March 26, 2021 4:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Former President Donald Trump is defending some of his supporters who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, saying they posed “zero threat” to the lawmakers who had assembled there to certify the Electoral College vote that confirmed Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential race. Trump complained to Fox News Channel’s Laura Ingraham on Thursday that law enforcement was “persecuting” the Capitol rioters, while “nothing happens” to left-wing protesters. Trump did acknowledge that those who stormed the Capitol “went in and they shouldn’t have done it.” More than 300 people have been charged in connection to the riot.
May 28, 2020 3:54 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Roman Catholic diocese of Pittsburgh has announced plans to consolidate 61 parishes into 15 new parishes. The mergers, to be completed July 1, will reduce the number of parishes in the diocese of Pittsburgh from 152 to 106. Bishop David Zubik told parishioners in a letter that “This has not been a simple task” but spoke of the need for sacrifice and said “You are positioning your new parish for more effective ministry by addressing financial needs, sharing resources and allowing your clergy to focus on the spiritual work for which they were ordained.”
August 8, 2019 12:50 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Government meteorologists say this year’s hurricane season may be busier than initially expected now that summer’s weak El Nino has faded away. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center said Thursday the Atlantic season looks more active than normal as peak hurricane season begins. Forecasters now expect 10 to 17 named storms, with five to nine hurricanes and two to four major ones. In May, they forecast a normal season, one or two fewer named storms and hurricanes. Forecaster Gerry Bell says the end of El Nino means more hospitable hurricane conditions. El Nino is the periodic warming of parts of the Pacific that affects weather worldwide and dampens storm activity. Hurricane season is June through November. So far, there have been two named storms, with one hurricane.
September 20, 2024 5:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new poll finds neither Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump has a decisive edge with the public on the economy, turning an issue that was once a clear strength for Trump into the equivalent of a political jump ball. The new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds about 4 in 10 registered voters say Trump would do a better job handling the economy, while a similar number say that about Harris. The finding is a warning sign for Trump, who has tried to link Harris to President Joe Biden’s economic track record. It suggests Harris may be escaping some of the president’s baggage on the issue, undercutting what was one of Trump’s major advantages.
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.
January 1, 2023 8:13 am
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has marked the New Year by presiding over Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and praying for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a day after his retired predecessor’s death. The huge basilica will host Benedict’s coffin starting on Monday, when faithful can file past. Benedict, 95, died Saturday morning in the Vatican where he had lived since retirement. He was the first pope in centuries to retire, citing increasing frailty. Francis looked tired as the Mass began on the first day of the year, an occasion the Catholic church dedicates to the theme of peace.
February 19, 2022 3:53 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Work is finished on a multibillion-dollar pipeline system that connects the vast Marcellus Shale gas field in western Pennsylvania to an export terminal near Philadelphia. That’s according to its corporate owner, Energy Transfer. The Texas-based company says construction work on its Mariner East pipeline network was completed this month. The company faces criminal charges that it fouled waterways and residential water supplies during pipeline construction. The Mariner pipelines are designed to carry propane, ethane and butane from the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale gas fields to a refinery processing center and export terminal in Marcus Hook.
March 26, 2021 4:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is leaving the door open to backing fundamental changes in Senate procedure to muscle key parts of his agenda past Republican opposition. In his first formal news conference as president, Biden at first backed a modification – but not elimination – of the filibuster, which stands in the way of passing the president’s ambitious agenda in the deadlocked Senate. But he then appeared, at least on certain issues, to suggest he would go further. The 78-year-old president also said for the first time that his “plan is to run for reelection,” adding, “that is my expectation.”
May 28, 2020 3:52 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Professional sports can resume in Pennsylvania where the governor’s stay-at-home order to stem the spread of the coronavirus is no longer in force, but without spectators. Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said Wednesday that teams and competitors will be allowed to practice or play in counties where Wolf’s yellow or green designation applies in his stoplight-colored three-phase reopening plan. To resume, a team or a league must develop a coronavirus safety plan that has been approved by Wolf’s state Department of Health and it must include testing or screening and monitoring of all “on-venue” players and personnel. Organized youth sports can begin or resume in areas in the green phase.
August 8, 2019 12:37 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Police say a man fatally stabbed a woman who was talking to an officer at a downtown Pittsburgh bus stop and slashed another woman before he was taken into custody. Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert says the officer was checking on the woman’s health just after 11:30 a.m. Thursday when a man came up from behind him and stabbed her. The suspect then stabbed the other woman. Schubert says the officer immediately put the man in custody and applied first aid to the victim. The sidewalks were crowded with office workers and others heading out to lunch. Cmdr. Victor Joseph says the first woman died at a hospital. The second victim had minor injuries. A motive isn’t yet known, but he says it seems like a random act of violence. (Photo: WPXI)
