April 27, 2024 5:13 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has launched a barrage of missiles against Ukraine directed at energy facilities. The energy minister said facilities in Dnipropetrovsk in the south of the country and Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv in the west had been attacked. A psychiatric hospital was damaged and one person was wounded after Russia launched a missile attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv. Meanwhile, Russia said its air defense systems had intercepted more than 60 drones over the southern Krasnodar region. The regional governor said that Ukrainian forces targeted an oil refinery and infrastructure facilities but that there were no casualties or serious damage.
April 27, 2024 5:10 am
ORLANDO, Fla. — (WPXI)- A teenager has been arrested in connection to a deadly shooting at a playground in McKees Rocks. Delvon Johnson, 17, is charged in the shooting death of Ahsan Edwards, 15. Ahsan was shot multiple times at Third Street Park on Saturday, April 20. He died at a local hospital. Witness interviews and multiple videos led detectives to Johnson. Johnson was arrested Friday afternoon in Orlando, Florida. He is facing multiple charges including criminal homicide, aggravated assault and illegal possession of a firearm. Police said Johnson is still in Florida, pending extradition back to Allegheny County.
April 27, 2024 2:38 am
It was a busy Friday morning for law enforcement in Washington. Washington County Sheriff Tony Andronas says that in the early morning hours, the Sheriff’s Fugitive Warrant Unit, along with City of Washington Police, South Strabane Township Police, State Police, the Washington County Drug Task Force, Washington County Adult Probation, Pennsylvania Parole and the United States Marshal Fugitive Task Force, conducted a warrant sweep. Andronas says that out of some forty bench and probation warrants for various crimes, eleven arrest warrants were made. They ranged from firearms, drugs and probation violations, to the arrest of an individual who was wanted by Federal Parole officials for a firearms violation.
April 27, 2024 2:30 am
Two people are facing numerous charges and a large amount of dangerous drugs are off the street after a drug bust Friday morning in the City of Washington. Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh says his Drug Task Force served a search warrant at 596 East Maiden Street with the assistance of Regional SWAT and the Washington City Police Department. The search warrant was the result of a months-long investigation by undercover narcotics detectives. 38 year old Ryan Brown and 35 year old Marissa Brown were taken into custody and face a long list of charges including possession with the intent to deliver controlled substances. Walsh says the search turned up more than 1900 stamp bags containing suspected heroin, fentanyl and Xylazine, as well as, cash and drug paraphernalia.
April 26, 2024 5:36 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — TikTok is gearing up for a legal fight against a U.S. law that would force the social media platform to break ties with its China-based parent company or face a ban. A battle in the courts will almost certainly be backed by Chinese authorities as the bitter U.S.-China rivalry threatens the future of a wildly popular way for young Americans to connect online. Beijing has signaled TikTok should fight what it has called a “robbers” act by U.S. lawmakers “to snatch from others all the good things that they have.” But should a legal challenge fail, observers say Chinese authorities are unlikely to allow a sale, a move that could be seen as surrendering to Washington.
April 26, 2024 4:59 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration is again delaying a sweeping plan to ban menthol cigarettes. The decision is certain to infuriate anti-smoking advocates but could avoid angering Black voters ahead of November elections. Biden’s top health official said Friday the administration would take more time to consider feedback on the ban. The announcement is another setback for the health officials at the Food and Drug Administration. They drafted the ban and predicted it would prevent hundreds of thousands of smoking-related deaths.
April 26, 2024 5:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say the Pentagon is expected to announce that it will provide about $6 billion in long-term military aid to Ukraine. It will include much sought after munitions for Patriot air defense systems and other weapons. The officials say the aid package will be funded through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which pays for longer-term contracts with the defense industry and means that it could take many months or years for the weapons to arrive. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.
April 26, 2024 5:16 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Trump has exited the Manhattan courtroom where his hush money trial is being held, exhaling and with a stern expression. It marks the end of the trial’s fourth day of witness testimony. So far, prosecutors have called three witnesses. Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker spent about 10 hours on the stand over the course of four days. Then Trump’s longtime executive assistant Rhona Graff answered questions for about 30 minutes. The current witness, Cohen’s former banker Gary Farro, was on the stand for a little under an hour Friday. He will return when the trial resumes Tuesday, with Monday being a long-scheduled day off.
April 26, 2024 5:15 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University students who inspired pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country say they have reached an impasse with administrators and intend to continue their encampment until their demands are met. The announcement Friday after exhaustive negotiations comes as Columbia’s president faces harsh criticism from faculty. Hundreds of protesters have been arrested across the nation, sometimes amid scuffles with police. Other schools have been quick to call law enforcement to douse demonstrations before they can take hold. Columbia officials have said they will seek other options if the negotiations with protesters fail.
April 26, 2024 5:13 am
BEIJING (AP) — The United States and China are butting heads over a number of contentious bilateral, regional and global issues as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping and senior Chinese officials. Friday’s meetings started with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and then Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong. Talks between the two sides have increased in recent months even as differences have grown. Blinken and Wang underscored the importance of keeping lines of communication open, but they also lamented that divisions were becoming more serious. Their opening comments hinted at a long list of differences to be discussed, including Taiwan, the South China Sea, trade, human rights and China’s support for Russia.
