July 8, 2024 5:26 am
(AP) – A new poll finds Americans are increasingly skeptical about the value and cost of college. More than two-thirds of adults surveyed in the poll released Monday by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation say they feel the U.S. higher education system is headed in the “wrong direction.” Overall, only 36% of adults say they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. The dimming view of whether college is worth the time and money cuts across all demographics. But confidence has dropped most sharply among Republican respondents.
July 8, 2024 5:12 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The State Capitol Complex was evacuated on Saturday because of an emailed bomb threat. NBC News affiliate WGAL obtained a copy of the email titled “My Manifesto,” where an individual claims that “highly lethal” devices were hidden around the Pennsylvania State Capitol and Pennsylvania Judicial Center “in the name of Palestine.” In a statement, the communications director for the PA Department of General Services confirmed the evacuation to WGAL and said Capitol Police didn’t find any explosives during a K-9 perimeter search of the Capitol Complex. Capitol Police, the FBI, the Pennsylvania State Police and other local agencies are conducting a comprehensive search and investigation into the threat.
July 7, 2024 7:23 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Roughly 130 million people are under threat from a long-running heat wave that has shattered records with dangerously high temperatures. More records could fall through the coming week, from the Pacific Northwest to the mid-Atlantic states and the Northeast. Record temperatures were notched in multiple places in across the West on Saturday. That included Ukiah, north of San Francisco, where the mercury hit 117 degrees Fahrenheit and tied the hottest temperature ever recorded in the city. The National Weather Service says it is extending the excessive heat warning for much of the Southwest through Friday. In California, firefighters dispatched helicopters to drop water on wildfires fanned by high temperatures and low humidity. (Photo AP)
July 7, 2024 7:25 am
HOUSTON (AP) — Beryl is hurtling across the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico on a collision course with Texas. It is currently a tropical storm but is forecast to regain hurricane status before nearing the coast Sunday and making landfall the following day. A hurricane warning has been declared for a large stretch of the state’s coastline, from near Corpus Christi to an area south of Houston. State and local officials have urged coastal residents to prepare for possible storm surge flooding, heavy rain and high winds. Some cities have called for voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas prone to flooding. (Photo: AP)
July 7, 2024 7:26 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza (AP) — A Hamas official and an Egyptian official say Hamas has given initial approval for a U.S.-backed proposal for a phased cease-fire deal in Gaza, dropping a key demand that Israel commit up front to a complete end to the war. The apparent compromise by the militant group could deliver the first pause in fighting since November and set the stage for further talks. But all sides warn that a deal is still not guaranteed. Inside Gaza, the Health Ministry says an Israeli airstrike on a school-turned-shelter killed at least 16 people and wounded at least 50 others, including children.
July 7, 2024 7:32 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jon Landau, an Oscar-winning producer who worked closely with director James Cameron on “Titanic” and the “Avatar” series, has died. He was 63. Landau’s family announced his death Saturday. No cause of death was given. Landau’s partnership with Cameron led to three Oscar nominations and a best picture win for 1997’s “Titanic.” Together the pair account for some of the biggest blockbusters in movie history, including “Avatar” and its sequel, “Avatar: The Way of Water.” The trio of films are among the highest grossing movies of all time. In a statement, Cameron says Landau “will be remembered as much for his vast generosity of spirit as for the movies themselves.” (Photo: AP)
July 7, 2024 7:18 am
Emergency crews were called out Saturday afternoon to a house fire in the twelve-hundred block of Fayette Street in Washington. According to scanner reports, one person was taken from the scene with burns. There has been no word on what may have caused the fire. No further details have been made available.
July 7, 2024 7:09 am
(WPXI) – South Strabane firefighters say an Independence Day celebration could have become a disaster because of fireworks. Crews from the South Strabane Fire Department say they got calls about a house on fire in the Bradford Run neighborhood at about 10 p.m. Friday. Police officers were already in the area after getting complaints about fireworks. Firefighters say the rear of a house in the neighborhood was on fire. The flames caused damage to the outside of the house but firefighters were able to prevent them from spreading inside. Discarded fireworks had caused the initial flames, investigators say. The family who lives there was not hurt. Firefighters say an early notification from dispatchers and a quick response prevented the situation from being much worse than it was. (Photo: South Strabane Fire Department)
July 7, 2024 7:06 am
(WPXI) – Nearly four months after a fiery crash on Interstate 70 that left a woman dead, a man is facing charges. Police say Jacob Posey was driving at speeds nearly twice the posted speed limit. “It’s really not going to bring us any more peace, or [put us] at ease,” said Kayla Demo, the sister of Tori Demo, who was killed in the crash. “There’s nothing that’s going to be able to bring her back.” According to court documents, police spoke with two other people who were driving on I-70 at the time of the crash and saw Posey getting onto the interstate. Both of them said he was driving “way too fast.” One of the witnesses said Posey’s truck had been blowing black smoke out of the exhaust. Police said that the witness saw Posey quickly speed up to 100 mph and go around a curve. The second witness said they saw the car, driven by Demo, attempt to move into the right lane as the truck approached behind her in the left, but at the same time, Posey tried to pass her on the right, hitting her car. Demo’s car hit the guard rail, rolled multiple times, and then came to a stop, police said. Both witnesses tried to help her, but the car caught fire, killing her. After the crash, police said Posey told them Demo cut him off and pushed him into the guard rail. Police said he was unsure how fast he was driving, but he guessed it to be 70 mph. A search warrant showed the truck’s black box recorded speeds reaching 118 mph just moments before the crash. That’s more than double the posted speed limit. Posey is out of jail on bond. Posey is due in court for his preliminary hearing on July 29.
July 7, 2024 7:15 am
(WPXI) – The Pitt community and all of college football are mourning the loss of Bobby Grier. Grier died at the age of 91 and helped break the color barriers in college football. In 1956, on his 23rd birthday, Grier made history by becoming the first African American to play in the Sugar Bowl. His spot in the Sugar Bowl was not easy. Georgia’s Governor was opposed to racial integration and tried to keep Grier from playing but Georgia Tech University took a stand and so did his teammates. They refused to make the trip without him. “They said we’re not going down without him. No Grier, no game,” Grier said. Grier was not allowed to stay with his teammates in the team hotel but he ignored it and persevered. “I’m very proud of what I did,” Grier said. Grier is a member of the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2020.
