December 18, 2022 8:07 am
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has revealed that shortly after being elected pontiff in 2013 he wrote a resignation letter in case medical problems impede him from carrying out his duties. In an interview published by Spanish newspaper ABC, Francis said he gave the note to the cardinal who then was the Vatican secretary of state, and he presumes the current cardinal in that role now has the instruction. Francis, who turned 86 on Saturday, has had surgery to repair a bowel narrowing and has been hobbled by knee pain that for months saw him use a wheelchair. Now he increasingly uses a cane. Francis played down the mobility issue, saying, “You don’t govern with your knee.”
December 18, 2022 8:06 am
Just in time for the holidays. The Mega Millions jackpot rose again as there were no winners in Friday night’s drawing, lottery officials announced. The jackpot is now at $465 million heading into Tuesday night’s drawing, according to the Mega Millions website. The numbers drawn Friday night were 8, 35, 40, 53 and 56, plus the gold Mega Ball 11. If someone wins on Tuesday, it would be the 12th largest jackpot in the promotion’s history. A winner could take the amount in an annuity paid over 30 years or opt for a lump sum of $250.4 million before taxes. One ticket in California matched all five white balls for $1 million, while 21 tickets had four white balls plus the Mega Ball. The last time that anyone won the grand prize in the game was Oct. 14, lottery officials said.
December 18, 2022 4:03 am
Washington County 9-1-1 Officials state that a car hit a tree in Peters Township at about 2:30 Saturday morning. The accident occurred at the intersection of Churchhill and Turkeyfoot roads. A car crashed into a tree, one female was entrapped and extricated, a male was able to escape. Both were taken to a local hospital.
December 18, 2022 4:02 am
A one vehicle accident happened on Route 40 in Amwell Township at about 9PM Friday night. County 9-1-1 Officials state that a car hit a utility pole and brought down power lines that crossed both lanes. The accident occurred in the area of 578 E. National Pike. Rt. 40 has reopened. It was closed between Zediker Station Road and Hallam Road.
December 17, 2022 9:13 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Prosecutors say the father of an Illinois man charged with killing seven people in a mass shooting at a July 4 parade has been charged with seven felony counts of reckless conduct. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said Robert Crimo Jr. surrendered to police on Friday and will have a bond hearing Saturday. Rinehart said the charges are based on Crimo sponsoring his then 19-year-old son’s application for a gun license. A grand jury in July indicted Robert Crimo III on 21 first-degree murder counts, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery, representing the people killed and wounded in the attack.
December 17, 2022 9:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration says the U.S. is buying 3 million barrels of oil to begin to replenish U.S. strategic reserves that officials drained earlier this year to fight inflation. The new action was announced late Friday. The oil was drained in a bid to stop gasoline prices from rising amid production cuts by OPEC and a ban on Russian oil imports. President Joe Biden withdrew 180 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve starting in March, bringing the stockpile to its lowest level since the 1980s. Officials say the new purchase will begin in January, with addiiional purchases likely to follow.
December 17, 2022 9:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Donald Trump pledged to fix U.S. infrastructure as president. He vowed to take on China and bulk up American manufacturing. He said he would reduce the budget deficit and make the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes. Yet after two years as president, it’s Joe Biden who is acting on these promises. Aides insist Biden is following his own agenda. His legislative victories are not winning him votes from Trump loyalists or boosting his overall approval ratings, but they reflect a major pivot in how the government interacts with the economy. Biden has committed more than $1.7 trillion to reshaping industry, technology and energy in the U.S.
December 17, 2022 9:08 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Emergency crews have pulled the body of a toddler from the rubble in a pre-dawn search for survivors of a Russian missile strike that tore through an apartment building in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih. The missile was one of what Ukrainian authorities said a day earlier were 16 strikes eluding air defenses among 76 fired in the latest Russian attack targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The attacks were part of Moscow’s strategy to leave Ukrainian civilians and soldiers in the dark and cold this winter.
December 17, 2022 4:21 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – A Washington County man is accused of sexually assaulting six children. One victim claims they were assaulted at least 100 times by Leo McIntyre III. According to our news partners at Channel 11, McIntyre is a former swim instructor at a local swim school. North Strabane police filed charges after six kids came forward, saying McIntyre assaulted them repeatedly over a number of years. Multiple children told police McIntyre was nicknamed “bug a boo”. According to criminal complaints, children as young as 5 years old said McIntyre played “the weenie game,” with details of that game that included sexual assault and child rape. Multiple kids alleged McIntyre told them to keep it a secret. The allegations are shocking to parents with children enrolled in the Goldfish swim school, where McIntyre had been an instructor for five years, from 2017 until this year. Goldfish management tells Channel 11 he was fired in June for not following curriculum and complying to brand standards. Investigators say none of the alleged victims in these cases were students at the school. North Strabane police say this is an active investigation, and if any parents have any questions or concerns to reach out to police. McIntyre is in the Washington County jail, and his bail was denied.
December 17, 2022 1:13 am
Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh says that as a result of a months-long investigation, they have arrested 33-year-old Breyonne Hooks of Pittsburgh and 31-year-old Samantha Scagline on multiple drug charges. Walsh says the arrests were made today following raids at two homes in Washington, one at 80 East Beau Street and the other at 346 Burton Avenue. Walsh says they confiscated large amounts of crack cocaine, heroin, two fully-loaded automatic pistols, cash and drug paraphernalia
