July 20, 2023 4:53 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Survivors of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue attack have testified to the severe physical and emotional injuries they suffered during the deadliest antisemitic massacre in U.S. history. The testimony Wednesday came in the sentencing phase of the trial of Robert Bowers, who was convicted last month of killing 11 worshippers and could face the death penalty. Officer Tim Matson, who was shot in the head and body, spoke of being in a “dark place” emotionally. But he has drawn support from friends and family, as well as inspiration from an unlikely buddy: a resilient weed in his yard. Bowers’ lawyers presented testimony from a clinical psychologist who says Bowers was exposed to extraordinary risk and instability as a child.
July 20, 2023 4:50 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — (WPXI) – Are you ready to go whitewater rafting? The Raging Rapids will return to Kennywood on Thursday. In April, the park announced the ride would be returning this year. Teams worked on the attraction for a few weeks before its return. The ride has a new control system and the boats have been refreshed.
July 20, 2023 4:48 am
Ringgold School District’s Board of Directors approved a contract for digital hall passes in their high school with a vote of 7-2. The hall pass system is from a contract with San Jose based student safety system Securly, for the 2023-2024 school year. Ringgold High School Principal Greg Sarracenia was impressed with the system’s usage with the middle school after coming to Ringgold this past February. “It was something that I could embrace,” said Saracenia. “Our teachers know how many times that student has already been out of out of class throughout the course of the day. So, it allows us to really have that opportunity to monitor students.” The system is primarily for in-school truancy, but also to monitor possible medical issues with the students.
July 19, 2023 5:26 pm
(WPXI) – Emergency crews battled a house fire in Monessen Wednesday afternoon. According to Westmoreland County 911, crews were called to the 500 block of Summit Avenue at 2:17 p.m. Authorities say no people were in the home and no other homes were damaged, but three dogs died in the blaze. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Firefighters from Monessen, North Belle Vernon, Carroll Township, Charleroi, Rostraver, and Stockdale, along with Mon Valley EMS, responded to the scene.
July 19, 2023 5:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A target letter sent to Donald Trump suggests that a sprawling Justice Department investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 elections is zeroing in on him. Federal prosecutors have cast a wide net, asking witnesses in recent months about a chaotic White House meeting that included discussion of seizing voting machines and about lawyers’ involvement in plans to block the transfer of power. They’ve also discussed with witnesses schemes by Trump associates to enlist slates of Republican fake electors in battleground states won by Democrat Joe Biden and interviewed state election officials who faced pressure campaigns over the election results.
July 19, 2023 5:10 am
PHOENIX (AP) — The extreme heat scorching Phoenix set a record Tuesday, the 19th consecutive day temperatures hit at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit in a summer of suffering that’s echoing around much of the globe. As human-caused climate change and a newly formed El Nino are combining to shatter heat records worldwide, the Phoenix region stands apart among major metropolitan areas in the U.S. Weather historian Christopher Burt of the Weather Company says no other major city has had any streak of 110-degree days or 90-degree nights longer than Phoenix.
July 19, 2023 5:08 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has been silent about the highly unusual entry of an American soldier across the Koreas’ heavily fortified border although it test-fired short-range missiles in its latest weapons display. Travis King, who bolted across the border Tuesday, is the first known American detained in the North in nearly five years. The North’s missile launches Wednesday were seen as unrelated. Instead, they were suspected to be a protest of the deployment of a U.S. nuclear-armed submarine in South Korea the previous day. King had served time in a South Korean prison for assault and was being sent home to Fort Bliss, Texas, when he disappeared. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed King was likely now in North Korean custody.
July 19, 2023 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Whistleblowers claiming the Justice Department improperly interfered with a yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden will testify before Congress as House Republicans accelerate their probes into the president and his family. Leaders of the House Judiciary, Oversight and Accountability, and Ways and Means committees will lead a hearing Wednesday with two Internal Revenue Service employees — Greg Shapley and an as-yet-unnamed “whistleblower x.” The two agents have claimed there was a pattern of “slow-walking investigative steps” into Hunter Biden, including delayed enforcement actions in the months before the 2020 election won by Joe Biden. The Justice Department has vehemently denied the allegations by the whistleblowers.
July 19, 2023 5:05 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say Russia has launched an intense series of nighttime air attacks using drones and missiles against targets across Ukraine. The head of Kyiv’s military administration said on Wednesday the southern port city of Odesa was targeted with especially fierce strikes for a second consecutive night. No casualties have been reported so far. Meanwhile, a fire at a military facility in Russian-annexed Crimea caused the closure of an important highway and the evacuation of over 2,200 civilians from four villages, according to Russian officials.R
July 19, 2023 4:56 am
North Strabane Township Supervisors held a public hearing prior to their agenda meeting on Tuesday. The hearing centered on proposed changes to its wireless communications facilities ordinance. Recent changes on the state and federal levels regarding zoning for those towers is what caused the proposed changes. The largest change will be how 5G antennas are governed. The current laws from the FCC and state now indicate that 5G antennas are now allowed anywhere in the public right of way. Larger wireless towers can still be zoned locally. In other township business, supervisors will consider demolition projects in the township using Community Development Block Grant funds. They will also take into consideration the K9 policy for the North Strabane Township Police Department. The voting meeting will be held on July 25.
