December 15, 2023 5:03 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania are rejecting legislation to send more than $33.5 million to the University of Pennsylvania’s veterinary school over criticism that the Ivy League school has tolerated antisemitism. The bill’s defeat is perhaps the starkest example of how some lawmakers and governors are trying to keep universities from taking sides in the Israel-Hamas war and to toughen the schools’ responses to acts of hate and discrimination, including antisemitism. The vote late Wednesday night came four days after Penn’s president resigned amid pressure from donors. The Pennsylvania House’s Republican floor leader, Bryan Cutler (pictured), says Penn must do more to make it clear it opposes antisemitism.
December 15, 2023 2:14 am
Crown Castle Inc. has confirmed to WJPA that they no longer plan to relocate more than one-thousand employees. Interim CEO Anthony Melone said, “we’ve made the decision to cancel the planned relocation of more than 1,000 teammates announced on Oct. 18th.” The plan would have had a major impact on workers at it’s Southpointe location and may have resulted in the closure of that facility. Crown Castle, which is a massive cell tower and optics company, is believed to be the second largest employer in Washington County. No reason was given for the original planned relocation.
December 14, 2023 5:37 pm
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A loose bull in New Jersey’s largest city that found its way onto train tracks and snarled rail traffic has been captured. The ruddy brown bull with long, dark-tipped horns stood on the tracks at Newark Penn Station, prompting a police response. The incident held up train traffic between New Jersey and New York Penn Station for nearly an hour. Newark’s public safety director says city officers eventually cornered the animal in a fenced lot about 3 miles away from the station. No injuries were reported. the bull will be sent to a local animal sanctuary.
December 14, 2023 5:35 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate dropped below 7% to its lowest level since early August, another boost for prospective homebuyers who have largely been held back by sharply higher borrowing costs and heightened competition for relatively few homes for sale. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage dropped to 6.95% from 7.03% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.31%. The latest drop in rates is the seventh in as many weeks. Mortgage rates have been easing since late October, when they reached 7.79%, the highest level since late 2000.
December 14, 2023 1:21 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Taylor Swift is adding one more accolade to her list of accomplishments this year: a resolution recognizing 2023 as the Taylor Swift era in her home state of Pennsylvania. The resolution passed the state House of Representatives on Wednesday. Lawmakers approved the resolution on Swift’s 34th birthday. Swift grew up in West Reading, and has nods to the Commonwealth in some songs. She left as a teenager to move to Nashville pursue a country music career. The resolution recognizes her musical, cultural and economic power. (Photo: AP)
December 14, 2023 12:45 pm
(WPXI) – Two men were arrested Wednesday and are facing charges in connection to the death of a high school cheerleader in a school van crash on September 20th. Fifteen-year-old Samantha Kalkbrenner was killed in the crash. Authorities say Andrew Neil Voigt and William R. Soliday are charged in connection to the crash, accused of racing, causing the deadly crash. Allegheny County police said surveillance video showed the van checked each direction before heading into the intersection to make a left-hand turn from 3rd Street onto Richland Avenue and when the van entered the intersection, it was struck by a Volkswagen Jetta GTI. Additional surveillance video showed a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk passing through the intersection just after the crash. Witnesses said both the Volkswagen and the Jeep were traveling at a high rate of speed before the crash. Soliday was identified as the driver of the Volkswagen and Voigt was identified as the driver of the Jeep. Speeds over 100 mph were recorded inside the Volkswagen leading up to the crash. Soliday is facing multiple felony charges including third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and homicide by vehicle. Voigt is facing one felony count of accidents involving death or personal injury.
December 14, 2023 10:33 am
TOMPKINSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky congressman who’s leading House Republicans’ impeachment investigation of President Joe Biden has focused on the Biden family’s use of shell companies. Rep. James Comer says the Democratic president’s family has used such companies to obscure its earnings from “shady” business deals. But Comer has a shell company of his own, which he uses to hold land co-owned with a longtime campaign donor. The arrangement enables Comer to avoid revealing his ownership stake in the land on his mandatory financial disclosure. Comer has denied any wrongdoing related to his shell company.
December 14, 2023 5:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge says Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case in Washington will be put on hold while the former president further pursues his claims that he is immune from prosecution. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan agreed Wednesday to pause any “further proceedings that would move this case towards trial or impose additional burdens of litigation on Defendant.” Shortly after her ruling, the federal appeals court in Washington granted prosecutors’ request to expedite consideration of Trump’s appeal. The appeals court set deadlines for briefs to be filed between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, but has not yet scheduled a date for arguments.
December 14, 2023 5:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has authorized the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Every Republican rallied behind the politically charged process despite lingering concerns among some in the party that the investigation has yet to produce evidence of misconduct by the president. Their investigation has raised ethical questions, but no evidence has emerged that Biden acted corruptly or accepted bribes in his current role or previous office as vice president. House Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team have been facing growing pressure to show progress in what has become a nearly yearlong probe centered around the business dealings of Biden’s family members. Biden called the effort a “baseless political stunt.”
December 14, 2023 5:08 am
MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin says that some 244,000 Russian troops are currently fighting in Ukraine. That’s a rare detail on Moscow’s military operation there. Putin said during his year-end press conference Thursday that the Kremlin doesn’t need a second wave of mobilization of reservists. He said 1,500 men recruited into the army every day across the country. As of Wednesday evening, he said a total of 486,000 soldiers have signed a contract with the Russian military.
