June 22, 2023 5:02 am
BEIJING (AP) — Authorities in northwestern China say 31 people have been killed and seven injured in a cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the city of Yinchuan. State media said the blast tore through the establishment Wednesday evening in the capital of the traditionally Muslim Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded urgent treatment for the injured and a safety overhaul after the explosion. It happened on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival, a national holiday devoted to eating rice dumplings and racing boats manned by teams of paddlers. Investigators were sent to determine the cause. Industrial accidents occur regularly in China, usually because of poor oversight, corruption and lax safety practices.
June 22, 2023 5:01 am
(AP) – The U.S. Coast Guard says a missing submersible imploded near the wreckage of the Titanic, killing all five people on board. Coast Guard officials said during a news conference Thursday that they’ve notified the families of the crew of the Titan, which has been missing for several days. Debris found during the search for the vessel is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber, said Rear Adm. John Mauger of the First Coast Guard District.
June 22, 2023 4:57 am
UPPER ST. CLAIR, Pa. — (WPXI) – People are back in their homes after a gas leak forced an evacuation in Upper St. Clair on Wednesday. The leak happened on Lesnett Street and the road was closed for hours between Wellington Drive and the McLaughlin Run roundabout. The leak sent gas shooting into the air, the sight was shocking to neighbors who thought it was a water main break shooting water. Neighbor Zoey Weiner shared a video she shot this morning when she went to leave her home. There was a fire truck blocking her in, and she turned and saw gas shooting into the air. “I looked down the street and realize there was a geyser coming out of the ground, which looked like water. I said, ‘Is that water?’ and the water company said, “No, that’s gas,’” Weiner said. Pennsylvania American Water said crews hit an unmarked gas line while repairing a water main.
June 22, 2023 4:48 am
The Canon-McMillan School District wrapped up the current school year by adopting the budget for the 2023-2024 school year. In a unanimous vote directors adopted a $107.7 million budget. That budget comes with a .26 mill tax increase. According to numbers provided by Director of Business and Finance Joni Mansmann, the budget has a 6.8% increase over last year. The budget will have a fund balance of $111,000. Mansmann indicated that several professional and elementary guidance positions were added along with the planning for the new Wylandville elementary school, she also stated that Canon-McMillan has the second lowest tax rate in Washington County. Directors also accepted the $15,000 first place award from the NJM Insurance “Just Drive” video PSA contest. The award will be used to build a safe driving awareness campaign for post-prom and post-graduation. Finally directors unanimously approved the sale of the old middle school in Canonsburg. The final sales numbers and purchasing party are not currently available as approval from the board was needed to fully execute the agreement of sale.
June 21, 2023 12:09 pm
(AP) – Chicken grown from animal cells, not from slaughtered birds, can now be sold in the U.S. The Agriculture Department issued approvals Wednesday to California firms Upside Foods and Good Meat to sell the products, known as “lab-grown” or “cultivated” meat. The meat is grown in steel tanks, using cells that come from a living animal, a fertilized egg or a special bank of stored cells. The goal is to eliminate harm to animals and drastically reduce the environmental impacts of raising them. The meat will initially be sold only at upscale restaurants.
June 21, 2023 12:06 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Some consider Yusef Salaam a folk hero as a member of the “Central Park Five,” the group of teenagers wrongly convicted of raping a white jogger in a brutal attack 34 years ago. Now he’s banking on his painful past to help win a seat on the New York City Council. Salaam says he offers a new voice that can speak about his community’s pain. His opponents are two state lawmakers who have had a long history in politics and say he doesn’t know enough about how local government works. Nevertheless, they acknowledge that they will have to overcome Salaam’s celebrity and public knowledge of his experience in the justice system.
June 21, 2023 12:04 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission is suing Amazon for what it calls a years-long effort to enroll consumers without consent into its Prime program and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the agency accused Amazon of using deceptive designs, known as “dark patterns,” to deceive consumers into enrolling in the program. It also alleged the company’s leadership slowed or rejected changes that made canceling the subscription easier. Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
June 21, 2023 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden had just six words to offer after his 53-year-old son Hunter pleaded guilty to federal tax offenses in a deal that is also likely to spare him time behind bars on a weapons charge. He said simply: “I’m very proud of my son.” That pride has been accompanied by pain, and for the president’s family, both have been on public display. Republicans have worked to use Hunter Biden’s actions — and his acknowledged struggle with addiction — as an anchor to try to drag down his father.
June 21, 2023 5:05 am
A Canadian military surveillance aircraft has detected underwater noises as a massive search goes on in a remote part of the North Atlantic for a submersible that vanished while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. A statement early Wednesday from the U.S. Coast Guard did not elaborate on what rescuers believed the noises could be. However, it offered a glimmer of hope for those now lost abroad the Titan as estimates suggest as little as a day’s worth of oxygen could be left if the vessel is still functioning. Meanwhile, questions remain on how teams could reach the lost submersible, which could be as deep as about 12,500 feet below the surface near the watery tomb of the historic ocean liner.
June 21, 2023 5:04 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A proposed tax credit to recruit new teachers, nurses and police officers passed through the Pennsylvania House of Representatives with bipartisan support on Tuesday, but the Republican-controlled Senate has said it lacks support in the caucus. The bill would provide a $2,500 annual tax credit for three years for Pennsylvania residents after they become certified, or after they move to Pennsylvania with a state-recognized credential. It’s a key element of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal to attract more people into Pennsylvania’s ranks of police officers, nurses and teachers amid nationwide shortages.
