December 8, 2023 5:10 am
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Desperate Palestinians fleeing Israel’s expanding ground offensive crowded into an ever-shrinking area of the Gaza Strip as the Israel-Hamas war entered its third month Friday. The United Nations warned its aid operation is “in tatters” because no place in the besieged enclave is safe. The United Nations’ humanitarian affairs section said its ability to receive vital aid supplies has been “significantly impaired” over the past few days as trucks and staff were stranded by the fighting, and telecommunications were cut off. Tens of thousands of people displaced by the fighting have congregated in Rafah, in the far south of the Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt, and a nearby strip of barren coastland designed a safe zone.
December 8, 2023 5:08 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – Six people were injured in a nine-vehicle crash that shut down the Liberty Tunnel in both directions on Thursday evening. One person is in critical condition and the other five people are stable, Pittsburgh Public Safety said. Crews worked to remove more than 30 vehicles still in the Tunnel. Just before 9 p.m., police said all of the vehicles had been removed. A Pittsburgh police spokesperson said they are investigating the possibility of a medical emergency as the cause of the crash. The tunnel reopened in both directions just after 10 p.m.
December 8, 2023 5:05 am
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States has vetoed a United Nations resolution backed by almost all other Security Council members and many other nations demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. Supporters called it a terrible day and warned of more civilian deaths and destruction as the war goes into its third month. The vote in the 15-member council on Friday was 13-1 with the United Kingdom abstaining. U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood criticized the council after the vote for its failure to condemn Hamas’ attacks in Israel and to acknowledge Israel’s right to defend itself. He declared that halting military action would allow Hamas to continue to rule Gaza and “only plant the seeds for the next war.”
December 8, 2023 5:02 am
Washington City Council closed out 2023 by adopting the 2024 budget and saying good bye to two long serving individuals. The 2024 city spending plan leveled out to $15,093,936. It is a balanced budget and does not raise taxes in 2024. Council accepted the retirement of Police Chief Dan Rush. Rush (pictured left) has served the police department for the last 22 years. He has held every position from patrolman to detective and now chief of police. Rush thanked council and the residents of Washington for the honor to serve them. His last day will be January 1. Also saying good bye was Mayor Scott Putnam. He began his public service career in Washington in 2005 with the Parking Authority before moving on to the Citywide Redevelopment Authority. Putnam (pictured right) served two terms as Mayor beginning in 2015. Putnam wished council and the residents of Washington the best of luck and happy holidays. Putnam was defeated in the May Primary Election by Mayor Elect JoJo Burgess.
December 8, 2023 2:28 am
New information has been released regarding a search of the home of Republican Washington County Controller April Sloan. According to a search warrant that was executed on Wednesday at Sloane’s home in North Strabane Township, a police officer with the Washington Area Humane Society contacted the North Strabane Township police on Tuesday, saying they 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 in Canonsburg, 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 her basement. According to the Humane Society, Sloane adopted Thor in April of 2021. Police say, so far, no charges have been filed, but they’re investigating if Sloane’s actions are consistent with neglect. (PHOTO: WPXI)
December 7, 2023 5:46 pm
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas judge has given a pregnant woman whose fetus had a fatal diagnosis permission to get an abortion in an unprecedented challenge to the state’s ban that took effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. It was unclear Thursday how quickly or whether Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two from the Dallas area, will be able to obtain an abortion. State District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble has granted a temporary restraining order allowing Cox to have an abortion. The state has not said if it plans to appeal. Cox is 20 weeks pregnant. Her attorneys say Cox went to an emergency room this week for a fourth time during her pregnancy.
December 7, 2023 12:57 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Preliminary designs are being released for an outdoor memorial to the 11 victims of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue attack. The plans call for the memorial to be adjacent to the Tree of Life synagogue, scene of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Details remain to be determined, but the design includes a garden and 11 sculpted forms of open books, symbolizing the Book of Life in Jewish tradition. The design came after years of dialogue by family members of the victims. They consulted with representatives of other communities traumatized by mass-casualty attacks, and they heeded advice to go slowly and deliberately in planning the memorial. (Photo: AP)
December 7, 2023 6:19 am
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — Pearl Harbor survivor Ira Schab is planning to return to the Hawaii naval base 82 years after Japan’s bombing propelled the U.S. into World War II. Schab is expected to be one of just six survivors at a remembrance ceremony for the more than 2,300 servicemen killed on Dec. 7, 1941. The actual number may fluctuate, depending on how many of the increasingly frail men are able to attend. The aging pool of Pearl Harbor survivors has been rapidly shrinking. There is now just one crew member of the USS Arizona still living. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs doesn’t have statistics for how many Pearl Harbor survivors are still living.
December 7, 2023 5:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted to censure Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman for triggering a fire alarm in a U.S. Capitol office building when the chamber was in session. The New York congressman Thursday became the third Democrat in the House to be admonished this year through the process. Censure is a punishment one step below expulsion from the House and has become routine in the last year. Republicans claim Bowman pulled the alarm in September to “cause chaos.” Bowman late Wednesday said he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and apologized for his mistake. The prominent progressive was surrounded by fellow Democrats, who criticized Republicans for what they called a “stupid” resolution.
December 7, 2023 5:08 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas police said that the suspect in a deadly shooting at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, had a list of targets at the school and at East Carolina University in North Carolina. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Thursday that the suspect, identified as Anthony Polito, also sent out 22 letters with no return address to university faculty members across the United States. University officials say three faculty members were killed and a fourth was wounded by the gunman who opened fire on campus Wednesday before dying in a shootout with police.
