December 13, 2024 2:43 am
A Washington man was sentenced on his guilty plea for child pornography charges on Thursday. Trevor Korba, 23 pleaded guilty to two felony charges of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to 6-23 months in the Washington County Jail on one charge. On the second charge he will serve two years’ probation once the first sentence is complete. Korba was arrested after State Police searched his home and found a cell phone with 20 files of child pornography in April of 2023. Immediately after the hearing, a pre-trial services hearing was held on additional charges of child pornography and criminal use of a communications device. The new offenses allegedly occurred in November. Korba’s defense attorney, Sean Logue characterized the situation as complex and is looking to review files to be able to come to a just agreement. Korba will remain in jail on those new charges on $500,000 bond. He will be arraigned on those charges on January 23rd.
December 12, 2024 4:55 am
RESERVE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – There was no bomb threat made onboard a Spirit Airlines plane at Pittsburgh International Airport Thursday. Allegheny County police said they were requested to investigate a “security issue” onboard a Spirit flight that was scheduled to depart PIT for Tampa. The issue was reported to be a bomb threat. County police determined no threat was made and the situation was deemed not criminal in nature. Spokesperson for the Allegheny County Airport Authority Bob Kerlik said no injuries were reported and airport operations are unaffected. The FBI released the following statement: “The FBI and our law enforcement partners responded to a reported bomb threat onboard an aircraft at Pittsburgh International Airport. After a thorough investigation, it was determined to not be a credible threat. The FBI and our partners encourage the public to remain vigilant as they travel this time of year. Please report any suspicious activity to law enforcement by calling 911, reporting to your flight crew, or contacting the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.”
December 13, 2024 5:03 am
CLAIRTON, Pa. — (WPXI) – Hundreds of people gathered at the Clairton plant Thursday to show their support for the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel in Japan. Steelworkers, community members and local elected leaders filled the crowd, chanting and holding signs saying best deal for U.S. Steel. “I think Nippon Steel is going to bring a lot of money to Mon Valley. It desperately needs a lot technology they promise to bring to Mon Valley,” U.S. Steelworker Charles Clark said. The sale might come down to whether or not the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. deems it a national security concern. Both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have expressed the desire to block the sale. So has the United Steelworkers union. Thursday, Lt. Governor Austin Davis shared this message to leaders in Washington D.C. “What i will say is that leaders in Washington, if they’re not for this deal, they need to save what they’re for and what they think the future of steel making in western Pennsylvania and in this country looks like. I think they owe that to the people of western Pennsylvania. This region has often felt forgotten or left behind, it should not feel forgotten because the election is over. Folks have a commitment in Washington to the future of the Mon Valley in the future of steel making,” Davis said. Some steelworkers tell us what they fear most if the sale doesn’t happen. “Layoffs, closure, finding another job, you know,” steelworker Keith Skidmore said.
December 12, 2024 2:46 am
Authorities are investigating a barn fire Thursday afternoon at the Critter Country Animal Farm on Route 981 in Smithton. in Westmoreland County. According to their website, Critter Country has more than 55 different kinds of animals, including monkeys, lemurs, an Asiatic water buffalo, a leopard, a kangaroo and many more. There were no reported human injuries, but officials did not comment on the fate of the animals. (Photo: Critter Country Website)
December 13, 2024 4:57 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Police say the man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was not a client of the medical insurer and may have targeted it because of its size and influence. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC New York in an interview that investigators have uncovered evidence that Luigi Mangione had prior knowledge UnitedHealthcare was holding its annual investor conference in New York City. Mangione did mention the company in a note found in his possession when he was detained by police in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested Monday after being spotted at a McDonald’s. Mangione remains jailed without bail in Pennsylvania. His lawyer there says he hasn’t seen any evidence yet linking him to the crime.
December 13, 2024 5:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot even though the bureau did prepare for the possibility of violence on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a watchdog report. It also says no undercover FBI employees were present that day and none of the bureau’s informants was authorized to participate. The report Thursday from the Justice Department inspector general’s office knocks down a fringe conspiracy theory advanced by some Republicans in Congress that the FBI played a role in instigating the events of Jan. 6, when rioters determined to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss stormed the building in a violent clash with police.
December 12, 2024 5:10 am
NEW YORK (AP) — In a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine, Donald Trump weighs in on Jan. 6 pardons, immigration issues and world affairs. He says he’s open to holding detained migrants in camps as they’re processed for deportation. He insists that ally Elon Musk prioritizes the interests of the United States over his many business endeavors. When Trump was asked whether he trusted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said he doesn’t trust anyone. And Time reports on how Trump’s campaign advisers got involved when Trump seemed on the verge of backing a 16-week federal abortion ban.
December 12, 2024 5:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — China experts say Chinese leader Xi Jinping would likely see President-elect Donald Trump’s invitation to attend his inauguration as too risky to accept, and the gesture from Trump may have little bearing on the increasingly competitive ties between the two nations. The experts say they cannot see the Chinese leader coming to Washington next month to celebrate Trump’s return to the White House. Yun Sun is director of the China program at the Stimson Center. She says should Trump slap high tariffs on Chinese goods upon taking office as he’s threatened, Xi would look like a fool if he had chosen to attend the inauguration.
December 13, 2024 5:05 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia fired 93 missiles and almost 200 drones in Friday’s bombardments. He says it is one of the heaviest bombardments of the country’s energy sector since Russia’s full-scale invasion almost three years ago. He says Ukrainian defenses shot down 81 missiles, including 11 cruise missiles that were intercepted by F-16 warplanes provided by Western allies earlier this year. Zelenskyy renewed his plea for international unity against Russian President Vladimir Putin. But uncertainty surrounds how the war might unfold next year. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end the war and has thrown into doubt whether vital U.S. military support for Kyiv will continue.
December 12, 2024 2:27 pm
(AP) – The head of the Federal Aviation Administration says he will step down next month to let President-elect Donald Trump name his choice to lead the agency. Mike Whitaker announced his pending resignation in a message to FAA employees on Thursday. Since taking the helm at the FAA in October 2023, Whitaker has dealt with challenges that include a surge in close calls between planes, a shortage of air traffic controllers and antiquated equipment. He has led a tougher enforcement policy against Boeing since a panel blew off a jetliner in January.
