December 12, 2023 5:08 am
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel and the United States are increasingly isolated as they face global calls for a cease-fire in Gaza, including a non-binding vote expected to pass at the United Nations later on Tuesday. Israel has pressed ahead with an offensive against Gaza’s Hamas rulers that officials say could go on for weeks or months. The war ignited by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel has already brought unprecedented death and destruction to the impoverished coastal enclave. More than 18,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and minors, and over 80% of the population of 2.3 million have fled their homes.
December 12, 2023 5:03 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Hopes for finishing a critical climate summit on time faded early Tuesday as countries were still far apart on key issues, including an agreement on what to do about the fossil fuels that are causing dangerous global warming. Critics condemned a draft agreement released Monday in Dubai as a watered-down document that won’t stop dangerous climate change. More than 100 countries have called to phase out planet-warming fossil fuels. The draft document called instead for countries to reduce “consumption and production of fossil fuels, in a just, orderly and equitable manner.” The Bangladeshi envoy said that a revised draft text will be presented Tuesday. The talks are supposed to end Tuesday, but the conference often runs long.
December 12, 2023 4:59 am
ROSTRAVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Criminal charges have been filed against two people in a shooting incident that left a 4-year-old injured in Rostraver Township over the summer, the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office announced Monday. Laura Steele and Michael Lynn are both charged with endangering the welfare of children by a parent or guardian and recklessly endangering another person. On July 6, Rostraver police and Westmoreland County detectives were called to a home on Gauido Drive for a 4-year-old who shot himself with a handgun. The child was flown to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh and immediately taken into emergency surgery. The DA’s office said the child continues to receive constant medical care. Detectives say they determined that the handgun involved was kept on the floor of a bedroom inside the home, unsecured and loaded. Police said Steele and Lynn were both home at the time of the shooting and heard a ‘pop’ from the bedroom before finding the boy bleeding on the floor with the gun next to him.
December 12, 2023 4:54 am
Monday’s voting meeting in Canonsburg was significant for residents of the borough. Two measures that will affect residents’ wallets were adopted. First, the annual budget passed by a 6-1 vote. According to Borough Manager Denise Lesnock, the 2024 spending plan comes in at just under $6.2 million and it includes a fractional tax increase of .134 mills. That means residents will spend $13 more per $100,000 of assessed value on their homes. Council also considered the sale of the Canonsburg-Houston Joint Authority. The motion to authorize the sale died on the table due to lack of a second to the motion. That ends the prospect of the sale. The boroughs of Houston and Canonsburg jointly own the sewerage facility. Houston and the CHJA Authority both agreed to a sale. According to council president Eric Chandler, business for sewer customers remains the same. The terms of the offer to sell were for $145 million by AQUA. It is unknown if any further sale discussions will be held. Council also recognized the longtime efforts of council members Tina Bails and Tom Lawrence. Both were presented plaques for their dedication to Canonsburg.
December 12, 2023 4:52 am
Monday marked the fifth day of Hanukkah and Chabad of Washington celebrated on the lawn of the Washington County Courthouse. Rabbi Mendel Wolowik led the Jewish community in a celebration that included prayers, song, dance and traditional foods. Hanukkah is known as the “Festival of Lights” because according to Jewish teachings, God created a miracle and made one jar of oil that would only last one day, to light a menorah in the Second Temple of Jerusalem, last eight days. Rabbi Wolowik said that people should dedicate themselves during the holiday to bring light to those people and the areas around them. He indicated that the Hamas invasion into Israel on October 7 was a reminder that extra work is needed to bring more light into everyone’s life. In addition to the celebration on the courthouse lawn, Chabad of Washington is running a Hanukkah toy drive in cooperation with the Citizens Library. Anyone may bring a new toy to the donation area of the library and it will be distributed to underprivileged and hospitalized children. The drive runs until the end of December.
December 12, 2023 4:50 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Public school advocates in Pennsylvania are criticizing publicly funded programs that pay tuition at private and religious schools. They say many such schools discriminate by cherry-picking which students are able to attend. School funding is an unresolved area of contention as the House and Senate return to session on Monday. Democrats are pushing for billions more for public schools, while Republicans press to expand taxpayer funding for private schools. The two sides are clashing over a program that provides tax credits to defray the cost of private-school tuition.
December 11, 2023 5:40 pm
SHENANDOAH, Pa. (AP) — Police officers responding to a reported burglary at a southeastern Pennsylvania home shot and killed a man who lunged at them with a machete. State police say officers from Shenandoah and Mahanoy City police had responded to the home in Shenandoah around 12:30 a.m. Monday. The property owner had video surveillance in the home because it’s vacant, and the owner reported seeing someone in the house wearing a mask and with a big knife. State police say the officers soon found 32-year-old Byron Scheuring, of Shenandoah, under a bed upstairs and, when they moved the bed, he lunged at them with a machete. A Shenandoah officer then fired one shot that hit Scheuring, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
December 11, 2023 5:39 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith is asking the Supreme Court to take up and rule quickly on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results. A federal judge had ruled the case could go forward, but Trump signaled he’d ask the federal appeals court in Washington to reverse that outcome. Smith’s request Monday is an attempt to bypass the appeals court. The high court justices indicated later Monday that they would decide quickly whether to hear the case, ordering Trump’s lawyers to respond by Dec. 20. Trump’s presidential campaign says, “There is absolutely no reason to rush this sham to trial.”
December 11, 2023 12:47 pm
(AP) – Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” dominated the Golden Globe nominations with nine nods for the blockbuster film, including best picture musical or comedy as well as acting nominations for Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling and three of its original songs. It was closely followed by its release date and meme companion “Oppenheimer,” which scored eight nominations, including best picture drama and for actors Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt. The revamped group, now a for-profit endeavor with a larger and more diverse voting body, announced nominations Monday for its January awards show, after scandal and several troubled years. The how airs Jan. 7 from Beverly Hills. (Photo: AP)
December 11, 2023 5:15 am
Yekaterina Duntsova is a little-known journalist and mom-of-three from a small town in western Russia. She hopes to force President Vladimir Putin into a run-off in Russia’s next presidential vote scheduled for March, despite her political inexperience and analysts’ assessments that the Kremlin leader’s reelection is all but assured. Duntsova intends to run as an independent and tells The Associated Press that she hopes to energize voters disillusioned with politics with her message of peace in Ukraine, freedom for jailed government critics and a “humane” Russia respectful of its citizens and international partners. She admits to being afraid amid the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent, but vows she and her campaign team will fight on.
