Russia & Ukraine Trade Drone Strikes

July 7, 2025 5:20 am

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged drone strikes, disrupting air travel and causing fatalities and damage. Photos on social media showed crowds huddling at Russian airports including key international hubs in Moscow and St. Petersburg as hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled due to Ukrainian drone strikes. The attacks followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s announcement of deals with Western partners to boost drone production. Ukraine has increasingly relied on drones to counter Russia’s offensives. Zelenskyy said he also discussed joint drone production with U.S. President Donald Trump in a recent phone call.

Obesity Drug Prices Dropping But Supply Is A Challenge

July 7, 2025 5:19 am

Prices are falling for the popular obesity treatments Wegovy and Zepbound, but steady access to the drugs remains challenging. Reduced monthly costs for uninsured patients still amount to around $500. That can put the drugs out of reach for many. Coverage also continues to shift or restrict how patients get prescriptions. Doctors say the patchy coverage and costs force them to get creative in treating patients. But there’s hope that prices for the injectable drugs may fall more in the future, especially once pill versions enter the market.

Death Toll Rising From Flash Flooding In Texas

July 7, 2025 5:16 am

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Flash floods in Texas have killed 94 people, many of them children. Heavy rains fell quickly in the predawn hours Friday in the Texas Hill Country, causing the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes. Among the missing are 10 girls and a counselor from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp. The July Fourth holiday weekend likely brought an influx of visitors to the area outside San Antonio, making it difficult to track all the people who may have been in the area.

Fireworks Thrown At Pittsburgh Police

July 7, 2025 5:11 am

PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Police have filed charges against multiple men and released new details about a situation where fireworks were thrown at police officers on Fourth of July weekend in Pittsburgh’s South Side. Video shows fireworks being set off along busy East Carson Street early Saturday morning. People were running in front of cars and there were reports of shots fired. Photos provided to Channel 11 show police officers forming a line and breaking up the crowd. Pittsburgh’s Citizen Police Review Board opened an inquiry into that process on Saturday to learn more. According to a city public information officer, police were in the area of East Carson Street on the evening of the Fourth of July and into the early morning of July 5 for a “large and unruly crowd” gathering. Officers heard shots fired in the area of the 1400 block of Sarah Street at around 1 a.m. on Saturday. A man was quickly detained and a firearm was recovered. Another man took off on foot away from police. No injuries or property damage were reported. Charges were filed against Ronald Pelton, 23, of McKees Rocks for that incident. He faces charges of discharging a firearm, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct, public drunkeness and possession of a weapon. The situation continued when Pittsburgh Police began to disperse the remaining crowd. Police said this happened at 2 a.m. as part of a pre-established plan and that officers gave multiple warnings. That was when, police say, some people in the crowd began throwing objects and launching fireworks at officers and police cruisers. One officer was hit with a rock and two other officers suffered eye irritation from the fireworks debris. Two men were arrested in relation to that situation: Delricco White, 20, of Duquesne and Kyliek McCracken, 18, of Ambridge.

Three Dead & Ten Injured In Philadelphia Shooting

July 7, 2025 5:07 am

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities say three people were killed and 10 others injured in a shooting. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel says the three people who died in the shooting early Monday were adults, and two of the wounded are juveniles. The shooting happened shortly before 1 a.m. along a residential street in Grays Ferry, in South Philadelphia. Bethel says numerous rounds were fired. Police say one person with a weapon was taken into custody. The shooting happened after other shootings in the city and elsewhere around the U.S. over the Fourth of July weekend. Those included at least eight people struck by gunfire near a South Philadelphia nightclub.

Death Toll Tops 100 In Texas Flooding

July 7, 2025 5:02 am

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend has surpassed 100. The number of deaths reached at least 104 on Monday as a massive search continued for missing people. Officials say searchers in hard-hit Kerr County have found the bodies of 84 people, including 28 children. The county is home to several summer camps. Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims say they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the flooding. With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatens parts of central Texas.

Car Strikes Home In Charleroi

July 7, 2025 5:01 am

CHARLEROI, Pa. — No injuries were reported after a car drove into a house in Charleroi Sunday afternoon. Charleroi Fire Department officials say they were called to Eighth Street and Prospect Avenue at 1:48 p.m. for a car that had struck a home. Firefighters worked to stabilize the building and secure utilities. Photos shared to social media show a car with front-end damage and multiple bricks knocked out of place in and around the home. Officials did not say what caused the car to crash. (Photo:  Charleroi Fire Department Facebook)

Costanzo Sworn-In As Washington County President Judge

July 7, 2025 2:58 am

Washington County has a new President Judge. The Honorable Valerie Costanzo was officially sworn-in Monday morning to replace the Judge Gary Gilman who has retired. A lifelong resident of Washington County, Costanzo is a graduate of Canon-McMillan High School, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She began her public service career as a prosecutor in the Washington County District Attorney’s office. In 1998, she was appointed Magisterial District Judge by then-Governor Tom Ridge. She was then elected to the Court of Common Pleas in 2013. For the majority of her 11 years on the bench, Judge Costanzo has managed a full criminal docket, presiding over numerous jury trials involving serious felony offenses such as homicide, rape, strangulation, and drug delivery resulting in death. She is currently scheduled to preside over a capital murder case in September.  Reflecting on her new leadership role, Judge Costanzo said: “As I look forward to stepping into the role of President Judge, I am truly honored by the opportunity to serve the people of Washington County. I plan to lead our court with a strong focus on fairness, transparency, and efficiency, and to work closely with my fellow judges, county commissioners, and other elected officials. Together, we can ensure our justice system works effectively and earns the trust of everyone in our community.”

Child Injured In Canonsburg Parade Back Home

July 7, 2025 2:43 am

(WPXI) CANONSBURG, Pa. — A child is back home after being injured during the Canonsburg Fourth of July Parade on Friday.  The child was injured by a motorcycle near the intersection of Adams Avenue and Brown Alley at 11 a.m., about an hour after the parade began. Canonsburg Mayor David Rhome said the child was injured by a small motorcycle being driven in the parade. Specific details on the crash were not provided.

Texas, Federal Officials Under Fire For Flood Response

July 6, 2025 7:59 am

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Before heading to bed before the Fourth of July holiday, Christopher Flowers checked the weather while staying at a friend’s house along the Guadalupe River. Nothing in the forecast alarmed him. “What they need is some kind of external system, like a tornado warning that tells people to get out now,” Flowers, 44, said. Hours before a massive wall of floodwater barreled down a river in the heart of Texas Hill Country before sunrise on Friday, forecasters with the National Weather Service warned people that dangerous conditions were brewing. An initial flood watch for the hard-hit area was issued at 1:18 p.m. Thursday predicting rain amounts of between 5 to 7 inches. Weather messaging from the office included automated alerts delivered to mobile phones to people in threatened areas. Those warnings grew increasingly ominous in the early morning hours of Friday, urging people to move to higher ground and evacuate flood-prone areas.