May 29, 2024 2:49 am
(WPXI) – A Penn Hills graduate has been confirmed as the victim of a deadly explosion at Youngstown’s Chase Bank building. Police say the body of Akil Drake, 27, was found in the rubble overnight. An explosion decimated what used to be a Chase Bank in Youngstown, Ohio on Tuesday afternoon. The explosion in the 13-story building in the heart of downtown was reported just before 3 p.m., sending debris into the street and leading to the evacuations of people in nearby buildings. The explosion sent seven people to the hospital. One person is in critical condition, according to Fire Chief Barry Finley. Initial reports were that two people were possibly unaccounted for: one man and one woman. The structural integrity of the building remains in question. The damage to the bank is severe, but the impact to the dozen floors of apartments above is unclear. The cause of the blast is under investigation.
May 28, 2024 4:59 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — “The Godfather” producer Albert S. Ruddy has died at 94. The Canadian-born producer and writer won Oscars for “The Godfather” and “Million Dollar Baby,” developed the raucous prison-sports comedy “The Longest Yard” and helped create the hit sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes.” A spokesperson says Ruddy died Saturday at the UCLA Medical Center. Ruddy produced more than 30 movies and was on hand for the very top and the very bottom. “The Godfather” and “Million Dollar Baby” were box office hits and winners of best picture Oscars. But Ruddy also helped give us “Cannonball Run II” and “Megaforce,” nominees for Golden Raspberry awards for worst movie of the year. (Photo: AP)
May 28, 2024 5:07 am
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Authorities fear a second landslide and a disease outbreak are looming at the scene of Papua New Guinea’s mass-casualty disaster. U.N. official Serhan Aktoprak said Tuesday the mass of debris that devastated Yambali village in the South Pacific nation’s remote highlands when a limestone mountainside sheared away Friday is becoming more unstable with recent rain and streams trapped between the ground and rubble. The United Nations’ migrant agency has officials at the scene in Enga province helping shelter 1,600 displaced people. The agency estimates 670 villagers have died, while Papua New Guinea’s government has told the United Nations it thinks more than 2,000 were buried.
May 28, 2024 5:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Laws passed in several Republican-controlled states after the 2020 presidential election have criminalized much of the work done by voter outreach groups. Advocates are finding it difficult to adapt as they try to register and educate potential voters with just months to go before this year’s presidential election. In-person activities have been eliminated or severely cut back, and staffing has been reduced. Voting rights experts say it’s another tactic to strip access to the ballot box, especially for minority voters, who mostly benefit from third-party voter registration.
May 28, 2024 5:03 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s defense team attacked the hush money case against him by calling the star witness a liar in closing arguments. Trump’s attorneys sought to discredit weeks of testimony that prosecutors say prove the former president interfered in the 2016 election through a scheme to suppress stories seen as harmful to his campaign. The prosecution was to speak to the jury in the afternoon. The arguments gave both sides one last chance to address the Manhattan jury and to score final points with the panel before it starts deliberating the fate of the first former American president charged with felony crimes.
May 28, 2024 5:01 am
A series of powerful storms in the central and southern U.S. over the Memorial Day holiday weekend has killed at least 22 people as they left a wide trail of destroyed homes, businesses and power outages. The destructive storms caused deaths in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky and were just north of an oppressive early season heat wave setting records from south Texas to Florida. Forecasters said the severe weather could shift to the East Coat later Monday and warned millions of people outdoors for the holiday to watch the skies.
May 28, 2024 4:59 am
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a “tragic mishap” was made in an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah that set fire to a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians. Local officials say at least 45 people were killed in Sunday’s strike. It only added to the surging international criticism Israel has faced over its war with Hamas. Netanyahu did not elaborate on the error. Israel’s military initially said it had carried out a precise airstrike on a Hamas compound, killing two senior militants. As details of the strike and fire emerged, the military said it had opened an investigation into the deaths of civilians.
May 28, 2024 4:54 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The Washington Post says it reported on a story about a controversial flag being flown outside the home of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito years ago, but chose not to write about it. The story broke in The New York Times earlier this month about an upside-down U.S. flag outside of the Alito house shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection — a symbol that had been used by some supporters of former President Donald Trump that day. The Post said it had accepted the explanation that Alito’s wife was responsible for the flag, and it wasn’t sure the dispute was political.
May 28, 2024 4:53 am
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — Three people were hurt in a car crash in Westmoreland County Monday. Westmoreland County 911 said crews were called to the 500 block of Grave Yard Hill for reports of an overturned vehicle. Three people were taken to the hospital. There is currently no word on their conditions. Pennsylvania State Police in Greensburg are investigating.
May 28, 2024 4:52 am
Standing proud, Washington County resident Mary Rhoads represented her unit in the nation’s capital. “I’m a member of the 14th Quartermaster. I lost 13 soldiers…” Rhoads said. A United States Army veteran, Rhoads’ unit had one of the highest causalities during Operation Desert Storm when a missile hit the barracks. On Monday, she marched alongside thousands of other veterans to honor those she lost. “They gave their life and I made a promise when Bev died, I would never let them be forgotten,” Rhoads said of her good friend, Beverly Clark. As she marched the streets of Washington D.C. on this Memorial Day, Rhoads carried a patch for her dear friend so she knows the love she forever shares for her sacrifice. “She would smile and say, ‘Love you.’ My last two words to her when I was leaving the building, ‘I love you and good bye,’” Rhoads said.
