June 19, 2024 5:48 pm
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday signed the bill mandating the displays. The GOP-drafted legislation requires a poster of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities. Opponents question the law’s constitutionality. Civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union promised a lawsuit. Proponents say the purpose of the measure is not solely religious, but that it has historical significance. Classrooms must display the Ten Commandments by the start of 2025.
June 17, 2024 2:19 am
Due to a planned power outage by West Penn Power on Tuesday June 18th, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Charleroi Borough Council President Kristen Hopkins-Calcek has made the decision to close borough offices that day. “With temperatures reaching into the 90’s, I viewed this as a safety issue regarding our staff,” Hopkins-Calcek said. “With no power, no lights or internet the staff would be extremely limited as to what services they could perform for the public so it seemed the only logical thing to do was to close the building for the day.” Borough offices will be closed Wednesday as well in observance of Juneteenth, which is now a federal holiday.
June 18, 2024 5:00 am
A line of severe thunderstorms rolled across Western Pennsylvania early Monday evening, spurring tens of thousands of power outages and exacerbating concerns over how residents can stay cool amid what’s forecast to be at least six consecutive days of temperatures in the mid- to upper 90s. Areas north of Pittsburgh appeared to be hardest hit. Tens of thousands of Duquesne Light customers around the region had lost power Monday evening. In a news release received at about 10:40 p.m., Duquesne Light said more than 48,000 customers were without power. More than 11,000 West Penn Power customers were without power as of about 11:50 p.m.
June 18, 2024 2:51 am
Washington City Police are searching for a woman who stole a purse from a pew at Immaculate Conception Church on Sunday, June 16th. Police say that during communion, the woman took the opportunity to steal the unattended purse which contained credit cards, cash, and a handgun. She then fled the church on foot. Police say any tips are appreciated and they can be given by private messaging or by calling 724-223-4226. (Photo: City of Washington Police Department)
June 18, 2024 5:06 am
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Extreme heat alerts are in effect for tens of millions of people in the United States as cities including Chicago break heat records. Warnings stretched from Iowa to Ohio and even into the upper reaches of Michigan on Tuesday. The dangerous heat wave is expected to linger until at least Friday. The mid-Atlantic and New England are likely to see highs in the 90s as the week progresses. Excessive humidity will make it feel even more oppressive. The U.S. last year saw the most heat waves since 1936. Officials are warning people to drink plenty of water and stay indoors.
June 18, 2024 5:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new Biden administration policy will give roughly half a million immigrants who are married to American citizens but lack legal status in the United States a pathway to citizenship for them and their children. It is one of President Joe Biden’s most sweeping immigration policy moves and one that migrant advocates had been heavily lobbying the administration to undertake. It will avoid what can be lengthy separations of families with the migrant spouses leaving the country to apply for legal status. It comes as other Biden immigration policies have made it much more difficult to qualify for asylum at the southern border and intensified removals of those who don’t qualify to stay.
June 18, 2024 5:47 pm
(AP) – Boeing’s CEO is getting his day in front of Congress, and lawmakers are expected to have many questions about safety at the troubled aircraft company. CEO David Calhoun appeared in front of a Senate investigations subcommittee on Tuesday. It’s his first appearance on Capitol Hill since a panel blew out of a Boeing 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. Relatives of people who died in 2018 and 2019 crashes of 737 Max jetliners were in the room to remind him of what was at stake. The Senate panel released a 204-page report with new allegations from a whistle-blower who fears defective or improperly documented parts are going into Max jets.
June 18, 2024 5:09 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Majorities of Americans favor forgiving all or some of an individual’s medical debt if the person is facing hardships. That’s according to a new poll from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey found that about half of Americans say it’s extremely or very important for the U.S. government to provide debt relief for those who have yet to pay off medical treatments. Although reducing student loan debt has been a focus for President Joe Biden, the poll found that Americans are more likely to say medical debt relief should be a government priority.
June 17, 2024 5:09 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disbanded his war Cabinet, consolidating his influence over the Israel-Hamas war and likely diminishing the odds of a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip anytime soon. Netanyahu announced the step days after his chief political rival, Benny Gantz, withdrew from the three-member war Cabinet. Gantz, a retired general and member of parliament, was widely seen as a voice of moderation. Major wartime policies will now be solely decided by Netanyahu’s security Cabinet — a larger body that is dominated by hard-liners who oppose the U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal and want to press ahead with the war.
June 18, 2024 5:05 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s military says soldiers fired warning shots to repel North Korean soldiers who temporarily crossed the rivals’ land border for the second time this month. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said around 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the military demarcation line Tuesday morning. It said the North Korean soldiers retreated after the South broadcasted warnings and fired warning shots. The South’s military has observed increased North Korean construction activities along their heavily armed border to install suspected anti-tank barriers, reinforce roads and plant land mines. The South says the work has continued despite several explosions caused by mines that killed or injured an unspecified number of North Korean soldiers.
