October 12, 2023 5:12 am
As the auto workers strike approaches the one-month mark, more Americans sympathize with the striking workers than with the three big car companies that employ them. That’s one of the findings in a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll finds that more than half of Americans sympathize with the workers or support the workers and the car companies equally. Only 9% favor the automakers over the workers. Workers went on strike Sept. 15 against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, which owns the Jeep, Dodge and Ram brands.
October 12, 2023 5:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican colleagues call Steve Scalise a fighter, but the nominee for House speaker may be in for a brawl. The affable Louisiana congressman was nominated by his colleagues to replace ousted Kevin McCarthy. First elected in 2008, Scalise has climbed the leadership ladder. Some call him an “American hero” after surviving a 2017 shooting when a gunman opened fire at a congressional baseball game practice. He recently underwent treatment for blood cancer. Scalise has been working to shore up support from Republican holdouts ahead of a House vote.
October 12, 2023 5:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says the weekend attack by Hamas militants on Israel was the deadliest against Jews since the Holocaust and called it a “campaign of pure cruelty.” Biden made the remarks while speaking Wednesday with Jewish leaders at the White House. The State Department says the number of U.S. citizens killed during the Hamas-Israel war has risen to 22, and at least 17 more Americans remain unaccounted for in a war that has already claimed more than 2,200 lives on both sides. In a sign of U.S. support for Israel, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was traveling there for meetings.
October 12, 2023 5:09 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinians in Gaza spent the night in pitch darkness, surrounded by the ruins of pulverized neighborhoods. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush and destroy” Hamas, with the support of a new war cabinet that includes a longtime opposition critic. The death toll on both sides climbed to at least 2,400 early Thursday. Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman, told reporters Thursday that forces are preparing for a ground assault but that the political leadership has not yet ordered one. A ground offensive in Gaza, the first since the 2014 war, would likely bring even higher casualties on both sides in brutal house-to-house fighting.
October 12, 2023 5:07 am
An unidentified Washington teenager is facing terroristic threats and firearms violations after he was found at Washington County Ambulance & Chair along West Chestnut Street, in Canton Township with a gun. State Police Washinton say they were called to the location around 8 p.m. Tuesday night. When troopers arrived, they found the 15 year old male on the ground and being resrtained by three victims. The juvenile was found with a loaded 9mm pistol and was taken into custody. He was then transferred to Juvenile probation. There are no reports of any injuries.
October 12, 2023 5:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Steve Scalise has ended his bid to become House speaker after failing to secure the votes to win the gavel. Scalise told GOP colleagues at a closed-door meeting late Thursday of his decision. Next steps are uncertain as the House is essentially closed while Republicans try to elect a speaker after ousting Kevin McCarthy from the job. Scalise says the Republican majority “still has to come together and is not there.” He had been working furiously to secure the votes after being nominated by a majority of his colleagues, but after hours of private meetings over two days it was clear many other Republican lawmakers were not budging from their refusal to support him.
October 12, 2023 4:55 am
FINLEYVILLE, Pa. — (WPXI) – An alleged road rage ramming in Finleyville was caught on camera. Surveillance video shows a driver slam into the back of a woman’s car three times before speeding off Saturday afternoon. Lexi Novak told WPXI, “The lady in Trax might come forward because he almost hit her child not her the child was still on the road. He almost hit her because he went to pass me on the double yellow and almost hit that child,” Novak explained. Two miles down the road, police said the driver rammed into Novak’s car repeatedly. In the video, you can see the van ram Novak’s car three times before leaving the scene. The suspect, William Kupecz, was arrested later Saturday. Police said he did not give an explanation as to why he left the scene.
October 12, 2023 4:54 am
FAYETTE COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – Pennsylvania state police are investigating after an inmate died at the State Correctional Institution at Fayette on Oct. 7. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, James Jarzenski, Jr., 43, was found unresponsive in his cell. Officials said prison staff and medical personnel immediately performed life-saving measures until EMS arrived, but Jarzenski was pronounced dead at the scene. Jarzenski was serving a 13 to 30 year sentence for a conviction in Venango County of robbery with serious bodily injury. Officials said Jarzenski had been at SCI Fayette since January 2021. Jarzenski’s official cause of death will be determined by the Fayette County Coroner’s Office.
October 12, 2023 4:49 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A player in California has won a $1.73 billion Powerball jackpot, ending a long stretch without a winner of the top prize. The winning numbers drawn Wednesday night are: 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10. Before someone won the giant prize, there had been 35 consecutive drawings without a big winner. That winless streak was due to the miserable odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot, at 1 in 292.2 million. The jackpot is the second-largest in the world, topped only by the $2.04 billion Powerball prize won by a player in California last November. The $1.73 billion prize is for a winner who is paid through an annuity over 30 years. Winners almost always choose the cash payout option, which for Wednesday night’s drawing was $756.6 million.
October 12, 2023 4:43 am
Candidates vying for public office in Washington County, City of Washington and the Washington School Board were hosted by the Washington Branch of the NAACP and the Washington County League of Women Voters on Wednesday at the LeMoyne Community Center. The three hour Meet the Candidates Forum allowed voters an up close look at candidates and their views so those voters could be more educated on their selections come Election Day. Voters were disappointed as both Republican candidates for County Commissioner, incumbent Nick Sherman and his running mate Electra Janis were absent from the event. An email statement indicated that both would be attending a fundraising event that had been previously scheduled. Also absent was incumbent candidate for Prothonotary Laura Hough. No reason was given for her absence. The mood of the event was cordial among the candidates. The most spirited debate occurred between District Attorney candidates, incumbent Republican Jason Walsh and his Democratic challenger Christina Demarco Breeden. They sparred over the number of death penalty cases now being prosecuted in Washington County. The City of Washington Mayor race was also lively. Democratic candidate Joseph Burgess and Independent Candidate Mark Kennison offered their views on tax revenues, gun violence and minority employment. David Gatling, President of the Washington Branch of the NAACP and Diane DiSalle, President of the Washington County League of Women Voters both felt the event was a success despite the absences of the Republican candidates for Commissioner and Prothonotary.
