November 27, 2024 4:46 am
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – Allegheny County Council members want to cut $70 million from County Executive Sara Innamorato’s $1.2 billion budget proposal to lower the property tax increase residents will likely see next year. Previously, County Executive Innamorato proposed a 46% tax increase. The council is suggesting a 28.5% increase instead. For homeowners who own a home assessed at the county’s median value of $110,000, council’s increase would increase property tax by an extra $11.25 per month. Innamorato’s proposal included an increase of about $15 per month. Council’s new suggestion includes $70 million in cuts. The county’s Human Services Department could see the biggest reduction. Channel 11 was sent the following statement: “The County Executive put forward an honest budget in October, one that was only a 3% increase in spending over 2024 but was serious in addressing the significant, structural financial challenges the County faces. We will now review the amendments and budget as passed by committee tonight. While we believe the Council-proposed 1.35 mill increase is going to fall short of what the County ultimately needs, we will work hard to negotiate with Council leadership in hopes of finding agreement on a budget that will deliver core services, critical programs, and avoid layoffs,” said Communications Director Abigail Gardner. Council is set to vote on the proposal on Dec. 3. It needs the support of 10 out of 15 members in order to pass.
November 27, 2024 5:07 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants has begun as a region on edge wonders whether it will hold. The ceasefire that began early Wednesday is a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting sparked by the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Israel has said it will attack if Hezbollah breaks the ceasefire agreement. The ceasefire calls for an initial two-month halt to fighting and requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border. There were no immediate reports of alleged violations of the truce, and there were signs of celebration in Beirut.
November 27, 2024 5:12 am
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has suggested Mexico could retaliate with tariffs of its own, after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Mexican goods if the country doesn’t stop the flow of drugs and migrants across the border. Sheinbaum says she is willing to engage in talks on the issues, but said drugs were a U.S. problem. She says “one tariff would be followed by another in response, and so on until we put at risk common businesses,” referring to U.S. automakers that have plants on both sides of the border.
November 27, 2024 5:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is threatening tariffs on Mexico and Canada as he seeks to portray them as responsible for illegal immigration and drug smuggling. Over its tenure, the Biden administration has struggled with growing numbers of migrants arriving at the southern border. But this year, the number of people crossing the border without documents has actually been falling. That’s due in part to stricter enforcement by Mexican authorities as well as asylum restrictions announced earlier this year by the Biden administration. When it comes to fentanyl smuggling, much of the deadly supply comes from Mexico though statistics show more than 86% of those sentenced for fentanyl trafficking crimes in the 12 months ending September 2023 were U.S. citizens.
November 27, 2024 4:27 am
A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling that allows a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member to play in the Mountain West Conference tournament after complaints said she should be ineligible on grounds that she’s transgender. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a U.S. Magistrate in Denver was correct in allowing her to play. The magistrate and the appeals court said the players and others who sued should have filed their complaint earlier, rather than waiting until less than two weeks before the tournament was to begin to seek an emergency injunction.
November 27, 2024 5:15 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The worst November snowstorm in half century has hit Seoul, grounding hundreds of lights countrywide and disrupting commuter traffic in the capital. South Korea’s weather agency said 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) of snow fell on Wednesday in northern areas of the capital of Seoul and some nearby areas. The agency said it was the heaviest snowstorm Seoul has seen in November since November 28, 1972, when 12 centimeters (4.7) fell on the capital.
November 26, 2024 4:16 pm
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has approved a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes meanwhile carried out the most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs since the start of the conflict and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 24 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities, as Israel signaled it aims to keep pummeling Hezbollah before the ceasefire is set to take hold at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza.
November 26, 2024 7:27 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of obese Americans would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning. The proposal, which would not be finalized until after President-elect Donald Trump takes office, could cost taxpayers as much as $35 billion over the next decade. It would give millions of people access to weekly injectables that have helped people shed pounds so quickly that some people have labeled them miracle drugs.
November 26, 2024 2:01 am
Peters Township Council led off its final November meeting with a public hearing on the township’s preliminary budget for 2025. No increase in taxes is in store for Peters Township residents. The budget is a $43,777,036 spending plan that is paid for by $29,476,917 in revenues. There is a shortfall of $14,300,119. According to Assistant Township Manager Kyle Thauvette, that shortfall will be made up through bond issues to balance the budget. Capital projects that are primarily park projects scheduled for 2025 are a large portion of the deficit. The largest portion of that spending will be dedicated to phase two of the development of Rolling Hills Park. That development will include basketball courts and a dog park to name just a few additions. Staff cautioned council and residents that tax increases could be in the future as the township will be spending money on a new fire truck, expanded staff for the fire department and possible emergency services and environmental projects that may need to be addressed. Council will adopt the budget in December.
November 26, 2024 4:52 am
PITTSBURGH — If you’re driving to visit family for Thanksgiving, gas will cost a little bit less, according to AAA. Gas prices dropped by about 4 cents in western Pennsylvania this week. The average price in the region for regular gas is $3.33. This is down almost 30 cents from a year ago when the average price was $3.623. Here in Washington the average is down to $2.98.
