June 8, 2023 5:15 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The Republican Party’s 2024 presidential field is all but set after a trio of new announcements this week. There are at least 10 high-profile Republican candidates officially seeking their party’s nomination. And with the announcement phase of the primary campaign largely over, several leading Republican contenders will gather in North Carolina this weekend to begin a more aggressive sorting period. It will be a long road to the GOP’s national convention in Milwaukee next summer and surprises are guaranteed. But as of now, most Republican White House hopefuls are looking up at former President Donald Trump, who is the undisputed front-runner in the crowded contest.
June 8, 2023 5:12 am
KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in the flood-hit region of Kherson to evaluate response to damage caused by a dam breach. The Ukrainian leader wrote on his Telegram account that he was helping assess efforts to evacuate civilians, provide them with drinking water and other support, and try to stanch vast environmental damage. Meanwhile, the Kremlin-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, a Russian-occupied town 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the collapsed Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric plant, reported on Russian state TV Thursday that five of seven local residents who had been declared missing following the dam breach have died. The two remaining people have been found and efforts were being made to evacuate them, Vladimir Leontyev added.
June 8, 2023 5:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal grand jury investigating Donald Trump in Florida has heard from at least one additional witness Wednesday amid signs that the Justice Department is moving toward a possible indictment over the former president’s mishandling of classified documents. Over the last week, Trump’s lawyers have met with Justice Department officials to argue against an indictment, while Trump has issued a series of social media posts suggesting he was anticipating being charged. A former top aide appeared Wednesday before a grand jury in Miami — an indication, legal experts say, that prosecutors have settled on Florida, not Washington, as the appropriate venue for charges.
June 8, 2023 5:10 am
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has spent a good first night in the hospital following a three-hour operation to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall. Doctors say Wednesday’s operation was successful and there were no complications or other pathologies discovered. Francis was even joking with his surgeon. The pontiff is expected to remain in the 10th floor papal suite at the Gemelli hospital for several days, and all papal audiences were canceled through June 18. The Vatican is expected to provide a medical update later Thursday. Experts who didn’t participate in the surgery said the key issues going forward will be pain management and ensuring the wound heals.
June 8, 2023 5:06 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A proposal to allocate $100 million in federal funds to pay for adult mental health programs easily passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The measure was developed with guidance from a state commission charged with making recommendations for coordinated care. The bill passed 173-30 on Wednesday and goes to the Senate. Funding of the American Rescue Plan Act would bolster the behavioral health industry’s workforce, improve the criminal justice and public safety systems and expand access to support. Other bills eyeing mental health are also in the works, including proposals to support children’s mental health in schools and ongoing funding for a suicide prevention hotline.
June 8, 2023 5:04 am
NEW YORK (AP) — With weather systems expected to hardly budge, the smoky blanket billowing across the U.S. and Canada from wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia should persist into Thursday and possibly the weekend. That means at least another day, or more, of a dystopian-style detour that’s chased players from ballfields, actors from Broadway stages, delayed thousands of flights, and sparked a resurgence in mask wearing and remote work — all while raising concerns about the health effects of prolonged exposure to such bad air. U.S. National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Ramsey says the weather system that’s driving the great Canadian-American smoke out “will probably be hanging around at least for the next few days.”
June 8, 2023 5:01 am
NORTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Inside Southwood Psychiatric Hospital in North Strabane, Washington County is where police say staff member Tamika Jones pushed a young patient to the ground before allegedly kicking the boy in the head. The alleged incident happened in April, according to the police report, but charges were just filed against Jones this week. District Attorney Jason Walsh says the physical encounter was all caught on surveillance video. “There is video evidence that is, in my opinion, horrific, in regard to the way this child was struck by this individual,” Walsh said. “The defendant basically kicks this child in the head. It’s a horrific event.” According to the criminal complaint, the incident was reported to Hospital Director Kacey Kramer, who watched the video and suspended Jones that day. The police report states that Jones told officers she was stepping in to help a coworker who was assaulted by the young patient. But that coworker told investigators, “There was no apparent reason for doing such actions to the juvenile.” Jones is now charged with felony aggravated assault and felony child endangerment, among other charges. “It’s absolutely horrible. That’s why the charges reflect the severity of the crime,” explained Walsh. Jones was arraigned Tuesday and released. She’s due back in court on July 18.
June 8, 2023 2:17 am
A Florida man had his case waived to court during the preliminary hearing on Wednesday. Robert Baker, 49 is charged with numerous counts of harassment, unlawful use of a computer and disruption of services going back to April of 2023. According to police, Baker sent between 100 and 160 pages of documents to government officials, in particular law enforcement offices. A formal arraignment is pending.
June 7, 2023 5:43 pm
ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — Mike Pence has opened his presidential bid with an unusually forceful denunciation of former President Donald Trump over Jan. 6, Trump’s temperament and abortion. Pence told an audience in a Des Moines, Iowa, suburb on Wednesday, “Anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States, and anyone who asks someone else to put them over the Constitution should never be president again.” And he accused Trump of abandoning conservative principles, particularly on abortion. Pence is the first vice president in modern history to challenge his former running mate. Trump leads the GOP 2024 presidential field in early polls. (Photo: AP)
June 7, 2023 5:21 pm
According to a Facebook post, Cretan Gyros in Washington will be closed until further notice because of a fire at the family’s home. The post said that the family’s house burnt down around 2:30 Wednesday morning. No one was injured but they are asking for everyone’s patience as they try to return to normal operations. Cretan Gyros is located at 180 Brownson Avenue.
