like the music, the food and the re-enactments. Piszczor says what is typically a four-day event will now take place almost entirely on Saturday, although the official kick-off was held Friday with a live performance from the Washington Symphony Orchestra. Piszczor says Saturday is the big day with plenty of food, music and live theater. Activities will take place in the Community Pavilion on South Main Street in Washington across from the Observer-Reporter building, The Bradford House and the LeMoyne House on Maiden Street. Freedom Transit will help get you to all the fun. They are hosting their seventh annual Free Fare Day on Saturday, July 10th.
July 10, 2021 4:02 am
MONONGAHELA, Pa. (WPXI) — After heavy rain came through our region, the Monongahela Fire Department pumped more than three feet of water out of their basement Thursday night into Friday morning. For the past few months, the fire department has been dealing with flooding problems because of a broken pipe that sits underneath a nearby railroad track. Aaron Leezer is the chief of the fire department, and says he and the other firefighters are constantly wondering if each storm will bring more flooding. It wasn’t until after midnight that the fire department was able to get all the water pumped out. The problem is underneath the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks that sit between the Mon River and the department. There’s a pipe that needs to be repaired, and it causes all the water to back up — and go down into the department’s basement. State Senator Camera Bartolotta heard about the issue and met with the department and city council to see what can be done. Bartolotta is also reaching out to Norfolk Southern herself. Since the problem is right underneath the railroad tracks, the city needs extra permission to make repairs they need to to stop the flooding.
