January 2, 2025 10:41 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alcohol is a leading cause of cancer, a risk that should be clearly labeled on drinks Americans consume, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy proposed on Friday. Murthy’s advisory comes as research and evidence mounts about the bad effects that alcohol has on human health. Americans should be better informed about the link between alcohol and cancer, in particular, Murthy argues. About 20,000 people die every year from those alcohol-related cancer cases, according to his advisory. Bottles of beer, wine and liquor already carry warning labels about the risk of birth defects when a pregnant woman consumes alcohol. But Murthy’s proposed label would go even further, raising awareness about the risk for cancer, too.
January 2, 2025 7:44 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The new Congress convenes Friday with one major task at hand and that is the election of the House speaker. But current Speaker Mike Johnson’s weak grip on the gavel threatens not only his own survival but President-elect Donald Trump’s ambitious agenda. Tax cuts and mass deportations are all at stake as Republicans sweep to power in Washington. With opposition from his own GOP colleagues, Johnson was holed up in the Capitol on the eve of the vote, working to sway the hardline holdouts. A flop by Johnson could throw Monday’s congressional certification of Trump’s 2024 election victory into turmoil without a House speaker. Even backing from Trump himself is no guarantee that Johnson will stay in power.
January 2, 2025 5:14 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, in a message to conservative supporters rallying outside his Seoul residence, vowed to “fight to the end” against “anti-state forces,” while his legal team warned that police officers attempting to detain him could face arrest by his presidential security service or even civilians. Yoon’s statement came as the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials prepares to execute a detainment warrant against him that was issued by a Seoul court. The warrant was issued after Yoon evaded multiple requests to appear for questioning and blocked searches of his office, hindering an investigation into whether his short-lived power grab on Dec. 3 amounted to rebellion.
January 2, 2025 5:13 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Authorities say the highly decorated soldier inside a Tesla Cybertruck packed with fireworks that exploded outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas shot himself in the head just before detonation. The explosion caused minor injuries to seven people but virtually no damage to the hotel. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger likely planned a more damaging attack but the steel-sided vehicle absorbed much of the force from the crudely built explosive. Livelsberger was an active-duty member of the elite Green Berets. The Pentagon said he had served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks, and was on approved leave when he died.
January 2, 2025 5:10 am
President Joe Biden is bestowing the second highest civilian award on Liz Cheney and Bennie Thompson — the lawmakers who led the congressional investigation into the violent Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot by Donald Trump’s supporters. Trump has said both should be jailed. Biden will award the Presidential Citizens Medal to 20 people Thursday, including Americans who fought for marriage equality, a pioneer in treating wounded soldiers, and former Sens. Ted Kaufman of Delaware and Chris Dodd of Connecticut, two of the president’s longtime friends and allies.
January 2, 2025 5:04 am
SOUTH BEAVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A man and woman were found dead in the garage of their home just before 3 p.m. on New Year’s Eve in an apparent murder-suicide. Police were called to the home just before 3 p.m. Tuesday. Sources say they found two people shot in the garage. The Beaver County Coroner said Joyce Kostandin, 41, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds to the head and chest. John Kostandin, 48, died from a self-inflicted gunshot. State police are continuing to investigate.
January 2, 2025 5:00 am
CALIFORNIA, Pa. — The Washington County District Attorney has charged a man with attempted homicide in the assault of a 1-year-old child he was supposed to be babysitting. Jason Walsh tells Channel 11 the child remains at Children’s Hospital five weeks after he was found unconscious in his California Borough home. The mother’s boyfriend, Lyndon Henderson, was originally arrested and charged with assault, but that has now been upgraded to attempted homicide. According to state police, the California Borough Police Department was originally called to a home along 3rd Street after the 1-year-old stopped breathing. The little boy was rushed to the hospital where he was put onto a ventilator. The little boy also suffered a stroke and has a broken vertebra in his neck. Police say the mother’s boyfriend, Lyndon Henderson had been watching Kybrel while his mother was at work. When questioned by Belle Vernon troopers, the 24-year-old told authorities that he watched the child when his girlfriend went to work early Saturday morning. Henderson told authorities that the child fell off the couch onto the floor after spinning him around in circles and placing him on the couch. The criminal complaint quotes the doctor who treated Kybrel saying: “The brain injury sustained by the victim is 100% unequivocally the result of child abuse.” Henderson was arrested Sunday night for assaulting the child. He remains in the Washington County Jail under no bond.
January 2, 2025 4:46 am
PITTSBURGH — Snow will slow the morning commute Friday morning, so allow some extra time before you head out. There could be some slick spots so watch steps and sidewalks and plan for delays on the roads. Several schools will operate on two-hour delays including Trinity, Peters Township, Canon McMillan and Chartiers Houston. Crews will battle light snow through mid-morning before the first part of the system moves out, however, lake effect snow could bring bands of additional accumulating snow through the afternoon and early evening. These bands could bring quick accumulations which could cover roads and reduce visibility. Tune to WJPA 95.3FM/1450AM for the very latest.
January 1, 2025 8:22 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A U.S. Army veteran driving a pickup truck that bore the flag of the Islamic State group has wrought carnage on New Orleans’ raucous New Year’s celebration. He killed 15 people as he steered around a police blockade and slammed into revelers before being shot dead by police. The FBI says it is investigating early Wednesday’s attack as a terrorist act and does not believe the driver acted alone. President Joe Biden says the FBI found videos that the driver had posted to social media hours before the attack in which he said he was inspired by the Islamic State group and expressed a desire to kill. The FBI has identified the driver as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar. Authorities say the driver went around a police car that was positioned to block vehicular traffic and protect Bourbon Street revelers.
January 1, 2025 5:08 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans is pressing ahead with plans to reopen the city’s famed Bourbon Street as investigators keep digging into the background of the U.S. Army veteran who drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers, killing 15 people. The FBI said the attack occurred early Wednesday when 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar steered around a police blockade. It’s being investigated as a terrorist act. Investigators believe the driver was inspired by the Islamic State group. Jabbar, who was killed by police, was a U.S. citizen from Texas.
