June 9, 2022 1:58 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania state lawmakers are advancing proposed new limits on fireworks in response to growing complaints after a 5-year-old state law greatly liberalized their sales and use. The House of Representatives voted 160 to 38 on Wednesday for legislation that would restrict their use to 10 a.m.-10 p.m. except during July 2-4 and Dec. 31, when they could be used until 1 a.m. There would be greater penalties for improper sales or illegal use. Until the 2017 law change, fireworks in Pennsylvania were largely limited to sparklers and similar novelties. The changes permitted the sale of the full array of fireworks that meet federal consumer standards.
June 9, 2022 12:40 pm
(WPXI) – For the first time ever, the price of gas in the Pittsburgh region jumped over the $5 mark. As of Thursday, it’s at $5.01. This comes after the Pennsylvania average hit that mark on Wednesday. Now, the Federal Trade Commission is warning people about getting unsolicited calls, texts and emails about a government relief program for high gas prices. It doesn’t exist. In one case, a woman signed up for the program after getting a phone call but instead was duped and lost a lot of money from her checking account.There’s also another scam involving $500 Speedway fuel gift cards for $1.95. A post widely shared on Facebook claimed the gas station was trying to help people out with the skyrocketing price of gas. It directs people to a link that you should not click on. Facebook flagged the post, but it’s still there and has been shared hundreds of times. Speedway said the post is face and they are not running any type of promotion like that.
June 9, 2022 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House has passed a wide-ranging gun control bill in response to recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas. The bill would raise the age limit for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle and prohibit the sale of ammunition magazines of more than 15 rounds. The legislation has almost no chance of becoming law as the Senate pursues more modest proposals. But it does allow Democratic lawmakers a chance to show voters where they stand. Democrat Veronica Escobar of Texas says, “We can’t save every life, but my God, shouldn’t we try?”
June 9, 2022 4:19 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Television viewers will find nearly blanket prime-time coverage of a Congressional hearing Thursday on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. That’s with the exception of Fox News Channel. The top-rated cable channel said it will cover the first in a series of House Select Committee public hearings as “news warrants.” Other corporate siblings will carry the hearing. In contrast, major broadcast networks ABC, NBC and CBS will cover the 8 to 10 p.m. Eastern hearing as it unfolds. So will cable news channels CNN and MSNBC.
June 9, 2022 4:17 am
BAKHMUT, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian authorities say that workers have pulled scores of bodies from smashed buildings in the devastated city of Mariupol in an “endless caravan of death.” At the same time, fears of a global food crisis are escalating over Ukraine’s inability to export millions of tons of grain through its blockaded ports. Ukrainian and Russian forces are also continuing to battle for control of a key eastern city in the industrial heartland known as the Donbas. An analyst said that the Kremlin’s continued advances could eventually open up the possibility of a negotiated settlement between the two nations.
June 9, 2022 4:16 am
A helicopter carrying six people has crashed in a lava field in Hawaii. Cyrus Johnasen, a public information office for Hawaii County, says it was a tour helicopter with a pilot and five passengers. He says the initial report of a crash came in about 5 p.m. Wednesday near the southern most tip of the Big Island. Johnasen says the site was inaccessible by vehicle so the Hawaii Fire Department sent two helicopters to take victims to ambulances waiting at nearby roads. He says the pilot had been trapped but was later extracted. Johnasen says the pilot is a man in his 50s and was in serious but stable condition. An 18-year-old woman was reported in serious and worsening condition. Four people were reported as ambulatory. All have been safely evacuated from the site.
June 9, 2022 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Members of the House committee investigating the events of Jan. 6 will hold their first prime-time hearing Thursday to share what they have uncovered about former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Those efforts culminated in the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol. Part of their mission has been to determine the former president’s actions that day. Much is already known about where Trump was, what he said, and how he reacted. But large gaps remain.
June 9, 2022 4:12 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Pennsylvania House is advancing legislation to erase the word “homosexuality” from the definition of prohibited sexual acts in the state Crimes Code. The 198-to-0 vote on Wednesday was on a bill to clean up language that supporters said does not belong there because homosexuality is not a crime. Under “prostitution,” state law currently defines sexual activity so that it “includes homosexual and other deviate sexual relations.” Democrats say the Legislature should also act to expand nondiscrimination law to LGBTQ people.
June 9, 2022 4:10 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Officials say two men are facing murder charges and have been arrested in Virginia in the deaths of two bystanders in last weekend’s shooting in a busy entertainment district in Philadelphia. City officials said at a news conference Thursday that the men will be extradited to face charges in Philadelphia and will not be given bail in Saturday night’s shooting on South Street. Three people died overall and several others were injured. Authorities have said no charges are planned in the case of the third death because it is considered self-defense. Authorities earlier announced two arrests not connected with any of the deaths.
June 9, 2022 4:07 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – Romanian nationals accused of planting skimming devices at Sam’s Club stores in both Allegheny and Butler counties are now accused of targeting a store in Washington County as well. South Strabane police have filed charges against Constatin Colceag and Raul Cojocaru, after a report of a skimmer found on a self-checkout register at the Sam’s Club in Trinity Point Shopping Plaza. According to the criminal complaint, the skimmer went undetected for nearly four days. The criminal complaint also said that police tracked down the men using surveillance images and license plate readers. Investigators also uncovered several electronic devices, including a laptop, passports, and fake IDs. Police are now warning customers who frequented any of the locations targeted to check their bank and credit card accounts for any irregular activity. (PHOTO: WPXI)
