December 2, 2022 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court says the Biden administration program to cancel student loans will remain blocked for now, but the justices have agreed to take up the case in late winter. The court’s decision to hear arguments relatively quickly means it is likely to determine whether the widespread loan cancellations are legal by late June. That’s about two months before the newly extended pause on loan repayments is set to expire. The administration had wanted a court order that would have allowed the program to take effect even as court challenges proceed. But as a fallback, it suggested the high court hold arguments and decide the issue.
December 2, 2022 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Legislation to avert a freight rail strike in the United States is headed to President Joe Biden’s desk. A bill to avoid the strike won final approval Thursday, clearing the Senate in a bipartisan vote. The bill will bind rail companies and workers to a proposed settlement that was reached between the rail companies and union leaders in September. That settlement had been rejected by four of the 12 unions involved, creating the possibility of a strike. The Senate vote was 80-15 and came one day after the House voted to impose the agreement. Biden has vowed to sign it quickly.
December 2, 2022 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A federal appeals court has halted an independent review of documents seized from former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate, removing a hurdle the Justice Department said had delayed its criminal investigation into the retention of top-secret government information. The decision by the three-judge panel represents a significant win for federal prosecutors, clearing the way for them to use as part of their investigation the entire tranche of documents seized during an Aug. 8 FBI search of Mar-a-Lago. It also rejects the arguments of Trump’s lawyers, who had said the former president was entitled to have a so-called “special master” conduct a neutral review of the thousands of documents taken from the property.
December 2, 2022 4:11 am
BEIJING (AP) – Street protests that broke out in several Chinese cities over the weekend may have come as a surprise, but the ruling Communist Party has been preparing for this moment for years, decades even. Ever since the last major demonstrations culminated in the bloody military crackdown of 1989, China has been building an internal security force aimed at overwhelming, intimidating, imprisoning and silencing all challenges. By most estimates, China spends more on internal security than on national defense. This includes police, paramilitary troops and internet spies that have honed their skills against minority rights activists, pro-democracy advocates and independent labor organizers. That’s what faces anyone daring to protest China’s severe anti-COVID-19 measures.
December 2, 2022 4:09 am
MONESSEN, Pa. — (WPXI) – The 9th Street Park was packed with family and friends of Amari Altomore who died after he was shot in Monessen. Altomore was shot on South 14th Street on Tuesday. He was taken to a hospital but died a short time after. Countless mourners consoled one another during a vigil Thursday night. Those who knew Altomore best spoke during the vigil, including his family. Many who spoke said the expected nature of Altomore’s death hurts like nothing they had ever felt before. “He was like a big teddy bear off the field,” said Wade Brown, Altomore’s football coach. “We really enjoyed having him on our team and it’s really heartbreaking that he won’t be with us anymore. We are really going to miss him.” Altomore’s coaches remembered him as cheerful and said he was known to play tricks, cheer up his teammates at a moment’s notice and always came to practice with a smile. Vernon Andres, another coach said the mourning process has been hard, but the sense of community is strong. Us as coaches, pulling the boys together, it will be a rough process but we will get through it. We have been up here two years and we have had the community behind our back,” said Andrews. he coaches said grief counseling is available for students at Monessen High School. uneral arrangements have not been made at this time.
December 2, 2022 3:36 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown is wanted on a battery charge in Tampa stemming from a domestic incident. Police say the 34-year-old Brown was involved in a verbal altercation with a woman at a home in Tampa on Monday. The report says Brown threw a shoe at the victim, attempted to evict her from the home and locked her out. Brown faces a court-issued warrant for his arrest. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released Brown in early January after he left the field mid-game and complained about his playing time.
December 2, 2022 2:43 am
The city of Washington is ready to officially kick-off the holiday season on Friday with the annual Christmas Parade and Holiday Market. The Holiday Market opens at four p.m. under the Community Pavilion on South Main Street in downtown Washington and will feature vendors, pictures with Santa Claus, carriage rides and new this year, a Beer Garden. The parade will kick-off at seven o’clock and begin at the intersection of North Main and Chestnut Street. The parade will travel south on Main Street and end at East Railroad Street. City Police say there will be parking restrictions along the parade route. They say parking meters will be bagged starting at 3:30 p.m. and parking along the route will be prohibited. They say any vehicle still parked along the route by 6 o’clock may be ticketed and/or towed. Street closing will begin at 5:30 and are as follows: North Main Street will be closed from Walnut Beau Street; West Chestnut Street will be closed from Franklin to North Main Street, and East Chestnut Street will be closed from Main to North College Street. The streets will be shut down beginning at 6:45 p.m. Motorists who chose to be in those areas are advised that they can expect delays.
December 1, 2022 5:38 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court says the Biden administration program to cancel student loans will remain blocked for now, but the justices have agreed to take up the case in late winter. The court’s decision to hear arguments relatively quickly means it is likely to determine whether the widespread loan cancellations are legal by late June. That’s about two months before the newly extended pause on loan repayments is set to expire. The administration had wanted a court order that would have allowed the program to take effect even as court challenges proceed. But as a fallback, it suggested the high court hold arguments and decide the issue.
December 1, 2022 5:18 pm
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – Believe it or not, an iconic part of the Atlantic City Boardwalk is closing soon. The Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museum will close on Dec. 31 after more than 26 years of tempting Boardwalk strollers with oddities including shrunken heads, mutant animals and models of unbelievably tall or short humans. The building that houses the museum is an instantly recognizable feature of the Boardwalk. It is designed with a giant globe that appears to have smashed into the front of the building and wedged part of the way inside it. It became popular with families looking for non-gambling entertainment, gamblers taking a break from the action, and curious passersby.
December 1, 2022 4:15 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate has moving quickly to avert a rail strike that the Biden administration and business leaders say would greatly damage the economy. The Senate passed a bill Thursday to bind rail companies and workers to a proposed settlement that was reached between the rail companies and union leaders in September. That settlement had been rejected by some of the 12 unions involved, creating the possibility of a strike. The Senate vote was 80-15. It came one day after the House voted to impose the agreement. The measure now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
