July 10, 2024 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s imperiled reelection campaign is hitting new trouble. Rather than urging him to stay in, on Wednesday Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said “it’s up to the president to decide” if he should. Celebrity donor George Clooney said he should not run, and Democratic senators expressed fresh fear about his ability to beat Republican Donald Trump. It all shows how unsettled the questions over Biden’s candidacy remain among Democrats, despite Biden’s insistence he is staying in the race. Pelosi has been widely watched for signals of how top Democrats are thinking about Biden’s candidacy. And Clooney’s portrayal of Biden as “the same man we all witnessed at the debate” shows the depth of concerns.
July 9, 2024 5:00 am
MIAMI (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is reveling in the mounting turmoil surrounding President Joe Biden’s campaign. He returned to the campaign trail Tuesday after days spent lying low and letting Democratic infighting play out in public. Trump held a rally at his golf course in Doral, Florida. He repeatedly teased his upcoming announcement of a vice presidential pick with one of the top contenders, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, in the crowd. And he suggested without evidence that first lady Jill Biden and the president’s son Hunter were controlling the White House. Biden’s campaign fired back by saying the president didn’t have time for Trump’s “weird antics.”
July 10, 2024 5:54 pm
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A defense attorney says that Alec Baldwin’s shooting of a cinematographer was “an unspeakable tragedy,” but that he “committed no crime, he was an actor, acting.” Baldwin’s attorney Alex Spiro gave the opening statement Wednesday at his involuntary manslaughter trial in New Mexico. Prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo Johnson told jurors Baldwin “violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety” in her opening. The trial will delve into the confluence of gun safety, high-wattage celebrity and a low-budget Western movie on a remote movie ranch. Baldwin was the lead actor and co-producer on “Rust.” He has pleaded not guilty and says he followed instructions in pointing the gun and didn’t pull the trigger.
July 10, 2024 5:02 am
Grammy award winner and celebrated Oak Ridge Boys tenor Joe Bonsall has died. A representative for his family says Bonsall died Tuesday from complications of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He was 76. A Philadelphia native and resident of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Bonsall joined the Oak Ridge Boys in 1973, which originally formed in the 1940s. He saw the band through its golden period in the ’80s and beyond, which included their signature 1981 song “Elvira.” The hit marked a massive crossover moment for the group, reaching No. 1 on the country chart and No. 5 on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100. The group is also known for such hits as 1982’s “Bobbie Sue.”
July 9, 2024 5:44 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The mood on Capitol Hill turned grim as Democrats wrestled over President Joe Biden’s re-election. A seventh House Democrat said publicly that Biden should drop out. It was an extraordinary question before Democrats on Capitol Hill as they met privately Tuesday behind closed doors. Tensions are running high over whether he should remain as the party’s nominee amid mounting concerns over his ability to lead the part to election victory. In the Senate, where Biden spent a career, senators were largely silent. Biden emphatically refuses to step aside and implored his party in a sharply worded letter to refocus instead on the threat posed by Republican Donald Trump.
July 9, 2024 12:40 pm
The Washington County Coroner says a 29-year-old male died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Tuesday morning. State Police were called to Park Avenue just after ten o’clock after a caller to 911 reported that a man was in a garage threatening suicide, and then hearing a gunshot. Police shut down a section of Park Avenue between Franklin Farms Road and West Maiden Street for several hours while they dealt with the situation. The road was re-opened early in the afternoon later after they deemed it to be safe. State Police told WJPA News that there was never an immediate threat to the area, because it was a contained situation. (Photo: WPXI)
July 9, 2024 4:50 am
Temperatures will quickly jump into the low 90s again Tuesday, but the increase in humidity will combine to make it feel even hotter, with the heat index expected to push into the mid to upper 90s. Plan some breaks if working outside and check on neighbors and pets throughout the day. The remnants of Hurricane Beryl will move in late Tuesday and Wednesday bringing a quick surge of tropical moisture which will make it feel uncomfortable. We’ll see numerous showers and storms from Beryl late Tuesday night and Wednesday. Widespread severe weather and flooding is not expected at this time.
July 9, 2024 4:47 am
Washington City Council heard a presentation from their financial consultant on a measure to free up funds in the city by reworking a current bond. Councilman Ken Westcott is the Finance Director for the city and his department has negotiated a “debt smoothing action” that will give the city approximately $450,000 in fund flexibility. The current city pension bond will be reduced to $1.738 million dollars in September and is scheduled to be fully retired in 2026. This action will extend the payment term by one year and free up those funds for other purposes. Westcott says that he expects current pension obligations to rise about $200,000 per year at least. This flexibility will allow the city to meet those obligations without raising taxes. Westcott called the measure a creative way to achieve the financial goals of the city keeping the best interest of the taxpayers in mind. The measure will be voted on in August. In other anticipated city business, council will authorize funding measures for work and lighting on the tennis and pickleball courts.
July 8, 2024 2:27 am
Officials with the Avella School District announced that 47-year-old Corey McConn, school board president and long-serving member of the school board, died in a tragic accident while on vacation in Florida. According to officials, McConn was vacationing in Bradenton, when he drowned. In a statement, the school board wrote: “Corey McConn’s commitment to our district was unwavering. His leadership and dedication over the years have greatly contributed to the progress and success of our schools. He was passionate about education and deeply valued our community, always striving to make a positive impact. Mr. McConn’s presence and guidance will be profoundly missed. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.” Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
July 8, 2024 2:47 am
(WPXI) – TSA officers stopped a gun from getting on a plane at Pittsburgh International Airport over the weekend. Officials say a man tried carrying his unloaded 9mm handgun that was in a bag through the airport’s busy checkpoint on Sunday, the busiest checkpoint day in TSA’s history. “This was a rare instance in which the man had his unloaded firearm in a locked hard-sided case as he was supposed to do, and when he brought it to the airline check-in counter to declare he wanted to fly with it. Instead, the man took the case to the checkpoint,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. “The man was permitted to properly check the firearm for transport as checked baggage. However, when our officers detect a firearm at a checkpoint, it delays the passengers in that lane until the situation is resolved.” Civil penalties for bringing a weapon into a checkpoint can reach up to $15,000, depending on the specific weapon and the circumstances. This was the 22nd gun stopped at the airport in 2024.
