Columbia Loses Elite Ranking

July 10, 2022 8:05 am

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. News & World Report has unranked Columbia University from its 2022 edition of Best Colleges, saying in a statement that the Ivy League institution failed to substantiate certain 2021 data it previously submitted, including student-faculty ratios and class size. The decision to rescind the school’s No. 2 rating among national universities in the 2022 edition came about a week after Columbia announced it would not be submitting data for the 2023 edition of Best Colleges after one of its mathematics professors recently raised questions about the accuracy of past submissions. The 2022 edition was first published in September 2021. Prospective students often rely on the U.S. News & World Report rankings to determine where they should apply to college. Columbia Provost Mary Boyce, in a statement posted June 30, said the school was reviewing its data collection and submissions process in light of the professor’s concerns and could not complete the work in time for U.S. News and World Report’s July 1 deadline for the 2023 Best Colleges edition.

One Killed In Wrong-Way Crash On Parkway

July 10, 2022 8:02 am

CHURCHILL, Pa. (WPXI) — One person was killed and two others were injured in a Saturday crash on Interstate 376 East. According to Pennsylvania State Police, the accident happened around 2:33 a.m. on the Parkway near mile marker 79.8. A 2019 Chevrolet Silverado was traveling westbound in the eastbound lane and collided with a 2016 Honda HR-V, which spun and overturned, police said. The passenger in the Honda was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Honda and the Chevrolet were taken to area hospitals for their injuries. A third car involved in the crash sustained minor damage and was able to be driven away from the scene. That driver was uninjured. The investigation is ongoing.

Crews Battle Early Morning Monessen Fire

July 10, 2022 8:00 am

MONESSEN, Pa. — Multiple units were called to Westmoreland County Sunday morning for a residential structure fire in the City of Monessen. According to firefighters on scene, crews made quick work of an upstairs bedroom fire, which only took about an hour to put out. Monessen Fire crews were joined by Bentleyville, Charleroi, Carroll Township, North Belle Vernon and Washington Township Fire Departments. There is no word on what caused the fire and there were no reported injuries. (Photo: Bentleyville Fire-Rescue Facebook Page)

Fallen Oakdale Police Officer Laid To Rest

July 10, 2022 7:54 am

SHALER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI) — A long procession of police vehicles from near and far arrived at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Shaler — for the funeral service of fallen Oakdale Police Officer Charles Stipetich. Officer Stipetich was remembered in song and prayer. Officer Stipetich was only 23 years old. He was a Fox Chapel graduate, a Marine veteran and with the Oakdale Police Department for just eight days, when he was shot and killed in a case of road rage. His dad credits his son for saving his life. Officer Stipetich was off-duty at the time. Family and friends said their final goodbyes at a private burial. To honor officer Stipetich, the Oakdale police chief said the department will create a “Charles Stipetich award” for heroism. It will be given to someone who goes above the call of duty.

Flooding After West Brownsville Water Main Break

July 10, 2022 5:26 am

WEST BROWNSVILLE, Pa. — Multiple area fire departments and water company crews were called to West Brownsville Friday night for a major water main break with flooding. The call for the break came in just before 10:00 p.m. at the 300 block of Main Street in the borough. Main Street was closed for hours after the intersection with Pittsburgh Road. Middle Street was also closed in that area due to flooding. West Brownsville Fire Crews were assisted by California, Brownsville, South Brownsville and Hiller Fire Departments on scene. Borough officials say the water in West Brownsville will be affected and ask residents to use caution and be careful in the area. (Photo: California Fire Department Facebook Page)

I-79 Closed At Neville Island Bridge

July 10, 2022 4:27 am

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The first of four southbound weekend closures on the Neville Island Bridge is taking place between now and Monday morning July 11th. The southbound lanes were closed Friday night as crews conduct deck and concrete pavement repairs, bridge painting and steel repairs. There will also be a lane restriction on the northbound side of traffic as well. These closures will continue until 5 a.m. Monday morning. The work is all part of the $43 million Neville Island Bridge Rehabilitation Project. A posted detour will take drivers along Route 65, across the Sewickley Bridge, back along the Ohio River utilizing Route 51 before returning to I-79 South.

More January 6th Testimony

July 9, 2022 5:30 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone has had an eight-hour private interview with the Jan. 6 committee. Cipollone has been a sought-after witness over his role trying to prevent then-President Donald Trump from challenging the 2020 presidential election and joining the violent mob at the Capitol. One committee member says he did not contradict earlier witness testimony. Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson had testified that Cipollone warned the defeated president would be charged with “every crime imaginable” if he went to the Capitol on Jan. 6 trying to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election.

Former Japan PM Abe Assassinated

July 9, 2022 5:29 am

TOKYO (AP) — Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated on a street in western Japan by a gunman who opened fire on him from behind as he delivered a campaign speech. The attack stunned the nation that has some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere. The 67-year-old Abe, who was Japan’s longest-serving leader when he resigned in 2020, collapsed bleeding and was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead from major damage to his heart and two neck wounds. Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene and identified him as Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, a former member of Japan’s navy.

Wildfires Latest Threat To Sequoia Trees

July 9, 2022 4:54 am

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Officials say part of Yosemite National Park has been closed and hundreds of people evacuated nearby as a wildfire rages near a grove of California’s famed giant sequoia trees. On Friday, the growing fire forced park officials to close Mariposa Grove. It is the largest sequoia grove in Yosemite and features more than 500 mature giant sequoias. A campground and the community of Wawona were ordered evacuated. Firefighters are trying to contain the blaze from the ground and the air. Although sequoias are threatened by the flames, there have been no reports of severe damage to the grove’s giant named sequoias.

Biden Signs Order On Abortion Access

July 9, 2022 4:53 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has signed an executive order to protect access to abortion, delivering impassioned remarks condemning the Supreme Court decision that ended that constitutional right. He said it’s now up to Congress to fully restore the right, and he implored Americans to “vote, vote, vote, vote” in November to elect sympathetic candidates. Biden on Friday formalized instructions to the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to push back on efforts to limit the ability of women to access federally approved abortion medication or to travel across state lines to access clinical abortion services.