January 6, 2024 4:59 am
A reporter who was fired for his standup comedy has been reinstated to his job at a Philadelphia-based public radio station through an arbitrator. Jad Sleiman is to be fully reinstated to his position at WHYY, a a Philadelphia-based NPR station, after an arbitrator determined that, while the bits posted to social media could be interpreted as “inflammatory,” the organization “rushed to judgment” in its decision to terminate him.
January 6, 2024 4:57 am
STOWE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Stowe Township police are searching for a missing 17-year-old girl who has Down syndrome. Kayla Durler, 17, of West Mifflin, was dropped off at Sto-Rox High School around 7 a.m. Friday. School was closed Friday, but Durler was dropped off due to a miscommunication, police said Durler has not been seen since 7 a.m. She was last seen wearing a green coat and maroon pants. Allegheny County police shared a surveillance photo believed to be Durler. The photo was taken at 10:15 a.m. on Stanwix Street in downtown Pittsburgh. In the photo, she is wearing a black cap and purple backpack. Detectives believe she got off a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus at that location. State police said Durler was seen in Market Square at 10 a.m. Friday. Sto-Rox School District said they’re working with police to help find Durler.
January 6, 2024 4:53 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – The first shoveling snow of the New Year is set to move this weekend, leaving as much as 3 to 5 inches of snow on the ground by Sunday. The higher snowfall totals are expected east of Pittsburgh, but area roads could be slushy and snow-covered Saturday afternoon and evening making travel difficult. The latest timing brings a round of light snow into Pittsburgh by mid-morning with light freezing drizzle also possible. Untreated surfaces could be icy so be careful as you head out. Steadier snow will develop for all areas by noon and there could be some moderate bursts of snow at times, especially north and east of Pittsburgh. Snow will taper to snow showers before sunset, but temperatures will fall below freezing so wet roads could refreeze if not treated so watch for quickly changing travel conditions. More snow showers are possible on Sunday but should not be as steady or widespread.
January 5, 2024 5:23 pm
VALLEY FORGE, Pa. (AP) — For his first campaign speech of the year, President Joe Biden has warned that Donald Trump’s efforts to retake the White House in 2024 pose a grave threat to the country. Biden’s speech, near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, came the day before the third anniversary of the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol by then-President Trump’s supporters aiming to keep him in power. Biden called that Jan. 6 day a moment when “we nearly lost America — lost it all.” He said the presidential race — a likely rematch with Trump, who is the far and away GOP frontrunner — is “all about” whether American democracy will survive.
January 5, 2024 4:15 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — The longtime head of the National Rifle Association is resigning, just days before the start of a New York civil trial that’s poised to scrutinize his leadership of the powerful gun rights organization. A trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against the NRA, Wayne LaPierre and others who have served as organization executives is scheduled to start on Monday. LaPierre is among the witnesses expected to testify. James, a Democrat, accuses LaPierre and other executives of illegally diverting tens of millions of dollars from the NRA and spending organization funds on personal trips, no-show contracts and other questionable expenditures. (Photo: ABC)
January 5, 2024 11:35 am
LONDON (AP) — The actor who earned fame as blond half of crime-fighting duo “Starsky and Hutch” in a popular 1970s television series, has died. David Soul was 80. His wife, Helen Snell, said Friday that Soul died on Thursday “after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family.” Soul portrayed detective Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson alongside Paul Michael Glaser as detective David Starsky in “Starsky and Hutch.” It ran on ABC between 1975 and 1979. At the height of his fame, Soul also hit the music charts with the single “Don’t Give Up on Us.” Soul had lived in Britain for many years, taking several stage roles. (Photo: AP)
January 5, 2024 5:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Biden administration grapples with an increasingly tense and unstable situation in the Middle East, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to the region this weekend for the fourth time in three months on a tour expected to focus largely on easing resurgent fears that the Israel-Hamas war could erupt into a broader conflict. The Biden administration had breathed a sigh of relief about the potential for a broader Mideast war in the immediate aftermath of Israel’s military response to the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel. Two-and-a-half months later, though, the chances of a regional war have increased. The State Department says Blinken will visit Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt.
January 5, 2024 5:06 am
WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — A woman was pulled carefully from the rubble 72 hours after a 7.6 magnitude quake rattled Ishikawa Prefecture. Deaths climbed Friday to 94 people, and 222 people were missing after a series of powerful quakes rattled Japan’s western coast and triggered tsunamis. The Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo found that the sandy coastline had shifted by up to 820 feet seaward in some places. Thousands of Japanese troops have joined the disaster relief effort. With some routes cut off by the destruction, worries were growing about communities in which water, food, blankets and medicine have yet to arrive.
January 5, 2024 5:02 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – At the end of last year, U.S. Steel announced that a Japanese-based company would take ownership of the corporation. The U.S. Steelworkers union wasn’t notified. This week, the union and lawmakers penned a letter to the Biden administration with a request to block the sale. “I think for folks in western Pennsylvania it’s a gut punch,” said congress member Chris Deluzio. Deluzio represents Congressional District 17. U.S. Steel was once the biggest company on the planet. For more than 100 years workers from right here in western Pennsylvania were instrumental in the production of steel. However, in the last decade, there was a decline, and the corporation began to look for new ownership in 2023. But union workers and lawmakers made their stance clear they would only support American ownership. Two weeks ago U.S. Steel announced that Nippon Steel, Japan’s biggest steel producer, would take ownership. “We want to make sure our national security is protected, and those good solid union jobs are protected,” Deluzio said. The Biden administration will now review the $14 billion sale and make a final decision.
January 5, 2024 4:56 am
Mayor JoJo Burgess presided over his first voting meeting as Mayor of the City of Washington on Thursday. At the very top of the meeting, there was a renewed request for youth activities. Avery Turner, Founder and Director of the non-profit LOYAL, Leading Our Youth to an Abundant Life, asked council to consider a recreation center for teens that have outgrown programs at the LeMoyne Community Center. Turner said that youth are getting in trouble with the law and participating in unhealthy activities like drinking and drugs because there is no outlet for them to pass their free time. He asked for a center similar to those found in Peters Township and Upper St. Clair, that not only offer athletic activities, but educational opportunities for them and their parents. He pointed to a sponsored center like the EQT Rec Center in Waynesburg as another example. In response, Burgess told him that the city is in the beginning stages of formulating a comprehensive plan. In that plan he has already made a center like Turner was requesting a piece of the plan. Burgess went on to say that he has met with state and federal representatives to put together a roadmap of how construction of a recreation center may be funded through grants and other funding sources.
