November 23, 2023 3:23 am
A petition challenging the mayoral election in the City of Washington was withdrawn in Washington County Court on Wednesday. Mark Kennison was the Independent candidate for mayor that lost to Democratic candidate JoJo Burgess. The petition claimed that the election was illegal. It pointed to irregularities of ballots and actions of Burgess at polling locations on Election Day. Prior to the hearing, attorneys representing both parties and the county met with the judge in chambers. Once the hearing was called to order, Kennison’s attorney withdrew the petition with prejudice citing lack of witnesses for his case due to intimidation and the witness’ fear of retribution. When called to testify before the judge, Kennison cited his desire to challenge the accuracy of the vote count as his reason for bringing the suit. His desire to unite the city was his reason for withdrawing the petition. Mayor Elect JoJo Burgess – who will become Washington’s first black mayor – was pleased with the result. He said that claims of intimidation are untrue and people named in the suit contacted him claiming that they signed on to the action after being told one thing, then finding out the filing was totally different than what they were told. Election results will be certified on Monday. (Photo: Facebook)
November 22, 2023 1:49 pm
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says there is no indication of a terrorist attack in the vehicle crash and explosion that left two people dead at a checkpoint on the American side of a U.S.-Canada bridge. The vehicle was speeding Wednesday from Niagara Falls, New York, toward the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the two countries across the Niagara River. The crash raised concerns on both sides of the border. The incident prompted the closing of the border crossing and three others in the area.
November 22, 2023 5:30 am
One of two Ohio men suspected in a May shooting at the 8th Ward playground in the city’s West End pleaded guilty to a reduced charge on Tuesday. T’kai Jett, 19 of Toronto, Ohio accepted a plea deal on a misdemeanor charge of firearms not to be possessed. The grading was reduced from a felony charge. Jett will spend the next three years on probation. As part of his sentence, he will be required to testify truthfully against his co-defendant in the case, Tyler Shrieve, 20 of Bloomington, Ohio. According to the criminal complaint police were called to the 8th Ward playground on May 17 for reports of shots fired. They were also called to Washington Hospital for a man who suffered gunshot wounds. Jett and Shrieve were arrested by city police as persons of interest in the shooting. Shrieve faces similar charges as Jett. He had been scheduled for a jury trial. That trial had been cancelled. A date for a new trial has not been determined.
November 22, 2023 5:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two defense officials say U.S. fighter aircraft have struck two operations centers belonging to Iraqi Hezbollah. They say the strikes were in response to attacks on American bases that have escalated during Israel’s operations against Hamas in Gaza. Those attacks include the first use of a short-range ballistic missile against Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq on Tuesday. The U.S. fighter jets struck Kataib Hezbollah operations center and a Kataib Hezbollah Command and Control node near Al Anbar and Jurf al Saqr, south of Baghdad. It was the second round of U.S. airstrikes Tuesday in response to the attacks on the Iraqi base.
November 22, 2023 5:11 am
DALLAS (AP) — Some of the last surviving witnesses to the events surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy are among those sharing their stories as the nation marks the 60th anniversary. Kennedy was killed as his motorcade passed through downtown Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Associated Press reporter Peggy Simpson said she rushed to the scene that day, staying with police as they converged on the Texas School Book Depository, the building from which shots had rung out. Simpson, former U.S. Secret Service Agent Clint Hill and others who were there are featured in “JFK: One Day in America,” a limited series from National Geographic released this month that pairs their recollections with archival footage.
November 22, 2023 5:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Close to half of the U.S. public thinks the country is spending too much on aid to Ukraine. That’s according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, and it comes as Congress weighs sending billions more in federal support to Ukraine. Yet opposition to aid is down slightly from where it was a month ago. Now, 45% say the U.S. government is spending too much on aid to Ukraine in the war against Russia, down slightly from 52% in October. More than one-third of U.S. adults say the current spending level for Ukraine is “about right.”
November 22, 2023 5:08 am
The ousted leader of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI is returning to the company that fired him late last week, culminating a days-long power struggle that shocked the tech industry and brought attention to the conflicts around how to safely build artificial intelligence. San Francisco-based OpenAI said in a statement late Tuesday: “We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo.” OpenAI’s board of directors had refused to give specific reasons for why it fired Altman on Friday, leading to a weekend of internal conflict at the company and growing outside pressure from the startup’s investors.
November 22, 2023 5:07 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser says a planned hostage-for-prisoner swap with Hamas has been delayed until at least Friday. In a statement released late Wednesday, Tzachi Hanegbi said that contacts on the deal were continuing. “The release will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday,” he said. The swap is to take place as part of a four-day truce expected to begin on Thursday. Hanegbi gave no explanation for the delay, and it was not immediately clear when the cease-fire might begin.
November 22, 2023 4:53 am
The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) held a public meeting Tuesday previewing its next Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). The upcoming plan will cover the years 2025-2028. It looks at roads, bridges, public transportation and other means of transportation like trails and bikeways. According to Dominic D’Andrea, SPC Director of the Office of Transportation Planning, $3.9 billion is estimated to be available for the 10 county region for that time period. D’Andrea states that currently in the highway/bridge plan, 43% of the monies are designated for bridge projects and 23% for roads. Angela Swallop Saunders, Transportation Planning Manager for PennDot states that projects are still suffering cost overruns due to inflation. Supplies and diesel fuel are still high. She also said that delays in steel beam construction and concrete culvert construction also contribute to those cost increases. Saunders also stated that PennDot is working with local municipalities, that have extremely limited funds to maintain bridges, to help them financially to replace and main bridges that they own. According to the SPC’s D’Andrea, funding methods could change over the next several years. The buying power of the gas tax is becoming less productive because of fuel efficent vehicles, hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles. Ideas such as tolls, road use charges and additional registration fees suggested by Governor Tom Wolf’s administration are being entertained by the current adminstration. A draft of the 2025-2028 TIP will be available in May, 2024.
November 21, 2023 4:52 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Josh Shapiro says he’ll appeal a court ruling that blocked a state regulation to make Pennsylvania’s power plant owners pay for their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Still, the Democrat on Tuesday urged lawmakers to get to work on a better alternative. In a statement, Shapiro didn’t pledge to enforce the regulation, should his administration win the appeal at the state Supreme Court. His administration says his appeal rests on the need to preserve executive authority. The court case revolves around the centerpiece of former Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight global warming and make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel-producing state to adopt a carbon-pricing program.
