July 1, 2024 5:02 am
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Boeing has announced plans to acquire key supplier Spirit AeroSystems for $4.7 billion. It says the move will improve plane quality and safety. Boeing previously owned Spirit, and the purchase would reverse a longtime Boeing strategy of outsourcing key work on its passenger planes. That approach has been criticized as problems at Spirit disrupted production and delivery of popular Boeing jetliners. Concerns about safety came to a head after the January blowout of a panel on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 at 16,000 feet (4,876 meters) over Oregon.
June 30, 2024 5:58 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A sense of deep concern is growing among some Democratic officials that leaders inside Joe Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee are not taking seriously enough the impact of the president’s troubling debate performance. DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison did not acknowledge Biden’s weak showing or the avalanche of criticism that followed during a Saturday afternoon call with dozens of DNC members from across the country. Instead, the chief Biden ally offered a rosy assessment of the president’s path forward. Participants described the call as a one-sided conversation that ignored pervasive fears among the committee’s rank and file about Biden’s ability to win in November. The chat function was disabled and there were no questions allowed during the call.
June 30, 2024 6:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S., European and Arab mediators are pressing to keep stepped-up cross-border attacks between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants from spiraling into a wider Middle East war that the world has feared for months. Hopes are lagging for a cease-fire in Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza that would calm attacks by Hezbollah and other Iranian-allied militias. With that in mind, American and European diplomats are warning Hezbollah about taking on the military might of Israel. Escalating strikes between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to at least level off this past week. But a former U.S. diplomat in the Middle East says Israelis still seem to be arranging themselves for “an entirely different magnitude of conflict.”
June 30, 2024 6:05 am
PARIS (AP) — Voters across mainland France are casting ballots in the first round of an exceptional parliamentary election. The two-round vote could put France’s government in the hands of far-right parties for the first time since the Nazi era. The outcome could impact European financial markets, Western support for Ukraine and how France’s nuclear arsenal is managed. Many French voters are frustrated about inflation and economic concerns. And they see President Emmanuel Macron’s leadership as out-of-touch. Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration National Rally party has tapped and fueled that discontent and dominated all preelection opinion polls. A new coalition on the left is also posing a challenge to the moderate Macron.
June 30, 2024 5:55 am
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Beryl has grown into a hurricane in the Atlantic and is forecast to strengthen into a major storm as it nears the Caribbean. A hurricane warning has been issued for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Barbados’ meteorological service says the storm’s center is forecast to pass just south of the island. Late Saturday, Beryl was centered about 595 miles east-southeast of Barbados and its maximum sustained winds has risen to 85 mph. It was moving west at 20 mph. Thousands of people are in Barbados for the Twenty20 World Cup cricket final, with India beating South Africa on Saturday.
June 30, 2024 3:32 am
Freedom Transit’s Washington Transit Center will be closed on Thursday, July 4, 2024, in observance of Independence Day. Fixed route service will not be operating. Shared ride services will operate on a normal schedule. Shared ride passengers who need trips for Thursday, July 4, 2024, or Friday, July 5, 2024, should contact Freedom Transit at 724-223-8747 before 12:00 PM on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. For more information on public transportation in Washington County, visit freedom-transit.org or call 724-223-8747.
June 30, 2024 5:43 am
A former substitute teacher at Seton LaSalle High School was found guilty of corruption of minors and indecent assault on Wednesday. According to court documents, Damon Gall, 25 of Canonsburg was found guilty in a non-jury trial. He avoided conviction of institutional sexual assault of a minor and indecent assault of a person less than 16 as those charges were withdrawn. Gall was accused of inappropriately touching a female student and forcing her to inappropriately touch him in a classroom with a closed door in December of 2023. Gall is scheduled for a Sex Offense Court Review Hearing on September 18. Gall was sentenced to five years of probation on the corruption of minors charge and two years of probation on the indecent assault charge. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for the next 25 years.
June 30, 2024 5:46 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI)-The City of Pittsburgh and Mayor Ed Gainey announced the death of Gus Kalaris on Saturday. For decades, Gus has been serving ice balls and popcorn at the Gus & YiaYia’s Cart on the city’s North Side. This year was the 90th year for the popular ice ball stand that Gus’ parents opened in 1934, and he took over in 1951. “Without a doubt Gus touched the hearts and lives of Pittsburghers and tourists who flocked to the cart each year,” the city’s post reads. “Join us in sending support and condolences to his family and loved ones as they grieve this loss. May his memory live on, providing peace to all who knew and loved him.” The news of Gus Kalaris’ death hit people in Pittsburgh hard. “Gus had a caring heart. He didn’t care who you were or where you were from. He was welcoming to everybody,” said Michael Spanos. Spanos worked alongside Gus for 25 years and said he was passionate about his job and the Pittsburgh community. “This was his life and he loved to do it. He loved to talk to people and he loved to make people smile,” Spanos said. “It’s just remarkable the amount of people that are coming past, even screaming out the cars their condolences. We can’t thank everybody enough.” The support from the community is a testament to who Gus was, how loved he was and the countless lives he has touched over the decades. “It shows us how we can also be better people and be kind to everyone and do what we can to help out,” said Spanos. The staff say they plan on keeping the cart going throughout the summer and then re-evaluating in the winter.
June 29, 2024 3:46 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is working to quell Democratic anxieties over his unsteady showing in his debate with ex-President Donald Trump. He’s not the debater he used to be, Biden conceded at a rally Friday in North Carolina. But he added: “The choice in this election is simple: Donald Trump will destroy our democracy. I will defend it.” Democratic lawmakers are expressing plenty of concern but sticking by him for now. Meanwhile, Trump’s attacks on critics and his policy falsehoods served as a reminder of the daily turbulence of his Republican presidency.
June 29, 2024 3:42 am
Slowly but steadily this summer, Russian troops are forging through Ukraine’s outgunned and undermanned defenses along the front line of the battlefield in a relentless onslaught, prompting the West to push for new weapons and strategies to shore up Kyiv. That, in turn, has brought new political demands by President Vladimir Putin of Ukraine’s leadership and threats of retaliation against the West — either directly or by indirect methods. The moves by the West to blunt the offensive and the potential Kremlin response could lead to a dangerous escalation as the war drags through its third year — one that further raises the peril of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
