October 17, 2024 5:04 am
QANA, Lebanon (AP) — Officials say Israeli airstrikes have pounded areas across Lebanon, killing at least 27 people over the past 24 hours, including more than a dozen in a southern town where Israeli bombardments in previous conflicts are seared into local memory. Elsewhere in the south, a city’s mayor was among the dead in a strike Wednesday that Lebanese officials said targeted a meeting coordinating relief efforts. Fifteen people were killed late Tuesday in the southern town of Qana, with Israel saying it targeted Jalal Mustafa Hariri, a Hezbollah commander. In 1996, Israeli artillery shelling on a United Nations compound housing hundreds of displaced people in Qana killed at least 100 civilians.
October 17, 2024 12:46 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor-dancer Mitzi Gaynor has died at age 93. Gaynor starred as Nellie Forbush in the 1958 film of “South Pacific” and appeared in other musicals with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly in the 1950s and early 1960s. She starred in the musicals “Golden Girl,” “The I Don’t Care Girl” and Bloodhounds of Broadway.” Gaynor, among the last survivors of the so-called golden age of the Hollywood musical, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, her long-time managers Rene Reyes and Shane Rosamonda confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press. In the all-star “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” Gaynor danced with Donald O’Connor but was overshadowed by a rising star, Marilyn Monroe. (Photo: AP)
October 17, 2024 5:03 am
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, local officials told Argentine media. He was 31. Buenos Aires police say in a statement that Payne fell from the third floor, resulting in “extremely serious injuries.” Medics confirmed his death on the spot. The spokesperson for the Security Ministry of Buenos Aires municipality tells The Associated Press that police were dispatched to the hotel in response to an emergency call about an “aggressive man” and Payne “had thrown himself from the balcony of his room.” Authorities are investigating the circumstances of his death and have not made an official cause of death determination.
October 17, 2024 4:58 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – Robinson Township leaders voted two to one on a new police department. McDonald Boro has been patrolling Robinson Township for 20 years and their contract expires this year. The township manager told Channel 11 it’s a decision they didn’t take lightly. Our evaluation process for choice of agency involved a combination of in-person interviews, polling, site visits and extensive consultations with the chiefs,” said Crystal Brown. “I do feel like Mount Pleasant township, although it was a controversial choice for some residents, I think it was a responsible choice.” The board received similar proposals from the North Fayette, McDonald, Smith and Mount Pleasant Departments. Mount Pleasant Chief Matthew Tharp gave Channel 11 a statement saying, “If the contracted service is finalized, we are excited at the opportunity to work with their community, visitors and business to provide professional police services as we do for our community now. We are fortunate enough to have five police officers who currently or previously worked for the municipality that previously covered Robinson Township, which will greatly aid in knowing many of their residents, streets and best routes to respond for emergencies in their community. ” Community members have been outspoken about the decision, with some embracing the chance and pushing for regionalization, others against the decision, and others want more questions answered.
October 17, 2024 4:52 am
SOUTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Wednesday morning, South Fayette Township neighbors who live along Boyce Road and close to a giant water main break, found themselves without water. Pennsylvania American Water says a broken 36-inch concrete cylinder water main is to blame. Officials started emergency repairs and are currently working to get it fixed. Until then, Boyce Road from Hunting Ridge to Mayview Road is closed. Drivers who need to get to Route 19 and Washington Pike will have to detour for the foreseeable future. Pennsylvania American Water says there are currently 15 customers who don’t have any water. Officials anticipate their service being restored on Thursday morning. There’s no ETA on when the road will reopen.
October 16, 2024 4:16 am
ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has blocked a new rule that requires Georgia Election Day ballots to be counted by hand after the close of voting. The ruling came a day after the same judge ruled that county election officials must certify election results by the deadline set in law. In a ruling late Tuesday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote, that the so-called hand count rule “is too much, too late” and blocked its enforcement while he considers the merits of the case. McBurney on Monday had ruled in a separate case that county election officials cannot “refuse to certify or abstain from certifying election results under any circumstance.”
October 16, 2024 4:13 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to unveil a blueprint for his country’s victory in the war against Russia. The plan to be presented to Parliament on Wednesday is considered by many as Ukraine’s last resort to strengthen its hand in any future cease-fire negotiations with Russia. Zelenskyy is keen to advance the plan before a new U.S. leader is sworn in next year. Thus far, none of the Western allies have publicly endorsed the five-point plan or commented on its feasibility. Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Leshchenko announced on Monday that Zelenskyy would present the plan to Parliament.
October 16, 2024 4:22 am
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are appealing to middle-class workers in very different ways. How their messages land could have a big impact in battleground states with strong union ties such as Michigan. Harris, the Democratic nominee, is relying on United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain to help spread her message, as her campaign worries about her support among working-class men. That issue worsened when two unions that backed Joe Biden in 2020 decided not to endorse either candidate this year. Trump, the Republican nominee, has jumped on these non-endorsements and claims they show that rank-and-file workers support his vision. He has criticized union leaders and urged workers to trust him over the unions.
October 16, 2024 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says more than 800 military personnel have seen their service records upgraded to honorable discharges after previously being kicked out of the military under its former “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The development Tuesday is the latest over the decades to undo past discrimination against LGBTQ service members. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered a review of cases of former service members who might have been affected by the policy. The Pentagon estimates about 13,500 service members in total were affected. Many of those personnel either didn’t serve long enough to qualify for benefits, had already had their discharges upgraded through other means or didn’t qualify for an upgrade due to other violations.
October 16, 2024 4:40 pm
(AP) – The Walt Disney Co. is set to pilot a new pass for guests to get on rides faster at its domestic theme parks, but the cost might be a bit out of reach for some people. At Disneyland in California, the Lightning Lane Premier Pass will cost $400 per person, per day for visits to both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure through the end of the year as long as the guest also has a valid admission ticket with a Park Hopper benefit. Prices at Disney World in Florida will range from $129 to $449 per pass at launch. (Photo: AP)
