December 3, 2024 3:53 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats reelected Chuck Schumer as party leader on Tuesday as the party moves into a deeply uncertain time, with no real consensus on a strategy as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office. Schumer faced no opposition in the party leadership elections, in which Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin was also re-elected to the No. 2 spot and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar became the new No. 3. Schumer said he was honored to move the party forward “during this crucial period for our country.” But it is a bleak moment for Senate Democrats, who lost four seats and the majority in November’s election. (Photo: AP)
December 2, 2024 5:04 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s decision to go back on his word and pardon his son Hunter wasn’t all that surprising to those who are familiar with the president’s devotion to his family. But by choosing to put his family first, the 82-year-old president has raised new questions about his legacy. Biden has held himself up as placing his respect for the American judicial system and rule of law over his own personal concerns. It was part of an effort to draw a deliberate contrast with Republican Donald Trump. Now, both his broken promise and his act of clemency are a political lightning rod.
December 3, 2024 5:02 am
NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening celebration for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, his first foreign trip since the election. The cathedral will reopen after more than five years of reconstruction following a devastating 2019 fire. The invite-only ceremonies Saturday and Sunday are expected to be high-security affairs, with about 50 heads of state and government expected to attend. Trump announced his trip in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening. “It will be a very special day for all!” he wrote.
December 3, 2024 5:06 am
A woman who admitted to drinking and who was driving well over twice the speed limit when she smashed into a golf cart killing a bride who had just got married at a South Carolina beach has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Jamie Lee Komoroski pleaded guilty Monday to reckless homicide and three felony driving under the influence charges. Police said the 27-year-old drank at several bars on April 28, 2023, and was driving 65 mph on a narrow Folly Beach road when she slammed into a golf cart leaving a wedding. The bride, 34-year-old Samantha Miller, died still wearing her wedding dress.
December 3, 2024 5:02 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has unleashed its largest wave of airstrikes across Lebanon since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last week, killing at least 11 people. The strikes came after the Lebanese militant group fired a volley of projectiles earlier on Monday as a warning over what it said were Israeli truce violations. This was apparently the first time Hezbollah took aim at Israeli forces after the 60-day ceasefire went into effect last week. The increasingly fragile ceasefire aims to end more than a year of war between Hezbollah and Israel — part of a wider regional conflict sparked by the devastating Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
December 3, 2024 4:27 pm
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors is adding over 132,000 heavy-duty pickups in the U.S. to a previous recall for tailgate release switches that can short circuit and open the gates while the trucks are in park. The recall adds certain 2024 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 trucks to a February recall of 323,000 pickups. Only trucks with a manual gate and power lock and release are affected. The company says water can get into the electronic gate release switches, causing them to unlatch. Cargo can fall into the road and become a hazard. Until repairs are made, GM says owners should make sure the gate is closed and latched before driving. Dealers will replace the exterior touch pad switch assemblies with new ones that are more resistant to water.
December 2, 2024 6:49 am
No injuries resulted after a report of a stove fire at a unit in the Bellmead Apartments along S. Main Street in North Franklin Township. Washington County 9-1-1 says the call came in just after 5 a.m. The fire alarm was pulled and the building was evacuated. Emergency crews from various departments responded. Dispatchers tell WJPA News that the fire was apparently out when fire fighters arrived but there was smoke in the building. Residents were allowed back in a short time later. The State Police fire marshal has been called in to investigate.
December 2, 2024 5:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter. That spares the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reverses the president’s past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family. The Democratic president had previously said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence after his convictions in Delaware and California. The move comes weeks before Hunter Biden was set to receive his punishment after his trial conviction in the gun case and guilty plea on tax charges, and less than two months before President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House.
December 2, 2024 1:24 am
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says they’re aware of a scam where fraudsters are posing as a deputy from their department in an attempt to steal money. The sheriff’s office said the caller claims to be Deputy Thomas, but said they do not have a deputy by that name on their staff. The caller also claims to be from the Warrant Division attempting to collect unpaid fines. The sheriff’s office said that their Warrant Division will never call anyone attempting to collect unpaid fines and that their office is not even responsible for that.
December 2, 2024 4:59 am
BETHEL PARK, Pa. — (WPXI) – Crews spent several hours repairing a major water main break in Bethel Park that caused damage to a handful of homes Sunday. A fast-moving wall of water and mud gushed out of the ground and straight into Justin Lemley’s mother’s home around 11:30 a.m. “I was right down the street and when I got here, this was just a pool and it was running over there, going about 2.5 feet into my garage and the entire downstairs is flooded,” said Lemley. Pennsylvania American Water (PAWC) said an 8-inch pipe broke on Wilamit Drive. Water was shut off for about 17 customers and was restored by 7 p.m. Lemley’s home and about four others behind his flooded. It’s unclear what caused the break but workers on site said it tends to happen in cold weather.
