August 10, 2023 5:11 am
WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — At least 36 people have died in the Lahaina fire in Hawaii, Maui County wrote in a statement posted to the county website Wednesday evening. Wildfires, whipped by strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing far to the south, took the island of Maui by surprise, leaving behind burned-out cars on once busy streets and smoking piles of rubble where historic buildings had stood. Flames roared throughout the night, forcing adults and children to dive into the ocean for safety. Officials said earlier that 271 structures were damaged or destroyed and dozens of people injured.
August 10, 2023 5:08 am
MCKEESPORT, Pa. — (WPXI) – As teachers in the McKeesport Area School District get set to return to the classroom, they could be doing so without a contract. “It’s been the whole summer. Now we’re at the 11th hour where we can voluntarily report tomorrow, at 7 a.m., 8 a.m., to start setting our rooms up and teachers don’t have a contract,” said Gerald McGrew, the president of the teachers union. Wednesday night, the school board voted against ratifying a contract that calls for raises between 3% and 6.5% over the next five years. The board said it cannot afford the raises without a major tax hike and potential teacher furloughs. Several board members blamed the district’s business manager for their need to reconsider. “A contract was negotiated with ineptitude, and we cannot afford it,” said board member Matthew Holtzman. “Our business manager did not negotiate well. We don’t have the money to cover this.” Now, with teachers required to report to school on August 17 — and students on August 21 — the teachers union is weighing its next move. That could mean a strike, a delayed start to the school year, or working without a contract. The teachers union plans to meet Thursday night to decide how to proceed. District leaders say they want to get back to negotiating as soon as possible.
August 10, 2023 4:57 am
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – Animal Friends, an animal shelter in Pittsburgh, has given an update on a dog who was allegedly abandoned at Pittsburgh International Airport. “Our Humane Society Police Officers are actively investigating this case in conjunction with the Allegheny County Police. We are unfortunately unable to share specifics of the dog or the situation. We expect the dog to be moved to an experienced foster home for the duration of his stay with us,” the shelter said in a news release. For the last week, the rescue shelter has been caring for the 7-year-old dog. Allegheny County Police said the dog’s owner abandoned him at the airport after she was told she didn’t have the right carrier for the dog. Police said the owner left the dog in a baby stroller with food and water as she continued to a resort destination. The owner could face charges for animal abandonment.
August 10, 2023 4:52 am
A Bentleyville man pleaded guilty to a felony incest charge on Wednesday. Joshua Levers, 40 was initially charged with misdemeanor terroristic threats and harassment. Further investigation into that case prompted the incest charge. Levers was sentenced to 4 ½ years to 9 years in state prison on the incest and terroristic threats charges. According to the criminal complaints, Levers was initially charged in early March with threatening a relative with harm if they did not send him articles of their clothing. He also sent nude photos of himself to that victim. The incest charge was levied later in March when police found videos of Levers in an incestuous encounter with a second victim. In addition to the jail sentence, Levers will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
August 9, 2023 4:29 pm
(AP) – One of rock’s greatest songwriters and musicians, Robbie Robertson, has died at 80. His manager said he died Wedensday in Los Angeles, surrounded by family. As the guitarist and lead writer for The Band, Robertson mined American music and history for such classics as “The Weight” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” He later worked on the soundtracks for several Martin Scorsese movies, including “The Departed” and “The Irishman.” Robertson was a self-taught musicologist and storyteller who absorbed everything American from the novels of William Faulkner to the scorching blues of Howlin’ Wolf to the gospel harmonies of the Swan Silvertones.
August 9, 2023 4:18 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Today marks the 100th day of the Hollywood writers strike. The Writers Guild of America has been striking since May 2 after talks broke down with TV and movie studios. The strike is as long as the landmark strike in 2007-2008. A negotiating session last week ended with little progress. Actors belonging to SAG-AFTRA joined the WGA on strike on July 14.
August 9, 2023 3:53 pm
AP) – Special counsel Jack Smith’s team obtained a search warrant in January for records related to former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account, and a judge levied a $350,000 fine on the company for missing the deadline to company. That’s according to court documents released Wednesday. The details were included in a decision from the federal appeals court in Washington rejecting San Francisco-based Twitter’s claim it should not have been held in contempt or sanctioned. It’s unclear what information Smith may have sought from the platform. Possibilities include data about when and where the posts were written, their engagement and the identities of other accounts that re-posted Trump’s content.
August 9, 2023 5:11 am
(AP) – At least six people have been killed in wildfires that have raced across parts of Maui, Mayor Richard Bissen said. Bissen confirmed the deaths during a press conference Wednesday, but did not provide details, such as where the people were when they died. Three separate wildfires have been burning on the Hawaiian island of Maui, including one that destroyed much of the historic town of Lahaina. The fires prompted 13 evacuations, Bissen said. Just one road was open for fleeing Lahaina residents. Officials have released very little information about the scope of damage caused by the wildfires, but satellite images from NASA appeared to show active flames throughout much of the historic town of Lahaina. Another Maui wildfire was burning near the town of Kihei. (Photo: AP)
August 9, 2023 5:09 am
TOKYO (AP) — Nagasaki has marked the 78th anniversary of the U.S dropping an atomic bomb on the city, with its mayor urging an end to nuclear weapons. Mayor Shiro Suzuki made the remark Wednesday after the Group of Seven leaders at another summit in May adopted a nuclear disarmament document justifying atomic weapons for deterrence. Suziki said that also poses threat. The U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945, killed 70,000 people, three days after the attack on Hiroshima killed 140,000.
August 9, 2023 5:07 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Bringing back factory jobs is one of the most popular of White House promises — regardless of who happens to be the president. Donald Trump, Barack Obama and George W. Bush each pledged to boost manufacturing. But factory jobs seemed to struggle to fully return after each recession. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden will make the case in a New Mexico speech that his policies of financial and tax incentives have revived U.S. manufacturing. His claim is supported by a rise in construction spending on new factories. But factory hiring has begun to slow in recent months, a sign that the promised boom has yet to fully materialize.
