December 6, 2023 5:14 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is declining to rule out abusing power if he again wins the presidency. Trump has talked about targeting his rivals and has referred to them as vermin. Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity asked Trump on Tuesday night to respond to growing Democratic criticism of his rhetoric, asking if he would promise that he “would never abuse power as retribution against anybody.” Trump responded, “Except for day one.” President Joe Biden has stepped up his warnings about Trump, contending Trump is “determined to destroy American democracy.”
December 6, 2023 5:11 am
Israel’s widening air and ground offensive in southern Gaza has displaced tens of thousands more Palestinians and is worsening the enclave’s dire humanitarian conditions. The fighting is preventing distribution of food, water and medicine outside a tiny sliver of southern Gaza. New evacuation orders are squeezing people into ever-smaller areas. The United Nations says all telecom services are down due to cuts in the main fiber routes. On Tuesday, Israel’s military entered Gaza’s second-largest city in its pursuit to wipe out the territory’s Hamas rulers. The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the territory’s death toll has surpassed 16,200. Around 1,200 people have been killed on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.
December 6, 2023 5:05 am
PITTSBURGH — Three hospitals in Western Pennsylvania have been named among the best for maternity care in a list just released by the U.S. News & World Report. The hospitals around Pittsburgh receiving the top honor are West Penn Hospital, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital and Independence Health System Westmoreland Hospital. It’s a designation these three hospitals have gotten before. The report says the three hospitals had fewer early deliveries, fewer c-sections, fewer newborn complications than other hospitals and higher rates of breast milk feeding compared to other hospitals. Other criteria include birthing-friendly practices and transparency on racial/ethnic disparities. In the latest report, U.S. News evaluated 680 hospitals from across the country that provide labor and delivery services. About half made the 2024 Best Hospitals list — for their high standard of maternity care with uncomplicated pregnancies.
December 6, 2023 5:01 am
RANKIN, Pa. — (WPXI) – Rankin Police Chief Jeremi Gregory has died after suffering a heart attack. Our news partners at WPXI report that Gregory’s Facebook page says he is from East Pittsburgh and a graduate of Woodland Hills High School. A public information officer with Pennsylvania State Police says state troopers will immediately start covering Rankin. The Rankin Police Department is very small and is made up of only the chief and a sergeant. The chief was the only full-time officer in the Borough.
December 6, 2023 4:58 am
CALIFORNIA, Pa. — (WPXI) – Emergency crews were called to the scene of a fire in California Borough Tuesday night. First responders were called to the 900 block of Pike Run Road at 7:33 p.m. When units arrived on scene, they reported the house was fully involved. No one was in the home at the time of the fire. At this time, no injuries have been reported.
December 6, 2023 2:27 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Prosecutors in Philadelphia have charged a man with murder and other counts in the fatal stabbing of a department store security guard and wounding of another. Thirty-year-old Tyrone Tunnell is jailed without bail in the Monday attack and will have a preliminary hearing within two weeks. Authorities say Eric Harrison and another guard saw Tunnell attempting to steal some hats at a Macy’s and took back the merchandise. They say Tunnell left the store but returned a short time later with a knife and confronted Harrison, stabbing him in the neck and the other guard in the face and arm. Harrison was declared dead at a hospital and the other guard underwent surgery. Authorities arrested Tunnell at a train station. (Photo: AP)
December 6, 2023 2:22 am
The Thomas Campbell Apartments in South Strabane Township, held a ribbon cutting ceremony to show their brand new one bedroom apartments that were renovated following a deadly fire two years ago. Arthur Keys, President of the Board of Directors unveiled the 10 new apartments that were formed from 20 efficiency units that were hard to rent. The units are all ADA compliant with level entry showers and wide doors to accommodate wheel chairs. In all, 30 apartments have been renovated. The event comes nearly 2 years after a fatal fire on December 23, 2021 broke out on the sixth floor of a building claiming the life of 78 year old Frances Venen and displacing more than 60 other residents. Reflecting on the rebuilding process of the last two years, Keys says he has a sense of pride from the way the community and many charities pitched in to help residents and staff complete the reconstruction of the affected apartments. Keys credited the South Strabane Township Fire Department for their help in getting state of the art fire alarms and sprinklers installed.
December 5, 2023 4:55 pm
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Authorities say the suspect who fired rounds from a duplex in an Arlington, Virginia, neighborhood before the home exploded is presumed dead. Fifty-six-year-old James Yoo has been identified by Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn as the the owner of the duplex and the individual whose actions brought police to the home on Monday after firing a “flare-type gun” from inside the house more than 30 times. Penns says after attempts to communicate with Yoo were unsuccessful, a search warrant was obtained. Police attempted to execute the warrant and Yoo fired several rounds inside the home before the house subsequently exploded. (Photo: AP)
December 5, 2023 4:27 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville says he is ending his blockade of hundreds of military promotions, following heavy criticism from many of his colleagues in the Senate and clearing the way for hundreds of the nominations to be approved soon. Tuberville’s blockade of military promotions was over a dispute about a Pentagon abortion policy. The Alabama lawmaker said Tuesday he’s “not going to hold the promotions of these people any longer.” He said holds would continue, however, for about 11 of the highest-ranking military officers, those who would be promoted to what he described as the four-star level or above. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says a vote on the nominations could come quickly, possibly even Tuesday afternoon.
December 5, 2023 4:09 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers posted 8.7 million job openings in October, the fewest since March 2021, in a sign that hiring is cooling in the face of higher interest rates yet remains at a still-healthy pace. Openings were down significantly from 9.4 million in September. Hiring is slowing from the breakneck pace of the past two years. Still, employers have added a solid 239,000 jobs a month this year. And the unemployment rate has come in below 4% for 21 straight months, the longest such streak since the 1960s. The job market has shown surprising resilience even as the Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark interest rate 11 times since March 2022 to fight high inflation.
