September 22, 2022 2:36 am
An Ohio man will face trial on charges related to a head on collision that took place on Park Avenue in North Franklin Township back in August. Nathan Boyer, 35 of Hopedale waived amended charges to court. He will face misdemeanor charges of accident involving injury or death instead of the original felony grades of the same charges. Boyer is accused of striking a car driven by Sallie Whitmer head on while driving along Park Avenue near Armour Road. Whitmer and a juvenile travelling in the car were taken to Washington Hospital. Police reports say he overcompensated for a turn and crossed the center line. Boyer fled the scene on foot and was apprehended several hours later. He allegedly provided police with a false name and denied involvement in the crash. The victim was present for the hearing. Boyer will be arraigned on these and other drug possession charges from an unrelated incident on October 27.
September 22, 2022 2:22 am
(WPXI) – Authorities have charged both parents for the murder of a 9-year-old boy found dead in New Kensington in May. Azuree Charles was found dead behind his house and the coroner ruled his death a homicide a short time later. During a press conference on Wednesday, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli announced that both Jean Charles and Luella Elien, Azuree’s parents, were being charged in his death. Ziccarelli said that Azuree died by mechanical strangulation. Jean Charles is charged with first-degree murder, criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, strangulation, tampering with evidence, unlawful restraint of a minor by a parent and concealing the death of a child related to Azuree’s death. Elien is charged with aggravated assault of a victim less than 13 years old, endangering the welfare of a child and hindering the apprehension or prosecution of another.
September 21, 2022 2:58 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Intensifying its fight against high inflation, the Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate by a substantial three-quarters of a point for a third straight time and signaled more large rate hikes to come – an aggressive pace that will heighten the risk of an eventual recession. The Fed’s move boosted its benchmark short-term rate, which affects many consumer and business loans, to a range of 3% to 3.25%, the highest level since early 2008. The officials also forecast that they will further raise their benchmark rate to roughly 4.4% by year’s end, a full percentage point higher than they had forecast as recently as June.
September 21, 2022 1:45 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – New York’s attorney general has sued former President Donald Trump and his company, alleging business fraud involving some of their most prized assets, including properties in Manhattan, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit was filed Wednesday in state court in New York. It is the culmination of the Democrat’s three-year civil investigation of Trump and the Trump Organization. Three of Trump’s adult children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump, were also named as defendants, along with two longtime company executives, Allen Weisselberg and Jeffrey McConney. Alina Habba, an attorney for Trump, said the lawsuit is “neither focused on the facts nor the law.”
September 21, 2022 4:25 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Lottery officials say two people who wish to remain anonymous have claimed a $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot after a single ticket was sold in a Chicago suburb for a late July drawing, opting to take a lump sum payment of $780.5 million. The Illinois Lottery said Wednesday the prize for the July 29 drawing was claimed by two individuals who agreed to split the prize if they won. The lottery says it is unable to share any information about the winners except to say that they must be “over the moon” with their win. The jackpot-winning ticket was bought at a Speedway gas station and convenience store in Des Plaines. The jackpot was the nation’s third-largest lottery prize.
September 21, 2022 4:23 am
UNITED NATIONS (AP) – President Joe Biden has declared that Russia has “shamelessly violated the core tenets” of the United Nations charter with its “brutal, needless war” in Ukraine. Biden on Wednesday delivered a forceful condemnation of Russia’s invasion to the international body, saying abuses against civilians in Ukraine “should make your blood run cold.” He also said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s new nuclear threats against Europe show a “reckless disregard” for his nation’s responsibilities as a signatory of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. And he highlighted consequences of the invasion for the world’s food supply, pledging $2.9 billion in global food security aid to address shortages caused by the war and the effects of climate change.
September 21, 2022 4:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House is preparing to vote on an overhaul of a centuries-old election law in an effort to prevent future presidential candidates from trying to subvert the popular will. The legislation under consideration Wednesday is a direct response to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and former President Donald Trump’s efforts to find a way around the Electoral Count Act. That arcane 19th century law governs, along with the U.S. Constitution, how states and Congress certify electors and declare presidential election winners. Trump and a group of his aides and lawyers tried to exploit loopholes in the law to overturn his defeat.
September 21, 2022 4:21 am
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Hurricane Fiona strengthened into a Category 4 storm Wednesday after lashing the Turks and Caicos Islands and was forecast to squeeze past Bermuda later this week. The storm was blamed for causing at least four direct deaths in its march through the Caribbean, where it unleashed torrential rain in Puerto Rico, leaving a majority without power or water as hundreds of thousands of people scraped mud out of their homes following what authorities described as “historic” flooding. Power company officials initially said it would take a couple of days for electricity to be fully restored but then appeared to backtrack late Tuesday night.
September 21, 2022 4:19 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a partial mobilization in Russia. The measure appeared to be an admission that Moscow’s war against Ukraine is not going according to plan after nearly seven months of fighting and amid recent battlefield losses for the Kremlin’s forces. The Russian leader also warned the West that he is not bluffing over using all the means at his disposal to protect Russia’s territory, in what apparently was a veiled reference to Russia’s nuclear capability. Putin has previously warned the West not to back Russia against the wall. Officials said the number of reservists to be called up is around 300,000.
September 21, 2022 4:13 am
The Washington School District has informed Elementary School parents of a possible case of monkeypox. In a letter dated Monday, Superintendent George Lammay says “a child suspected of having monkeypox or another disease with a similar presentation was present at school” on Monday. He says the “District will not have confirmation of the diagnosis for up to three days”. The district immediately sanitized all physical locations that the suspected child accessed before being removed from school. The letter says any child identified as a potential close contact would receive a separate notice with additional information. Monkeypox and similar diseases spread between people through direct contact with an infectious rash, body fluids or by respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact.
