September 25, 2024 5:00 am
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Fast-moving Hurricane Helene is advancing across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida and it’s been upgraded to a Category 2 storm. Forecasters say it threatens an “unsurvivable” storm surge in parts of northwestern Florida, as well as damaging winds, rains and flash floods hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern United States. Landfall is expected Thursday evening. The governors of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina have all declared emergencies in their states. In the Pacific, former Hurricane John strengthened Thursday morning back into a hurricane as it threatened areas of Mexico’s western coast with flash flooding and mudslides.
September 26, 2024 2:39 am
(AP) – An arbitration board has ruled that U.S. Steel may proceed with its proposed acquisition by Nippon Steel. The board, which was jointly chosen by U.S. Steel and the United Steelworkers to decide disputes between them, said Wednesday that U. S. Steel has satisfied each of the conditions of the successorship clause of its basic labor agreement with the union and that no further action under the agreement was necessary in order to proceed to closing the proposed transaction with Nippon Steel. (Photo: AP)
September 26, 2024 5:39 pm
(AP) – A 10th person has died in an ongoing outbreak of listeria food poisoning tied to a now-closed Boar’s Head deli meat plant in Virginia. At least 59 people in 19 states have been sickened by the bacteria first detected in liverwurst. Boar’s Head officials shut down the plant in Jarratt, Virginia, earlier this month and stopped making liverwurst. Inspection reports revealed problems including mold, insects, dripping water and meat and fat residue on walls, floors and equipment. The company earlier recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli meat products sold across the U.S.
September 25, 2024 5:03 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S., France and other allies are jointly calling for an immediate 21-day cease-fire to allow for negotiations in the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 600 people in Lebanon. The joint statement Wednesday, negotiated on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, says the recent fighting is “intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation.” The statement calls on “all parties, including the Governments of Israel and Lebanon, to endorse the temporary ceasefire immediately.” The signatories include the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. They said they hoped both Israel and Hezbollah would accept it quickly.
September 26, 2024 3:52 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Hoda Kotb is leaving NBC’s “Today” show. Kotb told viewers this morning that her 60th birthday over the summer made her realize it’s time for a change, even though she feels she’s at the top of the wave of her career. She says she needs to spend more time with her two daughters, ages 7 and 5, and her mother. Kotb joined NBC in 1998 and became part of the “Today” show in 2007. She has been a co-anchor since 2018. Kotb plans to work through the beginning of 2025. (Photo: AP)
September 25, 2024 5:03 am
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. suicides last year remained at about the highest level in the nation’s history. Preliminary data shows that a little over 49,300 suicide deaths were reported in 2023. That number that could grow at least somewhat as some death investigations are wrapped up and reported. Just under 49,500 were reported in 2022. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday released more information about recent suicide trends. It’s the nation’s 11th leading cause of death overall. But it’s the second leading cause of death for people ages 10–14 and 20–34. The highest suicide rate for any group — by far — was in men ages 75 and older.
September 26, 2024 4:51 am
A federal judge has approved a $600 million class-action settlement involving last year’s disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Attorneys for the residents and a railroad spokesperson says the judge approved it Wednesday despite the objections of a few residents who questioned the deal. Most residents supported it although a vocal group of objectors questioned whether the deal will provide enough and whether it was rushed through too quickly. The approval clears the way for payments to start going out quickly. The lawyers previously said they hoped to get the first checks in the mail before the end of the year.
September 25, 2024 5:29 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is pledging to build an economy that is both pro-business and helps the middle class as she pushes back against Republican nominee Donald Trump’s claims that she’s advancing “communist” ideas. The Democratic nominee stressed in remarks at the Economic Club of Pittsburgh that she “would take good ideas from wherever they come” as she works to double the number of people being trained in registered apprenticeships and outlined her support for more home ownership. Trump offered his own competing vision of the economy during a visit to a furniture-maker in Mint Hill, North Carolina. He pledged tariffs high enough that there would be an “exodus” of auto factory jobs from Japan, Germany and South Korea. (Photo: AP)
September 25, 2024 5:00 am
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Forecasters are warning that huge Hurricane Helene will intensify as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico on a path to Florida. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Wednesday that the hurricane is about 500 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, with sustained winds of 80 mph. Helene became a tropical storm Tuesday in the western Caribbean Sea and strengthened into a hurricane Wednesday. Forecasters say it is expected to become at least a Category 3 hurricane with its center making landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida’s northwestern coast as soon as late Thursday. In the Pacific, former Hurricane John re-formed as a tropical storm and again threatened parts of Mexico’s western coast.
September 25, 2024 3:29 pm
(WPXI) – An arrest warrant has been issued for the man accused of stealing a local veteran’s car with his dog inside. According to the criminal complaint, the car was stolen from the Tractor Supply in East Huntingdon Township at around 9 a.m. on September 23rd. The victim, Willard Martz, told police he parked his car and went into the store, leaving his dog Lucky inside the vehicle. Before he got into the store, a man forcibly removed his keys from his front pocket, the complaint said. The suspect then ran toward the car, got in and fled with Lucky still inside. The suspect was identified as Kenneth Wilson Crider through video surveillance from the Connellsville Walmart. Crider is seen arriving at the store in Martz’s car, letting Lucky out to pee, then going inside.
