November 27, 2024 4:46 am
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – Allegheny County Council members want to cut $70 million from County Executive Sara Innamorato’s $1.2 billion budget proposal to lower the property tax increase residents will likely see next year. Previously, County Executive Innamorato proposed a 46% tax increase. The council is suggesting a 28.5% increase instead. For homeowners who own a home assessed at the county’s median value of $110,000, council’s increase would increase property tax by an extra $11.25 per month. Innamorato’s proposal included an increase of about $15 per month. Council’s new suggestion includes $70 million in cuts. The county’s Human Services Department could see the biggest reduction. Channel 11 was sent the following statement: “The County Executive put forward an honest budget in October, one that was only a 3% increase in spending over 2024 but was serious in addressing the significant, structural financial challenges the County faces. We will now review the amendments and budget as passed by committee tonight. While we believe the Council-proposed 1.35 mill increase is going to fall short of what the County ultimately needs, we will work hard to negotiate with Council leadership in hopes of finding agreement on a budget that will deliver core services, critical programs, and avoid layoffs,” said Communications Director Abigail Gardner. Council is set to vote on the proposal on Dec. 3. It needs the support of 10 out of 15 members in order to pass.
November 27, 2024 4:27 am
A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling that allows a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member to play in the Mountain West Conference tournament after complaints said she should be ineligible on grounds that she’s transgender. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a U.S. Magistrate in Denver was correct in allowing her to play. The magistrate and the appeals court said the players and others who sued should have filed their complaint earlier, rather than waiting until less than two weeks before the tournament was to begin to seek an emergency injunction.
November 27, 2024 2:48 am
North Strabane Supervisors unanimously approved a preliminary budget for 2025 at their legislative meeting. No tax increase is in store for residents as the approved balanced budget totals $22,662,084. That number was reduced by more than $250,000 from last week’s agenda meeting, as the line item for the Majestic Hills sewage repair was lessened through monies received from grants and lawsuits. The spending plan has two big construction projects, the completion of the public safety building on Rt. 19 and the renovation of the former Lighthouse Electric building that will become the new municipal complex. As for infrastructure, the Vandale Bridge is also slated to be replaced next year. Supervisors will formally adopt the budget at their December 17 legislative meeting.
November 26, 2024 4:16 pm
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has approved a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes meanwhile carried out the most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs since the start of the conflict and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 24 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities, as Israel signaled it aims to keep pummeling Hezbollah before the ceasefire is set to take hold at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza.
November 26, 2024 7:27 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of obese Americans would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning. The proposal, which would not be finalized until after President-elect Donald Trump takes office, could cost taxpayers as much as $35 billion over the next decade. It would give millions of people access to weekly injectables that have helped people shed pounds so quickly that some people have labeled them miracle drugs.
November 26, 2024 5:03 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has delayed until January his decision on whether to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez for killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion 35 years ago. Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic said he needed time to review 17 boxes of documents. Still he let the brothers’ aunts take the stand. They both testified on their behalf as the brothers seek to have their 1989 convictions reexamined in the shotgun murders of their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez. They argued the convictions should be reexamined because of new evidence of sex abuse by the brothers’ father. The brothers were sentenced to life without parole.
November 26, 2024 5:02 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is rolling back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, joining a growing list of major corporations that have done the same after coming under attack by conservative activists. The changes, confirmed by Walmart on Monday, are sweeping and include everything from not renewing a five-year commitment for an equity racial center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd, to pulling out of a prominent gay rights index. And when it comes to race or gender, Walmart won’t be giving priority treatment to suppliers. Walmart’s moves underscore the increasing pressure faced by corporate America as it continues to navigate the fallout from the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 ending affirmative action in college admissions.
November 26, 2024 5:00 am
NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is threatening to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office as part of his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China as one of his first executive orders. The tariffs, if implemented, could dramatically raise prices for American consumers on everything from gas to automobiles to agricultural products. The U.S. is the largest importer of goods in the world, with Mexico, China and Canada its top three suppliers.
November 26, 2024 4:58 am
DETROIT (AP) — If President-elect Donald Trump makes good on his threat to kill federal tax credits for electric vehicle purchases, it’s likely that fewer buyers will choose EVs. Yet tax credits or not, auto companies show no intention of retreating from a transition away from gas-burning cars and trucks, especially given the enormous investment they have already made: Since 2021, the industry has spent at least $160 billion on planning, designing and building electric vehicles. In campaigning for the presidency, Trump condemned the federal tax for EV buyers — up to $7,500 per vehicle — as part of a “green new scam” that would devastate the auto industry. It is far from clear, though, that he could actually rescind the credits.
November 26, 2024 4:52 am
PITTSBURGH — If you’re driving to visit family for Thanksgiving, gas will cost a little bit less, according to AAA. Gas prices dropped by about 4 cents in western Pennsylvania this week. The average price in the region for regular gas is $3.33. This is down almost 30 cents from a year ago when the average price was $3.623. Here in Washington the average is down to $2.98.
