August 14, 2024 5:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, including scores of fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles. The State Department made the announcement Tuesday. Congress was notified of the impending sale, which includes more than 50 F-15 fighter jets, Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs, 120 mm tank ammunition and high explosive mortars and tactical vehicles. It comes at a time of intense concern that Israel may become involved in a wider Middle East war.
August 14, 2024 5:09 am
Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Wednesday killed at least 17 people, including five children and their parents. The latest strikes came on the eve of new talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire in the 10-month-long war. The United States, Qatar and Egypt are hoping to broker an agreement, but the sides remain far apart on several issues even after months of indirect negotiations. One strike hit a family home late Tuesday in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, which dates back to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation. It killed five children, ranging in age from 2 to 11, and their parents, according to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
August 14, 2024 5:04 am
Washington County Commissioners appear poised for a vote on a multi-million dollar contract with Motorola for a new emergency radio system. Commissioner’s Chairman Nick Sherman says a meeting is set for today to provide final design and cost numbers. After Tuesday’s agenda meeting, he said they wanted to get this on the agenda for a vote at their Thursday morning meeting. Motorola was one of three bidders looking to overhaul the system after Commissioner’s voted 2-1 back in April to terminate a more-than $22 Million contract with MRA Inc. Sherman and fellow Republican Electra Janis voted in favor of the move. Democrat Larry Maggi was opposed. Thursday’s meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m.
August 14, 2024 4:55 am
BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has invited reporters to his New Jersey golf club for his second news conference in as many weeks. Trump will meet the press Thursday as he steps up his criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris for not holding a news conference or sitting down for interviews since President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed her to replace him. The vice president has barely engaged with reporters since becoming the Democratic nominee, though she travels with journalists aboard Air Force Two and sometimes answers shouted questions while boarding or leaving the plane for campaign stops.
August 14, 2024 4:44 am
Supervisors in North Franklin Township unanimously affirmed the burn ban that was put in under emergency action on Saturday. Supervisor Chairman Bob Sabot said that all burning and use of fireworks will be prohibited until further notice. Anyone in violation of the ban could be fined $500. The ban will be lifted when sufficient rain falls to ease the drought conditions that exist in the township. Supervisors also took their next steps in developing their Waterside Park project. They awarded nearly $850,000 in contracts to begin work on the Waterside Park Event Center. The center will be housed in the old PA American Water building that is situated next to the municipal building. Supervisors also accepted a contribution of a small parcel of land adjacent to the park from the estate of Edith Sprowls. They expressed their gratitude for the land that is nearly .2 acres in size.
August 13, 2024 5:40 pm
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Ernesto is battering the northeast Caribbean as it takes aim at Puerto Rico, where officials have shuttered schools and government agencies. Ernesto is expected to become a hurricane late Tuesday as the center of the storm moves just north of Puerto Rico on a path toward Bermuda. Forecasters have issued a hurricane watch for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands as well as the tiny Puertorican islands of Vieques and Culebra, which are popular with tourists. Officials in Puerto Rico warned of widespread power outages given the crumbling electric grid.
August 13, 2024 3:51 pm
The southbound lanes of Interstate 79 in North Strabane Township were closed for about two hours after a multi-vehicle crash that occurred around two-thirty Tuesday afternoon. All southbound lanes were closed between Exit 48 toward Southpointe and Exit 45 toward Canonsburg but reopened just before four-thirty. There has been no word on the cause of the crash or how many people were injured.
August 13, 2024 12:36 pm
DETROIT (AP) — Ford and Mazda are warning the owners of more than 475,000 older vehicles in the U.S. not to drive them because they have dangerous Takata air bag inflators that have not been replaced. The warning issued Tuesday covers more than 374,000 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles from the 2004 through 2014 model years and nearly 83,000 Mazdas from the 2003 through 2015 model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the inflators can explode with too much force in a crash, blowing apart a metal canister and shooting fragments that can severely injure or kill people. All were recalled previously but repairs have not been completed. The government says 27 people have been killed in the U.S. by the inflators.
August 13, 2024 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is trying to outmaneuver former President Donald Trump and address old vulnerabilities on her policy positions as she starts to fill in how she would govern if elected in November. After four years of following President Joe Biden’s lead, Harris is taking a cautious approach to unveiling a policy vision in her own right. Asked by reporters on Saturday when she would unveil her policy platform, Harris promised more details this week and added, “It’ll be focused on the economy and what we need to do to bring down costs and also strengthen the economy overall.”
August 13, 2024 5:01 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump recounted his assassination attempt in vivid detail and promised the largest deportation in U.S. history during a high-profile return to the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. The conversation with X’s owner Elon Musk was plagued by technical glitches. The rare public conversation, which was overwhelmingly friendly, revealed little new about Trump’s plans for a second term. Musk, a former Trump critic, said the Republican nominee’s toughness, as demonstrated by his reaction to last month’s shooting, was critical for national security. Trump said, “I need an Elon Musk — I need somebody that has a lot of strength and courage and smarts.”
