July 13, 2023 5:03 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actors will join screenwriters in a combined strike that will have huge consequences for Hollywood. Leaders of SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents the actors, voted Thursday to strike after contract talks collapsed with the studios and streaming services that hire them. It’s the first time actors from film and television shows have gone on strike since 1980. And the first time both actors and writers have been on strike since 1960. Industry leaders expressed disappointment in a walkout they said comes at the worst possible time. The group representing studios and streaming services said early Thursday that the actors’ decision to end negotiations was their choice and will hurt thousands financially.
July 13, 2023 4:59 am
In a unanimous vote, Charleroi Borough Council Wednesday terminated Manager Matt Staniszewski. Back on June 14, Council suspended Staniszewski by placing him on ten-days unpaid leave. The move came after residents complained about his behavior at Council meetings. Staniszewski did not attend meetings on June 28 and July 5. Council also rejected Borough Solicitor Sean Logue’s request to approve a separation agreement with Staniszewski. The agreement would have paid Staniszewski four-months of pay and benefits. In turn, he would waive any potential litigation for wrongful termination. The Borough would also pay him $4,000 for his legal expenses. Larry Celaschi was the lone Council member to vote in favor of that agreement. Staniszewski , meanwhile, spoke with the Mon Valley Independent newspaper after the meeting and says he plans to move forward with legal action against Council claiming improper actions by the board and says he has a court complaint prepared. Logue tells WJPA News he cannot comment on the matter at this time because of pending litigation.
July 13, 2023 4:34 am
WARREN, Pa. (AP) — Authorities are seeking information about a drone that may have been operating near a northwestern Pennsylvania jail before the escape of a homicide suspect last week, and they say they have increasing concerns that the escaped prisoner may be armed. Michael Burham fled the Warren County Prison late Thursday by climbing on exercise equipment, climbing through a window and then down a rope fashioned from jail bedding, authorities said. He remains on the loose. County commissioners are vowing security upgrades and a thorough review of procedures following the escape of a homicide suspect who used bedsheets to escape from a northwestern Pennsylvania jail last week.
July 13, 2023 4:31 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A court’s ruling earlier this year that the way Pennsylvania funds public schools is unconstitutional helped make education spending one of the thorniest issues in state budget negotiations. The state government is approaching a second week without full spending authority. The final OK on a $45 billion spending plan has been stymied over a dispute about creating a $100 million program to allocate state subsidies for students in the lowest performing districts to attend private or religious schools. Complicating matters is the judge’s ruling, which ordered the Legislature and governor to fix the system but with no guidance about how — or how quickly — it should be done.
July 13, 2023 2:14 am
Washington County 911 reports that the North Junction of Interstate 79 to Interstate 70 East was shutdown Thursday afternoon following an accident on Interstate 70 East between the junction and the Murtland Avenue Exit. Dispatchers tell us that accident involved a tractor-trailer and a motorcycle. The accident caused major traffic back-ups on the interstates and in and around the city of Washington as traffic was detoured off the highway. At least one person was seriously injured and taken to a Pittsburgh hospital. This is a developing story. Check back for details.
July 12, 2023 9:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — After two years of painfully high prices, inflation in the United States has reached its lowest point in more than two years — 3% in June compared with 12 months earlier — a sign that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes have steadily slowed price increases across the economy. The inflation figure the government reported Wednesday was down sharply from a 4% annual rate in May, though still above the Fed’s 2% target rate. Over the past 12 months, gas prices have dropped, grocery costs have risen more slowly and used cars have become less expensive.
July 12, 2023 5:05 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — HBO dominated the Emmy nominations, with the elite trio of “Succession,” “The White Lotus” and “The Last of Us” combining for a whopping 74 nods. “Succession” led all nominees at the Wednesday morning announcements with 24, including acting nominations for series leads Brian Cox, Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin. “The Last of Us” got 24 nominations, and “The White Lotus” got 23. “Ted Lasso” led all comedy nominees with 21. But the nominations are clouded by the possibility that Hollywood actors will soon join screenwriters on strike.
July 12, 2023 5:03 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s Republican-led Legislature has passed a bill banning most abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy. The vote came during a marathon special session Tuesday that continued late into the night. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds immediately said in a statement she would sign the bill on Friday. Reynolds ordered the rare session after the state Supreme Court declined to reinstate a nearly identical law that she signed in 2018. The legislation will take immediate effect with the governor’s signature. It will prohibit almost all abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, which is usually around six weeks of pregnancy and before many women know they are pregnant.
July 12, 2023 5:02 am
LONDON (AP) — Concerns are growing that Russia won’t extend a United Nations-brokered deal that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to parts of the world struggling with hunger. Ships are no longer heading to the war-torn country’s Black Sea ports, and shipments have dwindled. The deal originally reached last summer to ease a global food crisis is up for renewal Monday, and Russian officials say there are no grounds for extending it. They’ve threatened it before, insisting an agreement to facilitate their food and fertilizer shipments hasn’t been applied. But data shows Moscow has been exporting record amounts of wheat. The U.N. is striving to keep the fragile deal intact, with Ukraine to benefit Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia.
July 12, 2023 5:01 am
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — The United States and other major industrialized nations are pledging long-term security assistance for Ukraine as it continues to fight Russia’s invasion. At the annual NATO summit, G7 countries began laying the groundwork for member nations to negotiate individual security agreements with Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the commitments will be a bridge toward eventual NATO membership for his country. He is desperate for Ukraine to become a NATO member so it can take advantage of the alliance’s security guarantees. But membership for Ukraine has remained elusive at the summit, held this year in Lithuania. Zelenskyy and Biden met separately as well.
