UN; Conversations Held With N. Korea Over U.S. Soldier

July 24, 2023 5:10 am

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The deputy commander of the U.N. Command says it has started conversations with North Korea over an American soldier who ran into the North last week across the Koreas’ border. Gen. Andrew Harrison said the process has started through a communications line set up under the armistice agreement that stopped the fighting of the 1950-53 Korean War. He said the well-being of Pvt. Travis King remains the command’s primary concern, but refused to provide more details. The update came as South Korea’s military said a nuclear-propelled U.S. submarine arrived at a port on Jeju Island in the second deployment of a major U.S. naval asset to the Korean Peninsula this month.

Israeli Parliament Approves Judicial Overhaul

July 24, 2023 5:08 am

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli lawmakers have approved a key portion of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s divisive plan to reshape the country’s justice system. The vote came after a stormy session in which opposition lawmakers chanted “shame” and then stormed out of the chamber. The vote reflected the determination of Netanyahu and his far-right allies to move ahead with the plan, despite massive, sustained protests for months and opposition from business leaders, military reservists and legal officials. More mass protests were expected after the vote.

Man Who Killed Eagle Is Father Of NFL Player

July 24, 2023 5:05 am

A Canonsburg man who was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly shooting and killing a bald eagle is the father of Colts’ safety Rodney Thomas II, according to the New York Post. The eagle was found dead along Water Dam Road in Mount Pleasant Township in May. It was shot with an air rifle. Rodney Thomas, 50, is charged with violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. “The bald eagle is our national bird and is widely known as being symbolic of our independence as a country,” said Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh. “A symbolic species such as the bald eagle deserves our protection. My office, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and the Mt. Pleasant Police Department worked diligently coordinating with each other to identify and charge the individual responsible and bring him to justice.” If convicted, Thomas is facing up to a year in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

Four Injured In Multiple Motorcycle Crash

July 24, 2023 5:01 am

LIGONIER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Four people were hurt in a crash involving several motorcycles on Route 30 in Ligonier Township. According to Westmoreland County 911, the crash happened at around 6:49 p.m. Ligonier Valley Police on Facebook said the crash happened near Laughlintown and involved several motorcycles. There were two different crash scenes that stemmed from the same crash, dispatch said. Four people were injured in the crash. One person was flown and two people were taken by ground to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown. A fourth person was taken to UPMC Forbes Hospital, according to officials. There’s currently no word on the victims’ conditions.

One Killed In Union Township Crash

July 24, 2023 4:59 am

One person was killed in a one-vehicle crash early Monday morning in Union Township. Washington County 9-1-1 dispatchers say it happened around 1:30 a.m. in the area of the 22-hundred block of Route 88. We are told the driver was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene.  The identity of the driver has not yet been released.  No other vehicles were involved.

Canonsburg Police Investigating Weekend Shooting

July 24, 2023 2:18 am

CANONSBURG, Pa. (WPXI) — Canonsburg police are investigating after shots were fired in a drive-by shooting early Sunday morning. According to Canonsburg police, officers were called to Perry Como Avenue for reports of shots fired at around 12:50 a.m. Responding officers found damage to a building that was suspected to be from multiple gunshots from a drive-by shooting. The suspects fled an unknown car and their motive is unknown at this time, police said. No injuries were reported from the incident.

Biden To Establish Emmett Till Monument

July 23, 2023 7:22 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — A White House official says President Joe Biden will establish a national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley. Emmett Till is the Black teenager from Chicago who was tortured and killed in 1955 after being accused of whistling at a white woman in Mississippi. His lynching and his mother’s insistence on an open casket helped galvanize the civil rights movement. The official says Biden will sign a proclamation on Tuesday to create the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument across three sites in Illinois and Mississippi. Tuesday is the anniversary of Till’s birth in 1941.

GOP Turns To New Hampshire In Hopes Of Stopping Trump

July 23, 2023 7:21 am

HUDSON, N.H. (AP) — Weary Republicans across New Hampshire, even inside the governor’s office, are desperate to stop former President Donald Trump from winning the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. But for now they’re relying on little more than hopes and prayers. More than a dozen high-profile Republican officials are running against Trump. But one after another, they have stumbled in their campaigns to crack the veneer of inevitability that has followed the former president across the states hosting the opening Republican primary contests. Months after entering the race, most are still grasping for an effective strategy. Former Vice President Mike Pence, perhaps more than anyone, has been dragged down by the powerful undertow of Trumpism.

Democrats Eyeing Wisconsin This Election Cycle

July 23, 2023 7:20 am

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s Supreme Court will flip from majority conservative to liberal control next month and Democrats have high hopes the change will lead to the state’s abortion ban being overturned and maps redrawn to weaken GOP control of the Legislature and congressional districts. Democrats in the perennial battleground state focused on abortion to win an April election resulting in liberal justices holding a majority on the court for the first time in 15 years. Abortion access and redistricting are just two of the biggest issues the court will face as it heads into another hotly contested presidential election year.

Mega Millions Jackpot Grows To $820 Million

July 23, 2023 7:19 am

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Mega Millions top prize has jumped to an estimated $820 million after there was no jackpot winner in the latest drawing. The numbers drawn late Friday night were: 29, 40, 47, 50, 57 and gold Mega Ball 25. The estimated $820 million in the next drawing would only be distributed to a winner who chooses an annuity paid over 29 years. Nearly all grand prize winners opt to take a cash payout, which for the next drawing Tuesday night is an estimated $422 million. Mega Millions says the potential jackpot is the fifth largest in the history of the game. Despite the game’s long odds of 1 in 302.6 million, players continue to purchase tickets as the size of the grand prize grows.