June 19, 2024 5:08 am
HOUSTON (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of immigrants had reason to rejoice when President Joe Biden unveiled a highly expansive plan to extend legal status to spouses of U.S. citizens but, inevitably, some were left out. Biden says his administration will allow spouses without legal status to apply for permanent residency without having to first depart the country. To qualify, they must have lived in the United States for 10 years and be married to a U.S. citizen, both as of Monday. Every immigration benefit _ even those as sweeping as Biden’s election-year offer _ have cutoff dates and other eligibility requirements.
June 19, 2024 5:06 am
MOSCOW (AP) — A court in Russia’s far eastern city of Vladivostok has convicted a visiting American soldier of stealing and making threats of murder, and it sentenced him to three years and nine months in prison. Russian state news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti reported Wednesday that the judge also ordered Staff Sgt. Gordon Black to pay $115 in damages. U.S. and Russian officials say Black had flown to the Pacific port city earlier this year to see his girlfriend and was arrested after she accused him of stealing from her. Black’s sentencing further complicates U.S.-Russia relations, which have grown increasingly tense as the fighting in Ukraine continues.
June 19, 2024 5:03 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Russian state media say Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have signed a partnership deal during a summit in Pyongyang. Russian state media said Putin and Kim spoke face-to-face for about two hours in a meeting Wednesday that was originally planned for one hour. Putin’s visit comes amid growing concerns over an arms arrangement in which North Korea provides Russia with badly needed munitions for Moscow’s war in Ukraine in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program.
June 19, 2024 5:48 pm
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday signed the bill mandating the displays. The GOP-drafted legislation requires a poster of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities. Opponents question the law’s constitutionality. Civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union promised a lawsuit. Proponents say the purpose of the measure is not solely religious, but that it has historical significance. Classrooms must display the Ten Commandments by the start of 2025.
June 17, 2024 2:19 am
Due to a planned power outage by West Penn Power on Tuesday June 18th, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Charleroi Borough Council President Kristen Hopkins-Calcek has made the decision to close borough offices that day. “With temperatures reaching into the 90’s, I viewed this as a safety issue regarding our staff,” Hopkins-Calcek said. “With no power, no lights or internet the staff would be extremely limited as to what services they could perform for the public so it seemed the only logical thing to do was to close the building for the day.” Borough offices will be closed Wednesday as well in observance of Juneteenth, which is now a federal holiday.
June 18, 2024 5:00 am
A line of severe thunderstorms rolled across Western Pennsylvania early Monday evening, spurring tens of thousands of power outages and exacerbating concerns over how residents can stay cool amid what’s forecast to be at least six consecutive days of temperatures in the mid- to upper 90s. Areas north of Pittsburgh appeared to be hardest hit. Tens of thousands of Duquesne Light customers around the region had lost power Monday evening. In a news release received at about 10:40 p.m., Duquesne Light said more than 48,000 customers were without power. More than 11,000 West Penn Power customers were without power as of about 11:50 p.m.
June 18, 2024 2:51 am
Washington City Police are searching for a woman who stole a purse from a pew at Immaculate Conception Church on Sunday, June 16th. Police say that during communion, the woman took the opportunity to steal the unattended purse which contained credit cards, cash, and a handgun. She then fled the church on foot. Police say any tips are appreciated and they can be given by private messaging or by calling 724-223-4226. (Photo: City of Washington Police Department)
June 18, 2024 5:06 am
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Extreme heat alerts are in effect for tens of millions of people in the United States as cities including Chicago break heat records. Warnings stretched from Iowa to Ohio and even into the upper reaches of Michigan on Tuesday. The dangerous heat wave is expected to linger until at least Friday. The mid-Atlantic and New England are likely to see highs in the 90s as the week progresses. Excessive humidity will make it feel even more oppressive. The U.S. last year saw the most heat waves since 1936. Officials are warning people to drink plenty of water and stay indoors.
June 18, 2024 5:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new Biden administration policy will give roughly half a million immigrants who are married to American citizens but lack legal status in the United States a pathway to citizenship for them and their children. It is one of President Joe Biden’s most sweeping immigration policy moves and one that migrant advocates had been heavily lobbying the administration to undertake. It will avoid what can be lengthy separations of families with the migrant spouses leaving the country to apply for legal status. It comes as other Biden immigration policies have made it much more difficult to qualify for asylum at the southern border and intensified removals of those who don’t qualify to stay.
June 18, 2024 5:47 pm
(AP) – Boeing’s CEO is getting his day in front of Congress, and lawmakers are expected to have many questions about safety at the troubled aircraft company. CEO David Calhoun appeared in front of a Senate investigations subcommittee on Tuesday. It’s his first appearance on Capitol Hill since a panel blew out of a Boeing 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. Relatives of people who died in 2018 and 2019 crashes of 737 Max jetliners were in the room to remind him of what was at stake. The Senate panel released a 204-page report with new allegations from a whistle-blower who fears defective or improperly documented parts are going into Max jets.
