December 1, 2022 4:19 am
BEIJING (AP) – More Chinese cities are easing some anti-virus restrictions as police patrol their streets to head off protests. Meanwhile, the ruling Communist Party is preparing for the funeral of late leader Jiang Zemin. Guangzhou in the south and other cities announced they are easing controls on movement and will reopen factories, markets and bus service.Last weekend, protesters in Shanghai, Beijing and at least six other cities demanded an end to controls that confine millions of people to their homes. The timing and publicity of the easing suggests President Xi Jinping’s government is trying to mollify public anger. Notes on social media complained that police are stopping people at random to check smartphones, possibly looking for prohibited apps such as Twitter.
December 1, 2022 4:09 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania elections officials say “a handful” of counties have not fully reported results from this month’s election, at least in part because organized efforts to seek recounts are pending in court. The Department of State, however, declined to say how many of the state’s 67 counties failed to meet the deadline for certification — the end of the day Monday. Challenges organized or supported by Republican and other conservative groups are being pursued weeks after the election without evidence emerging of problems that might change the results and after counties have completed post-election checks to verify the vote tallies are accurate. The Department of State needs certified election results from all counties so it can compile the official results that acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman will produce, including for the high-profile contests for governor won by Attorney General Josh Shapiro and for U.S. Senate won by Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, both Democrats. There is no deadline for Chapman’s certification, but terms in the state Legislature start next month and the results of federal elections such as U.S. Senate and House are normally sent to Congress in mid-December, the agency said.
December 1, 2022 3:54 am
The Monessen community is mourning the death of a 16-year-old who died from injuries suffered in a shooting Tuesday night. An autopsy is reportedly scheduled for Thursday. His death has been ruled homicide and police believe he was likely shot inside a friends home and then exited that home along South 14th Street where he was found. A search warrant was executed at that home and police say they are working to interview several suspects. They are being assisted by Westmoreland County Detectives and the District Attorney’s office. Officials have not released the teens name, but Monessen football coach Wade Brown posted a picture of junior Amari Altomore saying “my guy Amari didn’t make it through surgery” and “has passed to a better place”. Several friends and family gathered Wednesday at the scene of the shooting to remember him as “an outstanding football player’ and “good young man.” (Photo: Facebook)
December 1, 2022 3:06 am
Peters Township Police arrested the suspect that caused a SWAT situation in the township on Tuesday. Brandon Osborne, 31 of Peters Township, contacted police and surrendered himself at a business on Rt. 19 on Wednesday morning. Sgt. Jason Brunetti of the Peters Township Police stated that Osborne called police at 8:40 Wednesday morning stating that he was unarmed and ready to turn himself in. Brunetti said that he was taken into custody without incident. Osborne, accused of a domestic dispute, caused a several hours incident that involved SWAT on Tuesday at the Residences on McMurray just off West McMurray Road in Peters Township. He eluded police by fleeing the scene between the time police were contacted by his victim and the time that police arrived. Police were in contact with him throughout the night before he surrendered. Osborne is charged with felony strangulation and misdemeanor simple assault. He is in the Washington County Jail on $150,000 bond.
November 30, 2022 2:52 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Christine McVie, the British-born Fleetwood Mac vocalist, songwriter and keyboard player whose cool, soulful contralto helped define such classics as “You Make Loving Fun,” “Everywhere” and “Don’t Stop,” died Wednesday at age 79. Her death was announced on the band’s social media accounts. No cause of death or other details were immediately provided, but a family statement said she “passed away peacefully at hospital this morning” with family around her after a “short illness.” “She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure,” the band’s statement reads in part. McVie was a steady presence and personality in a band known for its frequent lineup changes and volatile personalities – notably fellow singer-songwriters Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. (Photo: ABC)
November 30, 2022 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Congress is moving urgently to head off the looming U.S. rail strike. The House passed a bill Wednesday that would bind companies and workers to a proposed settlement reached in September that failed to gain the support of all 12 unions involved. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. It would impose a compromise labor agreement brokered by President Joe Biden’s administration. That agreement was ultimately voted down by four of the 12 unions representing more than 100,000 employees at large freight rail carriers. The unions have threatened to strike if an agreement can’t be reached before a Dec. 9 deadline.
November 30, 2022 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate has passed landmark bipartisan legislation to protect same-sex marriages. It’s an extraordinary sign of shifting national politics on the issue and a measure of relief for the hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples who have married since the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision that legalized gay marriage nationwide. The bill approved Tuesday would ensure that same-sex and interracial marriages are enshrined in federal law. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the legislation is “a long time coming” and part of America’s “difficult but inexorable march towards greater equality.” Senate Democrats are moving quickly to send the bill to the House and President Joe Biden’s desk.
November 30, 2022 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes has been convicted of seditious conspiracy for a violent plot to overturn President Joe Biden’s election, handing the Justice Department a major victory in its massive prosecution of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. A Washington, D.C., jury on Tuesday found Rhodes guilty of sedition after three days of deliberations. The nearly two-month-long trial showcased the far-right extremist group’s efforts to keep Republican Donald Trump in the White House at all costs. An attorney for Rhodes says they intend to appeal. Rhodes was also convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding, but acquitted of two other conspiracy charges.
November 30, 2022 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Treasury Department says it has complied with a court order to make former President Donald Trump’s tax returns available to a congressional committee. The Supreme Court last week rejected Trump’s request for an order that would have prevented Treasury from giving six years of tax returns for Trump and some of his businesses to the Democratic-controlled House Ways and Means Committee. The court ended the three-year legal battle over disclosure of Trump’s tax returns. A department spokesperson said “Treasury has complied with last week’s court decision” but declined to say whether the committee had accessed the documents.
November 30, 2022 4:10 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A police officer was hurt while trying to break up a fight and evidence of a shooting was found in Downtown Pittsburgh Tuesday evening. According to Pittsburgh police, officers saw juveniles in a dispute at the Five Guys restaurant near Market Square. Allegheny County 911 told Channel 11 police activity began around 7:20 p.m. Officials said one officer sustained a hand injury trying to break up the fight. The officer was taken to a local hospital in stable condition. According to police, one juvenile was arrested at the scene for assaulting the officer. While dealing with the fight, officers were notified of shots fired and found evidence of a shooting a few blocks away near Coffey Way and Sixth Avenue Police said one person has been detained in connection with the shots fired call. There were no reported injuries in the shooting and the investigation is underway. Police said they don’t believe these incidents are connected.
