December 11, 2024 5:13 am
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The East Coast is experiencing the early stages of what could be a whiplash-inducing stretch of winter weather. That’s due in part to an atmospheric river and developing bomb cyclone. The storm is expected to bring heavy rain and fierce winds to many areas until Wednesday night, and flooding is possible in some locales. Utilities are also gearing up for potential power outages from damage caused by winds that may exceed 60 mph in some areas. Forecasters say one of the key factors driving the weather is an atmospheric river, which is a long band of water vapor that can transport moisture from the tropics to more northern areas.
December 10, 2024 5:11 am
A federal judge in Texas has rejected the auction sale of Alex Jones’ Infowars to The Onion satirical news outlet, criticizing the bidding process as flawed as well as the amount of money that families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting stood to receive. The decision late Tuesday night is a victory for Jones, whose conspiracy theory platform was put up for sale as part of his bankruptcy case in the wake of the nearly $1.5 billion that courts have ordered him to pay over falsely calling one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history a hoax. Families of the Sandy Hook victims had backed The Onion’s bid.
December 11, 2024 5:16 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian medical officials say Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 29 people. One of the strikes hit a home where displaced people were sheltering in the isolated north, killing 19. That strike occurred in the northern town of Beit Lahiya near the border with Israel, according to the nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital, which received the bodies early Wednesday. Another strike in a decades-old, built-up refugee camp in central Gaza killed at least seven people, according to the Awda Hospital. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
December 11, 2024 5:17 am
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Humanitarian aid to northern Gaza, where Israel launched a ground offensive on Oct. 6, has largely been blocked for the past 66 days. That’s according to the United Nations on Tuesday, which says between 65,000 and 75,000 Palestinians have been left without access to food, water, electricity or health care. In the north, Israel has continued its siege on Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabaliya with Palestinians living there largely denied aid, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, known as OCHA, said. Recently, it said, about 5,500 people were forcibly displaced from three schools in Beit Lahiya to Gaza City.
December 10, 2024 5:41 pm
ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggled with deputies and shouted while arriving for a court appearance in Pennsylvania a day after he was arrested at a McDonald’s and charged with murder. Luigi Nicholas Mangione emerged from a patrol car, spun toward reporters and shouted something partly unintelligible while deputies pushed him inside Tuesday. At the brief hearing, the defense lawyer informed the court that Mangione would not waive extradition to New York but instead wants a hearing on the issue. Mangione was denied bail. Brian Thompson, who led the United States’ largest medical insurance company, was killed last Wednesday as he walked alone to a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. (Photo: AP)
December 10, 2024 5:42 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors are trying to preserve President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction as he returns to office, and they’re suggesting various ways forward. One novel notion is based on how some courts handle criminal cases when defendants die. In court papers made public on Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books. The proposals included freezing the case until he’s out of office, or agreeing that any future sentence wouldn’t include jail time. Another idea: closing the case with a notation that acknowledges his conviction but says that he was never sentenced and that his appeal wasn’t resolved because of presidential immunity. There’s no immediate response from Trump’s lawyers.
December 10, 2024 7:36 am
Emergency crews were busy Tuesday morning as they were called out to crashes in both the City of Washington and North Strabane Township. The first occurred in the 600-block of South Main Street in Washington. Washington County 9-1-1 dispatchers say a vehicle went into a utility pole. The driver was evaluated at the scene but was not transported . The pole was sheared off and wires came down across the roadway. West Penn Power crews were called in to make repairs. Meanwhile, crews responded to a one-vehicle, rollover crash along Route 519 near Wilson Road and International Paper just before 7 a.m. Dispatchers tell WJPA News that the female driver was transported to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh. There was no word on her identity or condition.
December 10, 2024 4:57 am
WEST BETHLEHEM TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Brittany Crile, 36, and her husband, Joseph Crile, 46, were killed after their car missed a turn onto Clarksville Road and rolled 150 feet down a steep hillside late Saturday night. The two were coming home from a holiday party and were less than a mile away. Sunday morning, someone driving by spotted the car and called 911. When first responders got there, they found Brittany Crile near the car. She had been thrown from the car and did not survive. The woman who owns the car said she couldn’t get a hold of her son, Joseph Crile and her Ford App sent a notification that all of the tires were deflated. State Police pieced it together and searched for Joe Crile all day Sunday. Trooper Rocco Gagliardi with Pennsylvania State Police said investigators searched multiple properties including an abandoned home 400 feet from the scene of the crash. That’s where Joe Crile was found dead. Trooper Gagliardi says there are still so many unanswered questions. “Did something else happen at that crash site and then he gets into an abandoned house? Is he looking for assistance or medical aid or did something else happen that we’re not aware of,” Gagliardi said. State Police say the coroner will be able to determine exactly how Joe Crile died. Until then, the crash will remain under investigation.
December 10, 2024 2:56 am
The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) is updating its Regional Active Transportation Plan. They were in Washington on Monday for a listening session so that residents of Washington County could weigh in on transportation that is not dedicated to automobiles. This plan aims to improve biking, walking, and other active transportation options to create safer, more accessible communities. Leann Chaney is the Senior Active Transportation Planner for the SPC. She says the update is needed because the original plan is five years old and much has changed in active transportation in the region. There has been a growth in trails. Bike lanes have been extended and, in some areas recently installed. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, work patterns and transportation patterns have changed that reflect an increased need for improvements and access for people to walk and ride bikes. Leisure activity is not the only criteria of concern. Connectivity is also important. Can a person easily access a trail or bike lane to use it for a work commute or a shopping trip. Can the user limit use of a car to use an active transportation mode. Residents are still able to weigh in with their thoughts about improvements and even concerns and frustrations with transportation by foot or by bike. A survey is available at https://arcg.is/1TSifn2 .
December 10, 2024 2:03 am
Peters Township Council acted to approve stop signs at two intersections. Currently at the intersection of Crossbow Court and Crosswinds Drive, there is a single stop sign. A recommendation from the township’s traffic engineer suggested that the intersection be an all stop intersection. Limited sight distance is the reason for the addition. The intersection of Royalbrooke and Sutherland Drives will also become an all stop intersection. Limited sight distance at the intersection is also causing the need for additional stop signs. In other township business, council was briefed on a request for proposal to update the township’s Comprehensive Plan. The township hopes to award a contract to a consultant in March. Also discussed was the size and make up of the committee to draft the updates to the plan. It could take at least a year for the proposal to be complete. Council will meet again next Monday, December 16. The meeting was moved one week earlier due to the Christmas Holiday.
