July 14, 2023 5:13 am
PARIS (AP) — France is celebrating its national holiday Friday with whizzing warplanes and a grand Bastille Day parade in Paris. It is also deploying 130,000 of police around the country to prevent a new outbreak of unrest in underprivileged neighborhoods. The annual events celebrating the start of the French revolution on July 14, 1789 this year come in the wake of the nation’s most serious rioting in nearly 20 years. The unrest followed the fatal police shooting of a teen with North African roots that laid bare anger over entrenched inequality and racial discrimination. India is the guest of honor at this year’s Bastille Day parade.
July 14, 2023 5:12 am
Russian President Vladimir Putin is claiming that the Wagner private military company “simply doesn’t exist” as a legal entity. His comments add to the series of often bizarre twists that have followed the group’s abortive revolt last month — the most serious threat to Putin’s 23-year rule amid the war in Ukraine. Putin told a Russian newspaper late Thursday, referring to the Wagner group, that “it just doesn’t exist.” Putin recounted his own version of a Kremlin event attended by 35 Wagner commanders, including its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, on June 29. That meeting came just five days after Prigozhin and his troops staged a stunning but short-lived rebellion against Moscow authorities.
July 14, 2023 5:10 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hollywood actors are joining screenwriters in the first dual strike from the two unions in more than six decades, with huge consequences for the film and television industry. Unionized actors, who begin picketing Friday, say the studios and streaming services who hire them did not even come close to meeting their needs on issues like the use of artificial intelligence and better pay after more than a month of talks. While on strike, actors will not be able to make any promotional appearances or attend premieres. Nor can they partake in any actors’ aspects of production, including rehearsals or voiceovers.
July 14, 2023 5:09 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Unrelenting bloodshed across the U.S. this year has led to the grimmest of milestones: The deadliest six months of mass killings recorded since at least 2006. From Jan. 1 to June 30, the nation endured 28 mass killings, all but one of which involved guns. The death toll rose just about every week, a constant cycle of violence and grief. A mass killing is defined as an occurrence when four or more people are slain, not including the assailant, within a 24-hour period. The 2023 milestone beat the previous record of 27 mass killings, which was only just set in the second half of 2022.
July 14, 2023 5:04 am
The Washington County Sheriff’s office is alerting residents to a ‘fictitious operation plan’ that is being circulated around social media regarding the upcoming Phish concert at the Pavilion at Star Lake. Sheriff Tony Andronas says although it may look authentic it is not official letterhead and was never issued from his office. A picture of the letters shows “Internal Dissemination Only” and calls it “Joint Task Force Enforement Operation Phish in a Barrel”. Andronas says they have a working relationship with the Hanover Police Department but do not assist with concerts. His office is now working with Federal authorities to investigate since the letter lists other federal authorities including the Department of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
July 14, 2023 4:53 am
BETHEL PARK, Pa. — (WPXI) – Bethel Park police are reminding neighbors to lock their cars after a string of break-ins. Police said someone went through multiple cars overnight, and two vehicles were stolen. Keys were left inside the stolen vehicles. The break-ins happened in the area of Highland Circle and Brightwood Road. Neighbors in that area with cameras are asked to check security footage for anything that could help police.
July 14, 2023 4:49 am
UNIONTOWN, Pa. — (WPXI) – A Uniontown police officer is off the job after being criminally charged in connection to an incident that happened at a party Saturday night while he was off duty. Corporal Nicholas Zocco is charged with felony aggravated assault and other charges after allegedly punching another man in the face. According to the police report, the incident happened at a home on North Mill Street in Menallen Township, Fayette County. Investigators with German Township Police say Zocco left the house party after an argument with a woman but came back. On the driveway, police say Zocco punched a man twice in the face, knocking him down and causing him to hit his head on the ground.
Police paperwork shows the man went to the hospital with a broken nose, among other facial injuries, and was evaluated for a concussion. Zocco claimed he hit the man in self-defense. Uniontown Police say Zocco has been with the department since 2015. Zocco was arraigned Thursday and released on a $20,000 unsecured bond.
July 14, 2023 4:45 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. – (WPXI) – A Bethel Park man died after a crash on Interstate 70 in Washington County on Thursday afternoon. Washington County 911 said the crash happened between the Murtland Avenue and Jefferson Avenue exits. Pennsylvania State Police said a motorcycle clipped a Ford Explorer just before 3 p.m. State police said the motorcycle was entering traffic from I-79 onto I-70. The motorcycle merged into the middle lane, striking the Ford Explorer on the rear passenger side. The driver of the motorcycle separated from the bike and slid a significant distance. According to Pennsylvania State Police, Fred Blake Jr., 71, the driver of the motorcycle, was pronounced dead in the hospital. No additional injuries were reported.
July 14, 2023 2:08 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The gunman who killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 is eligible for the death penalty. A federal jury announced its decision Thursday, setting the stage for further evidence and testimony on whether Robert Bowers should be sentenced to death or life in prison. Bowers stormed the Tree of Life synagogue with an AR-15 rifle and other weapons in the nation’s deadliest antisemitic attack. The defense is trying to persuade jurors to spare his life. Testimony is now expected to shift to the impact of Bowers’ crimes on survivors and the victims’ loved ones.
July 13, 2023 9:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. officials have approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, a major change that will broaden access for women and teenagers. The Food and Drug Administration decision on Thursday means drugmaker Perrigo can sell its once-a-day Opill without a prescription. Previously all birth control pills required a doctor’s note. Perrigo won’t start selling the pill until early next year. Hormone-based pills have long been the most common form of birth control in the U.S. Medical societies and women’s health groups have pushed for wider access. They note that young women and those from low-income and minority backgrounds face extra hurdles getting a prescription.
