March 6, 2022 8:07 am
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian official says a second attempt to evacuate civilians from a southern city under siege for a week has failed due to continued Russian shelling. Evacuations from the port city of Mariupol were scheduled to begin at noon local time (10 a.m. GMT) during a 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. local ceasefire, Ukrainian military authorities said earlier Sunday. Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko said the planned evacuations along designated humanitarian corridors were halted because of an ongoing assault. “There can be no ‘green corridors’ because only the sick brain of the Russians decides when to start shooting and at whom,“ he said on Telegram. A similar cease-fire planned for Mariupol and the nearby city of Volnovakha collapsed Saturday, trapping residents under more shelling and aerial bombardment by Russian forces.
March 6, 2022 8:05 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — The West End Bridge was closed in both directions Saturday night after a fatal motorcycle crash. According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, first responders arrived on scene at around 7:30 p.m. Responders located the motorcyclist down on the street. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. Two other vehicles are said to be involved in the collision. No other injuries have been reported. There is no word on the identity of the motorcyclist. The Collision Investigation Unit is investigating to determine the cause.
March 6, 2022 7:57 am
SOMERSET TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Washington County fire crews were called for two brush fire incidents Saturday as temperatures shot above 70 degrees for the first time this year. Just before 8:00 p.m., a large fire sparked in the area of the old Somerset Elementary School according to 911 reports. Ellsworth VFD along with by Fallowfield, Valley Inn and Bentleyville were called to the scene. Reports say it took over an hour to put out the fire. In a separate incident earlier in the day, crews from Mt. Pleasant and McDonald Volunteer Fire Departments were dispatched to Washington Avenue for a brush fire reportedly 100 yards from a structure. No injuries or major damage were reported from the fire calls. (Photo: Bentleyville Fire-Rescue Facebook Page)
March 6, 2022 3:52 am
Roughly 100 people lined up on the overpass of Interstate 70 to watch as a convoy of truckers passed on their way to Washington, D.C. The People’s Convoy is a group of truckers that plan to protest Covid-19 mandates by parking their vehicles and demonstrating near the White House. The convoy of truckers began in California and is expected to arrive at its destination on Saturday. Supporters lined up on the Jessop Avenue overpass and on the Beau Street overpass waving flags as the truckers drove by. (Photo Credit George Lasko)
March 5, 2022 10:41 am
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) – What looked like a breakthrough cease-fire to evacuate residents from two cities in Ukraine quickly is not holding, according to Ukrainian officials. The Russian defense ministry earlier said it had agreed on temporary evacuation routes with Ukrainian forces for Mariupol, a strategic port in the southeast, and the eastern city of Volnovakha. But Ukrainian officials say the work to remove civilians has halted amid shelling on Saturday hours after Russia announced the deal. An official in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office says that talks with Russia continue on setting up a cease-fire and ensuring a safe humanitarian corridor.
March 5, 2022 4:33 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Former Vice President Mike Pence is urging Republicans to move on from the 2020 election. And he is declaring that “there is no room in this party for apologists for Putin” as he further cements his break with former President Donald Trump. Pence spoke Friday evening to the party’s top donors at a gathering in New Orleans. Pence did not directly reference the former president, but Trump has repeatedly used language that has been criticized as deferential to Putin. Pence has been working to differentiate himself from Trump as he lays the groundwork for a possible 2024 presidential run.
March 5, 2022 4:29 am
SINGAPORE (AP) – As the West condemns Russia, President Vladimir Putin has vocal supporters in China, where the ruling Communist Party tells its people they are fellow targets of U.S.-led harassment. Public sentiment largely reflects the stance of a ruling party that is the closest thing Putin has to a major ally: The war should stop but the United States is to blame. President Xi Jinping’s government has tried to distance itself from the attack but avoided criticizing Moscow. Ruling party control of all Chinese media and intensive internet censorship make it hard to gauge public opinion, but what the party allows online and requires media to publish make clear what it wants the public to think.
March 5, 2022 4:26 am
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) – Russian state media say Russia’s military has begun a temporary cease-fire in two areas of Ukraine to allow civilians to evacuate. It would be the first breakthrough in allowing people to escape the war. The Russian Defense Ministry says it agreed on evacuation routes with Ukrainian forces to allow civilians to leave the strategic port of Mariupol in the southeast and the eastern city of Volnovakha. The vaguely worded statement didn’t make clear how long the routes would remain open on Saturday. Ukraine has called the need for humanitarian corridors “question No. 1” amid fears of food shortages. Residents of Mariupol have experienced growing misery as days of shelling knocked out most phone service.
March 5, 2022 4:22 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The board of another big public pension system in Pennsylvania will sell off its Russia-related investments, amid bipartisan calls from lawmakers and top state officials to respond to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Friday’s vote by the board of the State Employees’ Retirement System affects roughly $7 million of the $40 billion in assets the system reported having at the start of 2022. That exposure amounts to 0.02%. The board’s resolution also bars new investments in assets related to Russia. On Thursday, the board of the $72.5 billion Public School Employees’ Retirement System took a similar vote to divest of nearly $300 million directly invested in Russia and Belarus.
March 5, 2022 4:20 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – An Amtrak engineer has been acquitted of charges related to a high-speed derailment that left eight people dead and hundreds injured in Philadelphia in 2015. The jury cleared 38-year-old engineer Brandon Bostian of causing a catastrophe, involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment. He had been charged once for each injury and death. Bostian’s lawyer describes him as having a perfect work record until he was distracted by people throwing rocks in the area just before the crash. The train was going more than 100 mph on a 50 mph curve when the train derailed. Amtrak had earlier settled the civil litigation for $265 million.
