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.
December 12, 2023 5:03 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Hopes for finishing a critical climate summit on time faded early Tuesday as countries were still far apart on key issues, including an agreement on what to do about the fossil fuels that are causing dangerous global warming. Critics condemned a draft agreement released Monday in Dubai as a watered-down document that won’t stop dangerous climate change. More than 100 countries have called to phase out planet-warming fossil fuels. The draft document called instead for countries to reduce “consumption and production of fossil fuels, in a just, orderly and equitable manner.” The Bangladeshi envoy said that a revised draft text will be presented Tuesday. The talks are supposed to end Tuesday, but the conference often runs long.
December 12, 2023 4:59 am
ROSTRAVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Criminal charges have been filed against two people in a shooting incident that left a 4-year-old injured in Rostraver Township over the summer, the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office announced Monday. Laura Steele and Michael Lynn are both charged with endangering the welfare of children by a parent or guardian and recklessly endangering another person. On July 6, Rostraver police and Westmoreland County detectives were called to a home on Gauido Drive for a 4-year-old who shot himself with a handgun. The child was flown to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh and immediately taken into emergency surgery. The DA’s office said the child continues to receive constant medical care. Detectives say they determined that the handgun involved was kept on the floor of a bedroom inside the home, unsecured and loaded. Police said Steele and Lynn were both home at the time of the shooting and heard a ‘pop’ from the bedroom before finding the boy bleeding on the floor with the gun next to him.
December 12, 2023 4:54 am
Monday’s voting meeting in Canonsburg was significant for residents of the borough. Two measures that will affect residents’ wallets were adopted. First, the annual budget passed by a 6-1 vote. According to Borough Manager Denise Lesnock, the 2024 spending plan comes in at just under $6.2 million and it includes a fractional tax increase of .134 mills. That means residents will spend $13 more per $100,000 of assessed value on their homes. Council also considered the sale of the Canonsburg-Houston Joint Authority. The motion to authorize the sale died on the table due to lack of a second to the motion. That ends the prospect of the sale. The boroughs of Houston and Canonsburg jointly own the sewerage facility. Houston and the CHJA Authority both agreed to a sale. According to council president Eric Chandler, business for sewer customers remains the same. The terms of the offer to sell were for $145 million by AQUA. It is unknown if any further sale discussions will be held. Council also recognized the longtime efforts of council members Tina Bails and Tom Lawrence. Both were presented plaques for their dedication to Canonsburg.
December 12, 2023 4:52 am
Monday marked the fifth day of Hanukkah and Chabad of Washington celebrated on the lawn of the Washington County Courthouse. Rabbi Mendel Wolowik led the Jewish community in a celebration that included prayers, song, dance and traditional foods. Hanukkah is known as the “Festival of Lights” because according to Jewish teachings, God created a miracle and made one jar of oil that would only last one day, to light a menorah in the Second Temple of Jerusalem, last eight days. Rabbi Wolowik said that people should dedicate themselves during the holiday to bring light to those people and the areas around them. He indicated that the Hamas invasion into Israel on October 7 was a reminder that extra work is needed to bring more light into everyone’s life. In addition to the celebration on the courthouse lawn, Chabad of Washington is running a Hanukkah toy drive in cooperation with the Citizens Library. Anyone may bring a new toy to the donation area of the library and it will be distributed to underprivileged and hospitalized children. The drive runs until the end of December.
December 12, 2023 4:50 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Public school advocates in Pennsylvania are criticizing publicly funded programs that pay tuition at private and religious schools. They say many such schools discriminate by cherry-picking which students are able to attend. School funding is an unresolved area of contention as the House and Senate return to session on Monday. Democrats are pushing for billions more for public schools, while Republicans press to expand taxpayer funding for private schools. The two sides are clashing over a program that provides tax credits to defray the cost of private-school tuition.
December 11, 2023 5:40 pm
SHENANDOAH, Pa. (AP) — Police officers responding to a reported burglary at a southeastern Pennsylvania home shot and killed a man who lunged at them with a machete. State police say officers from Shenandoah and Mahanoy City police had responded to the home in Shenandoah around 12:30 a.m. Monday. The property owner had video surveillance in the home because it’s vacant, and the owner reported seeing someone in the house wearing a mask and with a big knife. State police say the officers soon found 32-year-old Byron Scheuring, of Shenandoah, under a bed upstairs and, when they moved the bed, he lunged at them with a machete. A Shenandoah officer then fired one shot that hit Scheuring, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
