March 25, 2024 4:54 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge has scheduled former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial to begin April 15. Judge Juan M. Merchan made the ruling Monday. The judge earlier had scolded the ex-president’s lawyers as he weighed when to reschedule the trial after a last-minute document dump caused a postponement of the original date. Merchan bristled at what he suggested were baseless defense claims of “prosecutorial misconduct,” appearing unpersuaded by Trump team arguments that prosecutors had until recently concealed tens of thousands of pages of records from a previous federal investigation. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee arrived in court Monday for the hearing scheduled in place of the long-planned start of jury selection.
March 25, 2024 4:48 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Police investigating the killing a pregnant Amish woman in rural Pennsylvania say they seized six guns, a variety of ammunition and a pair of sneakers that may match tread marks left at the crime scene during searches of the suspect’s home and vehicle. Search warrant documents released over the weekend say 23-year-old Rebekah Byler suffered “multiple sharp force wounds” to her neck and was shot in the head during last month’s attack . Truck driver Shawn Cranston of Corry is charged with two counts of homicide. In a newly released search warrant affidavit, a state trooper says Rebekah Byler’s 3-year-old son told investigators that a man wearing sneakers killed his mother.
March 25, 2024 2:22 am
The Penguins say that a shipment of Jaromir Jagr bobble-heads that was stolen earlier this month has been located and secured. As a result, officials say the bobble-heads will now be distributed at the team’s home game planned for April 6th. The team issued a statement saying that they were notified last week that a special cargo recovery team negotiated the return of the stolen property to a secure warehouse located in Ontario, California. They said the truckload arrived in Pittsburgh Monday and is expected to be delivered to PPG Paints Arena within the next week. Fans with a bobble-head voucher from the originally scheduled distribution will be able to redeem those vouchers on April 6th and 7th.
March 24, 2024 7:38 am
LONDON (AP) — Kate, the Princess of Wales, and her husband, Prince William, are said to be “extremely moved” by the public’s warmth and support following her shocking cancer announcement as tributes continued to pour in from around the world. After weeks of frenzied speculation on social media about her health and well-being, Kate said in a candid video message on Friday that she is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer following major abdominal surgery. The 42-year-old princess said the cancer discovery was a “huge shock” and she was now in the early stages of preventative chemotherapy. Criticism of those jumping to sometime-outlandish conclusions continued to be voiced over Sunday.
March 24, 2024 7:29 am
BEIRUT (AP) — A mayor in northeastern Lebanon says an Israeli airstrike has wounded at least three people. The airstrike was reported near the city of Baalbek, which is a stronghold of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group. The attack is the latest to hit the area in recent weeks. The strike occurred a few minutes after midnight Saturday and wounded three people, according to Baalbek’s mayor, Bachir Khodr. Since the Israel-Hamas war began Oct. 7, Hezbollah has been carrying attacks on Israel’s military posts along the border. Israel has since staged dozens of airstrikes, mostly along the border. But since late February the Baalbek area has been attacked at least three times.
March 24, 2024 7:27 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump won Louisiana’s primary on Saturday, collecting more delegates after they already clinched their party nominations. Biden also appeared in Missouri’s Democratic primary, which was not expected to report results until next week. The primary races Saturday were not in doubt. But they are still closely watched by insiders for turnout and signs of protest voters. For Biden, some liberals are registering their anger with Israel’s war against Hamas following the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack. Trump faces dissent from people worried about the immense legal jeopardy he faces or critical of his White House term.
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.
