November 30, 2023 4:13 am
TOKYO (AP) — World leaders and others are offering polarized reactions to the death of former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, which galvanized global attention decades after his official service as one of America’s most powerful diplomats. Former President George W. Bush struck a tone that many high-level officials tried to convey, saying “America has lost one of the most dependable and distinctive voices” on foreign affairs. Criticism of Kissinger was especially strong on social media, where he was called a war criminal. Kissinger dominated foreign policy as the United States extricated itself from the Vietnam War and broke down barriers with China. Current Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was grateful for Kissinger’s advice.
November 30, 2023 4:10 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and Hamas agreed to extend a temporary truce by another day, just minutes before it was set to expire. As word of the extension came Thursday morning, gunmen opened fire on people waiting for buses in Jerusalem, killing at least three people and wounding several others, according to police. Negotiations on extending the truce came down to the wire, with last-minute disagreements over the hostages to be freed by Hamas in exchange for another day of a halt in fighting. The negotiations have grown more difficult as Hamas has freed most of the women and children captured in the Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.
November 30, 2023 4:09 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — International climate talks turned into a power game as dozens of world leaders including the Saudi crown prince and India’s prime minister were to speak, though two of the world’s most powerful men — President Joe Biden of the U.S. and China’s President Xi Jinping — were glaringly absent. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India were among more than 130 world leaders set to address the U.N. climate conference in Dubai that wants to keep the planet from heating too much because of mankind’s actions.
November 30, 2023 3:00 am
Santa Claus is coming to town Friday night. The annual downtown Washington Christmas Parade will officially kick-off the holiday season in the city, and along with it, the annual Holiday Market. The market opens at four p.m. at the Community Pavilion on South Main Street and will continue up until the start of the parade at seven o’clock. Organizers say the market will feature entertainment, food and plenty of area vendors…plus…and opportunity to visit with the star of the show – Santa Claus. At seven o’clock, the parade kicks off and follows the traditonal route from Chestnut Street through downtown to Railroad Street. The parade will feature many units, including marching bands, floats and this year, farm animals.
November 30, 2023 2:00 am
WJPA and the Observer Reporter Newspaper want to thank everyone and anyone who participated in the 2000 Turkeys Campaign. Thanks to the many generous donors, both private citizens and local businesses and corporations, the campaign was able to reach and surpass our goal of two-hundred-thousand-dollars. The total raised this year was $219,156.76. Each and every dollar raised will go towards helping a local family in need have a full Thanksgiving day meal on their tables. If you were not able to participate yet, but would still like to donate, it’s not to late. You can send a check to: 2000 Turkeys P.O. Box 2000 Washington, Pa. 15301.
November 29, 2023 4:36 pm
DETROIT (AP) — Electric vehicles have proved far less reliable, on average, than gasoline-powered cars, trucks and SUVs, according to the latest survey by Consumer Reports, which found that EVs from the 2021 through 2023 model years encountered nearly 80% more problems than did vehicles propelled by internal combustion engines. Consumer Reports said EV owners most frequently reported troubles with battery and charging systems as well as flaws in how the vehicles’ body panels and interior parts fit together. The magazine noted that EV manufacturers are still learning to construct completely new power systems, and it suggested that as they do, the overall reliability of electric vehicles should improve.
November 29, 2023 4:22 pm
DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union has announced plans to try to simultaneously organize workers at more than a dozen nonunion auto factories. The drive comes less than two weeks after the union ratified new contracts with Detroit automakers. The UAW said Wednesday that its effort will cover nearly 150,000 workers at factories largely in the South, where the UAW has had little success in recruiting new members. The drive will target U.S. plants run by Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Subaru, Mazda, Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW and Volvo. Also on the union’s list are U.S. factories run by electric vehicle sales leader Tesla, as well as EV startups Rivian and Lucid. (Photo: AP)
November 29, 2023 3:22 pm
Several fire departments were called out around twelve-thirty Wednesday afternoon for a barn fire at 545 Mount Tabor Road in Long Branch. Washington County 911 says the blaze broke out in an empty barn and there were no injuries. There’s been no word yet on what may have caused the fire.
November 29, 2023 1:55 pm
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (AP) — A judge has dismissed all charges against three western Pennsylvania emergency management supervisors accused of obstructing an investigation. The investigation was into an emergency dispatcher accused of failing to send an ambulance to the rural home of a woman who died of internal bleeding about a day later. The (Washington) Observer-Reporter reported that the judge said there wasn’t “a scintilla of evidence” that Gregory Leathers, Robert “Jeff” Rhodes and Richard Policz blocked investigators from accessing information within the Greene County 911 call center. The three were charged with public records and evidence tampering and obstruction in the probe of the July 2020 death of 54-year-old Diania Kronk.
November 29, 2023 10:15 am
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. life expectancy rose last year, but it still isn’t close to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. It was up by more than a year in 2022, after plunging two straight years at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s now 77 years, 6 months — about what it was two decades ago. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the numbers on Wednesday. Researchers say the rise was mainly due the waning pandemic. The snapshot statistic is considered one of the most important measures of the health of the U.S. population.
