October 18, 2023 5:05 pm
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — President Joe Biden swept into wartime Israel for a 7 1/2-hour visit Wednesday that offered support for the Israeli people and produced a deal to get limited humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt. Biden also warned against allowing rage over the deadly Hamas attack to be all-consuming. Biden urged Israel to step back from the brink. He said doing that would ease growing tensions in the Mideast that threaten to further spiral into a broader regional conflict. And he said finding a way to step back would be for the greater good of a world rattled by the shocking images of carnage and suffering in both Israel and Gaza.. (Photo: AP)
October 18, 2023 4:59 pm
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The chief suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway has admitted he killed her and disposed of her remains in the sea. Joran van der Sloot’s confession comes as part of a plea deal with prosecutors on extortion charges. Joran van der Sloot pleaded guilty Wednesday to trying to extort money from Holloway’s mother in exchange for revealing the location of her daughter’s body. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for extortion and wire fraud but is not charged in Holloway’s death or disappearance. U.S. Judge Anna Manasco said she considered van der Sloot’s confession to Holloway’s murder and destruction of her remains in her sentencing decision. (Photo: AP)
October 18, 2023 12:42 pm
An employee of a restaurant located in the Washington Crown Center Mall was electrocuted late Wednesday morning. North Franklin Township Supervisor Chairman Bob Sabot tells WJPA Radio that an employee of Pops and Rory’s Restaurant, located within the mall, was working on a malfunctioning oven just before noon when he was shocked. Emergency responders were called and the man was taken by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh area hospital. Sabot says he was told the man is expected to recover.
October 18, 2023 5:07 am
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel says will allow Egypt to deliver limited quantities of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, the first crack in a 10-day seal on the territory. Palestinians were reeling from a massive blast at a Gaza City hospital the day before and growing increasingly desperate as food and water supplies ran out. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the decision was approved after a request from visiting U.S. President Joe Biden. There were conflicting claims of who was responsible for the hospital explosion. Hamas blamed Israel, while Israel blamed a misfired rocket launched by other militants in Gaza, who denied any involvement.
October 18, 2023 5:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Jim Jordan has failed to win the vote to become House speaker on crucial second ballot. The House gaveled in for Wednesday’s session but early on Jordan appeared to be losing ground, with more detractors. Next steps are uncertain as lawmakers float other options. The hard-edged ally of Donald Trump appears to have no path for the gavel. A surprisingly large and diverse group of 20 Republican lawmakers rejected his bid on Tuesday. Many view Jordan as too extreme for the powerful speaker’s job, second in line to the president. The combative Jordan made a plea for colleagues to “stop attacking each other.” But some holdout Republicans are talking with Democrats about an extraordinary plan to give a temporary speaker more power to re-open the House.
October 18, 2023 4:57 am
WASHINGTON — (WPXI) – A Pennsylvania woman was sentenced to more than four years in prison for her role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to NBC News. Rachel Powell smashed a Capitol window with an ice axe and cardboard tube before using a bullhorn to instruct rioters on how to “take” the building. Powell was convicted on nine federal counts in July. Powell recently received a personalized hat from former President Donald Trump, NBC News reports. During her sentencing, Powel said she was ashamed of her behavior. “I am deeply ashamed of my conduct,” she said. “I regret it, and it will never happen again.”
October 18, 2023 4:50 am
A standing room only crowd met North Strabane Township Supervisors at a public hearing dedicated to the granting of conditional use for a proposed apartment complex. The Alpha Capital Group is proposing the development of The Summit at Woodlawn, two apartment buildings that contain 37 apartments each on Woodlawn Drive, just off W. McMurray Road near the intersection with Morganza Road. Public comment was decidedly against the project with some residents of Woodlawn Drive asking supervisors to deny the application and let the court decide the outcome. Several people talked of decreased property values and the wisdom of putting apartments in the middle of a development that features single family homes and townhomes. Traffic was mentioned. Lisa Salamon pointed to a study performed by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission in 2019 that indicated that because of increased commercial and residential development along with the upcoming opening of the Southern Beltway, the intersection of W. McMurray Road and Morganza Road should be signalized. A turning lane on W. McMurray should also be installed. Lisa Schaeffer is a law enforcement official and she pointed out safety. She said that background checks done by landlords are many times deficient and may not reveal the true criminal background of a prospective tenant. She also is calling for security gates or huts to check the identity of people entering the buildings. She indicates that the transient nature of apartment buildings is a large influence on criminal activity. Supervisors continued the hearing until November 21 at 6:00 pm to consider additional information requested by supervisors. In township business, supervisors will look to authorize the purchase of the Lighthouse Electric building. They will also consider increasing fines for on street parking.
October 18, 2023 2:51 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Proposals to let independent voters cast ballots in party nomination primaries passed a Pennsylvania House of Representatives committee, raising the prospect that changes could pass and take effect in time for next year’s presidential contest. Two bills passed Tuesday with support only from Democrats and were advanced toward a full House vote. The measures would allow independent voters to choose which political party primary they want to vote in. Electors would be able to vote for the party nomination for public office candidates but not to elect candidates for party offices. Sponsors of the bills say more than 1 million Pennsylvanians are not affiliated with either party, making them the fastest-growing demographic within the state’s electorate.
October 17, 2023 4:40 pm
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – Prosecutors are seeking to recharge Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the movie “Rust” in 2021 outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. Authorities confirm they will bring the case before a grand jury next month after a new analysis of the gun involved. Two years ago, Baldwin was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it when off. Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was wounded. Baldwin had been charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the charge was dismissed in April. (Photo: AP)
October 17, 2023 4:14 pm
WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — An email exchange made public this week shows that a prison guard had warned convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante was planning to escape a month before the act was carried out. Cavalcante escaped from the Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania on Aug. 31. He eluded a massive manhunt for two weeks before he was recaptured. The email exchange shows that a corrections officer noted in July that Cavalcante was planning an escape. A county spokesperson says security measures for those considered escape risks were only “enacted and heightened” during transport before the escape. The spokesperson says security measures have since been strengthened.
