June 6, 2024 1:45 pm
(AP) – SpaceX’s mega Starship rocket has completed its first full test flight, returning to Earth without exploding after blasting off from Texas. The previous three test flights ended with the rocket and spacecraft blowing up. This time, both managed to splash down in a controlled fashion. The 400-foot rocket was empty as it soared above the Gulf of Mexico and headed east Thursday. The booster dropped successfully into the gulf. An hour later, live views showed parts of the spacecraft breaking away during the intense heat of reentry, but it remained intact.
June 5, 2024 4:55 pm
CARENTAN-LES-MARAIS, France (AP) — The 80th anniversary this week of D-Day brings mixed emotions for French survivors of the Battle of Normandy. They remain grateful for their liberation from Nazi occupation in World War II but cannot forget its steep cost in French lives. Some 20,000 Normandy civilians were killed in the June 6, 1944, Allied invasion and as the landing forces fought inland. Soldiers from the United States and other Allied nations are remembered for their exploits, kindness and sacrifices. One Normandy survivor who was 6 in 1944 says, “They will always be gods to me.” But also seared into survivors’ memories are Allied bombing raids that pulverized Normandy communities.
June 5, 2024 1:16 pm
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing has launched astronauts for the first time after years of delays. Two NASA test pilots blasted off aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday. They’re headed to the International Space Station for a weeklong stay. It was their third launch attempt, coming after a pair of rocket-related delays. Starliner’s first test flight without a crew in 2019 failed to reach the space station, so Boeing had to repeat it. Then the company had to fix a slew of capsule problems. SpaceX has been launching astronauts since 2020, but NASA wants a backup taxi service. (Photo: AP)
June 5, 2024 12:44 pm
(WPXI) – One person is dead after a crash in South Fayette. It happened around six o’clock Wednesday morning along 400 Twin Ponds Lane. Authorities have identified the victim as 50-year-old Richard Fisher. The investigation into the cause of the crash is underway.
June 5, 2024 5:04 am
Washington County Commissioners have their eyes on the Crossroads Parking Garage. Word of the move to purchase the garage on North Franklin Street came to light at Tuesday’s agenda meeting. Commissioners are expected to vote at Thursday’s meeting to formally contact both the City of Washington and Washington School District seeking to purchase the garage. Commissioner’s Chairman Nick Sherman tells the Observer-Reporter a recent appraisal put the value at just over $4 million. Reportedly, they have had talks with city officials about the purchase. The move comes as the County looks at possibly demolishing the Courthouse Square building to construct a new public safety complex. Commissioners meet Thursday morning at 10 a.m.
June 5, 2024 2:57 am
Former Washington Mayor Sonny Spossey died Tuesday morning after a lengthy illness. Spossey, who was the grandson of Italian immigrants, was the first Italian American to serve as mayor of Washington. In addition to four terms as mayor, Spossey also served as a city councilman and city treasurer. Spossey was the son of a barber and he followed his father into the profession and worked with him in his West Chestnut Street shop until he passed away in 1998. Sonny retired from barbering in 2019 after 64 years of service. Spossey’s notable achievements during his years as mayor included establishing the Neighborhood Drug Corps to address a growing problem in the community and increasing access and equality for people with disabilities. Piatt and Barnhill Funeral Directors say a funeral liturgy will be celebrated at 10:00 AM, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Saint Hilary Church of Saint James Parish, 320 Henderson Ave., Washington, PA 15301. Entombment will follow in Washington Cemetery. All other services are private.
June 5, 2024 2:46 am
(WPXI) – Nearly 200 people have been displaced by a fire at Second Avenue Commons in Pittsburgh’s Bluff neighborhood. Smoke was seen billowing from the homeless shelter at 700 2nd Avenue just after 1 p.m. Tuesday. Fire officials on the scene said an air conditioning unit on the roof caught fire, causing heavy damage to the roof and walls. The fire was considered a three-alarm due to being at a high-rise building. No one had to be rescued from the building, but several people were taken to the hospital from the scene, fire officials said. Four firefighters were hurt and three of them were transported. Two civilians who were outside the building were also taken to the hospital for heat-related symptoms. All utilities have been shut off in the building, meaning 180 residents have been displaced. Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said residents are being taken to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center as an emergency protocol, as it can accommodate the amount of people impacted and there are no conflicting events being held. Several agencies are working to aid the people displaced, including the Department of Human Services and Community Kitchen Pittsburgh. Those who wish to donate to the victims can do so at the convention center, Innamorato said.
June 5, 2024 5:10 am
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Hunter Biden’s ex-wife and a former girlfriend testified in his gun trial about finding his crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia. In other developments Wednesday, jurors saw photos of the president’s son bare-chested in a bubble bath and heard about his visit to a strip club. As the first lady sat in the front row, the courtroom grew quiet when Kathleen Buhle, who was married to Hunter for 20 years, walked in. She testified that she discovered her husband was using drugs when she found a crack pipe in an ashtray on their porch in 2015. The trial is about whether he lied on a gun purchase form in 2018 when he said he wasn’t using drugs.
June 5, 2024 5:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is trying to address a major liability for his reelection campaign by taking executive action to significantly restrict asylum. But it’s unclear whether his efforts will be enough to change the minds of voters who have increasingly voiced alarm over his handling of the border. Former President Donald Trump and his campaign have seized on the issue. Biden has shifted far to the right on immigration issues since his winning campaign four years ago. Many Democrats acknowledge Biden now faces a wholly different political reality. But some in his party have accused him of betraying Democratic priorities.
June 5, 2024 5:08 am
BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese army said Wednesday that at least one gunman attempted to attack on the U.S. Embassy near Beirut. The Lebanese military in a statement said that soldiers shot an assailant, who they only described as a Syrian national. The gunman was wounded and taken to a hospital. Local media reported that there was a gunfight for almost half an hour by the U.S. diplomatic mission in a suburb north of Beirut. The U.S. Embassy said the morning attack by the embassy’s entrance did not cause any casualties among their staff, and that Lebanese troops and embassy security mobilized quickly.
