December 25, 2024 6:19 am
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump says he’ll “vigorously pursue” capital punishment after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of most people on federal death row partly to stop Trump from pushing forward their executions. Trump criticized Biden’s decision on Monday to change the sentences of 37 of the 40 condemned people to life in prison without parole. Trump said that he will direct the Department of Justice to pursue the death penalty “as soon as I am inaugurated.” Trump was vague on what specific actions he may take.
December 25, 2024 6:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has made it official: The bald eagle is now the national bird of the United States. Biden signed a bill into law on Tuesday to correct what had long gone unnoticed and designate the bald eagle as the national bird. The bald eagle has been a symbol of the United States for more than 240 years, appearing on the nation’s Great Seal since the design was finalized in 1782. That year, Congress also designated the bald eagle as the national emblem. But the honor of becoming the national bird had remained elusive until now.
December 25, 2024 6:14 am
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has opened the great Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. The ceremony kicks off the 2025 Holy Year. It’s a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome. And it will test the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them. This begins the Christmas Eve Mass. The ceremony inaugurates the once-every-25-year tradition of a Jubilee. Francis has dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to the theme of hope.
December 25, 2024 6:09 am
The South Strabane Fire Department was called to a fire near the ramp of Exit 21 (Interstate 79 South) at 3:14 pm on Tuesday. According to Washington County 9-1-1 officials, brakes on a tractor trailer caught fire. One lane of traffic was shut down for about 15 minutes during the incident. The fire was extinguished quickly. No injuries were reported. (Photo: South Strabane Fire Department Facebook)
December 25, 2024 6:07 am
North Strabane Township emergency responders were called to a two vehicle accident near the Exit 45 (Canonsburg) off ramp at approximately 8:00 on Tuesday evening. According to Washington County 9-1-1 dispatchers, both the fire department and police department responded to the wreck on McClelland Road. No injuries were reported. The accident scene was cleared in about 45 minutes.
December 25, 2024 6:05 am
PITTSBURGH —(WPXI)- A local bakery known for its Terrible Towel cookies created a new design for a potential superstar’s visit to the Steel City. In honor of the Steelers-Chiefs Christmas Day game — and a possible visit from pop star Taylor Swift — Bethel Bakery made hundreds of “Taylor’s Coming to Town” cookies. The cookies show Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce as gingerbread people next to a Christmas Tree. Those at the shop said they wanted to give all the Swifties and Steelers fans a sweet stocking stuffer. “We’re the only bakery like this to make those Terrible Towel cookies, so that’s a great Steelers sweet treat to enjoy during the game too,” Natalie Lacek said. The shop made around 700 “Swiftmas” cookies, selling out both in-store and online.
December 25, 2024 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful government panel has failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of a nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase U.S. Steel. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States on Monday sent its long-awaited report to President Joe Biden, a longtime opponent of the deal. Some federal agencies represented on the panel were skeptical that allowing a Japanese company to buy an American-owned steelmaker would create national security risks. That’s according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump opposed the merger and vowed to block it. Nippon Steel says it is confident the deal will go ahead.
December 24, 2024 8:53 am
American Airlines flights were cleared to fly by regulators early Tuesday after a brief grounding due to systemwide technical issue. Just before 7 a.m. Eastern time, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all American Airlines flights grounded in the U.S. at the airline’s request. American had reported a technical issue affecting its entire system with millions traveling for the holiday. The ground stop, according to the time stamps on the FAA’s orders, lasted exactly one hour. The groundings couldn’t come at a worse time for the millions of travelers expected to fly over the next 10 days.
December 24, 2024 5:17 am
American consumers are feeling less confident in December, a business research group says. The Conference Board said Monday that its consumer confidence index fell back in December to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Consumers had been feeling increasingly confident in recent months. The consumer confidence index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. The measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for income, business and the job market tumbled more than a dozen points to 81.1. The Conference Board says a reading under 80 can signal a potential recession in the near future.
December 24, 2024 5:15 am
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — A major storm has pounded California’s central coast bringing flooding and high surf that was blamed for fatally trapping a man beneath debris on a beach and later partially collapsing a pier, tossing three people into the Pacific Ocean. The storm was expected to bring hurricane-force winds and waves up to 60 feet Monday as it gained strength from California to the Pacific Northwest. Some California cities have ordered beachfront homes and hotels to evacuate early Monday afternoon. Forecasters have warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day.
