May 5, 2024 6:11 am
Twenty-five people have been arrested for trespassing at the University of Virginia after police clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters who refused to remove tents from campus. Video from WVAW-TV showed officers with heavy gear and shields lined up on the campus in Charlottesville. Protesters chanted “Free Palestine.” The arrests come after tense and sometimes violent weeks on campuses around the U.S., as the Israel-Hamas war prompted dozens of protests. Also Saturday, protesters at the University of Michigan commencement ceremonies chanted anti-war messages and waved Palestinian flags that collided with the annual celebration of pomp and circumstance.
May 5, 2024 6:10 am
HOUSTON (AP) — High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston following heavy rains that have resulted in crews rescuing more than 400 people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water. Others have prepared to evacuate their properties as a flood watch remained in effect through Sunday afternoon with forecasters predicting additional rain. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo says 178 people and 122 pets have been rescued so far in the county. She says the area is expecting more rain on Sunday, which could be problematic. For weeks, drenching rains in Texas and parts of Louisiana have filled reservoirs and saturated the ground.
May 5, 2024 6:07 am
Just a few months short of a quarter-century as Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin starts another six-year term as president holding extraordinary power. Since becoming acting president on the last day of 1999, he has shaped Russia into a monolith — crushing political opposition, running independent-minded journalists out of the country and promoting an increasing devotion to prudish “traditional values” that push many in society to the margins. His influence is so dominant that other officials could only stand on the sidelines as he invaded Ukraine despite expectations it would bring international opprobrium, as well as cost many Russia lives. With that level of power, what Putin will do in his next term is a daunting concern at home and abroad.
May 5, 2024 6:02 am
PITTSBURGH —(WPXI)- A woman is facing charges after police say she caused a house fire that caused two firefighters to suffer injuries. According to court documents, emergency crews were called to Grape Street in Knoxville for reports of a house on fire Friday night. The fire had started on the porch of one house and then spread to a neighboring one. Police say Lynae Mockabee-Mitchell, 40, was standing outside of her vehicle when they arrived. She allegedly told them she lit her ex-boyfriend’s items on fire on the porch and that the fire quickly spread out of control. Two firefighters were injured while fighting the fire. Police say they were hurt when the roof of the porch collapsed. One of those firefighters hurt their back and the other suffered an ankle injury. Both of them were taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital. Court documents say that Pittsburgh firefighters ruled out all natural or accidental causes for the fire in their investigation. Investigators believe $20,000 worth of damage was done to the first house and that the second house sustained $5,000 worth of damage. Mockabee-Mitchell faces five different arson charges and three counts of criminal mischief. She has been denied bail and is being held at the Allegheny County Jail.
May 5, 2024 5:53 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The student protest movement over the war in Gaza is roiling Senate contests in an election year when control of the chamber is at stake in November. Democrats are treading cautiously over an internal divide about the campus demonstrations while Republicans are playing up their rivals’ disagreements. GOP candidates have used the protests to step up their criticism of President Joe Biden, both for how he’s handled the war and for the unrest on campuses. Many Democrats have tried to avoid taking sides in protests that have divided important parts of their base. They’re trying to balance criticism of antisemitism and rule-breakers with the need to protect the right to peaceful protest.
May 5, 2024 5:49 am
All United States and Pennsylvania flags on Commonwealth facilities, public buildings and grounds are to be flown at half-staff on Sunday. That order comes from Governor Josh Shapiro to honor Pennsylvania firefighters that have given their lives in the line of duty. This honor is in line with the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service during National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. Shapiro states “During National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, we honor the Pennsylvania firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice, running towards danger and giving their lives in the line of duty to keep our communities safe.” The flags shall fly at half-staff until sunset Sunday. All Pennsylvanians are invited to participate in the tribute.
May 5, 2024 5:09 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli army has told Palestinians to begin evacuating a part of the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, along the border with Egypt, signaling that a ground invasion is imminent. That’s according to an Israeli Defense Force statement on Monday. People were told to move to Muwasi, an Israeli-declared humanitarian area near the coast. The army said it’s expanded assistance into the area, including field hospitals, tents, food and water. Israel has vowed to undertake a Rafah offensive for months to weed out remaining Hamas militants there. On Sunday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed Hamas wasn’t serious about a deal and warned of “a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah.”
May 5, 2024 1:11 am
BRIDGEVILLE, Pa.-(WPXI)-A man suspected of vandalism in an Allegheny County community was arrested Friday.The Bridgeville Police Department says Josh Pisano, AKA Pason, 38, of Carnegie, is facing several charges – including criminal mischief, institutional vandalism and drug charges. Police say Pisano was suspected of several incidents over the last month where property was spray-painted red. When he was arrested Friday afternoon, police say Pisano had red and black spray paint, along with suspected drugs and drug paraphernalia. Anyone with property defaced with the graffiti tag “PASON” should contact their local police department.
May 4, 2024 4:36 am
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities say three bodies have been recovered in an area of Baja California near where two Australians and an American went missing last weekend. The state prosecutors office did not say Friday night whether the bodies were those of the foreigners, but it said the bodies were discovered during the search for the missing men. The site was near the remote seaside area where the surfers’ tents and truck were found Thursday. Brothers Jake and Callum Robinson from Australia and American Jack Carter Rhoad went missing Saturday in the area. The bodies were found near the township of Santo Tomás, south of Ensenada.
May 4, 2024 4:34 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — It hasn’t happened in almost anyone’s lifetime: two presidents squaring off in one election. Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, have track records in office that voters will judge alongside their promises. On abortion, immigration, taxes, wars abroad — you name it — they’re offering sharply different choices on the issues. Higher taxes on the super rich, or not. Abortion rights reaffirmed, or left to states to restrict or allow as each decides, if not limited nationally. The onward march of regulation and incentives to restrain climate change, or a slow walk if not an about-face. A commitment to stand with Ukraine or let go.
