June 29, 2023 5:11 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces are attempting to wear down the Russian army and reshape battle lines to create more favorable conditions for a decisive, eastward counteroffensive. Ukraine’s troops were given a boost of morale last week by an armed rebellion in Russia that posed the most significant threat to President Vladimir Putin’s power in more than two decades. Yet how the revolt by Wagner Group mercenaries under the command of Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin affects the trajectory of the war remains to be seen. Ukraine has not yet fully committed elite units and Western-trained brigades, signaling to experts and allies that the counteroffensive remains in its early stages.
June 29, 2023 5:09 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A neurologist says a gunman who massacred 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue has schizophrenia and epilepsy. Dr. Siddhartha Nadkarni testified Wednesday as a defense expert at Robert Bowers’ federal death penalty trial. Bowers has already been convicted in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Jurors must now decide whether Bowers should be sentenced to death or to life in prison without parole. The defense is trying to show the gunman’s ability to form intent to kill was impaired by mental illness. Prosecutors say Bowers was motivated to kill by his hatred of Jewish people.
June 29, 2023 5:07 am
NANTERRE, France (AP) — French protesters erected barricades, lit fires and clashed with police in the streets of some French cities as tensions mounted over the deadly police shooting of a 17-year-old. The fiery protests that continued for a third consecutive night. Tens of thousands of police officers have been deployed to quell the unrest. Police said more than 400 people were arrested overnight around the country and 200 police officers were injured. The teen who is only being identified by his first name, Nahel, was shot and killed by police in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Wednesday. The officer accused of killing him faces a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide.
June 29, 2023 5:05 am
20-year old Tyler Shrieve and 18-year-old T’Kai Jett have been held for court on multiple charges. The Ohio men attended their preliminary hearing where charges were added to their original list. The men’s charges include possessing firearms without a license, possession of narcotics, and receiving stolen property. The stolen property charge was added after officials confirmed that one of the firearms they had was stolen. Shrieve and Jett were reportedly involved in a shooting that occurred at the 8th Ward Playground in Washington back in May. Police were dispatched to the area following reports of shots being fired. Officers were then able to locate the men in their vehicle after a tip to 911 dispatchers. Shrieve and Jett’s arraignment is scheduled for July 27.
June 29, 2023 5:04 am
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued a Code Orange Air Quality Alert for Fine Particulates, until midnight tonight. A code ORANGE air quality alert means that air pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups. Sensitive groups include children, the elderly, and people suffering from asthma, heart disease, or other lung diseases. The effects of air pollution can be minimized by avoiding outdoor exercise or strenuous activity. For more information on ground-level ozone and fine particles, visit http://www.airnow.gov and https://www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/AQPartnersWeb/
June 29, 2023 1:24 am
PITTSBURGH — Outdoor activities are not recommended as smoke from Canadian wildfires bring unhealthy air quality conditions to the region. A Code Red Air Quality alert has been issued and the smoke may irritate your eyes, nose, throat and lungs making it harder to breathe. If you can, try to limit strenuous activities and time outdoors. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said that unhealthy levels of air quality will continue Thursday and at least early Friday before unsettled weather returns to help at least temporarily improve conditions through the weekend. The unhealthy air has again led officials to close the Washington Park pool for a second day in a row.
June 28, 2023 12:41 pm
(WPXI) – More than 20 people were taken to local hospitals after a crash involving a camp bus in Fayette County. The crash happened just after 8 a.m. at the intersection of Pine Slopes Road and Indian Creek Valley Road in Saltlick Township. A 911 dispatcher told Channel 11 the bus went through a fence and into a field. Twenty-eight people of the forty-nine on the bus were taken to hospitals. All but three of them were children. Authorities say most of the injuries were bumps and bruises. State police in Uniontown are investigating.
June 28, 2023 12:29 pm
(AP) – A Pennsylvania prosecutor says caseworkers at a child welfare agency failed to protect children from horrific abuse and neglect, allowing them to languish for years in homes overtaken by animal waste and garbage. District Attorney Mark Powell announced felony charges Tuesday against five people at Lackawanna County’s Office of Youth and Family Services in Scranton. Powell says the caseworkers knew that children were living in dangerous, deplorable conditions, but “instead of coming to the rescue, they chose to walk away.” The arrests came days after state authorities downgraded the county agency’s license.
June 28, 2023 9:57 am
Air travelers have been putting up with widespread delays all month, and it’s continuing again, as bad weather rakes the Northeast. As of early Wednesday morning, nearly 1,300 flights have been delayed in the U.S., according to FlightAware. Cancellations rapidly approached 700 flights. Those are troubling numbers heading into the July 4 holiday weekend, when even more people will be traveling. The delays are being compounded by thunderstorms that pounded the Northeast on Tuesday.
June 28, 2023 9:53 am
A man convicted of drug delivery resulting in death is seeking a new trial. Sherman “Detroit Shawn” Springer appeared in court Tuesday in a post sentencing motions hearing trying to have his 9-18 year sentence vacated. His public defender put forth deficiency of evidence and weight of evidence motions in the effort to have Springer granted a new trial. He also tried to have preliminary hearing evidence not presented during the December 2022 jury trial entered in as evidence. The judge denied the evidence request as well as a motion for bond. The judge took the matter under advisement and will issue their decision in a court order. Springer was convicted of supplying a lethal dose of cocaine laced with fentanyl to Lonnie Barnes of Washington in April of 2020. Springer appealed his sentence to Superior Court but withdrew the appeal in favor of this request. He is currently serving his sentence in SCI Albion.
