December 22, 2023 5:19 am
PRAGUE (AP) — Prague’s police chief says a lone gunman opened fire in a university, killing at least 14 people and injuring 25 more. Police and the Czech Republic’s interior ministry say the gunman in the mass shooting Thursday is also dead. Authorities have not released the shooter’s name, but the police chief says he was a student at the university. Police officers sealed off Jan Palach Square and evacuated the philosophy department building of Charles University, where the shooting took place. Authorities are searching the area, including the building’s balconies, for explosives.
December 22, 2023 5:17 am
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Health officials in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip say more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas. The figure amounts to nearly 1% of the territory’s prewar population. It is a new reflection of the staggering cost of the war. Over 11 weeks, the conflict has displaced nearly 85% of Gaza’s people and devastated wide swaths of the tiny coastal enclave. Gaza’s Health Ministry said Friday it has documented 20,057 deaths in the fighting. It does not differentiate between combatant and civilian deaths. Israel declared war after Hamas militants stormed across the border on Oct. 7 and killed some 1,200 people and kidnapped 240 others.
December 22, 2023 5:11 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Another piece of Steelers history is now on display at the Heinz History Center. The latest addition is one of the iconic Heinz Ketchup bottles from Heinz Field. The 35-foot, 4-ton ketchup bottle was trucked in just before daybreak Thursday. “This is an exciting day here in Pittsburgh,” said the Heinz History Center President Andy Masich. It was a delicate process for construction crews to mount the giant bottle onto the southwest corner of the Heinz History Center on 12th and Smallman Streets. It is fitting that the bottle is 57 feet off the ground and only steps away from another Steelers artifact, the goalposts from Three Rivers Stadium.
December 22, 2023 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Joe Biden believes “serious scrutiny” is warranted for the planned acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel. The transaction has drawn alarm from the steelworkers union and others. Lael Brainard, the director of the National Economic Council, said in a statement that Biden believes a close look at the deal is necessary, even for a close ally. That’s important, she said, in terms of its potential impact on national security and supply chain reliability. She indicated that the deal would be reviewed by the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which includes economic and national security agency representatives.
December 22, 2023 2:56 am
An accident occurred at the Mine 84 in Somerset Township, PA. According to Washington County 9-1-1, at approximately 9:00 am Thursday, a man was working in the shop on the property when a press blew up. The individual was injured during the explosion. The man was flown to Allegheny General Hospital. The condition and extent of injuries to the victim is unknown.
December 22, 2023 2:17 am
The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has suspended rate increase requests from the Pennsylvania American Water Company to allow for a detailed investigation and analysis. The Commission voted 5-0 to suspend a 24.2% increase in water services and a 2.5% increase in wastewater services. The action suspends the rate change request for up to seven months to schedule hearings and then issue a decision. A final decision on the rate increase is due by August 7, 2024.
December 22, 2023 2:09 am
Washington Police are looking to make a second arrest in connection with a shooting near the Family Dollar store along Highland Avenue in the city last weekend. 26 year old Alvin Berry faces charges that include; aggravated assault and criminal attempt robbery, as well as firearms violations. Police indicate that Berry is not in custody and an arrest warrant has been issued. Police say he fled the scene in a vehicle owned by 26 year old Ross Goldstone after the shooting Sunday morning. Goldstone was last reported in the Washington County Jail charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, aggravated assault and hindering apprehension. It is unclear exactly where Berry and the vehicle may be. 25 year old Nahzier Muhammad of Washington suffered a gunshot wound to the leg in the shooting.
December 21, 2023 1:33 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Rudy Giuliani has filed for bankruptcy, days after being ordered to pay $148 million in a defamation lawsuit. The former New York City mayor listed nearly $153 million in existing or potential debts. Those included hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax liabilities, money he owes his lawyers and many millions of dollars in potential legal judgements in lawsuits against him. The biggest of those is the $148 million he was ordered to pay a week ago for making false statements about two former election workers in Georgia stemming from the 2020 presidential contest. A Giuliani spokesperson says the filing will give Giuliani a chance to pursue an appeal of last week’s jury award.
December 21, 2023 5:18 am
The year started with high hopes for Ukrainian troops planning a counteroffensive against Russia. It ended with a disappointing stalemate on the battlefield, and anxiety about the future of Western aid for Ukraine’s war effort. In between, there was a foiled rebellion in Russia, a dam collapse in Ukraine, a near nuclear disaster — and the spilling of much blood on both sides of the conflict. Nearly two years since it invaded, Russia has about one-fifth of Ukraine in its grip, and the roughly 620-mile front line has barely budged this year.
December 21, 2023 5:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid grueling negotiations between senators and the White House, the contours of a bipartisan border security and immigration deal are beginning to take shape. The package is central to unlocking stalled aid for Ukraine, Israel and other national security priorities. Among the main areas of discussion: toughening asylum protocols for migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border; bolstering border enforcement with more personnel and high-tech systems; and deterring migrants from making the journey in the first place. Congress left town for the holidays, due back Jan. 8, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell saying in a rare joint statement that negotiations are progressing.
