November 28, 2023 5:03 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A fragile truce between Israel and Hamas held for a fifth day as international mediators in Qatar worked to extend it and more hostages were freed from Gaza. Israel came under pressure from the United States to better protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza if it follows through on its promise to resume the war. The latest swap of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel got underway Tuesday evening. Israel said 10 of its citizens and 2 foreigners were freed by Hamas and had entered Egypt. Around 30 more Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released as part of the deal.
November 28, 2023 4:59 am
One person was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital after a house fire late Monday night in Canton Township. Washington County 9-1-1 says the blaze broke out around 10:30 p.m at a home along Elizabeth Street. There is no word on the identity or condition of the person injured. The State Police Fire Marshall has been called in to investigate the cause of the fire. Firefighters from several departments were called to the scene.
November 28, 2023 4:54 am
Peters Township Council began their meeting with a public hearing regarding the proposed budget and capital improvements plan. Council is looking at a budget that is $37.75 million and is balanced. There is no tax increase involved with the 2024 budget. Township Manager Paul Lauer states that deed transfer taxes in the township are a huge revenue generator but with the increase in mortgage rates staff will be paying close attention to those figures for next year’s budget. The township will be making extensive improvements to baseball fields at Peterswood Park. They will also be starting on phase one of the community aquatic facility. The initial phase calls for a splash pad and building dedicated to the use of the splash pad. Phase two of the aquatic facility would be the new pool. Lauer says that project is a project that is planned for the future. Lauer reiterated during the public hearing that even though taxes will not be rising, the fees for trash collection will. The new fee will be $100 per quarter. Lauer went on to say that fee increases like this are not isolated to Peters Township. All southwestern Pennsylvania and in fact, the nation is experiencing steep increases in trash collection. Council will formally adopt the budget in December.
November 18, 2023 4:56 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A witness testifying in federal court says he oversaw improvements at the Philadelphia home of a Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice, work he said was initially paid for by the labor union the justice’s brother led. The testimony about Justice Kevin Dougherty came this week during the embezzlement trial of his brother. John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty (pictured) is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Contractor Anthony Massa says he was instructed to bill Local 98. John Dougherty has denied the embezzlement allegations. Kevin Dougherty has not been accused of wrongdoing. He ran successfully for state Supreme Court in 2015. The electricians’ union was a major donor to his campaign.
November 18, 2023 2:54 am
Pennsylvania State Police in Washington say a missing / endangered person has been found. No further information was given. Valerie Bonus, a white female, 63 years of age was last seen on Thursday, November 16, 2023 at approximately 5:00 p.m. Bonus suffers from dementia and her last known location was near the Dollar General on SR 0018 in South Franklin Township, Washington County. Bonus is described as 5’5”, 105 pounds, with brown eyes and brown / gray hair. She was last known to be wearing a black zip up, black leggings and a pink hat.
November 17, 2023 5:37 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Hip hop legend and marijuana aficionado Snoop Dogg says he’s going to stop smoking. In message posted to social media, the rapper and entrepreneur asked fans to respect his privacy at this time. He didn’t provide many details on the announcement, and representatives did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ requests for comment. But that didn’t stop ample speculation from fans, many of whom were caught off guard by Snoop’s decision in the comments. Some wondered if the 52-year-old would switch to another form of THC or announce a new business-related or marketing venture down the road. Others applauded the announcement and suggested Snoop may have chosen to stop smoking for his own personal health.
November 17, 2023 5:36 pm
(AP) – Advertisers are fleeing social media platform X over concerns about their ads showing up next to pro-Nazi content, hate speech on the site in general or billionaire owner Elon Musk’s own tweets endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory. IBM said it stopped advertising on X after a report said its ads were appearing alongside material praising Nazis. It said the same of ads from Apple, Oracle, NBCUniversal’s Bravo network and Comcast. The EU also said Friday that it’s pausing its advertising on X and other social media platforms, in part because of a surge in hate speech. Musk sparked outcry this week with his own tweets responding to a user who accused Jews of hating white people. Separately, a spokesperson for Lionsgate says the entertainment company has also suspended advertising on X.
November 17, 2023 1:59 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say at least seven states are seeing high levels of the flu and that cases are rising in other parts of the country. New flu data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows flu is steadily rising. The winter flu season traditionally ramps up in December or January. But it took off in October last year and is making a November entrance now. Louisiana has very high flu activity. There is high activity in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico and South Carolina and the District of Columbia. Health officials in Puerto Rico declared an influenza epidemic earlier this month.
November 17, 2023 1:40 pm
(WPXI) – Pennsylvania State Police are investigating after a Westmoreland County bank was robbed by a man with a gun Friday. According to state police, the robbery happened at 11:25 a.m. at the First National Bank Stonehouse Office in Hempfield Township. State police said a black male suspect presented a threatening note and displayed a handgun in his waistband. The suspect fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to state police. The suspect is described as wearing a face and head covering, a dark-colored hooded shirt or jacket, blue jeans and white sneakers. He also had on a dark-colored backpack. Anyone with information is asked to call state police in Greensburg at 724-832-3288.
November 17, 2023 12:34 pm
(WPXI) – There is a new warning issued for pet owners after a mystery respiratory illness was discovered. Officials say that it affects dogs and is spreading across the country. The illness is very contagious and can be deadly, veterinarians say. According reports, the most reported symptoms are similar to kennel cough, which includes coughing, sneezing, nasal and/or eye discharges, and lethargy. It was reported first in Oregon in August and Oregon’s Department of Agriculture received over a hundred reports from vets regarding the illness. Vets are recommending that pet owners avoid dog parks or letting their pets hang out with dogs they don’t know. They also suggest avoiding boarding your pets this holiday season if you can.
