Washington County Holds 9/11 Memorial Service

September 12, 2023 2:29 am

South Strabane Township Police and Fire Chiefs gathered first responders from all over Washington County to observe the 22nd anniversary of the terror attacks on the United States committed by 19 al-Qaeda members in 2001. More than 2500 civilians and  over 400 first responders lost their lives when hijacked airplanes struck the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City, The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and an empty field in Shanksville, PA where passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 took down a plane that may have been headed to another target in Washington, D.C. Speakers at the memorial included Dennis Bailey, a 31 year military veteran and retired master seargeant of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. He spoke of the response of the 171st refueling wing and how Americans must never forget what many describe as the “deadliest act of terrorism.” Pastor Robert Grewe, Chaplain of the South Strabane Township Fire Department and the Washington County Sheriff department related how upsetting it was for him to realize that an extreme sect of religion was used to carry out the deadly attacks. Both men want Americans to remember that aside from the victims that day, deaths continue from cancer and other causes for people that were exposed to the toxic cloud at Ground Zero that day and the days after in the clean up of the site.

FDA Approves New COVID-19 Vaccines

September 11, 2023 5:41 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators have approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, shots aimed at revving up protection this fall and winter. The Food and Drug Administration’s decision Monday is part of a shift to treat fall COVID-19 vaccine updates much like getting a yearly flu shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must sign off. Its advisers meet Tuesday to recommend how to best use this round of vaccinations. The shots could begin later this week. Both the COVID-19 and flu shot can be given at the same time.

Kim Jong Un Will Visit Russia

September 11, 2023 10:23 am

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Russia and North Korea say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia, where he is expected to hold a highly anticipated meeting with President Vladimir Putin that has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The Kremlin’s website said Kim’s visit is at Putin’s invitation and would take place “in the coming days.” The visit also was reported by North Korea’s official KCNA news agency, saying he would meet with Putin. Associated Press journalists near the North Korea-Russia border saw a green train with yellow trim — similar to one used by Kim on previous foreign trips — at a station on the North Korean side.

Country Singer-Songwriter Charlie Robison Dies At 59

September 11, 2023 5:13 am

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Charlie Robison, the Texas singer-songwriter whose rootsy anthems made the country charts until he was forced to retire after complications from a medical procedure left him unable to sing, died Sunday. He was 59. Robison died at a hospital in San Antonio after suffering cardiac arrest and other complications, according to a family representative. When he was approached by Sony in 1998, Robison signed with its Lucky Dog imprint, which was devoted to rawer country. His 2001 album “Step Right Up” produced his only Top 40 country song, “I Want You Bad.” In 2018, Robison announced that he had permanently lost the ability to sing following a surgical procedure on his throat. “Therefore, with a very heavy heart I am officially retiring from the stage and studio,” he wrote on Facebook.

 

Biden Wraps Up Vietnam Visit

September 11, 2023 5:12 am

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — President Joe Biden wrapped up a visit to Vietnam by calling on the two countries to improve their collaboration. Biden met Monday in Hanoi with Vietnamese government officials and business leaders. Both sides spotlighted new deals and partnerships between the U.S. and Vietnam. Biden also paid his respects at a memorial to his friend and former colleague John McCain. The late U.S. senator from Arizona was held for more than five years as a prisoner during the Vietnam War. Biden and McCain were colleagues in the U.S. Senate. Biden will observe the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in Alaska before he returns to the White House.

U.S. Marks 22 Years Since 9/11

September 11, 2023 5:08 am

NEW YORK (AP) — Bells tolled at ground zero and solemn tributes unfolded around the country as Americans looked back on the horror and legacy of 9/11. People gathered Monday at memorials, firehouses, city halls, campuses and elsewhere to observe the 22nd anniversary of the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil. Nearly 3,000 people were killed when hijacked planes crashed at New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Vice President Kamala Harris is joining the ceremony at the trade center. President Joe Biden is due to join service members and their families at a ceremony on a military base in Anchorage, Alaska. His visit is a reminder that the impact of 9/11 was felt in every corner of the nation, however remote.

Moroccans Sleep In Streets After Devastating Earthquake

September 11, 2023 5:05 am

AMIZMIZ, Morocco (AP) — People in Morocco are sleeping in the streets of Marrakech for a third straight night as soldiers and international aid teams in trucks and helicopters begin to fan into remote mountain towns hit hardest by a historic earthquake. The disaster killed more than 2,100 people — a number that is expected to rise — and the United Nations estimated that 300,000 people were affected the magnitude 6.8 quake. Amid offers from several countries, Moroccan officials said they are accepting international aid from just four countries: Spain, Qatar, Britain and the United Arab Emirates. Some foreign search-and-rescue teams arrived on Sunday as an aftershock rattled Moroccans already in mourning and shock.

Pa. Republicans Want McCormick To Recapture Senate

September 11, 2023 5:03 am

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republicans trying to recapture the U.S. Senate majority have the candidate they want in Pennsylvania. Now they just need David McCormick to run. Almost since he lost last year’s Senate GOP primary, McCormick has floated the possibility that he’d again run for the U.S. Senate, this time to challenge Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. Republicans have tried to entice McCormick to join the 2024 ticket, but the ex-hedge fund CEO might be circumspect because he spent $14 million of his own money just to lose a crowded and bruising primary election. A state party meeting is approaching, and GOP circles are alive with chatter that McCormick will seek an endorsement vote there.

Escaped Murderer Slips Out Of Search Area; Steals Van

September 11, 2023 5:00 am

PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say an escaped murderer who has eluded capture since breaking out of a southeastern Pennsylvania prison a week and a half ago slipped out of the search area, changed his appearance and stole a dairy delivery van, abandoning it miles away. He remains at large. Lt. Col. George Bivens said Sunday that 34-year-old Danelo Souza Cavalcante stole the van Saturday night and then sought help from people he knew in East Pikeland Township and Phoenixville more than 20 miles to the northeast. He later abandoned the van. Cavalcante escaped from Chester County Prison on Aug. 31 after being sentenced to life for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in 2021.

Midway Man Killed In Motorcycle Crash

September 11, 2023 4:57 am

ROBINSON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A man is dead after a motorcycle crash in on Route 22 Sunday afternoon. According to PennDOT, the crash happened in the eastbound lanes between the Bavington exit and the McDonald Midway exit in Robinson Township. Emergency crews said the call came in at around 3:45 p.m. The Washington County coroner’s office says Martin Cowden, 52, of Midway, lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into a guard rail. All eastbound lanes in the area were closed but reopened at around 7:50 p.m. Fort Cherry medics and the Midway Fire Department also helped respond to the scene. State Police continue to investigate.