Former Philadelphia Police Officer Arrested For SUV Assault

April 23, 2022 4:16 am

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A fired Philadelphia police officer has been arrested on aggravated assault and other charges in the beating of a mother who was violently pulled from her SUV by police after she accidentally drove into a scene of civil unrest between police and protesters with her 2-year-old son in the car. The interaction between Rickia Young and more than a dozen officers during the October 27, 2020 protests that followed the fatal police shooting of Walter Wallace, Jr.- a Black man in mental health crisis- was recorded by at least one witness on their cellphone. Darren Kardos, 42, was one of two officers fired over the incident and the first to face charges.

Greene County Warns Of Unsolicited Voter Information

April 23, 2022 4:12 am

The Greene County Board of Elections announced Friday that voters in the county should be aware of unsolicited direct mail that may be coming to mailboxes starting Monday, April 25.   Two political advocacy groups–Voter Participation Center and Center for Voter Information–will be sending direct mailings, which will include voter registration applications or mail ballot applications.  The Board of Elections advises that the mailings are not affiliated with the Board and the responsibility for their accuracy rests with those advocacy groups.  The Board of Elections also noted that to be removed from the mailing lists, residents need to contact the organization by phone or email with a code listed on the bottom of the letters; the Board of Elections cannot remove people from the mailing lists.

Meadowcroft Receives $2 Million Grant

April 23, 2022 3:56 am

State Senator Camera Bartolotta announced Friday that a state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RCAP) grant was awarded to Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village in Avella.  the grant will be used to expand the visitor center multipurpose room and for the front entry.  In addition, the grant will also fund a pedestrian trail and a picnic area, and will help replace stairs leading to the archeological site.  RCAP is a Commonwealth grant program administered by the office of the Budget for regional economic, cultural, recreational and historic improvement projects.

Wolf’s Plan To Fight Climate Change A Reality

April 22, 2022 5:15 pm

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – More than two years after he started work on it, Gov. Tom Wolf is set to enact the centerpiece of his plan to fight climate change. It’ll make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon-pricing policy. But it might be a short-lived victory. One lawsuit is already challenging Wolf’s regulation, and the term-limited Democratic governor might be replaced in eight months by a successor who opposes it. On Saturday, a legislative agency is set to publish Wolf’s carbon-pricing rule on power plants. Mark Szybist of the New York-based Natural Resources Defense Council says it’s the farthest-reaching step being taken in Pennsylvania to fight climate change.

Funeral Services Held For Steelers Dwayne Haskins

April 22, 2022 12:52 pm

(WPXI) – Family, teammates and friends gathered Friday to honor the life and legacy of Dwayne Haskins at the Allegheny Center Alliance Church on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Teammates and coaches joined family and friends to share stories about the quarterback. Haskins was hit and killed by a dump truck in South Florida on April 9th. According to a 911 audio recording, his wife Kalabrya called 911 from Pittsburgh shortly after the incident. During the call, she told a dispatcher that her husband had to walk to get gas but then lost touch.

Biden Pledges Artillery & Other Weapons For Ukraine

April 22, 2022 4:17 am

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has pledged $1.3 billion more for new weapons and economic assistance to help Ukraine in its strong but increasingly difficult battle against the Russian invasion. And he is vowing to seek much more from Congress to keep the guns, ammunition and cash flowing. The new package, announced Thursday, has $800 million in military aid including much-needed heavy artillery, 144,000 rounds of ammunition and drones for the escalating battle in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. It builds on roughly $2.6 billion in military assistance that Biden had previously approved. There’s also a fresh $500 million in direct economic assistance to Ukraine for government salaries, pensions and programs.

Audio: McCarthy Said He Would Urge Trump To Resign

April 22, 2022 4:16 am

WASHINGTON (AP) – House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy told other GOP lawmakers shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection that he would urge then-President Donald Trump to resign. That’s according to an audio recording posted Thursday night by The New York Times and aired on Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show. The Times reports that the audio is a recording of a Jan. 10 conversation among House GOP leaders in which they discussed the Democratic effort to remove Trump from office. McCarthy is heard telling the other lawmakers that he would tell Trump, “I think this will pass, and it would be my recommendation you should resign.” Earlier Thursday, after the Times published its initial story describing the conversation, McCarthy released a statement calling it “totally false and wrong.”

Hearing Held In Rep. Marjorie Green Eligibility Challenge

April 22, 2022 4:15 am

ATLANTA (AP) – U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was hostile during testimony in a hearing on her eligibility to run for reelection, saying she did not remember liking and making various social media posts surrounding the attack on the U.S. Capitol last year. She also on Friday accused an opposing lawyer of speculating and twisting her words. Voters in Greene’s district have said the Republican helped facilitate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, making her ineligible for reelection under a rarely cited section of the 14th Amendment. Greene has denied aiding or engaging in an insurrection and has filed a lawsuit alleging that the law the voters are using to challenge her is itself unconstitutional.

Possible Mass Graves Near Mariupol

April 22, 2022 4:12 am

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) – New satellite images show what appear to be mass graves near Mariupol in southern Ukraine. Local officials are accusing Russia of burying up to 9,000 civilians there in an effort to conceal the slaughter taking place in the siege of the port city. The images emerged hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory in the battle for Mariupol despite the presence of an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian fighters who were still holed up at a giant steel mill. Putin on Thursday ordered his troops not to storm the stronghold but to seal it off so that “not even a fly comes through.” The mayor of Mariupol accused the Russians of “hiding their military crimes” by taking the bodies of civilians from the city and burying them in Manhush.

Southwest Fire Crews Brace For Dangerous Winds

April 22, 2022 4:11 am

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) – Firefighters battling a half-dozen wildfires in the Southwest are bracing for the return of ferocious winds. More than 500 firefighters are manning fire lines in Arizona and New Mexico and more help is on the way. The largest type of management team plans to take command of resources Friday at one of the biggest, most dangerous fires near Flagstaff. A brief break in the weather allowed crews to launch aerial attacks on some of the fires Thursday. But that’s unlikely Friday. Forest Service officials in New Mexico say there’s “high confidence” a widespread extreme and catastrophic fire weather event will occur with sustained winds up to 50 mph.