January 2, 2024 5:13 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The hacking of a municipal water authority in a small Pennsylvania town is prompting new warnings from U.S. security officials as states and the federal government are wrestling with how to harden water utilities against hackers. Officials say the danger is hackers gaining control of automated equipment to shut down pumps that supply drinking water or contaminate drinking water by reprogramming automated chemical treatments. The efforts took on new urgency in 2021 when the federal government’s leading cybersecurity agency reported five attacks on water authorities over two years, four of them by ransomware and a fifth by a former employee. Potentially hostile geopolitical rivals such as Iran and China are viewed by U.S. officials as a threat.
January 2, 2024 5:10 am
UNIONTOWN, Pa. — (WPXI) – A Uniontown man who police say is the prime suspect in his wife’s murder has been arrested at a resort in Las Vegas. According to Uniontown police, Franyerlys Nicold “Nicole” Zambrano Briceno was found dead from a single gunshot wound in a house on Bierer Avenue at 1:31 p.m. Monday. Police said she was believed to have been dead for at least a couple of days. The victim’s husband, Arthur Guty Jr., 55, is considered a suspect in her murder, police said. Guty is facing charges of criminal homicide and aggravated assault. According to police, officers were first notified by her coworkers on Dec. 29 after she didn’t show up or call out for work. Zambrano Briceno was a housekeeper at Nemacolin resort. Lieutenant Tom Kolencik with the Uniontown Police Department said not showing up for her shift was unusual for the Venezuelan native.
January 2, 2024 5:00 am
BEIRUT (AP) — An apparent Israeli strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut has killed Hamas’ No. 2 political leader, marking a potentially significant escalation of Israel’s war against the militant group and heightening the risk of a wider Middle East conflict. Saleh Arouri was the most senior figure in the group killed since the Israel-Hamas war began nearly three months ago. His killing risks provoking major retaliation from Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militia. Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been exchanging fire almost daily over the Israeli-Lebanese border since Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began. So far, the Lebanese group has appeared reluctant to dramatically escalate the fighting.
January 2, 2024 3:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. John Fetterman acknowledges having “dark conversations” about harming himself before he hit “the emergency brake” and sought treatment for depression. In an interview with NBC’s `”Meet the Press,” the Pennsylvania Democrat described his thoughts at that time as, “I can’t be a blueprint for my children. I can’t let them be left alone or not to understand why he would have done that.” So he checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last February. Fetterman wondered whether he’d survive politically. He said that “when it got released where I was and where it was going, it was a big story. And so, I had assumed that that would be the end of my career.”
January 2, 2024 2:49 am
January 2nd brought new life to communities as far as local governments are concerned. In Washington County the judiciary had their opportunity to swear in five judges to maintain order in the county. In the only public ceremony held at the Washington County Courthouse, current magisterial justice Phillippe Melograne, whose jurisdiction covers Peters Twp., Union Twp., Finleyville and the surrounding areas, was sworn in to his first six year term after being appointed to fill the remaining term of Judge Jesse Pettit who was elected to the court of common pleas. Melograne spoke of being happy to be on the front lines of justice in an attempt to be one of the first people to help those who may have made a mistake. Other magisterial judges who were sworn in privately were Mark Wilson from the Monongahela area and Gary Havelka from the Burgettstown area. Common Pleas Court Judges Valarie Costanzo and Michael Lucas were also sworn in during private ceremonies. Both Costanzo and Lucas were retained for another 10 year term in last November’s general election.
January 1, 2024 7:27 am
TOKYO (AP) — Japan has issued tsunami alerts and urged evacuations following a series of earthquakes that started a fire and trapped people under rubble on the west coast of its main island. The earthquakes started on Monday afternoon, with one having preliminary magnitude of 7.6, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters, or about 16.5 feet, and urged people to flee to high land or the top of a nearby building as quickly as possible. People are trapped in buildings that collapsed in the quake, authorities said, and a fire has broken out in the city of Wajima.
January 1, 2024 4:15 am
A Colorado mother suspected of killing two of her young children and injuring a third is under arrest in the United Kingdom. Kimberlee Singler’s 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son were found dead on Dec. 19 when police responded to a reported burglary at their home. Police say the burglary report turned out to be unfounded. The 35-year-old mother initially cooperated with police but disappeared during the investigation. Police obtained an arrest warrant on charges of murder and attempted murder, among other allegations.
January 1, 2024 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts is turning his focus to the promise and shortcomings of artificial intelligence in the federal courts. His annual report makes no mention of Supreme Court ethics or legal controversies involving Donald Trump. Roberts on Sunday described artificial intelligence as the “latest technological frontier” and discussed the pros and cons of computer-generated content in the legal profession. The year-end report was issued just a few days after the latest instance of AI-generated fake legal citations making their way into official court records. Roberts wrote that AI can make it much easier for people without much money to access the courts, but that any use of AI “requires caution and humility.”
January 1, 2024 4:08 am
BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. military says its forces opened fire on and killed several Houthi rebels after they attacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea. The confrontation marks an escalation in a maritime conflict linked to the war in Gaza. And a White House official says, “We’re going to act in a self-defense going forward.” U.S. Central Command said a Navy crew first shot down two missiles fired at a commercial ship late Saturday. The Navy said four small boats attacked the same ship with small arms fire early Sunday. Central Command says the attackers fired on US military helicopters and they fired back, sinking three of the boats. The Houthis acknowledged 10 of their fighters were killed
January 1, 2024 4:06 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said his military should “thoroughly annihilate” the United States and South Korea if provoked. State media reported Monday that Kim made the order during a meeting with commanding army officers the previous day. In a five-day ruling party meeting last week, Kim said he would boost national defenses to cope with what he called an unprecedented U.S.-led confrontation. Foreign experts say Kim is expected to ramp up weapons tests in 2024 ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November.
