December 15, 2024 7:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has had hip replacement surgery at a U.S. military hospital in Germany after falling while at an event in Luxembourg with other members of Congress. A spokesman on Saturday says the 84-year-old Pelosi “is well on the mend.” Pelosi thanked the staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and the hospital in Luxembourg, where she was also treated, for “their excellent care and kindness.” She was in Europe with a bipartisan congressional delegation to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.
December 15, 2024 7:18 am
NEW YORK (AP) — ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million toward Donald Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate on-air assertion that the president-elect had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. ABC will also post a note on its website expressing regret over the claim in Stephanopoulos’ March 10 segment on “This Week.” That’s according to a settlement document made public on Saturday. It describes ABC’s presidential library payment as a “charitable contribution.” The settlement agreement was signed Friday, the same day a Florida federal judge ordered Trump and Stephanopoulos to sit for separate depositions in the case next week. The settlement means that sworn testimony is no longer required.
December 15, 2024 7:14 am
DAMASCUS (AP) — A transformation has started to take place in the week since the unexpected overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar Assad. Suddenly in charge, the rebels have been met with a mix of excitement, grief and hope. And so far the transition has been surprisingly smooth. Reports of reprisals, revenge killings and sectarian violence are minimal, looting and destruction has been quickly contained. But there are a million ways it could go wrong. Syria is broken and isolated after five decades of Assad family rule. Families have been torn apart by war, former prisoners are traumatized, and tens of thousands of detainees remain missing. The economy is wrecked, poverty is widespread, inflation and unemployment are high. Corruption seeps through daily life.
December 15, 2024 7:11 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s opposition leader has offered to work with the government to ease the political tumult, a day after the opposition-controlled parliament voted to impeach conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol over a short-lived attempt to impose martial law. Liberal Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, whose party holds a majority in the National Assembly, urged the Constitutional Court to rule swiftly on Yoon’s impeachment and proposed a special council for policy cooperation between the government and parliament. Yoon’s powers have been suspended until the court decides whether to remove him from office or reinstate him. If Yoon is dismissed, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.
December 15, 2024 7:06 am
City of Washington Police were called to a report of shots fired early Sunday morning. According to county 9-1-1 officials, police were dispatched to the 200 block of South Main Street at 2:10 AM. When police arrived they found an individual had been shot. That individual was taken to UPMC Washington Hospital. The hospital was put on lockdown until 4:00 AM. The identity of the victim has not been revealed. No suspect in the incident has been identified. City of Washington Police continue to investigate.
December 15, 2024 7:04 am
PennDot is announcing daily single lane restrictions on Interstate 70 in Rostraver Township. Those restrictions will be daylight only and will occur on Tuesday December 17 and continue through Thursday December 19. The areas restricted are eastbound between Exit 43 (Rt. 201 to 837, Donora/Fayette City) to Exit 46A (Rt. 51 South, Uniontown). Westbound the restrictions will be between Exit 46A (Rt. 51 South, Uniontown) to Exit 43 B (Rt.201 to 837, Donora). The restrictions begin at 7:00 AM and last until 5:00 PM. The work that is to be done will be base repair, milling and asphalt paving.
December 15, 2024 5:27 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris thanked deep-pocketed Democratic donors who raised record sums in last month’s election loss to President-elect Donald Trump. The leaders of the outgoing administration at a Democratic National Committee holiday reception on Sunday urged the party’s important financial backers not to lose hope and to remain politically engaged. The Democratic Party needs the key donors to stay committed as it tries to pick up the pieces after Republicans took the White House and Senate while maintaining control of the House. Biden told the audience that “we all get knocked down,” but “the measure of a person or a party is how fast they get back up.”
December 15, 2024 5:12 am
BOSTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer is urging the federal government to deploy advanced drone-tracking technology following weeks of reported drone sightings in parts of New York and New Jersey that have stirred fear and bewilderment. The New York Democrat is calling on the Department of Homeland Security to use the technology to track drones back to their landing spots. National security officials have said the drones don’t appear to be a sign of foreign interference or a public safety threat. But because they can’t say with certainty who’s responsible for the drones, leaders of both parties are demanding better technology and powers to tackle the issue.
December 15, 2024 3:53 am
PITTSBURGH-(WPXI)-When Neil Young said rock and roll can never die, that apparently did not include rock and roll-inspired restaurants. Station Square’s Hard Rock Cafe, a longstanding staple of the South Side development that had been open for over 20 years, will permanently close its doors on Feb. 13, 2025. According to a spokesperson for Hard Rock, the restaurant’s lease is expiring in February, and ownership made the decision to not renew. The closing comes after the chain rolled out a Pittsburgh-inspired burger to all of its over 300 international locations earlier this year.
December 15, 2024 1:18 am
United States Senator Bob Casey visited Scenery Hill to celebrate his accomplishments in helping to provide broadband expansion to rural communities in Washington County. Casey credited Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi for his and other commissioners past and present for their dedication to helping the unserved and underserved of the county. He applauded Washington County Authority Executive Director John Timney for delivering that expansion “without a playbook.” Casey explained how the $90 million from American Rescue Plan Act funds were delivered to Washington County. He again paid respect to the commissioners for dedicating $30 million of those funds to help 9000 unserved and underserved homes and businesses in rural Washington County gain internet access. $50 million in private investment rounds out the total amount needed to deliver the $80 million initiative. Casey thanked the Hickory Telephone Company, DQE, Windstream, Comcast and Verizon for their private investment. He called the program in Washington County a model that should be used nationwide.
