May 23, 2023 4:17 am
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Pope Francis has sent one of his top sex crimes investigators to Bolivia at a time when the Andean nation is being shaken by an escalating pedophilia scandal involving priests. Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, a leading member of the church’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, arrived in Bolivia on the same day as a former Jesuit seminarian also landed in the country vowing to reveal more information about alleged cases of abuse. The Bolivian Episcopal Conference said Bertomeu’s visit is not directly related to the recent sex abuse allegations but had been planned earlier to analyze “the progress made in the field of the culture of prevention” promoted by the Vatican.
May 23, 2023 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy say they and their lead negotiators have had a productive meeting at the White House on the impasse over the government’s debt ceiling. Yet there was no agreement Monday as Washington races to strike a budget compromise and raise the nation’s borrowing limit in time to avert a potentially devastating federal default as soon as next week. Despite the lack of movement toward a possible agreement, both men appeared upbeat as they face a deadline, as soon as June 1, when the government could run out of cash to pay its bills.
May 23, 2023 4:12 am
CALIFORNIA, Pa. — (WPXI) – An historic elementary school in Washington County that was built in the early 1900s was nearly destroyed by flames on Saturday night. Officials say a portion will have to be completely torn down. Investigators believe this could be arson. Eight fire departments worked for several hours to battle the fire before getting the flames out. The historic school was built in 1910, with an addition added in 1916. While it was empty at the time of the fire, it was rich with history and design. We asked the chief will the building be torn down. He said that’s up to the owners. California Borough Police are investigating, and charges may be forthcoming.
May 23, 2023 4:07 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Authorities could temporarily seize firearms and background checks would be expanded for gun buyers, under two bills passed in the Pennsylvania House. The two measures were both approved Monday, and now go to the Republican-controlled Senate. Democrats are using their razor-thin majority in the House to back gun-control measures after a yearslong standstill in the politically divided state government. The party describes the bills as relatively moderate measures to cut down on gun trafficking, suicide deaths, accidental shootings and day-to-day violence. Republicans oppose them, saying they punish law-abiding gun owners.
May 23, 2023 2:53 am
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) and elected officials broke ground today signifying construction is underway for the Mon/Fayette Expressway PA Route 51 to I-376 Project’s southern section. Decades ago, Pennsylvania state legislators entrusted the PTC with building the Mon/Fayette Expressway (PA Turnpike 43) and in 1988 the first section of the Mon/Fayette Expressway got underway. For 35 years, the Mon Fayette Expressway has been part of the landscape leading into the Mon Valley. As funding became available, sections of the Mon/Fayette Expressway were completed creating the current 54 miles of expressway from I-68 near Morgantown, West Virginia to Jefferson Hills Borough in Allegheny County. With the passing of Act 89 in 2013, a funding stream was made available to move ahead with the next section of the Mon/Fayette Expressway. “As a native of the Mon Valley, I’m excited to see the final leg of this project moving forward,” said Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis. “This construction will support thousands of jobs right here in southwestern Pennsylvania.”
May 22, 2023 1:04 pm
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has launched his presidential campaign. At an event in his hometown of North Charleston on Monday, Scott offered an optimistic message he hopes can contrast the two figures who have used political combativeness to dominate the early GOP primary field: former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Scott is the Senate’s only Black Republican. His team acknowledges the challenge but notes that the political environment can change, that Scott won reelection by a commanding 20 points in November and that Scott has more money to start his campaign than any presidential candidate in history. (Photo: AP)
May 22, 2023 8:21 am
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – It has been several days since Shane Phillips, 65, went missing in Greene County. Phillips went to the Wisecarver Reservoir to go fishing, a hobby he enjoys often, but never came home. State Police held searches, but nothing turned up. Now, his family is pleading with the public for help. “To not know where our father is, is just surreal,” said Shane’s daughter, Rebecca Phillips. Phillips is a Greene County native and has lived in the area his entire life. His family says he would know the land forward and backward. The fisherman was officially reported missing after his wife became alarmed when nighttime fell and he still was not home. She went to the reservoir and found his red F-150 parked at the landing where it always is, but Phillips was nowhere to be found. His family said his yellow kayak was found in the water. All of Phillips’ belongings were intact, including his wallet. Since no other official searches are currently planned, the family is organizing their own searches. State police say they are checking for surveillance video. Anyone with information about Shane Phillips is asked to contact State Police in Waynesburg at 724-627-6151.
May 22, 2023 4:13 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The NAACP over the weekend issued a travel advisory for Florida, joining two other civil rights groups in warning potential tourists that recent laws and policies championed by Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers are “openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. The NAACP, long an advocate for Black Americans, joined the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a Latino civil rights organization, and Equality Florida, a gay rights advocacy group, in issuing travel advisories for the Sunshine State, where tourism is one of the state’s largest job sectors. The warning approved Saturday by the NAACP’s board of directors tells tourists that, before traveling to Florida, they should understand the state of Florida “devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”
May 22, 2023 4:11 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police say three people were killed and two others wounded in a shooting at a Kansas City bar early Sunday just before closing time. Kansas City police say one of the wounded is in critical condition. Multiple officers responded to the shooting at Klymax Lounge early Sunday and began providing medical aid. Police say two of the victims died at the scene. A third victim died at the hospital. Details about what led up to the shooting were not immediately available. Family members said Jason McConnell was one of the victims who died while working security at the door. The bar featured a performance by a local rap artist who performs under the name “Nutty Still Gassin” Saturday night.
May 22, 2023 4:09 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia claims it has won control of Ukraine’s eastern city of Bakhmut after a grinding nine-month conflict in which tens of thousands of fighters have died. But top Ukrainian military leaders say the battle is not over. Ukrainian officials acknowledge they now control only a small part of Bakhmut but say their fighters’ presence has played a key role in their strategy of exhausting the Russian military. And they say their current positions in surrounding areas will let them strike back inside Bakhmut while Ukrainian forces are making significant advances just outside the 400-year-old city, chipping away at Russia’s northern and southern flanks with the aim of encircling Russian fighters inside.
