July 6, 2024 5:39 am
The Washington County Board of Elections held a special meeting Friday to determine their course of action after a lawsuit was filed against them earlier this week. The ACLU filed the suit on behalf of seven county voters, the Washington Branch of the NAACP and the Center for Coalfield Justice, in an effort to have the Board of Elections, that is made up of the three Washington County Commissioners, overturn their decision to not allow ballot curing for mail in ballots. That decision made in April before the Pennsylvania primary election was a reversal of previous protocol that allowed the Department of Elections to alert voters of errors that would prevent their ballot from counting and gave them the opportunity to correct the error. The decision went further in not allowing elections officials to alert voters that their votes would not be counted. In a 2-1 vote, the board voted to hire a special counsel to fight the lawsuit in Washington County Common Pleas Court. Both Republican Commissioners Nick Sherman and Electra Janis voted in favor of hiring the special counsel, Democratic Commissioner Larry Maggi dissented. Maggi brought a motion to the floor in an effort to reverse the decision, but the effort died due to a lack of a second. Motions are scheduled to be heard in front of Judge Brandon Neuman on Tuesday.
July 6, 2024 4:36 am
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s message to NATO was simple and stark: Don’t go too far in providing military support for Ukraine, or you’ll risk a conflict that could quickly turn into a nuclear one. As the war slowly turns in Moscow’s favor, Putin declared he doesn’t need nuclear weapons to achieve his goals. But he also says it’s wrong for the West to assume that the possibility of using them doesn’t exist. He reaffirms that Russia’s nuclear doctrine calls for using such weapons if it perceives a threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Moscow’s nuclear messaging — coming as NATO moves to shore up Ukraine’s forces — heralds what could become the most dangerous phase in the war.
July 6, 2024 4:35 am
LONDON (AP) — New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer doesn’t get to take a breather. After a draining six-week election campaign, the center-left politician must get straight to work assembling his government, tackling a mountain of domestic problems and putting his stamp on the U.K.’s relations with the rest of the world. Starmer says he wants Britain to take a larger role on the global stage after years of soured relations with Europe over Brexit. He’ll start next week by attending a NATO summit in Washington where Ukraine will be high on the agenda. Later this month he will host leaders from across Europe at a meeting of the 47-nation European Political Community.
July 6, 2024 4:31 am
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President Joe Biden has used a highly anticipated TV interview to repeatedly reject taking an independent medical evaluation that would show voters he is up for serving another term in office. He’s blaming his disastrous debate performance on a “bad episode” and saying there were “no indications of any serious condition.” Biden is fighting to save his endangered reelection effort. The 81-year-old president made it through his 22-minute interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos without any major blunders that would inflict further damage to his imperiled candidacy. But it appeared unlikely to fully tamp down concerns about his age and fitness for another four years and his ability to defeat Donald Trump in November.
July 6, 2024 4:26 am
MCKEESPORT, Pa. — A man died after he was shot in McKeesport Friday. Allegheny County 911 said police were called to the 3000 block of Garbett Street at around 2 p.m. Emergency crews found a man who had been shot inside of a house. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. He has been identified as David Gamble, 39, of McKeesport. Isaiah Bridges, 30, is charged in connection to the shooting. He was taken into custody and is in the Allegheny County Jail.
July 6, 2024 4:23 am
WELLSVILLE, Ohio — A body found on the shoreline of the Ohio River in Wellsville, Ohio in 2023 has been identified as a missing teenager from Wilkins Township. Jayshawn Fountain, 17, was reported missing in February 2023. His body was found on the shoreline of the Ohio River on April 5, 2023. In a Facebook post, the Wellsville police department said Jayshawn’s body was taken to the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s office. Police said they checked local and surrounding states’ missing person reports and submitted DNA and fingerprint evidence but had no luck identifying his remains. An identification was officially made in June, police said.
July 5, 2024 9:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers delivered another healthy month of hiring in June, adding 206,000 jobs and once again displaying the U.S. economy’s ability to withstand continually high interest rates. Last month’s job growth did mark a pullback from 218,000 in May. But it was still a strong gain, reflecting the resilience of America’s consumer-driven economy, which is slowing but still growing steadily. Still, Friday’s report contained some signs of a slowing job market. The unemployment rate ticked up from 4% to 4.1%, a still-low number but the highest rate since November 2021. The government also sharply revised down its estimate of job growth for April and May by a combined 111,000.
July 5, 2024 9:15 am
Three people were injured in a two-vehicle crash Friday morning in South Strabane Township. It happened around 7:45 a.m along N. Main Street near the intersection of Colonial Heights Boulevard. One person was ejected in the crash. Two were transported by ambulance to a Pittsburgh hospital. The other was taken by ambulance to UPMC Washington. There is no word on their identities or conditions. Washington County 9-1-1 dispatchers day two medical helicopters were initially called to the scene but one declined because of weather. The other had mechanical issues. The crash closed N. Main at Wilson Avenue but the roadway has since reopened. State Police were called in to help with the investigation.
July 5, 2024 5:52 am
The State Police Fire Marshall is investigating a fire overnight in the City of Washington. Washington County 9-1-1 says it broke out just before midnight at a home in the 600-block of Broad Street. No injuries were reported and no other information is available at this time.
July 5, 2024 5:20 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says it is conducting a counterterrorism activity that includes an airstrike in the area of the West Bank city of Jenin. Palestinian authorities say five people were killed. The military said Friday that Israeli soldiers had “encircled a building where terrorists have barricaded themselves in” and the soldiers were exchanging fire, while an airstrike had “struck several armed terrorists” in the area. The Palestinian Health Ministry said five people died but did not provide any information on their identities. No further details were immediately available from either side.
