December 1, 2023 12:51 pm
UNDATED (AP) — U.S. health officials say consumers should not eat pre-cut cantaloupe if they don’t know the source. That comes as the number of illnesses and recalls tied to a deadly salmonella outbreak grows. At least 117 people in 34 states are sick after eating contaminated cantaloupe in the U.S. That tally includes 61 who were hospitalized and two who died. Another 63 illnesses, 17 hospitalizations and one death tied to the outbreak have been reported in Canada. Previous recalls of whole and pre-cut cantaloupes are expanding. Kwik Trip markets, Bix Produce and a distributor named GHGA are now involved. The distributor sent recalled products to Kroger, Sprouts Farmer’s Markets and Trader Joe’s stores.
December 1, 2023 11:40 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, has died. She was 93. O’Connor’s nomination in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan and subsequent confirmation by the Senate ended 191 years of male exclusivity on the high court. She was an unwavering voice of moderate conservativism on the court. She retired in 2006 and was replaced by Samuel Alito. Chief Justice John Roberts says she blazed a historic trail as the first female justice and “met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor.” The court says O’Connor died in Phoenix on Friday of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness.
December 1, 2023 9:27 am
A local supervisor has been charged with a misdemeanor theft by unlawful taking. North Franklin Township supervisor chairman Bob Sabot was turned in by incumbent prothonotary Laura Hough for taking one of her campaign signs while he was cleaning up signs for his wife Sandy Sabot, who lost to Hough in the November race for prothonotary. Sabot says that Hough was filming him cleaning up signs along route 40 in Centerville Borough on November 8, the day after the November general election. Sabot claims to have had signs for other candidates both republican and democrat. He says that he spoke with Register of Wills James Roman and told him that he would return his ten or so signs when he was done. Sabot says he handed the sign in question to Hough during the incident. Sabot will appear for a preliminary hearing on the matter on January 3. Laura Hough says that she will reserve comment until after the preliminary hearing.
December 1, 2023 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — In an alternate reality, the prime-time showdown between California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis could have been a preview of a 2024 general election debate. Instead, Thursday’s 90-minute meeting was a hard-to-explain event that pitted one struggling Republican presidential hopeful against a Democratic rival who may or may not seek the presidency in four years. DeSantis called Newsom “a slick, slippery politician whose state is failing.” Newsom defended California and shifted the discussion to DeSantis’ stagnant 2024 presidential bid. The governors were eager to represent their parties on the national stage as they battled over the economy, pandemic restrictions and President Joe Biden’s leadership and traded personal insults.
December 1, 2023 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted to expel Republican Rep. George Santos of New York following a critical ethics report on his conduct that included converting campaign donations for his own use, making him just the sixth member in the chamber’s history to be ousted by his colleagues. Expulsion requires support from two-third of the House. That’s a purposefully high bar, but a blistering House Ethics Committee report accusing Santos of breaking federal law proved decisive. Santos’ challenge to colleagues was to take the “hard vote,” an appeal to those lawmakers who worried that a new precedent was being set for the chamber’s harshest punishment.
December 1, 2023 4:06 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli fighter jets hit targets in the Gaza Strip minutes after a weeklong truce expired on Friday, signaling that the war with Hamas has resumed in full force. Black smoke billowed from the besieged territory and Israel dropped leaflets over parts of southern Gaza urging people to leave their homes, signaling it was preparing to widen its offensive. Renewed hostilities heightened concerns for the about 140 hostages who remain in Gaza, after than 100 were freed as part of the truce. It came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli officials and urged them to do more to protect Palestinian civilians as it seeks to destroy Hamas. Meanwhile, negotiators continued talks to restart the truce, according to mediator Qatar.
December 1, 2023 3:00 am
A priest at the All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in Canonsburg has been arrested on more than two-hundred felony charges related to the alleged theft of over 117-thousand-dollars from his parish. Thirty-four-year-old Father George Athanasiou was arrested and arraigned on 223 counts of theft by unlawful taking, forgery, bad checks and access device usage. According to Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh, his office was notified by church leaders after they noticed discrepancies in their ledgers along with missing bank checks. Walsh says bank records showed that over a period of time, nearly 220 unauthorized ATM withdrawals were made from the church’s account. Authorities say Athanasiou was the only person during that period of time who had a bank card and a search of his apartment turned up the card. Police say he has admitted to stealing the money, due to “personal hardships.’ Athanasiou is currently free on 250-thousand-dollars unsecured bond and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on December 18th. He has also been suspended from the ministry without pay, pending the outcome of the investigation. (Photo: All Saints Greek Orthodox Church)
December 1, 2023 3:00 am
On Tuesday, Washington County detectives and the State Police raided the office of Washington County Coroner Tim Warco and seized records related to an inquest into an officer-involved fatal shooting in Washington in April. In the latest development, Warco tells WJPA News that detectives and State Police conducted another raid, this one on the office of his attorney, Timothy Urich of Carnegie. Warco says they once again, seized all records related to the shooting of 38-year-old Eduardo Hoover Jr., of Coraopolis. Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh had held a press conference after the incident and declared that the shooting, by Mt. Pleasant Police Officer Tyler Evans, to be a justifiable homicide. Warco then held a coroner’s inquest and recommended Evans be charged with involuntary manslaughter, saying he committed an unlawful act in a reckless or grossly negligent manner, in Hoover’s death. Following the release of that report, Walsh said he stood by his earlier decision that the shooting was justified and called Warco’s recommendation a “theatrical stunt.” Warco also said that if Walsh refused to take up the case, then the matter should be turned over to the State Attorney General’s Office for investigation. Hoover led police from Smith Township and Mt. Pleasant Township on a high speed chase that ended in Washington before Evans had his cruiser rammed by Hoover. Evans exited his vehicle, drew his weapon and fired into the rear of Hoover’s pick up truck killing him. Warco maintains that he has no idea why these two raids have occurred, but he says his attorney is working on taking the proper legal action.
November 30, 2023 4:20 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley are increasingly outsourcing central parts of their campaigns. They’re drawing on the growing urgency of Donald Trump opponents to find an alternative to the former president. DeSantis this week privately encouraged his donor network to support a newly formed super PAC that’s taking over advertising responsibilities. Haley’s self-described “scrappy” political campaign won the support of the the Koch network, the largest conservative grassroots organization in the nation. The extraordinary reliance on independent groups is testing the practical and legal limits of modern-day presidential campaigns.
November 30, 2023 4:17 am
LONDON (AP) — The OPEC oil cartel led by Saudi Arabia and allied producers including Russia are trying to agree on cuts to the amount of crude they send to the world. Prices have tumbled recently despite their efforts to prop them up. That’s been a good thing for U.S. drivers, who have been able to fill their gas tanks for less. But it’s bad news for the OPEC+ coalition countries whose oil income props up their economies. They have faced setbacks in keeping prices up despite initial fears that the Israel-Hamas war could affect oil flows. The members of OPEC+ are trying Thursday to come to a consensus on production cuts after postponing their meeting originally set for Sunday.
