December 9, 2023 6:34 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Ryan O’Neal, who was nominated for an Oscar for the tear-jerker “Love Story” and played opposite his precocious daughter Tatum in “Paper Moon,” has died. O’Neal’s son Patrick said on Instagram that his father died Friday. No cause was given, but Ryan O’Neal was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012. In 1970s films such as “Paper Moon” and Stanley Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon,” the actor used his boyish, blond good looks to play men who hid shadowy backgrounds. Twice divorced, O’Neal was romantically involved with actor Farrah Fawcett for more than two decades and remained by her side as she battled cancer. She died in 2009.
December 9, 2023 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court in Washington has upheld a gag order on former President Donald Trump in his 2020 election interference case but has eased the restrictions on his speech. The three-judge panel’s ruling Friday modifies the gag order to allow the Republican 2024 presidential front-runner to make disparaging comments about special counsel Jack Smith. Trump has described the gag order as unconstitutional muzzling of his political speech. Trump could appeal the ruling to the full court or to the Supreme Court. Prosecutors say the restrictions are necessary to shield potential witnesses from harassment and threats inspired by Trump’s social media posts. The appeals court says Trump “does not have an unlimited right to speak.”
December 9, 2023 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A deal to provide further U.S. assistance to Ukraine by year-end appears to be increasingly out of reach for President Joe Biden. Republicans are insisting on pairing the funding with changes to America’s immigration and border policies. GOP senators are trying to move the contours of a border security package sharply to the right after Biden’s declaration that he’s willing to make “significant compromises” to reach a deal. A new proposal laid out by lead GOP negotiator Sen. James Lankford (pictured) of Oklahoma could force the White House to consider proposals that many Democrats will seriously oppose. That’s creating new obstacles in the already fraught negotiations.
December 9, 2023 5:00 am
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli warplanes have struck parts of the Gaza Strip in relentless bombardments including some of the dwindling slivers of land Palestinians had been told to evacuate to in the territory’s south. The latest strikes came after the United States vetoed a United Nations resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza despite it being backed by the vast majority of Security Council members and many other nations. The vote Friday in the 15-member council was 13-1 with the United Kingdom abstaining. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the council that Gaza was at “a breaking point” with the humanitarian support system at risk of total collapse, and that he feared “the consequences could be devastating for the security of the entire region.”
December 9, 2023 4:55 am
BULLSKIN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A building was reduced to rubble after flames tore through it in Fayette County. Emergency crews were called to the 700 block of Kreinbrook Hill Road in Bullskin Township at 1:45 p.m. on Friday. The building collapsed at some point during the response. Dispatchers say there were no injuries as far as they were aware.
December 9, 2023 4:51 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Harvard University’s president apologized as pressure mounted for the University of Pennsylvania’s president to resign over their testimony at a congressional hearing on antisemitism. Critics from the White House on down say they failed to demonstrate that they would stand up to antisemitism on campus. Now, Harvard President Claudine Gay says she failed to properly denounce threats of violence against Jewish students. Meanwhile, lawyers for a major donor to Penn are threatening to withdraw a $100 million gift unless Penn President Liz Magill is replaced. The university presidents’ congressional testimony has drawn intense national backlash, as did a similar response from the president of MIT.
December 9, 2023 2:16 am
The Voices For Independence/TRPIL Community Center welcomed guests to its grand opening on Friday. Elected officials, businesses and other community partners were able to tour the fully renovated 28,000 square foot facility, located in the former YWCA building at 42 W. Maiden St. Shona Eakin, CEO of Voices For Independence (VFI) spoke of how proud the organization is for being able to repurpose the building instead of tearing it down and building new. She spoke of how VFI goes above and beyond government guidelines to provide services to people with disabilities. She spoke of assistive technology programs that help people with any disability adapt to be able to live independently at home. Simple tech products like can openers and grocery bag holders can easily be supplied, many by an on site 3-D printer. High tech offerings include pairing electronic tablet and Alexa devices to make living at home easier and enjoyable. Smart technology such as microwaves that speak, paired with color coded labels help vision impaired people cook for themselves. Classes like cooking classes are conducted to allow guests to prepare and consume healthier meals. Guests toured the internet café, accessible kitchen and work out facility that includes an accessible scale to allow patrons to monitor their weight. Eakin said that anyone with any disability or caregiver should reach out to VFI if they have any question about disability. They can either answer the question or they will work until they find the answer.
December 8, 2023 4:21 pm
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A teenager has been sentenced to life in prison for killing four students, wounding more and terrorizing Michigan’s Oxford High School in 2021. A judge Friday rejected pleas for a shorter sentence and ensured that Ethan Crumbley, 17, will not get an opportunity for parole. Life sentences for teenagers are rare in Michigan since the U.S. Supreme Court and the state’s highest court said the violent acts of minors must be viewed differently than the crimes of adults.Judge Kwame Rowe’s decision followed anguished remarks by families of the deceased and survivors who spoke about how the tragedy has affected them. (Photo: AP)
December 8, 2023 3:23 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Harvard University’s president apologized as pressure mounted for the University of Pennsylvania’s president to resign over their testimony at a congressional hearing on antisemitism. Critics from the White House on down say they failed to show that they would stand up to antisemitism on campus. Now, Harvard President Claudine Gay says she failed to properly denounce threats of violence against Jewish students. Meanwhile, lawyers for a major donor to Penn are threatening to withdraw a $100 million gift unless Penn President Liz Magill is replaced. The university presidents’ congressional testimony has drawn intense national backlash, as did a similar response from the president of MIT.
December 8, 2023 3:21 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a healthy 199,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate fell, fresh signs that the economy could achieve an elusive “soft landing,” in which inflation would return to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target without causing a steep recession. The unemployment rate dropped from 3.9% to 3.7%, not far above a five-decade low of 3.4% in April. The jobless rate has now remained below 4% for nearly two years, the longest such streak since the late 1960s. Last month’s job gain was inflated by the return of about 40,000 formerly striking auto workers and actors, who were not at work in October but were back on the job in November.
