October 7, 2024 5:19 am
BETHEL PARK, Pa. — Police in Bethel Park say they have found a missing man who is autistic and bipolar. Nathyn Patrick Hoffman, 24, was last seen at the Dollar General in the Hillcrest Shopping Center Sunday evening. He was last seen wearing a black polo shirt, blue shorts and sandals. He often spends time in Pittsburgh’s North Shore and Downtown communities. No information on where he was found has been released. (Photo: Bethel Park Police Department)
October 7, 2024 5:30 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has spent a record of at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since the war in Gaza began and led to escalating conflict around the Middle East. That’s according to a report by Brown University’s Costs of War project released Monday on the anniversary of Hamas’ attacks on Israel. The report says an additional $4.86 billion has gone into stepped-up U.S. military operations in the region since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, including the costs of a Navy-led campaign to quell strikes on commercial shipping by Yemen’s Houthis. It’s one of the first tallies of these estimated U.S. costs. The research was completed before Israel opened a second front against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
October 7, 2024 5:28 am
RE’IM, Israel (AP) — Israelis are holding vigils and somber ceremonies to mark a year since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest in the country’s history, an attack that sparked the war in Gaza and scarred Israelis indelibly. The surprise attack, which caught Israel unprepared on a major Jewish holiday, shattered Israelis’ sense of security and shook their faith in their leaders and their military. Its aftershocks still ripple one year later. In Gaza, which is still buckling under the weight of the ongoing war, no formal commemorative event was planned. Israelis are expected to flock to ceremonies and cemeteries around the country on Monday.
October 6, 2024 6:25 am
Elon Musk heralded Donald Trump on Saturday as the only candidate “to preserve democracy in America.” The SpaceX and Tesla CEO stood alongside the GOP nominee at a rally in Butler, the Pennsylvania city where Trump survived an assassination attempt earlier this year. Clad in a black-on-black cap bearing the “Make America Great Again” slogan of Trump’s campaign, Musk jumped in the air as he made his way to the podium. The appearance marked the first time that the billionaire businessman appeared publicly at a campaign event since endorsing Trump in July. He’s hosted Trump in a rare public conversation on X, agreed to lead a government efficiency commission if Trump wins reelection and created a super PAC supporting the Republican nominee.
October 6, 2024 6:22 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has pledged ongoing federal support for those affected by Hurricane Helene as she visited North Carolina. The Democratic presidential nominee met with state and local officials Saturday in Charlotte, where she praised the work of strangers helping strangers. She also helped pack aid kits and met with volunteers, calling them “heroes among us.” It was her second trip in four days to the disaster zone. Republican nominee Donald Trump was in the state a day earlier, and has been spreading false claims about the federal response to the disaster. But Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper says that federal officials have been on the ground in the state helping “since the very beginning.”
October 6, 2024 6:15 am
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The death toll from Hurricane Helene has inched up to 227 as the grim task of recovering bodies continues more than a week after the monster storm ravaged the U.S. Southeast. Helene came ashore Sept. 26 as a Category 4 hurricane and carved a wide swath of destruction as it moved northward from Florida. It destroyed homes, washed away roads and knocked out electricity and cellphone service for millions. The death toll could rise even higher. It is not clear how many people are unaccounted for or missing. Helene is the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005.
October 6, 2024 6:12 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The leaders of North Korea and China have marked the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations by exchanging messages that expressed hopes for stronger ties, as outsiders raised questions about their relationship. Sunday’s message exchange between North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and China’s Xi Jinping came as North Korea and Russia have been sharply expanding their cooperation while China apparently keeps its distance. Experts say that the level of exchanges and commemorative programs between North Korea and China in coming months will provide a clue to the exact status of their ties.
October 6, 2024 6:08 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian officials say an Israeli strike on a mosque in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 19 people. Israel meanwhile intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Beirut on Sunday in its widening war on Iran-allied militant groups across the region. Israel is still battling Hamas in Gaza nearly a year after its Oct. 7 attack, and has opened a new front against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has been trading fire with Israel along the border since the war in Gaza began. Israel has also vowed to strike Iran itself after it launched a ballistic missile attack on the country last week.
October 6, 2024 5:48 am
BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump rallied supporters at the same Pennsylvania grounds where a gunman tried to assassinate him in July, setting aside near-constant worries for his physical safety. He urged a large crowd to deliver an Election Day victory that he tied to his survival of the shooting. The Republican presidential nominee returned to the site on Saturday joined by running mate JD Vance, billionaire Elon Musk and others on the grounds of the Butler Farm Show. The Trump campaign wanted to maximize the event’s headline-grabbing potential with just 30 days to go in his race against his Democratic opponent Vice President Kamala Harris.
October 6, 2024 1:14 am
Two local churches are hoping to make a difference in the lives of victims of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. Reverend Clayton LaPosta, the pastor at North Buffalo Presbyterian and Taylorstown Presbyterian churches says they are hoping to fill a truck with disaster relief buckets that will then be taken to North Carolina at the end of the month and deposited in a warehouse that is being used for relief supplies. Reverend LaPosta says they’ve only just begun collecting the items and are overwhelmed with the generosity shown by Washington County. Reverend LaPosta says they are looking mainly for cleaning supplies and personal hygiene products. He suggests filling a five-gallon bucket with items like sponges; scrub brushes; liquid detergent, dish soap and liquid household cleaners. If you’re not able to fill a bucket, Reverend LaPosta says you can drop off individual items to the North Buffalo Presbyterian Church. All donations must be dropped off by October 28th, when they will be loaded onto a box truck and driven to North Carolina. If you have questions, you can call Reverend Clayton LaPosta at 724-420-7299. (Photo: AP)
