November 28, 2024 4:34 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Three American citizens imprisoned for years by China have been released. That word comes Wednesday from the White House and it’s a rare diplomatic agreement with Beijing in the final months of the Biden administration. The three are Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung. Each had been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained. Swidan had been facing a death sentence on drug charges while Li and Leung were imprisoned on espionage charges. The White House says the men will soon “return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years.” China also announced Thursday that the U.S. had returned four people to China, including three citizens it said had been held for “political purposes.”
November 28, 2024 4:25 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has conducted what officials called a “massive” missile and drone attack against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The assault added to fears that the Kremlin aims to cripple Ukraine’s power generation capacity before winter. Ukraine’s energy minister says attacks on energy facilities were happening all across the country on Thursday. He says emergency power outages are being implemented nationwide. Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia is stockpiling cruise and ballistic missiles, presumably for another pre-winter aerial campaign against Ukraine’s power grid. Ukrainian officials have in the past accused Russia of “weaponizing winter.” Around half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed during the war with Russia, and rolling electricity blackouts are common.
November 28, 2024 4:27 am
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — In the remotest reaches of Alaska, there’s no relying on DoorDash to have Thanksgiving dinner delivered. But some residents living well off the grid nevertheless have turkeys this holiday, thanks to the Alaska Turkey Bomb. For the third straight year, a resident named Esther Keim has been dropping frozen turkeys from an airplane to those who can’t simply run out to the grocery store. She launched her turkey delivery mission a few years back after she found out a family of three had only one squirrel to split for Thanksgiving. She planned to drop 32 turkeys this year and more in years to come.
November 28, 2024 4:31 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A century after the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the annual holiday tradition kicks off Thursday in New York City with new Spider-Man and Minnie Mouse balloons, zoo and pasta-themed floats, performances from Jennifer Hudson and Idina Menzel, and more. This year’s parade features 17 giant, helium-filled character balloons, 22 floats, 15 novelty and heritage inflatables, 11 marching bands, 700 clowns, 10 performance groups, award-winning singers and actors, and the WNBA champion New York Liberty. The parade begins at 8:30 a.m. on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and ends 2.5 miles away around noon at Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street, which serves as a stage and backdrop for performances.
November 28, 2024 1:00 am
A California Borough man is facing felony aggravated assault and other charges after State Police say a one-year old baby in his care suffered severe injuries. State Police were called to 24 year old Lyndon Henderson’s Third Street apartment last weekend. The child’s mother told police that she had left her son in Henderson’s care. Henderson claimed the child fell off the couch but appeared to be fine. The child was transported to UPMC Children’s Hospital. Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh says the baby was on a ventilator. Henderson was arraigned and is being held in the Washington County Jail without bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 11.
November 27, 2024 2:48 am
North Strabane Supervisors unanimously approved a preliminary budget for 2025 at their legislative meeting. No tax increase is in store for residents as the approved balanced budget totals $22,662,084. That number was reduced by more than $250,000 from last week’s agenda meeting, as the line item for the Majestic Hills sewage repair was lessened through monies received from grants and lawsuits. The spending plan has two big construction projects, the completion of the public safety building on Rt. 19 and the renovation of the former Lighthouse Electric building that will become the new municipal complex. As for infrastructure, the Vandale Bridge is also slated to be replaced next year. Supervisors will formally adopt the budget at their December 17 legislative meeting.
November 27, 2024 4:46 am
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – Allegheny County Council members want to cut $70 million from County Executive Sara Innamorato’s $1.2 billion budget proposal to lower the property tax increase residents will likely see next year. Previously, County Executive Innamorato proposed a 46% tax increase. The council is suggesting a 28.5% increase instead. For homeowners who own a home assessed at the county’s median value of $110,000, council’s increase would increase property tax by an extra $11.25 per month. Innamorato’s proposal included an increase of about $15 per month. Council’s new suggestion includes $70 million in cuts. The county’s Human Services Department could see the biggest reduction. Channel 11 was sent the following statement: “The County Executive put forward an honest budget in October, one that was only a 3% increase in spending over 2024 but was serious in addressing the significant, structural financial challenges the County faces. We will now review the amendments and budget as passed by committee tonight. While we believe the Council-proposed 1.35 mill increase is going to fall short of what the County ultimately needs, we will work hard to negotiate with Council leadership in hopes of finding agreement on a budget that will deliver core services, critical programs, and avoid layoffs,” said Communications Director Abigail Gardner. Council is set to vote on the proposal on Dec. 3. It needs the support of 10 out of 15 members in order to pass.
November 27, 2024 5:07 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants has begun as a region on edge wonders whether it will hold. The ceasefire that began early Wednesday is a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting sparked by the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Israel has said it will attack if Hezbollah breaks the ceasefire agreement. The ceasefire calls for an initial two-month halt to fighting and requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border. There were no immediate reports of alleged violations of the truce, and there were signs of celebration in Beirut.
November 27, 2024 5:12 am
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has suggested Mexico could retaliate with tariffs of its own, after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Mexican goods if the country doesn’t stop the flow of drugs and migrants across the border. Sheinbaum says she is willing to engage in talks on the issues, but said drugs were a U.S. problem. She says “one tariff would be followed by another in response, and so on until we put at risk common businesses,” referring to U.S. automakers that have plants on both sides of the border.
November 27, 2024 5:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is threatening tariffs on Mexico and Canada as he seeks to portray them as responsible for illegal immigration and drug smuggling. Over its tenure, the Biden administration has struggled with growing numbers of migrants arriving at the southern border. But this year, the number of people crossing the border without documents has actually been falling. That’s due in part to stricter enforcement by Mexican authorities as well as asylum restrictions announced earlier this year by the Biden administration. When it comes to fentanyl smuggling, much of the deadly supply comes from Mexico though statistics show more than 86% of those sentenced for fentanyl trafficking crimes in the 12 months ending September 2023 were U.S. citizens.
