Trump & Netanyahu Take Victory Lap Over Iran Strikes

July 8, 2025 5:06 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is telling President Donald Trump that he is nominating the U.S. leader for a Nobel Peace Prize. The two were taking a victory lap Monday after their recent joint strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, with both hailing the 12-day war as an unmitigated success. The two leaders sat down with their top aides for a dinner in the White House Blue Room to mark the operation. They were are discussing efforts to push forward with a 60-day ceasefire proposal to pause the conflict in Gaza.

Show Of Force At Los Angeles Park

July 8, 2025 5:07 am

LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. military troops and federal immigration officers have made a brief but mighty show of force at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. It was unclear if any arrests were made Monday before the National Guard soldiers and federal immigration agents left but their appearance baffled local officials and shook up an area dubbed the “Ellis Island of the West Coast.” The park is a community hub in a largely immigrant neighborhood. Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom called it a political stunt and spectacle meant to intimidate the city’s immigrant communities. The Department of Homeland Security says it does not discuss its operations and declined to comment.

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.”

Person In Custody In Philadelphia Shooting

July 8, 2025 4:43 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.

Pittsburgh Bank Closures Down From 2024

July 8, 2025 3:54 pm

(WPXI) PITTSBURGH — At 2025’s midpoint, the year is shaping up as the lowest in more than a decade for bank branch closures in the Pittsburgh metro. There were just six, compared with 11 cuts during the first six months of 2024, according to regulatory filings that were confirmed by the respective banks. And that was down from 26 during the comparable period in 2023. Citizens cut three branches in January — 712 Washington Rd., Mount Lebanon; 4570 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh; and 200 Tarentum Bridge Rd., New Kensington. Huntington shuttered a remote drive-thru in New Castle, north of the city, also in January. PNC closed its branch at Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc.’s headquarters in April, and F.N.B. in March relocated its Hampton Township branch to a new facility in a former Burger King location at 4885 State Highway 8 in Allison Park. Last month, its branch at 600 Walmart Dr. in Gibsonia closed with customers being served by the Allison Park location.

South Side Bar License Under Review

July 8, 2025 3:44 pm

(WPXI) PITTSBURGH — The license for a bar on Pittsburgh’s South Side is under review a week after a violent weekend inside and outside the club. The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office says the license for Capo’s Bar is being reviewed by the Nuisance Bar Task Force. Channel 11 reported last week that the popular nightclub on East Carson Street had been designated a disruptive property after a chaotic weekend where there were fights inside the bar and shots fired outside.

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.

Did Trump Job Cuts Contribute To Flood Fatalities

July 7, 2025 5:45 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former federal officials and outside experts have warned for months that President Donald Trump’s staffing cuts to the National Weather Service could endanger lives. After torrential rains and flash flooding struck Friday in the Texas Hill Country, the weather service came under fire from local officials who criticized what they described as inadequate forecasts. Democrats wasted little time linking staff reductions to the disaster, which is being blamed for the deaths of at least 80 people. Former federal officials and experts have said Trump’s indiscriminate job reductions at NWS and other weather-related agencies will result in brain drain that threatens the government’s ability to issue timely and accurate forecasts. Trump said job cuts did not hamper weather forecasts.

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.

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)