February 24, 2022 4:02 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A man is dead after he was shot in the back in Pittsburgh Wednesday evening. According to investigators, officers were called to the area of Reifert Street near Roll Way for reports of a shooting just after 6 p.m. They found the 18-year-old victim in the area of Wilbur Street. Officers rendered first aid before the man could be taken to a local hospital. Police said he later died from his injuries. No one is in custody at this time and police said they’re still investigating.
February 23, 2022 1:57 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – U.S. health officials say some people getting Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines should consider waiting up to eight weeks between the first and second doses. That’s instead of the three or four weeks previously recommended. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly changed its advice on Tuesday. They says they are reacting to research showing that a longer interval can provide more enduring protection against the coronavirus. They also say the longer wait may help diminish an already rare vaccination side effect: a form of heart inflammation seen in some young men. The suggestion doesn’t apply to those under 12 years old or over 65.
February 23, 2022 3:24 am
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – Tonga’s main internet connection to the rest of the world has finally been restored more than five weeks after a huge volcanic eruption and tsunami severed a crucial undersea cable. Three people in Tonga were killed by the Jan. 15 tsunami and dozens of homes destroyed. The fiber-optic cable is fully operational again after being reconnected Tuesday. Elon Musk’s SpaceX company has also been helping restore connections through its network of low-orbit satellites called Starlink. Meanwhile, Tonga has been grappling with its first outbreak of the coronavirus. The country of 105,000 people has begun easing some restrictions after initially imposing a lockdown.
February 23, 2022 3:23 am
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Florida House Republicans have advanced a bill to forbid discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, rejecting criticism from Democrats who said the proposal demonizes LGBTQ people. The measure, dubbed by opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, is now set for a final vote in the House after GOP lawmakers refused a series of Democratic amendments Tuesday. The proposal has drawn intense national scrutiny and has served as the one of the latest battlegrounds between the White House and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for reelection and is widely considered to be a potential 2024 presidential candidate.
February 23, 2022 3:22 am
HONOLULU (AP) – The U.S. Navy says four people have died in the crash of a contractor’s helicopter on the Hawaii island of Kauai. The Pacific Missile Range Facility says the aircraft crashed on the north side of the installation shortly after 10 a.m. There were no survivors. The names of those killed were not yet available. The helicopter was being flown by Croman Corp. in support of a training operation. The National Transportation Safety Board says in a tweet the agency is investigating the crash of the Sikorsky S-61N helicopter. The missile range facility says an investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the accident.
February 23, 2022 3:21 am
UNITED NATIONS (AP) – The United States and France are criticizing mercenaries in the Central African Republic from the Russian security company Wagner, accusing them of executing civilians, attacking U.N. peacekeepers and targeting predominantly Muslim communities. Russia never mentioned mercenaries or Wagner in responding Tuesday at a U.N. Security Council meeting, but said that “Russian specialists” are working “successfully” in the African nation at the request of its government. The exchange came at a council session at which outgoing U.N. special representative Mankeur Ndiaye said that “the Central African people are still awaiting the dividends of peace.”
February 23, 2022 3:20 am
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) – About one hundred migrants from Haiti, Cuba and African nations threw stones and sticks at Mexican National Guard troops and immigration agents in the southern city of Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala. The confrontation Tuesday came amid months of complaints by migrants that processing claims for refuge, asylum or humanitarian visas was taking too long. The National Immigration Institute said in a statement that the migrants involved in Tuesday’s protests had blocked entrances to an immigration office and insisted they be attended to, ahead of people who already had appointments. When officers tried to force them to leave a four-confrontation broke out.
February 23, 2022 3:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Pentagon has approved the deployment of 700 unarmed National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., as the city prepares for trucker convoys that are planning protests against pandemic restrictions beginning next week. The Pentagon says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved the request from the District of Columbia government and the U.S. Capitol Police. The Pentagon says the troops will be used to assist with traffic control. Four hundred Guard members from the District of Columbia Guard will be joined by 300 Guard members from other states. The convoys follow the recent Canadian truckers’ protest of government pandemic restrictions.
February 23, 2022 3:18 am
MOSCOW (AP) – The East-West faceoff over Ukraine has escalated dramatically, with Russian lawmakers authorizing President Vladimir Putin to use military force outside his country and President Joe Biden and European leaders responding by slapping sanctions on Russian oligarchs and banks. Both leaders signaled that an even bigger confrontation could lie ahead. Putin has yet to unleash the force of the 150,000 troops massed on three sides of Ukraine, while Biden held back on the toughest sanctions that could cause economic turmoil for Russia but said they would go ahead if there is further aggression. The sanctions underscored the urgency felt by Western nations to blunt the conflict.
February 23, 2022 3:15 am
CECIL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Multiple Fire Crews were called to the scene of a garage fire Tuesday night in Hendersonville. The blaze broke out just after 10:00 p.m. on Raven Drive in Cecil Township. According to reports, the garage was not connected to the house. Cecil Township fire crews were joined by North Strabane and South Fayette Fire Departments. Reports say a tractor may have started that fire and oxygen tanks inside the structure played a factor as well. No injuries were reported.
