June 29, 2023 1:48 pm
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver of a tanker truck hauling gasoline lost control on a curved off-ramp on Interstate 95, causing the truck to flip and catch fire, leading to the collapse of the northbound lanes in early June. This is according to a preliminary report from federal safety officials. The National Transportation Safety Board’s brief report released Thursday outlined what happened on June 11. A vehicle was hauling 8,500 gallons of gasoline from Wilmington, Delaware, to a gas station located on Oxford Avenue in Philadelphia when it crashed and caught fire on the off-ramp, killing the driver and damaging a section of the interstate.
June 29, 2023 10:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has struck down affirmative action in college admissions, forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies. In a 6-3 decision, the court overturned admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively. The two programs violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for a conservative majority. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent that the decision “rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress.”
June 29, 2023 9:34 am
The Borough of Charleroi reached an agreement with the Authority of the Borough of Charleroi to mutually benefit both parties. On Wednesday Charleroi agreed to sell their sewer lines to the ABC for $3.75 million. Sean Logue, Solicitor for Charleroi Borough calls the deal a win-win for both the borough and the authority. According to Logue, there will be no rate increase for customers of the authority in Charleroi or in any of the other municipalities that the authority serves. Furthermore, employees of the authority will not be affected. Logue states that the sale will remedy a $400,000 deficit that the borough faced in October. It will also put the borough in good financial standing for the future.
June 29, 2023 5:24 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has cozied up to high-dollar donors at posh Upper East Side penthouses and on West Coast decks gussied up with floral arrangements and flags in recent weeks. He has two more fundraisers in New York on Thursday that will close out an end-of-quarter campaign blitz his team believes will put him on strong financial footing for a contest they expect to set new spending records. While the first quarter is widely viewed as a benchmark of campaign strength, Jeffrey Katzenberg, the Hollywood mogul, Democratic mega-donor and co-chair of Biden’s campaign, said there is “no urgency right now” for Biden to raise or spend vast sums since he lacks a credible primary threat, and the election is 16 months away.
June 29, 2023 5:22 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s criminal indictment on charges of mishandling government secrets appears to have dented his popularity among Republicans — but only slightly. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Sixty percent of Republicans now have a favorable view of Trump. That number is down slightly from April, when 68% of Republicans said they had a favorable view of the 2024 GOP presidential front-runner. The poll found 38% of Republicans have an unfavorable view of Trump, up from 30% in April. The dip suggests some Republicans could be growing weary of Trump’s never-ending legal drama.
June 29, 2023 5:21 am
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian police say a professor and two students have been stabbed during a class on “gender issues” at a university in the Canadian city of Waterloo and a suspect has been taken into custody. The wounds were non-life threatening, police said, adding the motive for the attack at the University of Waterloo was not immediately clear. The suspect was being questioned by investigators. Nick Manning, associate vice-president of communications for the university, identified the suspect as a member of “the university community” but declined to confirm the individual is a student. Manning said the stabbing occurred in Philosophy 202, which, according to the university website, focuses on “gender issues.”
June 29, 2023 5:20 am
NANTERRE, France (AP) — Protesters angry after police shot a 17-year-old boy dead set cars and buildings ablaze in Paris suburbs. Unrest spread to some other French cities and towns Wednesday night and Thursday morning, despite increased security efforts and the president’s calls for calm. The killing Tuesday of 17-year-old Nahel during a traffic check was captured on video and shocked the country. It also stirred up long-simmering tensions between police and young people in housing projects and other disadvantaged neighborhoods around France. A second night of violence erupted in the Paris suburb of Nanterre and nearby towns, and police reported 150 arrests.
June 29, 2023 5:12 am
Almost 30 people, most of whom are juveniles, were taken to local hospitals after a crash involving a camp bus in Fayette County. The crash happened just after 8 a.m. at the intersection of Pine Slopes Road and Indian Creek Valley Road in Saltlick Township. A “multi-function” school bus drove off the side of the road, crashed into a wooden fence, and came to rest in a field, according to state police. They say the bus was carrying kids and adults with the Christian Camps of Pittsburgh. 28 people were taken to nearby hospitals. 25 of them are minors. The bus just barely missed a utility pole when it crashed into the fence and field. Troopers say it could have been worse. Troopers said the investigation will look at the bus for any mechanical issues that may have caused the crash. The driver is being tested for drugs and alcohol, which they say is standard procedure for a bus crash.
June 29, 2023 5:11 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces are attempting to wear down the Russian army and reshape battle lines to create more favorable conditions for a decisive, eastward counteroffensive. Ukraine’s troops were given a boost of morale last week by an armed rebellion in Russia that posed the most significant threat to President Vladimir Putin’s power in more than two decades. Yet how the revolt by Wagner Group mercenaries under the command of Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin affects the trajectory of the war remains to be seen. Ukraine has not yet fully committed elite units and Western-trained brigades, signaling to experts and allies that the counteroffensive remains in its early stages.
June 29, 2023 5:09 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A neurologist says a gunman who massacred 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue has schizophrenia and epilepsy. Dr. Siddhartha Nadkarni testified Wednesday as a defense expert at Robert Bowers’ federal death penalty trial. Bowers has already been convicted in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Jurors must now decide whether Bowers should be sentenced to death or to life in prison without parole. The defense is trying to show the gunman’s ability to form intent to kill was impaired by mental illness. Prosecutors say Bowers was motivated to kill by his hatred of Jewish people.
