April 10, 2024 2:48 am
Several members of state and local government, along with business and labor groups, gathered on the steps of the Capital Building in Harrisburg to call on Governor Josh Shapiro to pressure Attorney General Michelle Henry to approve the proposed merger of the Washington Health System and UPMC. State Representative Tim O’Neal, organized the press conference that called for Shapiro to tell Henry to stop bending to outside pressures from arguments that do not involve the merger and have her approve it. At issue are disputes between UPMC and the SEIU in Pittsburgh over wages paid to medical professionals in certain UPMC facilities. In the proposed agreement, UPMC is guaranteeing current staffing for 10 years and wages will be paid at current contract levels. The proposal is also calling for $300 million in investment from UPMC in WHS in Washington and Greene Counties to maintain current services and expand services in the future. City of Washington Mayor JoJo Burgess called on Shapiro for help while telling the SEIU that they should keep their fight in Pittsburgh and not influence a necessary merger in Washington when they represent less than 10% of union employees. Frances Kino, an emergency room technician spoke about how WHS Greene voted out the SEIU and found immediate benefits without their representation. Electra Janis summed up the benefits of the merger by pointing to three main benefits, preserving 2700 jobs at WHS, preserving local access to core health care and community commitments established by the WHS board. The merger was unanimously approved by the WHS in June of 2023 and is awaiting the decision from the Attorney General.
April 10, 2024 4:46 pm
Police say at least three people were shot and injured Wednesday at an Eid al-Fitr event in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel says the shooting occurred around 2:30 p.m., when police at the scene heard about 30 gun shots. He says two groups of people started firing at each other, and people began fleeing the scene. Bethel says officers have taken into custody five people, and four weapons were recovered at the scene. One suspect, a 15-year-old boy who police say had a gun, was shot by police and sustained wounds to his shoulder and leg. A man also was shot in the stomach, and another juvenile had a wound to his hand. It was not immediately clear what caused the shooting. (Photo: AP)
April 9, 2024 2:12 am
(WPXI) – The body of a missing Beaver County man was found Tuesday during a search of the Monongahela River in Elizabeth Township. Elizabeth Township Police and Fire Rescue say they were asked to assist in the search for Brian Posch, 36, of Brighton, who went missing Friday in a work truck. They were called to help because cell tower data put the township as his last known location. Crews began searching the river because the cell tower “ping” was within the waterway. Initially, divers didn’t find any signs of the truck Posch was driving, but on Monday afternoon found a “large metal mass” about 50 yards from the shore. The divers returned Tuesday to remove the mass and identified it as the missing truck. Brian Posch’s remains were inside. His cause of death will be determined on Wednesday. The Elizabeth Township Police Department, Allegheny County Police Department’s Homicide Unit and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner are all investigating.
April 10, 2024 5:01 am
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden has called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza a mistake. In remarks aired late Tuesday, Biden ramped up his criticism of Israel, demanding a cease-fire so that more aid be sent to Gaza. That widened a rift between the two staunch allies that has worsened as the war has dragged on. Biden has been an outspoken supporter of Israel’s war against Hamas since the militant group launched a deadly assault on Oct. 7, but in recent weeks his administration has taken a more stern line with Israel, rattling the countries’ decades-old alliance and deepening Israel’s international isolation over the war.
April 10, 2024 5:06 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Foreign Minister has threatened that its country’s forces would strike Iran directly if the Islamic Republic launched an attack from its territory against Israel. Wednesday’s remarks come after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated a promise to retaliate against Israel over the attack on its consulate in Damascus earlier this month. Tehran holds Israel responsible for the strike that leveled the building, killing 12 people. Israel has not acknowledged its involvement. The strike killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard members, four Syrians and a Hezbollah militia member. Khamenei spoke at a prayer ceremony celebrating the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, saying the airstrike was “wrongdoing” and akin to an attack on Iranian territory.
April 10, 2024 5:02 am
PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court has delivered a landmark decision in giving the go-ahead to enforce a long-dormant law that bans nearly all abortions. The law revived Tuesday drastically alters the legal landscape for terminating pregnancies. It also places the politics of abortion access front and center in a battleground state for the 2024 presidential election and partisan U.S. Senate control. The law predating Arizona’s statehood provides no exceptions for rape or incest and allows abortions only if the mother’s life is in jeopardy. Arizona’s highest court has put doctors on notice that they may be prosecuted under the 1864 law.
April 10, 2024 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal judge presiding over the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump has granted a request by prosecutors aimed at protecting the identities of potential government witnesses. But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon refused Tuesday to categorically block witness statements from being disclosed, saying there was no basis for such a “sweeping” and “blanket” restriction on their inclusion in pretrial motions. The 24-page order centers on a dispute between special counsel Jack Smith’s team and lawyers for Trump over how much information about witnesses and their statements could be made public ahead of trial.
April 10, 2024 5:04 am
BRANDON, Miss. (AP) — Already sentenced to many years in federal prison, six white former Mississippi law enforcement officers have been sentenced in state court for their roles in torturing two Black men. The state sentences handed down Wednesday didn’t add time to the federal prison terms the defendants had already received. But the victims’ supporters hailed the yearslong sentences, saying they took on unique importance in Mississippi, where local residents saw echoes of the state’s history of racist atrocities by people in authority. All six defendants admitted to subjecting the victims to numerous acts of torture last year after a neighbor complained that the men were staying in a home with a white woman. (Photo: ABC)
April 10, 2024 4:28 pm
DETROIT (AP) — Ford is recalling nearly 43,000 small SUVs because gasoline can leak from the fuel injectors onto hot engine surfaces, increasing the risk of fires. But the recall does not fix the fuel leaks. It covers certain Bronco Sport SUVs from the 2022 and 2023 model years, as well as Escape SUVs from 2022, all with 1.5-liter engines. Ford says fuel injectors can crack, and gasoline or vapor can accumulate near ignition sources. Dealers will install a tube to let gas flow away from hot surfaces to the ground. They’ll also update software to detect a fuel pressure drop. If that happens, the software will disable the high pressure fuel pump, reduce engine power and cut temperatures in the engine compartment. Owners were to be notified starting April 1.
April 10, 2024 1:52 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Internet service providers will be required to be more transparent about the cost and performance of their internet service packages, thanks to new FCC rules that take effect this week. The new required pricing labels are modeled on nutritional labels and are meant to help consumers comparison shop and avoid junk fees. They will be mandated at every point of sale, both in persona, and online, the FCC said, beginning April 10.
