December 7, 2023 12:57 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Preliminary designs are being released for an outdoor memorial to the 11 victims of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue attack. The plans call for the memorial to be adjacent to the Tree of Life synagogue, scene of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Details remain to be determined, but the design includes a garden and 11 sculpted forms of open books, symbolizing the Book of Life in Jewish tradition. The design came after years of dialogue by family members of the victims. They consulted with representatives of other communities traumatized by mass-casualty attacks, and they heeded advice to go slowly and deliberately in planning the memorial. (Photo: AP)
December 7, 2023 6:19 am
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — Pearl Harbor survivor Ira Schab is planning to return to the Hawaii naval base 82 years after Japan’s bombing propelled the U.S. into World War II. Schab is expected to be one of just six survivors at a remembrance ceremony for the more than 2,300 servicemen killed on Dec. 7, 1941. The actual number may fluctuate, depending on how many of the increasingly frail men are able to attend. The aging pool of Pearl Harbor survivors has been rapidly shrinking. There is now just one crew member of the USS Arizona still living. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs doesn’t have statistics for how many Pearl Harbor survivors are still living.
December 7, 2023 5:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted to censure Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman for triggering a fire alarm in a U.S. Capitol office building when the chamber was in session. The New York congressman Thursday became the third Democrat in the House to be admonished this year through the process. Censure is a punishment one step below expulsion from the House and has become routine in the last year. Republicans claim Bowman pulled the alarm in September to “cause chaos.” Bowman late Wednesday said he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and apologized for his mistake. The prominent progressive was surrounded by fellow Democrats, who criticized Republicans for what they called a “stupid” resolution.
December 7, 2023 5:08 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas police said that the suspect in a deadly shooting at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, had a list of targets at the school and at East Carolina University in North Carolina. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Thursday that the suspect, identified as Anthony Polito, also sent out 22 letters with no return address to university faculty members across the United States. University officials say three faculty members were killed and a fourth was wounded by the gunman who opened fire on campus Wednesday before dying in a shootout with police.
December 7, 2023 5:05 am
With the Iowa caucuses rapidly approaching, a shrinking field of Republican White House hopefuls gathered Wednesday in Alabama for the fourth presidential debate. As usual, former President Donald Trump, who is dominating the GOP primary, didn’t appear. Instead, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie continued their effort to gain a sliver of the spotlight in the race. Haley was under attack from the opening seconds of the debate, while Trump was largely ignored — until Christie complained that his three rivals have been silent about the threats Trump presents to democracy.
December 7, 2023 5:01 am
Russian lawmakers have set the date of the 2024 presidential election for March 17, moving Vladimir Putin closer to a fifth term in office. Putin hasn’t yet announced his intention to run again but is widely expected to do so in the coming days now that the date has been set. Under constitutional reforms he orchestrated, he is eligible to seek two more six-year terms after his current one expires next year, potentially allowing him to remain in power until 2036. Having established tight control over Russia’s political system, Putin’s victory in the March election is all but assured. Prominent critics who could challenge him on the ballot are either in jail or living abroad, and most independent media have been banned.
December 7, 2023 4:58 am
Norfolk Southern railroad plans to stop paying relocation aid to people displaced by last February’s fiery derailment in eastern Ohio right after the one-year anniversary of the crash. Railroad officials announced the change this week as they reiterated their long-term commitment to helping the town of East Palestine, Ohio, and the surrounding area recover. Norfolk Southern has committed more than $103 million in aid to the area, and the railroad said fewer than 100 households are still receiving the relocation aid at this point because most have returned home. Altogether, the railroad’s response to the derailment has cost nearly $1 billion. That total will continue to grow as the cleanup continues and lawsuits move forward.
December 7, 2023 2:51 am
Preparing for Hanukkah – Judaism’s celebration of finding light in the darkness – feels uniquely somber – yet defiant this year for the Jewish community across the country. Hanukkah began Thursday night and Rabbi Mendel Wolowik, with Chabad, a Jewish outreach organization in the area, says this year, perhaps more so than others, is very special, given the increase in anti-semitic behavior across the United States on the heels of the Israel/Hamas war. Rabbi Mendel says that in addition to personal celebrations of Hanukkah for the next eight days, there will also be a public Menorah Lighting on Monday, December 11th on the lawn of the Washington County Courthouse. He says there will be music, raffles, treats and traditional Hanukkah food like latkes. The celebration begins at five p.m. In addition to Monday’s activities, there is also an ongoing Hanukkah Toy Drive through the month of December. The public is encouraged to drop off a toy at Citizen’s Library, or bring in on Monday. All toys collected will go to underprivileged and hospitalized children.
December 6, 2023 4:58 pm
RENO, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada grand jury has indicted six Republicans who submitted certificates to Congress falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election, making the Western swing state the third to seek charges against so-called “fake electors.” Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford began investigating the fake electors last month. He says he would do everything in his power to defend the institutions of the nation and the state. The announcement represents a shift for Ford, who had been quiet on whether he would investigate the fake electors before saying that state law would not allow him to do so.
December 6, 2023 3:33 pm
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Police say a suspect has been found dead as officers responded Wednesday to a “confirmed active shooter” in a building at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas police said in a separate post on X that there appeared to be multiple victims. “This is not a test,” the university wrote. “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT.” The university said the shooter was at the Beam Hall, Frank and Estella Building, home of UNLV’s Lee Business School, and that police had responded to a report of additional shots fired at the nearby student union.
