November 15, 2022 4:15 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor-elect of Pennsylvania, will take office with a decisive mandate from voters, who overwhelmingly rejected a Republican drive to pare back abortion rights and voting laws in the premier battleground state. Shapiro, the state’s two-term attorney general, scored a massive 14 percentage point win over Republican rival Doug Mastriano in last week’s midterm election, smashed state campaign finance records and became the first candidate since 1966 to succeed a governor of the same party in Pennsylvania. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said the election results showed voters’ eagerness to protect abortion rights and the sanctity of elections from subversion by far-right Republicans who promoted former President Donald Trump’s lies about voter fraud in his 2020 loss. Set to be sworn in Jan. 17, Shapiro will take the reins in a state riven by bitter partisanship over voting laws and the management of the COVID-19 pandemic by his predecessor, outgoing Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. That helped drive a record number of vetoes by one governor going back to the 1970s. Shapiro will likely face battles with Republicans who control the state Senate over the grist of statehouse business, such as budgeting.
November 15, 2022 4:10 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A local veteran died early Friday morning in Washington D.C after police say he fell off his wheelchair in a parking lot and hit his head. Robert Szoszorek was pronounced dead on Veterans Day. His family says he went to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to read the names of fallen soldiers. He was found dead just hours later. His family is full of unanswered questions. “I want to know … for closure for me and my family because our dad was everything,” said his son, Frank Szoszorek. Frank said his dad wasn’t wheelchair-bound, but used one to go long distances. Fellow veterans brought back the wheelchair on a bus and told family members to go to Washington to investigate. “I heard he tipped over with the wheelchair, or got up out of it and fell over, I don’t understand. I just want answers,” said Frank Szoszorek. Washington Metro Police say they were dispatched to a parking garage around 3 a.m. for a report of an unconscious person. Szoszorek was pronounced dead a short time later. In 2021, Szoszorek was chosen as a backup reader at the Vietnam Memorial. The family is now waiting autopsy results for more information, which is what Metro Police say they’re doing as well.
November 15, 2022 4:06 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese priest who was accused in a child sex abuse case dating back to the 1990s was found not guilty by a jury. Father Robert Cedolia was found not guilty on all five charges. He was accused of sexual abuse of an 8-year-old boy while he was the pastor of Our Lady of Joy Parish in Plum in 1998. Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese said it put Cedolia on paid administrative leave four years ago, when the allegations surfaced. Bishop David Zubik said its review board found no wrongdoing by Cedolia. “I think the important part is that American citizens trust the scales of justice of our judicial system,” Zubik said. “And we’re grateful that Father Cedolia received this outcome.” Zubik said first, the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese has to brief the Holy See in Rome. After consulting the Holy See, Cedolia’s facilities would be restored, and it would be up to him if he wants another assignment.
November 14, 2022 5:20 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Jay Leno says he’s doing OK after suffering serious burns in a gasoline fire. In a statement to Variety, Leno said he needs a “week or two” to get back on his feet. áThe cause and time of the fire wasn’t immediately clear. The 72-year-old former “Tonight Show” host is known for his famed car collection, which is housed at a garage in Burbank, north of Los Angeles. People magazine reported Leno had been set to appear at a financial conference in Las Vegas on Sunday but canceled citing a serious medical emergency. Leno’s publicist and production company had no immediate comment. (Photo: ABC News)
November 14, 2022 3:28 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – A representative for Roberta Flack has announced that the legendary musician has ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and can no longer sing. Flack’s manager Suzanne Koga said in a release Monday that the progressive disease “has made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak” but will not “silence this icon.” The announcement of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosis comes just ahead of the premiere of “Roberta,” a feature-length documentary debuting Thursday at the DOCNYC film festival. The release says that the 85-year-old “Killing Me Softly With His Song” singer “plans to stay active in her musical and creative pursuits.” (Photo: AP)
November 14, 2022 2:15 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — John Aniston, the Emmy-winning star of the daytime soap opera “Days of Our Lives” and father of Jennifer Aniston, has died at age 89. The actor’s daughter posted a tribute to him Monday morning on Instagram, announcing that he had died Friday, Veteran’s Day. John Aniston served in the U.S. Navy. “Sweet papa… John Anthony Aniston,” Jennifer Aniston wrote. “You were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew. I am so grateful that you went soaring into the heavens in peace — and without pain. And on 11/11 no less! You always had perfect timing. That number will forever hold an even greater meaning for me now.” John Aniston’s acting credits included “Search for Tomorrow,” “The West Wing” and “Gilmore Girls.” But he was best-known for his long-running role on “Days of Our Lives” as family patriarch Victor Kiriakis, the former drug lord who goes on to found the powerful Titan Industries. (Photo: AP)
November 14, 2022 12:38 pm
(WPXI) – A man was flown by medical helicopter to Ruby Memorial hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., after a shooting in the 100 block of E. Coffee Street, Uniontown Sunday night. Police in Uniontown say there are no suspects at this time and there is no word yet on the victim’s condition. Authorities are asking neighbors to check their cameras to see if they captured anything from about 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Anyone with information is asked to call 724-430-2929.
November 14, 2022 5:46 am
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) – Authorities say the suspect in the shooting at the University of Virginia that killed three members of the football team has been taken into custody. The suspect in the Sunday night shooting was identified as Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. Two others were wounded in the shooting, which happened on a bus of students who were returning from an off-campus trip. (Photo: ABC News)
November 14, 2022 4:21 am
If you’re looking for airline tickets or a hotel room around the holidays, you’ll probably pay more than you did the last time you traveled over Thanksgiving or Christmas. Part of the reason is that airlines are still operating fewer flights than in 2019 even though passenger numbers are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels. That’s squeezing the supply of seats. Hotels are charging more to cover high labor costs. Rates for car rentals aren’t as crazy as they were during much of 2021, although supplies could be tight in some cities. U.S. consumers are facing the highest inflation in 40 years, but that’s not preventing them from traveling.
November 14, 2022 4:21 am
(AP) – President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive student loan debt for millions of borrowers lost another battle in court on Monday when a federal appeals court panel agreed to a preliminary injunction halting the program while an appeal plays out. The ruling by the three-judge panel from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis came days after a federal judge in Texas blocked the program, saying it usurped Congress’ power to make laws. The Texas case was appealed and the administration is likely to appeal the 8th Circuit ruling as well.
