July 31, 2024 1:59 am
Freedom Transit and the Washington County Transportation Authority welcomed officials from the Federal Transit Authority on Tuesday to accept a grant that will pave the way to completion of the new Freedom Transit transportation hub. Freedom Transit Executive Director Sheila Gombita welcomed Terry Garcia Crews, Regional Administrator from the Federal Transit Authority and Michael Carroll, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to a check presentation ceremony where Freedom Transit was awarded a $15 million grant from the FTA. According the Crews the funds are from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Carroll indicated that Pennsylvania has kicked in $17 million of state funds for the project. Gombita was elated to receive the competitive grant. She said the 88,000 square foot maintenance facility will help extend the life of busses. Customers will see a cleaner and better maintained fleet. Gombita said that the new facility will be for maintenance only. Executive offices and the transfer station will stay in the middle of Washington on E. Chestnut Street. Groundbreaking on the $56 million facility is anticipated in July of 2025 with a completion date of December of 2026. (Photo: L-R. Terry Garcia Crews, Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Authority; Michael Carroll, Secy. PA Dept. of Transportation; Sheila Gombita, Exec. dir. Freedom Transit and members of the Freedom Transit Board of Directors)
July 30, 2024 2:57 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Secret Service’s acting director says he considers it indefensible that the Pennsylvania roof used by the gunman in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump was unsecured. Ronald Rowe on Tuesday faulted local law enforcement for not circulating urgent information ahead of the shooting and for not adequately protecting the scene. Rowe also testified he recently visited the shooting site and said what he saw made him “ashamed.” Rowe assures lawmakers “people will be held accountable.” The Republican former president was struck in the ear by a bullet or a bullet fragment in the July 13 assassination attempt before a Secret Service counter-sniper killed the gunman.
July 30, 2024 8:54 am
LONDON (AP) — British police are questioning a suspect and working to understand what motivated a 17-year-old boy to attack children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class, leaving three dead and six in critical condition. A total of eight other children and two adults were wounded in the rampage in Southport in northwest England. Both adults and five of the children are in critical condition in local hospitals. Swift said on Instagram she was “completely in shock” and still taking in “the horror” of the event. A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
July 30, 2024 5:19 am
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has extended his party’s control over the media, directly affecting informed democratic participation. Opposition politicians have long complained that they only get five minutes of air time every four years on public television, the legal minimum, to present their platforms before elections. His Fidesz party has won four consecutive two-thirds majorities in parliament, but is now facing its stiffest challenge yet from a former insider who has set up his own party. Opposition lawmakers and independent analysts say many Hungarians simply aren’t aware of corruption scandals and other abuses because they aren’t reported by media outlets loyal to Fidesz.
July 30, 2024 5:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Secret Service’s acting director has told lawmakers he considered it indefensible that the roof used by the gunman in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump was unsecured. He also says it’s regrettable that local law enforcement had not advised his agency that a gunman had been spotted on a nearby roof. Acting director Ronald Rowe also testified Tuesday that he recently visited the shooting site and laid down on the roof of the building where shots were fired in order to evaluate the gunman’s line of sight during the July 13 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.
July 30, 2024 5:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is set to launch a battleground tour next week with her yet-to-be-named running mate, with stops in seven swing states stretching from Pennsylvania to Nevada. The planned tour is the latest sign of the whirlwind pace at which Harris has gone from President Joe Biden’s supportive running mate to likely Democratic nominee ready to identify her No. 2 and take on Republican Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance. Harris says she hasn’t made a decision yet on whom she will select. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly are among those under consideration. The tour is to begin Tuesday in Philadelphia leading to speculation that Shapiro could be the pick.
July 30, 2024 5:04 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump has backed away somewhat from his earlier commitment to debate Vice President Kamala Harris, questioning the value of a meetup and saying he “probably” will debate but he “can also make a case for not doing it.” Trump, in an interview with Fox News Channel that aired Monday night, was pressed several times about committing to debating Harris before giving a squishier answer than he had in recent days. The Republican former president had been eager to debate President Joe Biden when he was the Democratic nominee. But with Harris poised to take Biden’s place, Trump has been questioning the terms of the original debate he agreed to with the president.
July 30, 2024 5:03 am
ATLANTA (AP) — Little more than a week ago, Georgia appeared to be slipping out of Democrats’ reach. President Joe Biden’s campaign was pledging to concentrate more on holding the “blue wall” states in the Midwest and suggesting they might be willing to forsake “Sun Belt” battlegrounds. But now that Biden has bowed out of the race and Vice President Kamala Harris is the likely nominee, the Democrats say they have new hope for the state. They’re betting that a fresh burst of energy and a surge in fundraising has helped make Georgia a toss-up again. Harris is planning a show of political force on Tuesday in Atlanta, with a large rally like those held by Republican former President Donald Trump.
July 30, 2024 5:01 am
NEW DELHI (AP) — Multiple landslides triggered by torrential rains in southern India have killed 49 people and left many others feared trapped under the debris. The landslides hit hilly villages in Kerala state Tuesday and destroyed many houses and a bridge. Authorities have yet to determine the full scope of the disaster. Rescuers were working to pull out those stuck under mud and debris, but their efforts were hampered by blocked roads and unstable terrain. Television images showed rescuers working their way through mud and uprooted trees and vehicles stuck in a swollen river. Authorities were using helicopters to help with rescue efforts. More rain is forecast.
July 30, 2024 4:59 am
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — As thousands of people demonstrate across Venezuela, opposition candidate Edmundo González has announced that his campaign has the proof it needs to show he won the country’s disputed election whose victory electoral authorities handed to President Nicolás Maduro. González and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters they have obtained more than 70% of tally sheets from Sunday’s election, and they show González with more than double Maduro’s votes. Both called on people, some of whom protested in the hours after Maduro was declared winner, to remain calm and invited them to gather peacefully at 11 a.m. Tuesday to celebrate the results.
