March 13, 2022 7:53 am
MILAN (AP) — Italian paper mills that make everything from pizza boxes to furniture packaging ground to a halt as Russia’s war in Ukraine has sent natural gas prices skyrocketing. And it’s not just paper. Italian steel mills, likewise, turned off electric furnaces last week. And fishermen, facing huge spikes in oil prices, stayed in port, mending nets instead of casting them. Nowhere more than in Italy, the European Union’s third-largest economy, is dependence on Russian energy taking a higher toll on industry. Some 40% of electricity is generated from natural gas that largely comes from Russia, compared with roughly one-quarter in Germany, another major importer and the continent’s largest economy. Over the past decade, Italy’s dependence on Russian natural gas has surged from 27% to 43% — a fact lamented by Premier Mario Draghi. It will take at least two years to replace, his energy transition minister says.
March 13, 2022 7:52 am
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Waves of Russian missiles pounded a military training base close to Ukraine’s western border with NATO member Poland, killing 35 people. The strike followed Russian threats to target foreign weapon shipments that are helping Ukrainian fighters defend their country against Russia’s grinding invasion. More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling training facility that is less than 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the closest border point with Poland, according to the governor of Ukraine’s western Lviv region. Poland is a key location for routing Western military aid to Ukraine. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Lviv had largely been spared the scale of destruction unfolding further east and become a destination for residents escaping bombarded cities and for many of the nearly 2.6 million refugees who have fled the country.
March 13, 2022 7:48 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day, Pittsburgh has a bit of a reputation to live up to. The city is ranked as one of the top places to celebrate the holiday. On Saturday, bargoers and business owners on East Carson Street in the South Side did not disappoint. It was a sea of green up and down the block, with some patrons coming out at 10 o’clock this morning to kick off festivities. Snow and cold temps did not slow them down either. Business owners told Channel 11 that there were several official outings and countless bar crawls planned long before the weather became a factor.
March 13, 2022 5:09 am
FINLEYVILLE, Pa. (WPXI) — Police arrested a local nurse practitioner accused of assaulting a former patient at a Washington County grocery store. Allegheny Health Network nurse practitioner Timothy Hohman is facing several charges including harassment, terroristic threats and simple assault after court documents detailed an aggressive incident involving Hohman and a former patient at a Finleyville Giant Eagle in early March. Security cameras from inside the store show Hohman entering the same checkout aisle as his former patient and aggressively confronting him. Court paperwork states when the victim tried to leave the store, Hohman followed him to the parking lot. That was where cameras caught Hohman chasing the victim and eventually pushing him. According to police, the victim fell backward with such force that he hit his head on the bumper of a nearby pickup truck. Police say the victim then got up and hit Hohman in self-defense. The victim told police Hohman also threatened him with a gun. AHN told Channel 11 it is aware of the situation and Hohman is suspended pending the outcome of the investigation and legal proceedings. Hohman told police the victim spat on him during this incident, but police say the video never showed that happening. Hohman therefore faces a charge of making a false report. The nurse practitioner is being held on a $30K straight bond in the Washington County Jail.
March 13, 2022 1:30 am
If you are a fan of more light in the afternoon, take heart; your time is coming. Daylight saving time, that is. On Sunday March 13 at 2 a.m., most of America will “spring forward” as clocks are set up an hour for the beginning of daylight saving time. With each time change comes a debate among states on the wisdom of twice-a-year time changes (we “fall back” in November). In the last three years, 13 states have enacted legislation to provide for year-round daylight saving time if Congress were to allow such a change and, in some cases, if surrounding states enact the same legislation. Full-time DST is not currently allowed by federal law and would require an act of Congress to make a change. The American Red Cross is also reminding you that with the time change should come the testing of smoke alarms. They say working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half.
March 13, 2022 1:03 am
PITTSBURGH — Another blast of Winter has arrived in Washington County and the surrounding area. Periods of moderate to heavy snow took place into Saturday morning making travel hazardous. Accidents across the listening area had first responders busy through the morning hours. Steady snow tapered to snow showers on Saturday. Winds picked up through the day as well, bringing blowing and drifting snow back onto treated surfaces. Overall, some parts of Washington County saw 7-8 inches of snow locally from the system. (Photo: Claysville Volunteer Fire Department Facebook)
March 12, 2022 5:11 am
PLYMOUTH, N.C. (AP) – A North Carolina sheriff’s deputy has been fired after he was captured on video putting his knee on a Black man’s neck, and a state agency is looking into the incident. Washington County Manager Curtis Potter told WITN that Deputy Aaron Edwards was no longer working for the sheriff’s office as of Tuesday. Sheriff Johnny Barnes said the deputy was fired after an internal investigation and a review of body camera and security footage. Barnes said state investigators have been called in to look into whether criminal charges should be brought. The family of the man provided video last week showing him being arrested on a charge of marijuana possession.
March 12, 2022 4:46 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Republicans pushed a bill through the Georgia House on Friday that would abolish the requirement for a a background check and license to carry a handgun in public. The vote moves Georgia a step closer to the “constitutional carry” that Gov. Brian Kemp and other Republicans have promised to deliver in an election year. The bill moves to the Senate for more debate. The Senate last month passed a similar measure. Republicans say the measure is needed to allow people to more easily protect themselves from crime. Democrats say it would fuel gun deaths by encouraging more guns, increase crime, and put police officers’ lives in danger.
March 12, 2022 4:16 am
NEW YORK (AP) – A judge says former President Donald Trump’s moves aimed at delaying a rape accuser’s defamation claims from reaching trial are in bad faith and so far succeeding. The federal judge in New York denied an effort by Trump’s lawyers to countersue advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. She wrote in a 2019 book that Trump raped her in the 1990s in a Manhattan store. Trump denied it and questioned Carroll’s motivations. The judge noted in a ruling released Friday that Carroll is in her late 70s and that her claims could have been decided long ago. A lawyer for Carroll says she “could not agree more.”
March 12, 2022 4:14 am
HOUSTON (AP) – A grand jury has declined to indict Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson following a police investigation sparked by lawsuits from 22 women who have accused him of harassment and sexual assault. The grand jury’s decision Friday came about a year after the women first filed their suits. They say they were harassed and assaulted during massage appointments. Watson has denied the accusations. Watson said Friday he was grateful for the grand jury’s decision. Houston police began investigating in April 2021 after a criminal complaint was filed. Prosecutors say they presented evidence to the grand jury for over six hours Friday related to nine criminal complaints. They declined to say what possible charges were presented.
