March 8, 2024 2:19 am
Jim Roddey, the first elected Allegheny County Chief Executive, has died. He was 91 years old. A Marine Corps veteran, Roddey defeated long-time Allegheny County Coroner Cyril Wecht in 1999 by slightly less than 6,000 votes. He is the only Republican to ever hold the post. Allegheny County Republican Chairman Sam DeMarco, said Roddey was a “civic leader unlike any other.”
March 7, 2024 5:27 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sweden has formally joined NATO as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality and centuries of broader non-alignment. Sweden’s membership comes as concerns about Russian aggression in Europe have spiked following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken presided at a Washington ceremony Thursday when the “instrument of accession” for Sweden to join NATO was deposited at the State Department. Sweden and Finland both abandoned long-standing neutrality that had been a hallmark of the Nordic states’ Cold War foreign policy after Russia invaded Ukraine. Finland joined NATO last year.
March 7, 2024 5:25 pm
(AP) – Officials in Texas say power lines ignited deadly wildfires across the state’s Panhandle region that destroyed homes and livestock and left a charred landscape last week. Texas A&M Forest Service said Thursday that investigators concluded power lines ignited the Smokehouse Creek and Windy Deuce fires. Xcel Energy also said Thursday in a news release that its equipment appeared to have played a role in the starting of the Smokehouse Creek fire. That blaze has burned nearly 1,700 square miles and spilled into neighboring Oklahoma. It was 74% contained as of Thursday. Xcel Energy disputes claims of negligence in maintaining and operating infrastructure.
March 7, 2024 12:46 pm
State Police are searching for two people whom they say stole over $2,000 worth of cigarettes and hundreds of dollars in cash from a Greene County convenience store. Troopers said the suspects entered the BFS Foods store on Jefferson Road around 5 a.m. on Feb. 29th. They had a gun and were wearing face masks and gloves and one of the suspects was also wearing a brown fur-lined hat. State police said they stole a large amount of cigarette cartons, totaling more than twenty-one-hundred-dollars. They also got away with $220 in cash. Police say the suspects are known to be armed and dangerous and may be traveling in a dark colored vehicle.
March 7, 2024 12:42 pm
Check your tickets! A Pennsylvania Lottery Powerball ticket worth $100,000 was sold in Washington County. The ticket matched four of the five white balls and the red Powerball drawn Wednesday: 6-19-28-44-60, Powerball 10. The Powerball multiplier was two. The ticket was sold at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington, which earns a $500 bonus for selling the winning ticket, the Pennsylvania Lottery said. Pennsylvania Lottery Powerball winners have one year from the drawing date to claim prizes.
March 7, 2024 4:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a $460 billion package of spending bills that would keep money flowing to key federal agencies through the remainder of the budget year. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation before a midnight Friday shutdown deadline. And lawmakers are negotiating a second package of six bills, including defense. A significant number of House Republicans opposed the first measure, forcing House Speaker Mike Johnson to use an expedited process to bring the bill up for a vote. Johnson says the bill gives Republicans some wins on spending and says Republicans “have to be realistic” about what they can achieve in such a closely divided government.
March 7, 2024 4:55 am
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The trial against an armorer in a fatal shooting on the set of the Western movie “Rust” has given Alec Baldwin’s team a window into how his own trial could unfold. A New Mexico jury convicted Hannah Gutierrez-Reed on Wednesday of involuntary manslaughter in cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’ death in October 2021. Alec Baldwin had pointed a gun at Hutchins, and it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin factored prominently into 10 days days of testimony in Gutierrez-Reed’s trial. He has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge. His trial is scheduled to begin in July.
March 7, 2024 4:53 am
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama has a new law protecting in vitro fertilization providers from legal liability. Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation Wednesday that shields IVF providers from possible lawsuits and criminal prosecutions stemming from a court ruling that equated frozen embryos to children. Three major IVF providers paused services after the state Supreme Court ruled last month that three couples who had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident at a storage facility could pursue wrongful death lawsuits. The ruling raised concerns about civil liabilities for clinics and prompted an outcry from patients and other groups.
March 7, 2024 4:52 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to use his State of the Union address to promote his vision for a second term to a dispirited electorate who questions whether he’s up to the job and to warn that GOP front-runner Donald Trump would be a dangerous alternative. Biden’s third such address from the House rostrum on Thursday will be something of an on-the-job interview, as the nation’s oldest president tries to quell voter concerns about his age and job performance. The president hopes to showcase his accomplishments on infrastructure and manufacturing, and push for action on aid to Ukraine, tougher migration rules, restoring access to abortion, and lowering drug prices, among other issues.
March 7, 2024 4:50 am
Egyptian officials said Thursday that negotiations over a cease-fire in Gaza are at an impasse as Hamas insists on a process to end to the war. After nearly five months of war, much of Gaza is in ruins, and international pressure is growing for Israel and Hamas to reach a deal that would halt the fighting and release the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The U.S., Egypt and Qatar have been trying to broker an agreement that would stop the fighting for six weeks, and include the release of 40 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
