August 6, 2022 4:45 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas jury has ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $45.2 million in punitive damages to the parents of a child who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, adding to the $4.1 million he has to pay for the suffering he put them through by claiming for years that the nation’s deadliest school shooting was a hoax. The parents of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis say they were tormented by the Infowars host’s false claims that the worst classroom shooting in U.S. history was orchestrated by the government to tighten gun laws. The total of nearly $50 million marks the first time Jones has been held financially liable for peddling lies about the 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut.
August 6, 2022 4:26 am
BEALLSVILLE, Pa. — Flash flooding became a concern Friday evening in Southwestern Pennsylvania due to storms rolling through the area. A flash flood warning was in effect for Waynesburg in Greene County along with Bentleyville and Centerville in Washington County between 6:15 and 9:15 p.m. Flooding was reported in Washington County around 6:45 p.m. in both Beallsville (pictured) and Richeyville. Waters covered the intersection of Beallsville Road and Main Street according to the National Weather Service. At the same time, a landslide was reported along with more flooding in Richeyville along Sunset Drive near Hickory Road. The NWS says heavy rock and debris covered the roadway in that incident. Portions of Westmoreland and Allegheny Counties experienced flood issues as well. In Latrobe, the American Red Cross was called in to help residents displaced by flood waters. Other communities hit hard included Aspinwall and Munhall.
August 6, 2022 4:11 am
MASONTOWN, Pa. (WPXI) — A Fayette County man came home Wednesday to find his Masontown house ransacked, windows broken and a complete mess inside — allegedly at the hands of several children. Justin Fenton says his windows were shattered, his trampoline was destroyed, food was thrown into piles on the floor and furniture was flipped. “[It was] like a tornado went through. I had a change jar, they threw it everywhere. They took Desitin, Bengay … smeared it all over the floor, the bed,” Fenton described. Those intruders: a 10-year-old and two 6-year-olds. Justin Fenton called for his neighbor and his relatives rushed to the house, as he called police. The Fentons say officers drove the kids home. Masontown Police says they contacted the district attorney’s office and juvenile probation that night and everything has been turned over to CYS. While police do not expect anything criminal to come out of this, it remains an open investigation. The Fentons said they would like to see some kind of reimbursement for what was lost or an apology, but it’s unclear if that will happen.
August 6, 2022 1:16 am
The DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series returns to Washington this month. Organizers announced the event schedule and participating teams at a Friday press conference. Activities kick-off Thursday, August 11, with FanFest at DICK’S Washington location with most of the teams will be on hand to interact with fans. World Series games will begin on Friday, August 12 at historic Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington Park. Tournament organizers and tourism officials say the event brings about $4 million in economic impact to the area. This year’s field of teams will include Caribbean, European, Mexico and Asia-Pacific champions, plus four U.S. Zone winners, the Host Area champion and Washington County, the host team. The local squad features players from Bentworth, Canon-McMillan, McGuffey and Trinity School Districts. All of the games can be heard on WJPA, AM 1450 and wjpa.com, along with MLB.com’s online and mobile platforms. Select games can also be found on AT&T SportsNet.
August 5, 2022 5:42 pm
NESCOPECK, Pa. (AP) – Authorities say a fast-moving fire killed seven adults and three children in northeastern Pennsylvania. One of the firefighters responded to the blaze early Friday only to find that the victims were his family. A criminal investigation is underway into the fire in the community of Nescopeck. Pennsylvania State Police say the children who died were ages 5, 6 and 7. Volunteer firefighter Harold Baker told the Citizens’ Voice newspaper of Wilkes-Barre that the 10 victims included his son, daughter, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, three grandchildren and two other relatives.
August 5, 2022 11:59 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia residents in need of materials for the upcoming school year can save money this weekend during a sales tax holiday. Certain items are exempt from the state sales tax over the four-day period that starts Friday. It includes school-related items such as clothing, supplies, instructional materials, laptops and tablets, and sports equipment. The average customer will save at least 6% on every qualified purchase, and up to 7% if the item was bought in a municipality with a local sales tax. The back-to-school sales tax holiday was reinstated last year for the first time since 2004.
August 5, 2022 4:20 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Records show a 54-year-old man jailed in the killing of one person and wounding of two others during a family argument in a Las Vegas Strip hotel room has felony convictions dating to 1987 and served several years in Nevada state prisons. Billy Hemsley remained jailed Friday following his arrest in a southeast Las Vegas neighborhood in the Thursday evening shooting that killed a man and left two women wounded at The Mirage resort. It wasn’t immediately clear if Hemsley has an attorney. He’s due in court Saturday. The shooting prompted a lock-down for more than two hours at the iconic casino and hotel on Las Vegas Boulevard.
August 5, 2022 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – America’s hiring boom continued last month as employers added a surprising 528,000 jobs despite raging inflation and rising anxiety about a recession. July’s hiring was up from 398,000 in June. The unemployment rate slipped to 3.5%. The U.S. economy shrank in the first two quarters of 2022 – an informal definition of recession. But most economists believe the strong jobs market has kept the economy from slipping into a downturn. The American job market has repeatedly defied skeptics this year. Economists had expected only 250,000 new jobs this month.
August 5, 2022 4:16 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones bulled through the first trial that could decimate his personal fortune and media empire in his usual way: Loud, aggressive and talking about conspiracies both in and out the courtroom. It’s business as usual for the gravelly voiced, barrel-chested Jones. But by courtroom standards, his erratic and, at times, disrespectful behavior is unusual – and potentially complicated for the legal process. Jones and his media company, Free Speech Systems, were ordered to pay $4.11 million in compensatory damages by the parents of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, who was killed with 19 other first graders and six educators in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. And punitive damages could be more.
August 5, 2022 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Democrats say they have reached an accord on changes to their marquee economic legislation, clearing the major hurdle to pushing one of President Joe Biden’s leading election-year priorities through the chamber in coming days. Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, (pictured) a centrist who was seen as the pivotal vote, says she is ready to “move forward” on the bill. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York says lawmakers have achieved a compromise that will receive the support of all Democrats in the chamber. His party needs unanimity and Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote to move the measure through the Senate over certain solid opposition from Republicans.
