May 8, 2022 6:11 am
LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) — With the worst of the thick wildfire smoke having blown out of town, residents of this small northern New Mexico city tried to recapture a sense of normalcy Saturday as their rural neighbors hunkered down amid predictions of extreme fire conditions. Shops and restaurants reopened, the historic center was no longer just populated by firefighters, but there was a widely felt sense of anxiety, loss, and wariness of what lay ahead. While the city, for now, seemed spared of danger, rural areas were still threatened as the fire was driven by winds so fierce all firefighting aircraft had to be grounded. And the worst could be yet to come. A combination of strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity were forecast by the National Weather Service to create an “exceptionally dangerous and likely historic stretch of critical to extreme fire weather conditions” for several days.
May 8, 2022 6:10 am
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — Dozens of Ukrainians were feared dead Sunday after a Russian bomb destroyed a school sheltering about 90 people in the basement as Moscow’s invading forces kept up their barrage of cities, towns and villages in eastern and southern Ukraine. The governor of Luhansk province, one of two areas that make up the eastern industrial heartland known as the Donbas, said the school in the village of Bilohorivka caught fire after Saturday’s bombing. Emergency crews found two bodies and rescued 30 people, he said. Since failing to capture Ukraine’s capital, Russia has focused its offensive in the Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting since 2014 and occupy some territory. The largest European conflict since World War II has developed into a punishing war of attrition due to the Ukrainian military’s unexpectedly effective defense.
May 8, 2022 6:06 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — All four leading Republicans in Pennsylvania’s governor’s race have vowed to ban abortion if given the chance. In Georgia, one top Republican candidate for governor wants to outlaw all abortions. The sitting Republican governor is backed by the anti-abortion lobby, but refuses to clarify his position. And in Michigan, all but one of the five leading Republicans running for governor oppose abortion even in cases of rape or incest. The fight for Congress often dominates midterm elections, but the revelation this week that the Supreme Court may soon overturn its landmark Roe v. Wade decision has thrust candidates for governor — and their positions on abortion — into the forefront of the 2022 campaign. Some states, including Pennsylvania and Georgia, have primary elections this month, but the ultimate fight won’t be decided until the November general election. In a handful of battleground states with Republican-controlled state legislatures, every GOP candidate for governor supports severe abortion restrictions, if not a complete ban with no exceptions. That’s prompting urgent warnings from Democrats that women’s access to abortion in some states may rest almost entirely on which party wins the governor’s race this fall.
May 7, 2022 4:24 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea’s military says North Korea has fired a suspected ballistic missile designed to be launched from a submarine, apparently continuing a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations that may culminate with a nuclear test in the coming weeks or months. The launch came three days after the South Korean and Japanese militaries detected the North firing a suspected ballistic missile from near its capital, Pyongyang, on Wednesday, and three days before the inauguration of South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol, who has vowed to take a tougher approach over the North’s nuclear ambitions.
May 7, 2022 4:23 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Willie Nelson is cancelling an upcoming performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage festival and postponing other shows after a positive case of the coronavirus in his band. The 89-year-old musician posted on his band’s website on Friday that “due to a positive Covid case in the Willie Nelson Family Band” two upcoming shows slated to happen May 6 and May 7 would be postponed and that Nelson’s Sunday performance at Jazz Fest would be cancelled. The news comes after Melissa Etheridge announced Thursday that she would not be able to perform Saturday at Jazz Fest due to “COVID hitting my crew.” The festival started April 29 and ends Sunday.
May 7, 2022 4:21 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Mehmet Oz’s rivals in Pennsylvania’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate are escalating their attacks on the celebrity heart surgeon’s connections to his parents’ native country of Turkey, raising it as a possible national security issue. Oz, best known as TV’s Dr. Oz, has rejected any suggestions he is a threat to national security and has accused his opponents, particularly GOP rival David McCormick, of making “bigoted attacks.” If elected, Oz would be the nation’s first Muslim senator. The criticism of Oz and his ties to Turkey has mushroomed in the weeks after Oz won the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, who remains deeply popular with conservative voters.
May 7, 2022 4:21 am
HAVANA (AP) – A powerful explosion apparently caused by a natural gas leak has blown away outer walls from a five-star hotel in the heart of Cuba’s capital, killing at least 22 people and injuring dozens. Havana Gov. Reinaldo García Zapata told the Communist Party newspaper Granma that no tourists had been staying at the 96-room Hotel Saratoga because it was undergoing renovations. Officials say about a dozen people are missing and that searchers are hunting for people who may be trapped. Cuban state TV blamed the blast on a truck carrying natural gas that it was supplying to the hotel. The blast happened as Cuba tries to revive its tourism sector. (Photo: AP)
May 7, 2022 4:18 am
UNDATED (AP) – President Joe Biden on Friday authorized the shipment of another $150 million in military assistance for Ukraine for artillery rounds and radar systems in its fight against Russia’s invading forces. Biden says the latest spending means his administration has “nearly exhausted” what Congress authorized for Ukraine in March and called on lawmakers to swiftly approve a more than $33 billion spending package that will last through the end of September. A U.S. official says the latest tranche of assistance includes 25,000 artillery rounds, counter-artillery radars, jamming equipment, field equipment and spare parts.
May 7, 2022 4:13 am
The National Weather Service had a Flood Watch in effect for our area until 8:00 a.m. Saturday, which has expired. However, flooding and runoff may still be dangerous. Reports to Washington County Control of flooded roadways in Cecil and Canton Townships came in this morning. The Weather Service has also indicated that the Monongahela River is expected to crest at 24.6 feet, near flood stage, at Charleroi tonight into Sunday morning. Meanwhile, last night on Route 231 in Claysville near Deer Trail Road, high water trapped a car, but the occupants were able to be rescued safely. A reminder: don’t drive through areas that are water-covered–as the water could be deeper than it appears.
May 6, 2022 3:52 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The man charged in an attack on comedian Dave Chappelle during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl has pleaded not guilty to four misdemeanors. Isaiah Lee entered not guilty pleas in a Los Angeles courtroom Friday to charges of battery, possessing a deadly weapon with intent to assault, and two charges related to interfering with public events. He was ordered to stay at least 100 yards from Chappelle. The 23-year-old Lee was arrested Tuesday night after allegedly rushing the stage during Chappelle’s set in the last of a four-night stint at the Hollywood Bowl that was part of the “Netflix Is a Joke” comedy festival. (Photo: AP)
