June 24, 2023 4:30 am
Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation Saturday and vowed to defend the country and its people from an armed rebellion declared by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Putin said the mutiny amounted to “a deadly threat to our statehood” and vowed “tough actions” in response. “All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment,” Putin said. He said an armed rebellion at a time like this is a blow to Russia and to its people.
June 24, 2023 4:26 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he supports the idea of expunging the two impeachments of Donald Trump. McCarthy’s remarks Friday come as two Trump congressional allies — Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Elise Stefanik of New York — introduce proposals to remove the historic charges. No impeached president has ever had the charges against him expunged. It shows the pressure McCarthy is under from his right flank. The former president was impeached by the House on abuse of power charges in 2019 over pressuring Ukraine’s president to dig up dirt on Joe Biden, and in 2021 over the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. He was acquitted both times in the Senate.
June 24, 2023 3:43 am
PITTSBURGH —(WPXI)- After a year-long investigation, 24 people have been indicted for federal drug charges. Investigators say that some of those people who were indicted were operating an open-air drug market in the Hill District. According to our news partner WPXI, on Thursday, agents raided a home in Perry South. Friday, federal investigators revealed that several of the 24 suspected drug dealers recently indicted were running an open-air drug market along Watson Street in the Hill District. Agents say they were selling guns and drugs, including crack cocaine and fentanyl. Investigators also found multiple kilos of cocaine, illegal guns, and thousands of dollars in cash. “This week’s arrests represent a continuation to dismantle drug trafficking organizations throughout western PA,” said Eric Olshan, a US attorney. “When drug traffickers operate with impunity in our communities, ordinary citizens suffer.” Federal agents say of the 24 people indicted, several of them were involved with the “Drizzy Gang,” a well-known gang in the Hill District. “Some of our neighborhoods suffer daily from gang and gun violence,” said Mike Nordwall, an FBI special agent. “We know the individuals charged here terrorized the uptown and hill district communities.” Agents believe those indicted are involved with other violent crimes throughout the area. “Those arrested this week are members associated with the neighborhood-based gang responsible for extremely violent acts including shootings, robberies, and illegal gun trafficking,” Nordwall said. The FBI is still looking for two suspects, Mark Cook and Marvin Coates. This was not only a federal investigation, investigators said tell us that state and local authorities were helping too.
June 24, 2023 3:41 am
PITTSBURGH – The Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner (ACOME) today advised that skeletal remains were found by a utility work crew earlier this week on private property along Short Canal Street in Sharpsburg. ACOME has confirmed those remains as human. The office is currently investigating and exploring a number of possibilities, including that the site may represent a Native American burial ground. The office will consult with anthropologic and archaeology experts to assist in their determination and are taking all measures to respect and protect the property and remains while the investigation is ongoing. Additional information will be released as it becomes available, but updates are not expected for several weeks at the earliest.
June 23, 2023 11:46 am
West Penn Power crews worked quickly to fix a problem in the South Strabane area that left nearly seven-hundred customers without electricity Friday morning. West Penn Power spokesman Todd Myers tells WJPA the issue began in a sub-station behind Lowe’s when a breaker opened up. Power was out to a few businesses along that Route 19 corridor and traffic lights were also affected. WJPA Radio was also affected for a brief time but remained streaming on-line. Power was restored to most areas within about an hour.
June 23, 2023 10:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has upheld a section of federal law used to prosecute people who encourage illegal immigration, ruling against a California man who offered adult adoptions he falsely claimed would lead to U.S. citizenship. The court by a 7-2 vote Friday rejected arguments the law is too broad and violates the Constitution. The case involves a section of federal immigration law that says a person who “encourages or induces” a non-citizen to come to or remain in the United States illegally can be punished by up to five years in prison. That’s increased to 10 years if the person doing the encouraging is doing so for personal financial gain.
June 23, 2023 9:43 am
A resident of Belle Vernon pleaded guilty in federal court to a wire fraud charge for taking money from a local credit union while she was the manager and setting a safe on fire to cover the evidence. Patty Lynn Mavrakis, 65, was the branch manager for Valley 1st Community Federal Credit Union in Belle Vernon on Sept. 5, 2016, when she took cash from the safe while it was closed for Labor Day, according to the Department of Justice. The next day, she arrived before any other employees and staged a fire in the safe, then claimed an alarm wire caught fire, burning $340,200 in cash. She then filed a false claim, which was paid by the insurance company. Mavrakis remains free on bond. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 11
June 23, 2023 5:10 am
After spending more than two decades building a rigidly controlled political system, Russian President Vladimir Putin is silently watching increasingly raucous infighting that has emerged among top members of his entourage amid the war in Ukraine. While it doesn’t pose any immediate threat to Putin’s power, some analysts say his failure to squelch the squabbles between Yevgeny Prigozhin, the maverick head of the Wagner private military contractor, and the military brass heralds potential shifts in Russia’s political scene and sets the stage for more internal battles. It has pushed Prigozhin to the forefront of Russia’s political scene and signaled his growing ambitions.
June 23, 2023 5:07 am
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Chemical manufacturer 3M has agreed to pay at least $10.3 billion to settle lawsuits over contamination of many U.S. public drinking water systems with potentially harmful compounds known as PFAS. The deal was announced Thursday by the company based in St. Paul, Minnesota, and an attorney representing hundreds of public water systems. 3M is a leading maker of PFAS chemicals used widely in firefighting foams and many nonstick and grease-resistant consumer products. They’re described as “forever chemicals” because they don’t degrade naturally in the environment. PFAS compounds been linked to a variety of health problems, including liver and immune-system damage and some cancers.
June 23, 2023 5:05 am
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A judge has blocked Wyoming’s first-in-the-nation ban on abortion pills before it was set to be implemented July 1. While several states have banned abortion outright or restricted access to abortion pills, Wyoming in March became the first state with an explicit ban on abortion pills. Teton County Judge Melissa Owens issued the ruling after hearing arguments Thursday for and against allowing the ban to take effect pending the outcome of a lawsuit challenging the new law. The ban would limit services at two Wyoming clinics including one that opened in Casper in April. Owens has now blocked three abortion bans signed into law by the Republican governor who appointed her.
