December 3, 2024 4:50 am
RESERVE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Travelers heading home from the busy Thanksgiving weekend were met with surprisingly smooth airport conditions at Pittsburgh International Airport Monday afternoon. With 194 flights scheduled to take off and land, nearly 35,000 passengers passed through the airport, but lines remained manageable, and many found the experience less stressful than expected. Nathan Harshman, who was flying to Miami, said the airport felt much calmer than anticipated. “I was worried it would be busy, but it hasn’t been busy at all. The lines are moving quickly, and in Miami, it was basically empty, so it was good,” he said. Keith Steuer, heading to Atlanta, also found the experience pleasant. “It’s been perfect. It’s not the chaos that people might expect,” he said. AAA is already anticipating a busy holiday season for travelers in the coming weeks, with Christmas travel expected to bring long lines and crowded parking lots once again.
December 3, 2024 2:56 am
Washington City Council is set to approve a 1.5 mill tax increase. During the agenda meeting Mayor JoJo Burgess voiced his displeasure with having to raise taxes. He thanked City Clerk Michele Sperl for her efforts this year on collecting fees on vacant properties. According to Burgess, more than $37,000 has been collected this year. Last year only $10,000 was collected and in 2022, Burgess stated that a mere $2000 was collected on those vacant property fees. Burgess also went after business owners. He said that if businesses are not up to date on taxes, their business privilege licenses will not be renewed. He said he is working on other actions so that people who are delinquent in taxes will pay their fair share so that tax increases on residents will be held at a minimum. Council will vote on the measure at their next meeting.
December 2, 2024 9:35 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has declared an “emergency martial law,” accusing the country’s opposition of controlling the parliament and paralyzing the government with anti-state activities. Yoon made the announcement in a televised briefing Tuesday, vowing to “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.” The move drew immediate opposition from politicians, including the leader of his own conservative party, Han Dong-hoon, who called the decision “wrong” and vowed to “stop it with the people.” Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, called Yoon’s announcement “illegal and unconstitutional.”
December 2, 2024 6:49 am
No injuries resulted after a report of a stove fire at a unit in the Bellmead Apartments along S. Main Street in North Franklin Township. Washington County 9-1-1 says the call came in just after 5 a.m. The fire alarm was pulled and the building was evacuated. Emergency crews from various departments responded. Dispatchers tell WJPA News that the fire was apparently out when fire fighters arrived but there was smoke in the building. Residents were allowed back in a short time later. The State Police fire marshal has been called in to investigate.
December 2, 2024 5:25 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says it is halting aid deliveries through the main cargo crossing into Gaza because of the threat of armed gangs who have looted recent convoys. The decision could worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as another cold, rainy winter sets in. Hundreds of thousands of people are living in squalid tent camps and rely on international food aid. And in Israel, a former defense minister and fierce critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — and a hard-liner on the Palestinians — accuses the government of ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza, where a military offensive continues.
December 2, 2024 5:24 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting Ukraine for the first time in more than 2 1/2 years. The visit Monday comes just weeks after he was criticized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for having a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their call came at a time of widespread speculation about what the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump will mean for Ukraine. Scholz said that in his meeting with Zelenskyy he will announce further military supplies this month totaling 650 million euros. He said that “Ukraine can rely on Germany — we say what we do and we do what we say.”
December 2, 2024 5:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter. That spares the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reverses the president’s past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family. The Democratic president had previously said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence after his convictions in Delaware and California. The move comes weeks before Hunter Biden was set to receive his punishment after his trial conviction in the gun case and guilty plea on tax charges, and less than two months before President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House.
December 2, 2024 5:21 am
CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Fifty-six people were killed and dozens injured as security forces tried to quell clashes during a soccer match in southern Guinea’s largest city. Guinea’s Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said late Sunday on X that the stampede broke out on Sunday afternoon in the city of Nzerekore during a local tournament between the Labe and Nzerekore teams. Local media are reporting that the chaos followed a disputed penalty that angered fans, many of them clashing and pouring onto the open soccer field at the crowded stadium.
December 2, 2024 5:04 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s decision to go back on his word and pardon his son Hunter wasn’t all that surprising to those who are familiar with the president’s devotion to his family. But by choosing to put his family first, the 82-year-old president has raised new questions about his legacy. Biden has held himself up as placing his respect for the American judicial system and rule of law over his own personal concerns. It was part of an effort to draw a deliberate contrast with Republican Donald Trump. Now, both his broken promise and his act of clemency are a political lightning rod.
December 2, 2024 5:03 am
ERIE, Pa. — Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a Proclamation of Disaster Emergency on Saturday morning to support response efforts in Northwest Pennsylvania after several feet of lake-effect snow fell in the region. According to Shapiro’s office, three feet of snow has already fallen in parts of Erie County — and more is expected through Monday night. This disaster declaration allows Pennsylvania to draw down funding to provide state agencies with resources needed to assist communities impacted by the significant snowfall. More than a dozen Pennsylvania National Guard have been placed on state active duty to help and are working directly with Erie County to rescue stranded motorists and move vehicles. State police responded to nearly 200 incidents on Erie County roadways between 6 a.m. on Nov. 29 and 6 a.m. on Nov. 30, Shapiro’s office said.
