July 11, 2023 5:11 am
ATLANTA (AP) — A new grand jury sworn in Tuesday in Atlanta will likely consider whether criminal charges are appropriate for former President Donald Trump or his allies for their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating since shortly after Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to ask him to find just enough votes to beat Democrat Joe Biden. The investigation expanded to include examination of a slate of Republican fake electors, other phone calls to Georgia officials and unfounded allegations of widespread election fraud. Willis is expected to present her case before one of two grand juries that was seated Tuesday.
July 11, 2023 5:09 am
(AP) – Few Republicans have high confidence that votes will be tallied accurately in next year’s presidential contest, suggesting years of sustained attacks against elections by former President Donald Trump and his allies have taken a toll. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that just 22% of Republicans have high confidence in the 2024 vote count compared to 71% of Democrats. The findings underscore the partisan divide caused by a relentless campaign of lies related to the 2020 presidential election. The survey also found that independents have grown skeptical about the integrity of the upcoming election. Just 24% have the highest levels of confidence that the votes will be counted accurately.
July 11, 2023 5:08 am
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — NATO opened its summit Tuesday with fresh momentum after Turkey withdrew its objections to Sweden joining the alliance. It’s a step toward the unity that Western leaders have been eager to demonstrate in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The decision by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a significant step toward Sweden’s membership. It also will alleviate tension in Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called it a “historic day” late Monday evening as he announced the agreement. U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet separately on Tuesday with the leaders of Turkey and Sweden.
July 11, 2023 5:06 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten has been released from a California prison after serving 53 years for two infamous murders. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Tuesday that Van Houten “was released to parole supervision.” Her release comes days after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he would not fight a state appeals court ruling that Van Houten should be granted parole. Van Houten received a life sentence for helping Manson’s followers carry out the 1969 killings of Leno LaBianca, a grocer in Los Angeles, and his wife, Rosemary. (Photo: ABC)
July 11, 2023 5:04 am
Lethal flooding has simultaneously hit India, Japan, China, Turkey and the U.S. Northeast. Scientists have long warned that more extreme rainfall is expected in a warming world. Climate pollutants, mainly carbon dioxide and methane, hold more heat in the atmosphere and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture. That results in storms dumping more precipitation with sometimes deadly outcomes.
July 11, 2023 4:55 am
After a successful first tour of duty in April, goats from Allegheny Goatscape will return to Chartiers Creek in Canonsburg. “Goatscaping” will occur in the same place as the last time, the Adams Avenue and Four Coins Drive sides of the creek. Cleanup efforts are due to the vegetation around it that could leave the borough liable for damages if a serious flood hits, as told by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. The goats can safely reach areas that humans can’t in the creek. The goal of using the goats is to improve Canonsburg’s score with the USACE and meet the Department of Environmental Protection’s regulations. Canonsburg Borough President Eric Chandler spoke highly of the work of the animals landscaping and says their return is for unfinished business with some trees around the creek. “Our plan was to come behind them and cut the trees down,” said Chandler. “Once the goats come in, we’ll have a group that will come in and cut the trees down.” After the goats complete their landscaping, a tour of the area will be scheduled with the USACE to show their improvements.
July 11, 2023 2:47 am
Charges against Vincent Scrbacic were dismissed Monday, after the victim failed to appear in court for his preliminary hearing. The 43-year-old Steelton man was facing charges of recklessly endangering children and another adult back in May. Police were called to scene regarding a domestic disturbance between the victim and Scrbacic. Scrbacic and the victim were arguing and police allege that it continued as the two drove away in the victim’s car. Police say that while the car was in motion traveling east on Route 844 in Hopewell Township, Scrbacic removed the key from the ignition, put the car in neutral and pulled the emergency brake. The victim was in the driver’s seat and there were 2 infant children under the age of 3 in the back. No injuries resulted. As a result of the charges being dropped against Scrbacic, he was released from jail.
July 11, 2023 2:38 am
A Washington man will face trial on aggravated assault and firearms charges for his actions in the Wal-Mart parking lot on the Fourth of July. Dametric Medlen, 22 waived his charges to court at his Monday morning preliminary hearing. According to South Strabane Township Police, Medlen is accused of ramming his vehicle into the vehicle of his ex-girlfriend in the parking lot at Trinity Point before fleeing to the nearby McDonald’s on foot. He was found in a bathroom in possession of a loaded hand gun when police apprehended him. According to the criminal complaint, Medlen’s ex-girlfriend had a PFA against him at the time. In addition to the aggravated assault and weapons felony charges, he faces several reckless endangerment, simple assault, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct charges. Medlen is in the Washington County Jail without bond. He will be formally arraigned on August 24.
July 11, 2023 1:11 am
A Washington County man was prevented from bringing a loaded handgun onto his flight this morning when Transportation Security Administration officers at Pittsburgh International Airport detected it in his carry-on bag. Authorities say the 9mm handgun was loaded with 11 bullets, including one in the chamber. The officer spotted the gun in the checkpoint X-ray machine. Airport police confiscated the weapon and the man, a Canonsburg resident, now faces a federal financial penalty. Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms, but only unloaded weapons and only in checked baggage.
July 10, 2023 2:47 pm
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Police say the suspect in the 1982 Tylenol poisonings that killed seven people in the Chicago area and triggered a nationwide scare has died. Police in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said Monday that officers, firefighters and EMTs responding to a report of unresponsive person about 4 p.m. Sunday found James Lewis dead in his home in the city. Police say he was 76. Police say the death is not considered suspicious. No one was ever charged in the deaths of seven people who took drugs laced with cyanide. But Lewis served more than 12 years in prison for sending an extortion note to Johnson & Johnson, demanding $1 million to “stop the killing.”
