November 10, 2023 5:11 am
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal judge has upheld the Biden administration’s approval of the Willow oil-drilling project on Alaska’s remote North Slope, a massive project that drew the ire of environmentalists who accused the president of backpedaling on his pledge to combat climate change. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason rejected calls made by a grassroots Iñupiat group and environmentalists to vacate the approval and dismissed their claims. Those groups raised concerns about planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from Willow and argued that federal agencies failed to consider how increased emissions from the project could affect ice-reliant species. Environmental groups have vowed to appeal the ruling.
November 10, 2023 5:10 am
YANKEETOWN, Fla. (AP) — Patrick Parker Walsh is one of thousands of thieves who perpetrated the greatest grift in U.S. history — potentially plundering more than $280 billion in federal COVID-19 aid. Walsh is currently serving five and half years in federal prison for stealing nearly $8 million in COVID-19 relief funds that he used, in part, to buy a Florida island. While Walsh’s private island ranks among the most unusual purchases by pandemic aid fraudsters, his crime was not unique. The scammers who defrauded the government spent lavishly on houses, luxury watches, diamond jewelry, strip clubs and gambling sprees. Authorities vow to track down the fraudsters. Nearly 3,200 defendants have been charged with COVID-19 relief fraud, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
November 10, 2023 5:08 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Democratic operatives believe that Joe Manchin’s decision not to seek reelection virtually ensures the party will lose his Senate seat next year in deep-red West Virginia. At the same time, some Democratic officials are concerned that Manchin’s announcement frees him to pursue a third-party presidential bid. Some think Manchin might ultimately undermine President Joe Biden’s reelection. Overall, his announcement injects a new layer of uncertainty for Democratic leaders already anxious about the party’s prospects in 2024. Biden is seeking a second term despite persistent concerns about his age and economic leadership. And Democrats are clinging to a one-seat majority in the Senate.
November 10, 2023 5:07 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — Fistfights break out in bread lines. Residents wait hours for a gallon of brackish water that makes them sick. Scabies, diarrhea and respiratory infections rip through overcrowded shelters. And some families have to choose who eats. With the Israel-Hamas war in its second month and more than 10,000 people killed in Gaza, trapped civilians are struggling to survive without electricity or running water. Over half a million displaced people have crammed into hospitals and U.N. schools-turned-shelters in the south. Each day has become a mind-numbing cycle of searching for bread and water and waiting in lines. A sense of desperation has strained Gaza’s close-knit society and even emboldened some Palestinians to vent their anger against the ruling Hamas militant group.
November 10, 2023 5:06 am
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes hit near several hospitals in Gaza City early Friday as the military pushed deeper into dense urban neighborhoods in its battle with Hamas militants. The fighting has prompted increasing numbers of civilians to flee toward the south of the besieged territory. Israel has accused Hamas fighters of hiding in hospitals, and using the Shifa Hospital complex as its main command center. The militant group and hospital staff deny the claim, saying Israel is creating a pretext to strike it. The head of the Hamas-run media office in Gaza said Israel struck the Shifa courtyard and the obstetrics department as well as two other hospitals early Friday.
November 10, 2023 5:04 am
NORTH BELLE VERNON, Pa. — (WPXI) – The eastbound lanes on Interstate 70 in North Belle Vernon were closed for some four-hours after a two-vehicle crash that left three people hurt. The call for a crash in the eastbound lanes near Exit 42A came in at 10 p.m. Thursday, Westmoreland County dispatchers said. According to reports, two people, including a child, were flown to area hospitals and another person was transported by ambulance. Traffic was closed in both directions initially. Pennsylvania State Police in Belle Vernon are handling the investigation. (PHOTO: Rostraver Central Fire Department)
November 10, 2023 2:59 am
The Washington County Elections Department is working to finalize the results from Tuesday’s election. Washington County Elections Director Melanie Ostrander says the Canvass Board will be sworn-in at 9 a.m. Friday morning. They will then review some 222 ballots that either contain overvotes, are ripped or torn, or won’t scan. As for overvotes, Ostrander says the board will have to determine the voters intent. Because of the sensitivity of the machines, Ostrander says a small pen mark, or what they call a ‘hesitation mark’ can cause the ballot to be read as an overvote. If it is determined that the voter did vote for more candidates than asked, their vote in that specific race will not be counted. That work is expected to last into the afternoon. Vote totals will then be updated, but still won’t be official. Ostrander says they still have provisional ballots to deal with beginning Monday. Ostrander says they are also awaiting 7 outstanding military ballots that are due in by Tuesday at 5 p.m. For a list of all results Click Here
November 10, 2023 2:53 am
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday to celebrate the completion of the Welcome and Education Center. The completion of the 21,000 square foot facility is one of the final steps in its development of the East Campus. It houses a visitors’ center, classrooms, an event room, museum store and interactive exhibits. The Center enables the Museum to properly display and interpret its exhibits that tell the history of the Trolley Era. It also has STEAM-related exhibits. The exhibits, designed and fabricated by the Carnegie Science Center in cooperation with Museum staff, include dynamic interactive capabilities and historical themes. An event room features an 8 foot by 15 foot video wall to be used for educational films. The Center is located at 1 Electric Way, adjacent to Volunteer Blvd., a 33,000 brick paved street, accompanied by the restored Wexford Station, family play area and gazebo.The Museum was established in 1954 and now has a collection of 52 trolley cars from Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia along with the famous streetcar named Desire from New Orleans. The building will be open to the public beginning November 10, 2023. Autumn hours for the Museum are Friday through Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. (photo credit WTOV9)
November 10, 2023 2:17 am
PENNSYLVANIA — A restaurant chain that has locations in the Pittsburgh-area has paid $11.4 million in back wages and liquidated damages for more than 1,000 employees. According to the United States Department of Labor, the money was recovered after a series of investigations and litigation in connection with 40 Plaza Azteca Mexican restaurant locations owned by Ruben Leon in seven states. Plaza Azteca locations involved in the lawsuit included Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia. Of the over 1,000 employees involved in the lawsuit, 15 Washington workers will be getting $135,000 in back wages and damages. An investigation showed Leon and the restaurants violated overtime and minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Department of Labor said. Specifically, the department alleged that numerous Plaza Azteca Mexican restaurants paid back-of-the-house employees predetermined amounts. By doing so, the employers failed to pay some employees who worked up to 40 hours in a workweek the required minimum wage and did not pay some employees time-and-a-half for hours over 40 in a workweek. The employers also failed to maintain accurate records of employees’ work hours and wages, the department said. The Wage and Hour Division encourages former or current affected employees to contact the division at 215-861-5180 with any questions.
November 9, 2023 3:29 pm
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia says he won’t seek reelection in 2024, giving Republicans a prime opportunity to pick up a seat in the heavily GOP state. The 76-year-old Manchin revealed the news Thursday in a statement, saying he had made the decision “after months of deliberation and long conversations” with his family. Manchin’s decision to retire severely hampers Democratic hopes of holding on to the coal country seat. For the last few years, Manchin has been the only Democrat elected to statewide office in West Virginia. Manchin is a longtime politician who’s served as governor, secretary of state and state legislator.
