August 8, 2022 3:58 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Olivia Newton-John, the Grammy-winning superstar who reigned on pop, country, adult contemporary and dance charts with such hits as “Physical” and “You’re the One That I Want” has died. She was 73. Newton-John, a longtime resident of Australia whose sales topped 100 million albums, also won countless hearts as everyone’s favorite Sandy in the blockbuster film version of “Grease.” (Photo: ABC News)
August 8, 2022 1:24 pm
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Authorities investigating the killings of four Muslim men said they are looking for help finding a vehicle believed to be connected to the deaths in New Mexico’s largest city. A Muslim man was killed Friday night in Albuquerque, and ambush shootings killed three other Muslim men over the past nine months. Police are trying to determine if the slayings are linked. Investigators say the common elements in all the deaths were the victims’ race and religion. The same vehicle is suspected of being used in all four homicides – a dark gray or silver four-door Volkswagen that appears to be a Jetta with dark tinted windows.
August 8, 2022 1:22 pm
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) – The white man who fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery after chasing the 25-year-old Black man in a Georgia neighborhood has been sentenced to life in prison for committing a federal hate crime. Travis McMichael was sentenced Monday by a U.S. District Court judge in the port city of Brunswick. His punishment is largely symbolic, as McMichael was previously sentenced to life without parole in a Georgia state court for Arbery’s murder. McMichael and his father armed themselves with guns and used a pickup truck to chase Arbery after he ran past their home on Feb. 23, 2020. Neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan joined the pursuit and recorded cellphone video of McMichael shooting Arbery with a shotgun.
August 8, 2022 10:11 am
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – (WPXI) – A Washington County man is facing charges after a loaded gun was found in his backpack at Pittsburgh International Airport early Monday, Allegheny County police said. Around 5:35 a.m., TSA officers observed a loaded SigSauer 9mm handgun in the man’s backpack at the main security checkpoint and alerted county police. The man told police he didn’t know that his gun was in his backpack. It was determined that the 54-year-old man from Venetia did not have a valid concealed carry permit, according to police. He was arrested and charged with carrying a firearm without a license. The FBI was notified and the gun is now in the possession of county police. “The traveler who was caught with his handgun this morning told us that he didn’t know he had it with him,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. “If you own a firearm, it is important to know where it is at all times. After all, it is a deadly weapon and the importance of knowing its whereabouts should not be taken lightly.” Passengers who bring firearms into an airport checkpoint can face federal civil fines from the Transportation Security Administration up to $10,000. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $13,910. (PHOTO: WPXI)
August 8, 2022 4:22 am
CHAVIES, Kentucky (AP) – President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have arrived in Kentucky to meet with families who have suffered from historic flooding there. At least 37 people have died after last month’s deluge, and flooding remains a threat with more thunderstorms in the forecast this week. Biden previously visited Kentucky in December after a tornado whipped through the state, killing 77 people. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and his wife, Britainy, will join Biden, who has increased federal assistance to the state to help its recovery. The White House says the floods and extreme weather around the country are reminders of the intensifying effects of climate change.
August 8, 2022 4:20 am
BEIJING (AP) – China said Monday it was extending threatening military exercises surrounding Taiwan that have disrupted shipping and air traffic and substantially raised concerns about the potential for conflict. Military leaders say the exercises would include anti-submarine drills, apparently targeting U.S. support for Taiwan in the event of a potential Chinese invasion. China has said the exercises involving missile strikes, warplanes and ship movements crossing the midline of the Taiwan Strait were a response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the self-ruled island last week. China has ignored calls to calm the tensions, and there was no immediate indication when it would end what amounts to a blockade.
August 8, 2022 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate has approved Democrats’ big election-year economic package. The legislation is less ambitious than President Joe Biden’s original domestic goals. But it embodies deep-rooted party dreams of slowing global warming, moderating pharmaceutical costs and taxing big corporations. Debate began Saturday and went around the clock into Sunday afternoon. Democrats had swatted down some three dozen Republican efforts to torpedo the legislation. Biden is urging swift House passage, and the House seems on track to provide final congressional approval when it returns briefly from summer recess on Friday.
August 8, 2022 4:17 am
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – A fragile cease-fire deal to end nearly three days of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants has held throughout the night, signaling the latest round of violence may have abated. The flare-up was the worst fighting between Israel and Gaza militant groups since Israel and Hamas fought an 11-day war last year, and adds to the destruction and misery that have plagued blockaded Gaza for years. Over three days, 43 Palestinians were killed, including 15 children and four women. Life for hundreds of thousands of Israelis was disrupted during the flareup. Security precautions imposed in recent days on residents of southern Israel were being gradually lifted Monday.
August 8, 2022 4:15 am
UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Several people in Westmoreland County had to evacuate their homes after flooding crept into their homes and washed though their community. County dispatchers said one of the areas hit the hardest was Dorothy Patch in Unity Township. Creek water began to rise near the community and spilled into homes and overwhelmed roads. “They evacuated here. There was a school bus here, EMS and boats and everything,” said Jean Kirkpatrick, a resident who had to flee her home during the storm. Once the water had gone down, a coating of mud was left in homes and throughout the rest of the community. The Red Cross has set up a temporary shelter at the Lloydsville fire department. They are currently helping 50 families recover from the flood.
August 8, 2022 4:12 am
NESCOPECK, Pa. (AP) – Authorities say all 10 people found dead after an early morning fire in northeastern Pennsylvania last week died of smoke inhalation. The Luzerne County coroner’s office said autopsies were completed Saturday and Sunday on the victims of the Friday blaze in Nescopeck. A ruling on the manner of death for all 10 is pending the results of the state police investigation. Positive identification of the victims is pending review of medical records, dental records and DNA if required. Police said seven adults ranging from late teens to age 79 were killed along with children aged 5, 6 and 7. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
