April 23, 2024 4:57 am
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Life-saving medication and equipment is dwindling or altogether absent at hospitals and clinics across Haiti’s capital as brutal gangs tighten their grip on Port-au-Prince and beyond. They have blocked roads, forced the closure of the main international airport in early March and paralyzed operations at the country’s largest seaport, where containers filled with key supplies remain stuck. Dr. Rachel Lavigne of Doctors Without Borders says that “everything is crashing.” Haiti’s health system has long been fragile, but it’s now nearing total collapse after gangs launched coordinated attacks on Feb. 29, targeting critical state infrastructure in the capital and beyond.
April 23, 2024 4:55 am
PARIS (AP) — At least 5 people have died while crossing the English Channel, according to French media, hours after the U.K. approved the migrant deportation bill. The Voix du Nord newspaper said the bodies were discovered at the Wimereaux beach in northern France on Tuesday. This came only hours after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s latest effort to send some migrants on a one-way ticket to Rwanda finally won approval from Parliament. Human rights groups have described the legislation as inhumane and cruel. The U.K. government plans to deport some of those who enter the country illegally as a deterrent to migrants trying to claim asylum once they reach Britain.
April 22, 2024 4:54 am
WHARTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – The Fayette County coroner said the driver of a vehicle that was involved in a crash that killed five people had drugs in his system. The coroner said that the toxicology report on Harold Nibert, 55, showed positive results for cocaine use at the time of the crash. Nibert was driving the vehicle that crossed the double yellow line on Route 40 near New Meador Run Drive and hit a tractor-trailer head-on in Wharton Township on March 26. He and the four other people in the vehicle, including a 7-month-old baby, were killed in the crash. All of the victims were from Delaware, Ohio.
April 22, 2024 4:50 am
LUZERNE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A mobile home in Fayette County sustained heavy damage after a fire on Sunday. Fayette County dispatchers say firefighters were called to the 400 block of 2nd Street in Luzerne Township at around 6:00 p.m. Investigators say no one was injured. Witnesses say a dog was inside but was rescued by firefighters. Neighbors say two adults and two children live inside the home but they were not there when flames broke out. The fire marshal has been called in to investigate.
April 22, 2024 4:57 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — Charges against seven people who were accused of trespassing at the abandoned Century III Mall have been dropped. Jared Chambers, 23, of Canonsburg; Nathaniel Riley, 19, of Brentwood; Noah Joseph, 22, of Pittsburgh; Heather Mason, 21, of Pittsburgh; Austin Seik, 25, of Hookstown; Caden Desimone, 18, of Elizabeth; and Lucas Gonzalez, 21, of Pittsburgh all had preliminary hearings on Friday. The seven suspects were all charged with criminal trespassing/breaking into a structure and criminal mischief in March. Those charges were dropped at the preliminary hearings. At the time charges were filed, court documents said they had been in the mall to take pictures of the property. Crews have been working to demolish the parking deck of the Century III Mall since March. West Mifflin Police have posted signs telling people to stay out of the mall and encourage everyone to avoid the area.
April 22, 2024 4:48 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Three lucky people who purchased Powerball tickets in Pennsylvania came away as winners in Saturday’s drawing. According to the Pennsylvania Lottery, three tickets sold in the state won $50,000 by matching four of the five numbers and the Powerball. Two of those winning tickets used Double Play. The winning numbers drawn Saturday were 4, 35, 41, 44, 58 and the red Powerball was 25. The Double Play winning numbers were 25, 28, 36, 38, 68 and the red Powerball was 23.
April 22, 2024 5:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has approved a $95 billion package of foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies after months of turmoil on Capitol Hill. Congressional leaders pushed aside opposition from hard-right conservatives to complete the bill in a rare Saturday session. The whole package will go to the Senate, which could pass it as soon as Tuesday. Speaker Mike Johnson has put his job on the line and relied on Democratic support every step of the process. The four bills, to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel, Indo-Pacific allies and a measure dealing with TikTok were all overwhelmingly approved. President Joe Biden has promised to sign the package.
April 22, 2024 5:03 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The opening statements in the first criminal trial of a former American president provided a clear roadmap of how prosecutors will try to make the case that Donald Trump broke the law, and how the defense plans to fight the charges on multiple fronts. Lawyers presented dueling narratives Monday as jurors got their first glimpse into the prosecution accusing Trump of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to squelch negative stories about him during his 2016 presidential campaign. Still to come: weeks of what’s likely to be dramatic and embarrassing testimony about the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s personal life as he simultaneously campaigns to return to the White House.
April 22, 2024 5:04 am
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A top concern for local election workers throughout the country this year is their own safety. A group formed after the 2020 presidential election is traveling the country helping them prepare for what could lie ahead and making sure they are connected to local law enforcement. The Associated Press was granted rare access to one recent session in northern Michigan. The threats and harassment stem from the false claims made repeatedly by former President Donald Trump since his loss in 2020. He already has been attacking some election officials this year. The drumbeat has contributed to an exodus of local election directors across the country.
April 22, 2024 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is wrestling with major questions about the growing issue of homelessness as it considers whether cities can ban people from sleeping outside when shelter space is lacking. Monday’s case is considered the most significant on homelessness to come before the high court in decades. In California and other Western states, courts have ruled it’s unconstitutional to fine and arrest people sleeping in homeless encampments if shelter space is lacking. Officials contend that makes it difficult to manage encampments. The case comes from Grants Pass, Oregon, which started fining people $295 for sleeping outside. Advocates argue punishing people who need a place to sleep will make the crisis worse.
