March 24, 2024 7:23 am
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia observed a national day of mourning on Sunday, two days after an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed over 130 people. Events by cultural institutions were cancelled, flags lowered, and TV entertainment and advertising was suspended, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. Meanwhile, family and friends of those still missing after the attack waited for news of their loved ones. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Russian authorities had arrested 11 suspects, including four believed to have participated in the attack. He claimed they were captured while fleeing to Ukraine. Kyiv strongly denied any involvement, and the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility.
March 24, 2024 6:54 am
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announced its schedule for Holy Week. Bishop David Zubik will celebrate liturgies at St. Paul Cathedral along with other community events. The schedule of events is as follows;
Palm Sunday, March 24
10:00 AM Mass at St. Paul Cathedral. Palms Available
Holy Thursday, March 28
10:00 AM Chrism Mass at St. Paul Cathedral
2:30 PM Mass at Allegheny County Jail where Bishop Zubik will wash inmates’ feet
7:00 PM Mass of the Lord’s Last Supper
Good Friday, March 29
1:30 PM Liturgy with Bishop Zubik
7:00 PM Ecumenical Tenebrae prayer service with Bishop Zubik
Holy Saturday, March 30
10:00 AM Ecumenical Blessing of the City of Pittsburgh on Grandview Avenue
12:00 PM Blessing of food and Easter Baskets at St. Paul Cathedral
8:30 PM Easter Vigil Mass
Easter Sunday, March 31
10:00 AM Mass at St. Catherine Laboure Parish, St. Louise de Marillac Church
2:00 PM-4:00 PM Easter Blessing of Families at St. Paul Cathedral
Additional information may be found at https://diopitt.org/holy-week-2024
March 24, 2024 6:52 am
The Greene County Prison has announced that they will employ the services of the Ellen O’Brien Gaiser Center to provide Medication Assisted Treatment and therapy services to inmates. The services will be paid by a two year grant that the prison obtained through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. The medication management and counseling services will aid incarcerated individuals with addictions as they prepare for a healthy reentry into society. The Gaiser Center is an established leader in MAT. The program employs prescription medications to help treat issues related to substance abuse disorders. The multidisciplinary treatment approach that encompasses physical, mental and behavioral health issues along with social issues is said to be ideal for addressing challenges inmates will face as they leave prison. Training for prison staff for the program began last month.
March 24, 2024 3:48 am
On Thursday, Washington County Commissioners unanimously approved a measure to fight blight in Washington County. The County of Washington, The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington and the Washington County Land Bank will all cooperate with every township and municipality in Washington County that wishes to have blighted properties remediated within their borders. Membership in the Land Bank is not required. The county is making available up to $12 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to operate the program. Municipalities can make application to the board created to administer the program. According to Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman, that application process will be simple. He says that it is a great program to have county funds help local municipalities take dilapidated properties and have them remediated so that they can be returned to local tax rolls as revenue producing properties. Sherman says all municipalities will be contacted in the next several days.
March 23, 2024 11:47 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.1 billion after no one matched the game’s six numbers, continuing a stretch of more than three months without a big winner. The numbers drawn Friday night were: 3, 8, 31, 35, 44, 16. The jackpot increased after the drawing for an estimated $977 million failed to produce a jackpot winner. No one has won the game’s jackpot since Dec. 8. The $1.1 billion prize is for a sole winner who chooses to be paid through an annuity over 30 years. Winners almost always opt for a cash payment, which for the next drawing Tuesday night is an estimated $525.8 million.
March 23, 2024 4:06 am
Kate, the Princess of Wales, has disclosed that she has cancer but hasn’t said what kind. In a video announcement Friday, she revealed that she was undergoing chemotherapy but didn’t give further details of her treatment. Kate had successful abdominal surgery in January. At the time, officials said her condition wasn’t cancerous. But Kate says tests done later found the cancer. Kensington Palace said that no details about her cancer or her treatment would be released, saying she has a right to medical privacy. After successful surgery, chemotherapy is often used to help kill any stray cancer cells and to prevent the cancer from coming back.
March 23, 2024 4:05 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump says he has almost a half-billion dollars in cash but would rather spend it on his presidential run than the $454 million civil fraud judgment against him in New York. The Republican ex-president hopes to have a court excuse him from a requirement that he prove he’s good for the money while appealing the staggering verdict. A judge in February found Trump repeatedly lied about his wealth on financial statements given to banks and others to secure loans and make deals. Trump denies deceiving anyone. Trump’s lawyers have struggled to obtain a bond covering the judgment because underwriters insisted on cash, stocks or other liquid assets instead of real estate as collateral.
March 23, 2024 4:02 am
MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin says authorities have detained 11 people after gunmen stormed a concert hall in Moscow in a grisly attack that left at least 133 people dead. Russia’s Investigative Committee said four of those detained were directly involved in Friday’s attack that left left the sprawling shopping mall and music venue smoldering with a collapsed roof. Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Saturday that Ukraine was linked to the attack, even though the Islamic State group claimed responsibility. Ukraine has strongly denied any involvement and accused Moscow of using the attack to try to stoke fervor in its war effort. A U.S. intelligence official told The Associated Press that U.S. agencies had confirmed that that IS’s Afghanistan affiliate was responsible.
March 23, 2024 3:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills that pushes any new threats of a government shutdown into the fall. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Prospects for a short-term government shutdown appeared to grow Friday evening after Republicans and Democrats battled over proposed amendments to the bill. But shortly before midnight Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a breakthrough. The House had approved the package of spending bills earlier in the day, but more House Republicans voted against the measure than for it, reflecting anger among conservatives over the package and the speed with which it was brought to a vote.
March 23, 2024 3:53 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick will be the only names on ballots for the office in Pennsylvania’s April primary after a ruling by the state’s highest court. Friday’s ruling completed the third of three successful court challenges to the paperwork of three relatively unknown candidates. That all-but guarantees uncontested victories for Casey and McCormick in their respective primary elections April 23. The November contest between Casey and McCormick will be critical to whether Democrats can maintain control of the Senate. Casey is running for a fourth term against McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO who narrowly lost the 2022 GOP primary to Dr. Mehmet Oz.
