Trump Says He’s A ‘Believer’ In Polio Vaccine

December 16, 2024 5:09 am

President-elect Donald Trump has held a wide-ranging news conference in which he took questions from reporters for the first time since winning the election. He said Monday that he would preserve access to the polio vaccine but equivocated on other vaccines. He pledged to look at bringing down the costs of pharmaceuticals and expressed doubts that his daughter-in-law might be Florida’s next senator. The event harkens back to his long-winding news conferences from his first term and is a stark contrast from President Joe Biden, who doesn’t often take questions from reporters.

Investigation Continues Into Washington Shooting

December 16, 2024 5:08 am

WASHINGTON, Pa. — A man was wounded early Sunday in a shooting outside a restaurant here in the City of Washington. Washington County 911 dispatchers say it happened on South Main Street, near Maiden Street, around 2:15 a.m. Police found the victim after responding to a report of shots fired. The man was first taken to UPMC Washington hospital, then flown to Pittsburgh for further treatment. Washington Police say the man’s injuries are not life-threatening. No arrests have been made. Anyone who witnessed the shooting or has video of it is asked to call the Washington City Police Department at 724-223-1386 or 724-223-4226.

15-Year Old Girl Is Latest School Shooter

December 16, 2024 5:01 am

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Police say a 15-year-old student opened fire inside a study hall at a small Christian school in Wisconsin, killing a teacher and teenager. Monday’s shooting prompted a swarm of police officers responding to a second grader’s 911 call. Police say the female student wounded six others in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, including two students who were in critical condition. Police say the shooter was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound when officers arrived and died en route to a hospital. Police say a motive for the shooting was not immediately known, nor was it clear if the victims were targeted.

Pelosi Has Hip Replacement Surgery

December 15, 2024 7:20 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has had hip replacement surgery at a U.S. military hospital in Germany after falling while at an event in Luxembourg with other members of Congress. A spokesman on Saturday says the 84-year-old Pelosi “is well on the mend.” Pelosi thanked the staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and the hospital in Luxembourg, where she was also treated, for “their excellent care and kindness.” She was in Europe with a bipartisan congressional delegation to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

ABC To Give $15 Million To Trump’s Presidential Library

December 15, 2024 7:18 am

NEW YORK (AP) — ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million toward Donald Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate on-air assertion that the president-elect had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. ABC will also post a note on its website expressing regret over the claim in Stephanopoulos’ March 10 segment on “This Week.” That’s according to a settlement document made public on Saturday. It describes ABC’s presidential library payment as a “charitable contribution.” The settlement agreement was signed Friday, the same day a Florida federal judge ordered Trump and Stephanopoulos to sit for separate depositions in the case next week. The settlement means that sworn testimony is no longer required.

Syrian Rebels Aim For Normalcy

December 15, 2024 7:14 am

DAMASCUS (AP) — A transformation has started to take place in the week since the unexpected overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar Assad. Suddenly in charge, the rebels have been met with a mix of excitement, grief and hope. And so far the transition has been surprisingly smooth. Reports of reprisals, revenge killings and sectarian violence are minimal, looting and destruction has been quickly contained. But there are a million ways it could go wrong. Syria is broken and isolated after five decades of Assad family rule. Families have been torn apart by war, former prisoners are traumatized, and tens of thousands of detainees remain missing. The economy is wrecked, poverty is widespread, inflation and unemployment are high. Corruption seeps through daily life.

South Korean Leaders Seek Calm

December 15, 2024 7:11 am

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s opposition leader has offered to work with the government to ease the political tumult, a day after the opposition-controlled parliament voted to impeach conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol over a short-lived attempt to impose martial law. Liberal Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, whose party holds a majority in the National Assembly, urged the Constitutional Court to rule swiftly on Yoon’s impeachment and proposed a special council for policy cooperation between the government and parliament. Yoon’s powers have been suspended until the court decides whether to remove him from office or reinstate him. If Yoon is dismissed, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.

Person Found Shot In City of Washington

December 15, 2024 7:06 am

City of Washington Police were called to a report of shots fired early Sunday morning. According to county 9-1-1 officials, police were dispatched to the 200 block of South Main Street at 2:10 AM. When police arrived they found an individual had been shot. That individual was taken to UPMC Washington Hospital. The hospital was put on lockdown until 4:00 AM. The identity of the victim has not been revealed. No suspect in the incident has been identified. City of Washington Police continue to investigate.

PennDot Announces Lane Restrictions

December 15, 2024 7:04 am

PennDot is announcing daily single lane restrictions on Interstate 70 in Rostraver Township. Those restrictions will be daylight only and will occur on Tuesday December 17 and continue through Thursday December 19. The areas restricted are eastbound between Exit 43 (Rt. 201 to 837, Donora/Fayette City) to Exit 46A (Rt. 51 South, Uniontown). Westbound the restrictions will be between Exit 46A (Rt. 51 South, Uniontown) to Exit 43 B (Rt.201 to 837, Donora). The restrictions begin at 7:00 AM and last until 5:00 PM. The work that is to be done will be base repair, milling and asphalt paving.

Biden, Harris Urge Democratic Donors To Stay Engaged

December 15, 2024 5:27 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris thanked deep-pocketed Democratic donors who raised record sums in last month’s election loss to President-elect Donald Trump. The leaders of the outgoing administration at a Democratic National Committee holiday reception on Sunday urged the party’s important financial backers not to lose hope and to remain politically engaged. The Democratic Party needs the key donors to stay committed as it tries to pick up the pieces after Republicans took the White House and Senate while maintaining control of the House. Biden told the audience that “we all get knocked down,” but “the measure of a person or a party is how fast they get back up.”