August 19, 2024 7:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have released their initial impeachment inquiry report on President Joe Biden. The yearlong probe by Republicans stops short of alleging any criminal wrongdoing by the president over his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings. Instead, the almost 300-page report out Monday, before the Democratic National Convention, covers familiar ground. It asserts the Biden family traded on its “brand” in business ventures in corrupt ways that rise to the Constitution’s high bar for impeachment. But with Biden no longer running for reelection, next steps are highly uncertain. The White House has dismissed the House impeachment inquiry as a “stunt” and encouraged House Republicans to “move on.”
August 19, 2024 5:17 am
GREENE COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – According to Greene County Regional Police Chief Will DeForte, the man police believe is tied to a drug cartel is now in custody. A stolen motorcycle led police to Jimmy Butterfield’s home in Morris Township. There police found stolen bikes, a sawed-off shotgun, an assault rife and a pound of meth they believe came from a drug lab across the southern United States border. Butterfield was taken into custody after a two-week search. He was taken into custody by the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department in West Virginia. Police Chief DeForte said that deputies had to smash a window out of Butterfield’s truck because there was some mild resistance. The police chief also shared that they have engaged in two high-speed pursuits involving this fugitive over the last several days.
August 19, 2024 5:14 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Crowds of activists are expected to gather in Chicago for protests outside the Democratic National Convention. They are hoping to call attention to such issues as economic injustice, reproductive rights and the war in Gaza. While Vice President Kamala Harris has galvanized the party as she gears up to accept the Democratic nomination, activists say their plans to demonstrate haven’t changed. They’re ready to amplify their progressive message before the nation’s top Democrats. Their issues cover climate change, abortion rights and racial equality, to name a few, but many activists agree an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war is the overarching message. Organizers estimate turnout Monday to be at least 20,000.
August 19, 2024 5:02 am
ERIE, Pa. — (WPXI) -Multiple people were injured during an incident at a western Pennsylvania amusement park ride Saturday night. The incident happened at Waldameer and Water World, located in Erie, at around 7:25 p.m. NBC affiliate Erie News Now reports that multiple riders on the Flying Swings were injured while on the attraction. None of the injuries are life-threatening. Initial reports said at least three kids were hurt. “The ride will remain closed until the state investigation is complete and they release the ride to us and we, Waldameer, feel that it’s safe to reopen the ride,” Steve Gorman, the president of the park, told Erie News Now. “We are investigating the incidents to learn the cause. The State Department of Agriculture inspectors will have at least one person on site today [Sunday] to help with that investigation.” The Flying Swings is a circular ride with individual swing seats suspended from a central tower that gently rises and rotates, the park’s website said. It opened in 2011 in Waldameer’s North End.
August 19, 2024 4:59 am
HENRY CLAY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A homeowner who shot a burglary suspect in Fayette County will not face any charges, District Attorney Michael Aubele announced Monday. Aubele said his office determined the homeowner’s actions were “appropriate” and have cleared him of any wrongdoings. Just before midnight on Saturday, police were called to a home on Mae West Road in Henry Clay Township for a burglary in progress. During the burglary, the homeowner retrieved a gun and confronted the intruder, who PSP identifies as David Luczak, 62, of Cleveland. PSP said when Luczak didn’t leave after being approached by the homeowner, the homeowner fired the gun several times. Luczak was struck twice in the face and was treated on scene by troopers and medics, then life-flighted to a hospital. He was last listed in stable condition. Aubele said his office, along with state police, reviewed several pieces of evidence including witness statements and surveillance footage. The DA’s office also considered the remote location of the home and Luczak’s criminal history, which includes involvement in a 2013 homicide in Cleveland. “Most importantly, we acknowledge the absolute right of every citizen to make reasonable, split-second decisions to use deadly force to defend themselves and others,” Aubele said in a press release. Luczak is facing several charges including burglary and remains in the hospital.
August 19, 2024 4:52 am
BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) — As Democrats kick off their convention in Chicago, Donald Trump’s campaign is trying to regain its footing after spending the last several weeks flailing to adjust to the new reality of Kamala Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket. Trump had appeared in denial of the reality of Harris’ rise, lashing out angrily as he claimed the large crowds she’s been drawing were generated by artificial intelligence and making racist attacks questioning her identity. The outbursts alarmed allies, who worried Trump was damaging his chance in what they believe is an eminently winnable race.
August 19, 2024 4:50 am
ROCHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz gave pep talks to campaign volunteers and a high school football team Sunday. Their bus tour in a corner of Pennsylvania is serving as a modest, small-town version of the grand rally she’s expected to have at the Democratic nominating convention in Chicago this week. Vice President Harris and Walz, the governor of Minnesota, visited volunteers at a campaign office not far from Pittsburgh before continuing on to a firehouse and a high school in another town. The tour, in a bright blue bus bearing the candidates’ names and the phrase “A new way forward,” also included pilgrimages to a convenience store and a restaurant known for its towering sandwiches.
August 19, 2024 4:46 am
CHARLEROI, Pa. — A man was stabbed in Charleroi Sunday. Washington County dispatchers said emergency crews were called to the 500 block of Washington Avenue at 7:05 p.m. First responders found a man who had been stabbed in the back. The victim was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital, dispatchers said. There’s currently no word on his condition. Dispatchers also said that the suspect was taken into custody.
August 18, 2024 8:21 am
(AP) – Even with the storm hundreds of miles offshore, Hurricane Ernesto was still being felt Saturday along much of the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, with dangerous rip currents forcing public beaches to close during one of the final busy weekends of the summer season. The storm’s high surf and swells also contributed to coastal damage, including the collapse of an unoccupied beach house into the water along North Carolina’s narrow barrier islands. Hurricane specialist Philippe Papin from the National Hurricane Center said Ernesto, which made landfall on the tiny British Atlantic territory of Bermuda early Saturday, was a “pretty large” hurricane with a “large footprint of seas and waves” affecting the central Florida Atlantic coastline all the way north to Long Island in New York. “That whole entire region in the eastern U.S. coastline are expecting to have high seas and significant rip current threats along the coast,” Papin said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration describes rip currents as “powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water” that move at speeds of up to 8 feet (2.44 meters) per second.
August 18, 2024 8:19 am
9ap) – Former U.S. Rep. George Santos is expected to plead guilty to multiple counts in his federal fraud case, according to a person familiar with the matter. Santos, a Republican from New York, is expected to enter the plea at a court hearing planned for Monday on Long Island, the person said. The person could not publicly discuss details of the plea and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Messages were left seeking comment from Santos and three lawyers representing the former congressman. The court hearing was scheduled for Monday afternoon after prosecutors and Santos’ lawyers jointly requested one on Friday. They also sought and received a delay in certain pre-trial deadlines. The news comes just weeks before jury selection was set to begin on Sept. 9. Santos has previously pleaded not guilty to a range of financial crimes, including lying to Congress about his wealth, collecting unemployment benefits while actually working and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses such as designer clothing. (Photo: AP)
