December 11, 2024 9:50 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fueled by pricier used cars, hotel rooms and groceries, inflation in the United States moved slightly higher last month in the latest sign that some price pressures remain elevated. Consumer prices rose 2.7% in November from a year earlier, up from a yearly figure of 2.6% in October. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core prices increased 3.3%. Measured month to month, prices climbed 0.3% from October to November, the biggest such increase since April. Wednesday’s inflation figures are the final major piece of data Federal Reserve officials will consider before they meet next week to decide on interest rates. The November increase won’t likely be enough to discourage the officials from cutting their key rate by a quarter-point.
December 11, 2024 7:50 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter after earlier promising he’d do no such thing. That’s according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey found that only a small share of Americans “strongly” or “somewhat” approve of the president’s decision. About half “strongly” or “somewhat” disapprove of it, and about one-quarter said they neither approve nor disapprove. Nevertheless, about 4 in 10 Americans said they approve of the way Biden is handling his job as president. That’s roughly where his approval rating has stood in AP-NORC polling since 2022.
December 11, 2024 5:17 am
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Humanitarian aid to northern Gaza, where Israel launched a ground offensive on Oct. 6, has largely been blocked for the past 66 days. That’s according to the United Nations on Tuesday, which says between 65,000 and 75,000 Palestinians have been left without access to food, water, electricity or health care. In the north, Israel has continued its siege on Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabaliya with Palestinians living there largely denied aid, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, known as OCHA, said. Recently, it said, about 5,500 people were forcibly displaced from three schools in Beit Lahiya to Gaza City.
December 11, 2024 5:16 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian medical officials say Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 29 people. One of the strikes hit a home where displaced people were sheltering in the isolated north, killing 19. That strike occurred in the northern town of Beit Lahiya near the border with Israel, according to the nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital, which received the bodies early Wednesday. Another strike in a decades-old, built-up refugee camp in central Gaza killed at least seven people, according to the Awda Hospital. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
December 11, 2024 5:13 am
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The East Coast is experiencing the early stages of what could be a whiplash-inducing stretch of winter weather. That’s due in part to an atmospheric river and developing bomb cyclone. The storm is expected to bring heavy rain and fierce winds to many areas until Wednesday night, and flooding is possible in some locales. Utilities are also gearing up for potential power outages from damage caused by winds that may exceed 60 mph in some areas. Forecasters say one of the key factors driving the weather is an atmospheric river, which is a long band of water vapor that can transport moisture from the tropics to more northern areas.
December 11, 2024 5:06 am
A Fayette County mother charged with abusing her 6-year-old daughter has been sentenced. Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele announced Tuesday that Mimi Frost, 24, was sentenced to 35 to 70 years. She previously pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including false imprisonment, aggravated assault and strangulation. Frost and her husband Jacob Weight were accused of locking their 6-year-old daughter naked in a dog cage, beating her and denying her food. Aubele previously told Channel 11 the girl was a heartbeat away from death when first responders were called to the Brownsville home for a report of an unresponsive child in January. A nephew living at the home testified against Frost and Weight in February, explaining he was instructed to lock the girl in the cage and forced to physically harm her. Weight is still awaiting trial for his alleged role in the abuse.
December 11, 2024 2:57 am
Mariah Carey’s Pittsburgh concert scheduled for Wednesday night was canceled because the singer has the flu. Ticketmaster’s website says the event organizer canceled the event, which was scheduled to be at PPG Paints Arena at 7:30 p.m. Refunds will be issued automatically, Ticketmaster’s website said. If you bought a ticket, the refund should be in your account within two to three weeks. No further information was released. Carey posted a message on her social media site: “Pittsburgh, I am sorry to say, I’ve come down with the flu. It breaks my heart that I unfortunately have to cancel tonight’s show. I love you all so much.” (Photo: AP)
December 11, 2024 2:55 am
Representatives from PennDot were on hand Tuesday to preview plans for bridge and culvert replacement plans at the junction of South Main Street and Park Avenue/Rt. 18 over Catfish Creek. According to Jeremy Hughes, Assistant District Executive for Design at PennDot, the replacement is planned to take place in two phases. Phase one of the project that involves Park Avenue will last 3 weeks. The portion of the culvert that will be replaced will be precast and dropped into place. In phase two, over South Main Street, the portion of the culvert to be replaced will need to be cast in place. That process will take 20 weeks because of utility work and the drawn out procedure of casting the culvert on location as opposed to trucking it in. Utilities in the area prevent a crane from being used to deploy a precast culvert. The Park Avenue detour will use state roads and be approximately 3 miles. The South Main Street detour will use state roads and be 10.5 miles. The project cost is $2 million. Bids for the project will be opened in July. Construction will begin in the spring of 2026. Residents may see the plans for the project and make comments by going to https://www.pa.gov/agencies/penndot/projects-near-you/district-12-projects/route-2001-route-18-over-catfish-creek.html
December 11, 2024 2:53 am
North Strabane Township Supervisors held their agenda meeting and the most important consideration will be the adoption of the 2025 budget. The balanced budget does not contain a tax increase and comes in at $22,932,084. In other business, supervisors began the evening with a public hearing concerning the definition of a personal warehouse. The township and CC Realty Advisors have been working for several months on a definition of the use as it would occur in a commercial zone. Supervisors and the applicant agree that they are close to a final definition. The only request from CC Realty Advisors is to allow parking in front of the garage door sections of each unit and a slight adjustment in parking ratio. Supervisors could vote on the definition at their meeting next week. If the definition was approved, the actual change to the ordinance could be voted on in January.
December 11, 2024 2:51 am
Holiday shoppers will be happy to know that power has been restored at Tanger Outlets in South Strabane Township. Tanger Director of Marketing Megan Hindes tells WJPA News that power was restored by Tuesday night. She says the initial power outage occurred Monday morning and crews worked diligently along with the South Strabane Township Fire Department to safely bring all of the suites back online. As for the exact cause of the outage, Hindes directed us to West Penn Power. We have not heard back from them. Hindes says some store were able to operate Tuesday but admits they faced some unspecified challenges and delays in getting service restored to all of the stores.
