December 13, 2023 5:04 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military says Palestinian militants ambushed troops in a dense Gaza City neighborhood, killing at least nine of them. The fighting comes as Hamas puts up stiff resistance in areas that Israel has isolated and pounded with airstrikes for over two months. The air and ground war triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians and pushed nearly 85% of Gaza’s population from their homes. It has sparked international outrage. The United States has repeatedly called on Israel to take greater measures to spare civilians, even as it has blocked international calls for a cease-fire and rushed military aid to its close ally. Clashes raged overnight and into Wednesday in multiple areas.
December 13, 2023 4:58 am
South Strabane Township Supervisors wrapped up 2023 at their voting meeting on Tuesday. They were able to deliver good news to residents going into 2024. Supervisors formally adopted the 2024 budget. According to Township Manager Jeff Ziegler, the budget totals $8,006,053. Ziegler says there is no tax increase and the budget is balanced. Also approved was an extension for the collection of recyclables. The township will once again make use of a one year extension with Waste Management. Costs will rise over last year. The new monthly fee will be $6.18 per month. That is a $1.43 per month more and $17.16 more per year than last year. Supervisors also accepted the resignation of Supervisor Bracken Burns. Burns submitted his resignation after he lost his bid for reelection in November. The remaining supervisors reached out to Burns to ask that he reconsider, no response was received from Burns before the November meeting. Supervisors acted on the resignation making it official on Tuesday. The Board of Supervisors will hold their reorganization meeting on January 2, 2024 at 7:00 pm.
December 13, 2023 2:51 am
Representatives Bud Cook (R-Greene/Washington); Joshua Kail (R-Beaver/Washington)l Andrew Kuzma (R-Allegheny/Washington); Natalie Mihalek (R-Allegheny/Washington); Tim O’Neal (R-Washington), and Jason Ortitay (R-Washington/Allegheny) on Tuesday, released the following statement in response to the news that Washington County Controller April Sloane has been charged with felony animal cruelty: “Every elected official should be held to a high standard. We were shocked and appalled to learn that April Sloane has been charged with felony animal cruelty as a result of the death of her dog. “Washington County House Republicans call for a full and thorough investigation into the alleged crimes. Obviously, in this country, there is an important due process that must take place. However, we unequivocally condemn the alleged actions and hope that any and all responsible parties are held accountable. “All animals deserve to be treated with decency. We are extremely disappointed that a local elected official is being accused of such a despicable act. We support local law enforcement and look forward to the completion of the judicial process.”
December 13, 2023 2:27 am
The warden at the Washington County Correctional Facility announced on Wednesday that they have renamed one of their female housing units to honor retiring Washington County Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan. Warden Jeffrey Fewell says that the 4SE Housing Unit has been renamed 4SE-DIV (Diana Irey Vaughan)in honor of her faithful service of twenty-eight-years to the citizens of Washington and for her volunteer work at the facility. Fewell says the facility, incarcerated persons and the chain of command thank her and her family for their support, guidance and leadership over the past three decades.
December 13, 2023 2:19 am
Washington County Republican Controller April Sloane was arraigned Tuesday on charges related to the discovery of a dead dog in her home. Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh says Sloane faces charges of aggravated cruelty to animals causing serious bodily injury or death; aggravated cruelty to animals – torture and neglect of animals. Walsh says these are felony three charges and are very serious. He called the events they stemmed from, “horrific.” North Strabane Township Police executed a search warrant last week at Sloane’s home in Canonsburg after a police officer with the Washington Area Humane Society contacted police, saying they had received a tip about a dog named “Thor” dying from neglect. An officer with the humane society showed a picture of the dog “in deplorable conditions, and when police arrived at Sloane’s home on Meadowbrook Drive, she admitted her dog died “due to not being properly cared for.” Police said Thor died on Nov. 27th in her living room and that the dog’s body was still in the home. According to the Humane Society, Sloane adopted Thor in April of 2021. Sloane was released on a 150-thousand-dollar bond, ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and to not harbor any animals of any kind until sentencing. A preliminary hearing has been set for December 19th.
December 12, 2023 5:47 pm
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Harvard President Claudine Gay will remain leader of the prestigious Ivy League school following her comments last week at a congressional hearing on antisemitism. Gay came under intense scrutiny following the hearing in which she and two of her peers struggled to answer questions about campus antisemitism. Their responses provoked backlash from Republican opponents, along with alumni and donors who say the university leaders are failing to stand up for Jewish students on their campuses. The Harvard Corporation, the university’s highest governing body, released a statement Tuesday saying it unanimously stands in support of her.
December 12, 2023 5:12 am
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Officials say a suicide bomber has detonated his explosive-laden vehicle at a police station’s main gate in northwest Pakistan, killing at least 22 security forces and wounding 32 others, and causing a part of the building to collapse upon impact. A local police officer says three attackers were also killed in the shootout between militants and security forces. Tuesday’s attack, one of the deadliest in months, happened in Dera Ismail Khan, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. The province is a former stronghold of the militant Pakistani Taliban group, or TTP. The newly formed militant group Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, believed to be an offshoot of the TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.
December 12, 2023 5:12 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels slammed into a Norwegian-flagged tanker in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen near a key maritime chokepoint. That’s according to the rebels and authorities who spoke Tuesday. The assault on the oil and chemical tanker Strinda expands a campaign by the Iranian-backed rebels targeting ships near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait into apparently now striking those that have no clear ties to Israel. That potentially imperils cargo and energy shipments coming through the Suez Canal and further widens the international impact of the Israel-Hamas war now raging in the Gaza Strip. Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the rebels only fired on the vessel when it “rejected all warning calls.”
December 12, 2023 5:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told leaders in Congress that with U.S. aid his country can win the war with Russia. But Zelenskyy arrived Tuesday on Capitol Hill to a darker mood than when he swooped in last winter for a hero’s welcome. He also met on Tuesday with President Joe Biden, who made his own plea to Congress to provide billions in aid. Biden’s request for a $110 billion U.S. aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs is at serious risk of collapse in Congress. Republicans are insisting on strict U.S.-Mexico border security changes in exchange for any Ukraine aid. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Tuesday’s meeting with Zelenskyy “powerful” but outlined no new path for a deal.
December 12, 2023 5:08 am
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel and the United States are increasingly isolated as they face global calls for a cease-fire in Gaza, including a non-binding vote expected to pass at the United Nations later on Tuesday. Israel has pressed ahead with an offensive against Gaza’s Hamas rulers that officials say could go on for weeks or months. The war ignited by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel has already brought unprecedented death and destruction to the impoverished coastal enclave. More than 18,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and minors, and over 80% of the population of 2.3 million have fled their homes.
