September 24, 2024 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — With its larger-than-usual half-point cut to its key interest rate last week, the Federal Reserve underscored its belief that it’s all but conquered inflation after three long years. The public at large? Not so much. Consumer surveys show that most Americans remain unhappy with the economy, still bruised by an inflation rate that hit a four-decade high two years ago as the economy rebounded from the pandemic recession. Yet in the view of some economists, the shift toward steadily lower borrowing rates could eventually boost consumer sentiment. Inflation has sunk for more than two years and is nearly back down to the Fed’s 2% target. Though that means overall prices are still rising, they’re doing so much more slowly.
September 23, 2024 4:58 am
PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane John has struck Mexico’s southern Pacific coast with life-threatening flood potential. John grew from a tropical storm to a major hurricane in hours and came ashore near Punta Maldonado late Monday night with 120 mph winds. John’s rapid intensification made authorities rush to keep pace and warn people of its potential destruction. Mexico’s president was among those urging people to seek higher ground and protect their lives. Hours after landfall, John had weakened to 100 mph winds early Tuesday. The high terrain inland was forecast to weaken the hurricane quickly. Through Thursday, 10 to 20 inches of rain was forecast along and near the Oaxaca coast to southeast Guerrero with more in isolated areas.
September 24, 2024 5:35 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Visa, alleging that the financial services behemoth uses its size and dominance to stifle competition in the debit card market. The complaint filed Tuesday says Visa penalizes merchants and banks who don’t use Visa’s own payment processing technology to process debit transactions, even though alternatives exist. It’s the latest in a recent spate of lawsuits brought by the Biden administration targeting alleged monopolistic practices. It also has sued big technology companies like Google and companies that act like middlemen such as Ticketmaster and RealPage.
September 24, 2024 5:02 am
Obesity is high and holding steady in the U.S. About 4 in 10 Americans have obesity overall and about 1 in 10 have severe obesity. That’s according to new government research. The overall rate has not changed significantly in the past decade, even as the rate of severe obesity is increasing. That means it’s too soon to know whether new treatments for obesity can ease the epidemic of the chronic disease linked to dozens of health problems. Experts say preventing obesity in the first place is key, starting in early childhood.
September 24, 2024 3:12 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre told a congressional committee Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Favre made the announcement as part of his testimony about a welfare misspending scandal in Mississippi. Favre does not face criminal charges, but he has repaid just over $1 million in speaking fees funded by a welfare program in the state. He was also an investor in a biotech company with ties to the case that said it was developing concussion drugs. It is unclear if Favre’s disease is connected to his football career or head injuries.
September 23, 2024 5:49 pm
BUTLER, Pa. — (WPXI) – Former President Donald Trump will return to Butler on Oct. 5th. Trump first announced in late July that he planned to return to Butler, after a gunman opened fire at his rally on July 13th. Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief, was killed at the July 13 rally. Trump plans to honor Comperatore and the two men who were injured in the assassination attempt when he returns to Butler. “I will be going back to Butler, Pennsylvania for a big and beautiful rally, honoring the soul of our beloved firefighting hero Corey and those brave patriots injured two weeks ago. What a day it will be– fight, fight, fight!” the former president said on Truth Social over the summer. Channel 11 is working to learn more details about the Oct. 5th rally, including time and location.
September 23, 2024 12:41 pm
(WPXI) – Allegheny County Police say A man charged in a hit-and-run crash that left a young musician dead in Dormont – is an undocumented immigrant. The crash happened Saturday night near Pioneer and West Liberty Avenues, killing 23-year-old Christian Sluka. Police have identified 25-year-old Saul Rivera-Ramirez as the driver. After the crash, police say he allegedly got out of the car and ran away from the scene. Rivera-Ramirez was arrested and is facing several charges including homicide by vehicle and driving without a license. Detectives say they learned Rivera-Ramirez is not a United States Citizen and is an undocumented immigrant and subsequently contacted U.S. Immigration.
September 23, 2024 9:41 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The man accused in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump wrote a note months earlier saying that he intended to kill the former president. That’s according to the Justice Department. The note, addressed “Dear World,” was dropped off at the home of an unidentified person who contacted federal authorities following the arrest last Sunday of Ryan Wesley Routh. The box, which also contained ammunition, a metal pipe and other items, was not opened by the person until after Routh was taken into custody. The person who received the box and contacted law enforcement was not identified in the Justice Department’s detention memo Monday.
September 23, 2024 5:09 am
SOUTH STRABANE, Pa. – Seven people were injured in a crash in Washington County on Sunday afternoon. The crash happened on westbound I-70 between Exit 21 to I-79 South – Morgantown and Exit 20 to PA 136 – Beau Street. It involved four vehicles and a boat on a trailer. A Washington County 911 supervisor tells Channel 11 that police, fire and EMS personnel were called to the scene around 1:50 p.m. The South Strabane Fire Department said multiple people were entrapped. Four medical helicopters responded to the scene. South Strabane Township Fire Chief Jordan Cramer says a total of 7 patients were transported. One was taken by ground to the helipad at UPMC Washington Hospital for a crew from STAT MedEvac while three additional helicopters were landed on the highway. Three other patients were transported by ambulance to Washington Hospital We have no word on any identities or conditions. Cramer says “the incident today again highlights the exceptional response available for residents in Washington County because of the ability of many public safety agencies working together to ensure we provide the absolute best care possible”. The highway was reopened to traffic around 5 p.m.
September 23, 2024 5:12 am
BROWNSVILLE, Pa. — (WPXI) – Emergency crews were called to the scene of a fire in Brownsville on Sunday evening. The fire started in an apartment above Pickers Pub & Grub in the 100 block of Bank Street around 5:30 p.m. Crews arrived on scene to find heavy fire on two different floors. A Channel 11 crew at the scene learned a firefighter was injured during the response and taken to a local hospital. Twelve people live in the building that caught on fire. It’s not clear how many of them have been displaced. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
