December 5, 2021 8:02 am
New York announced three more cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus Saturday, bringing the number of state cases linked to the new variant to eight. The number of states finding the variant is growing as well, with Massachusetts, Connecticut and Washington state announcing their first cases Saturday, a day after New Jersey, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Maryland reported their first confirmed cases. Missouri reported its first presumed case Friday. The variant also has been detected in Nebraska, Minnesota, California, Hawaii, Colorado and Utah. In New York, seven of the cases have been found in New York City, once a global epicenter of the pandemic, and the other in Suffolk County. The arrival of omicron comes as hospitals statewide continue to strain under a surge in coronavirus cases, most traced to the delta variant, along with staffing shortages. The number of people testing positive statewide each day for the virus has doubled in the last 30 days.
December 5, 2021 7:55 am
ARNOLD, PA. (WPXI) — A massive fire broke out at the St. Vladimir Catholic Church on Kenneth Avenue in Arnold. At least a dozen trucks from fire departments in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties responded to the blaze at St Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Catholic Church, 1600 Kenneth Ave. Firefighters were alerted to the scene at 7:29 p.m., according to Westmoreland County 911 operators. There is no word of injuries or what caused the fire to start.
December 5, 2021 4:12 am
PennDOT announced Friday that Wylie Avenue in the City of Washington will be closed through December 17 between Jefferson and Allison Avenues. Detours are posted, and use Interstate 70 between the Jessop Place and Murtland Avenue exits to exit and re-enter the highway to make use of the Jefferson Avenue on/off ramps from I-70.
December 5, 2021 4:04 am
An Amwell Township man is in the Greene County Jail on $50,000 bail after he was charged with threatening staffers at state Representative Pam Snyder’s office in Carmichaels. Anthony Burnworth, 47, is charged with felony terrorism, aggravated assault, and terroristic threats after he threatened staffers in the office Thursday. Burnworth called the office to seek assistance with an unemployment benefit matter. When Snyder’s staff tried to refer him to a federal office for assistance, Burnworth asked if he needed to get a gun to “handle this big-boy style”. Burnworth called back and repeated those threats, and that’s when staffers at Snyder’s office locked the door and worked from a back room. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 13, at 11 a.m. before District Judge Lee Watson.
December 4, 2021 4:22 am
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) – A sheriff’s office in Michigan says the parents of a teen accused of killing four students in a shooting at a high school have been caught early Saturday. Detroit police say James and Jennifer Crumbley were taken into custody at a commercial building in Detroit that housed artwork. Officers were called to the location after a tip from a community member. A prosecutor has charged the parents with involuntary manslaughter. The prosecutor accused the couple of buying a gun on Black Friday and making it available to 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley. The teen is accused of opening fire inside Oxford High School, killing four people and injuring seven others.
December 4, 2021 4:21 am
ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Pope Francis is starting the second leg of a five-day visit to Cyprus and Greece aimed at bolstering recently mended ties between the Vatican and Greek Orthodox churches. Francis is set to arrive in Greece’s capital on Saturday for meetings about an emerging alliance between the eastern and western branches of Christianity to respond to climate change and other major global problems. The pope’s trip to the region also has focused on the plight of asylum-seekers as some European nations harden their border control policies. Francis has accelerated interfaith initiatives as the Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches attempt to shift from centuries of competition and mistrust toward collaboration.
December 4, 2021 4:18 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A former Pennsylvania state lawmaker charged with falsifying and double-dipping on expense reimbursements from the state House of Representatives and her campaign has pleaded guilty. The state attorney general’s office said Margo Davidson pleaded guilty Thursday in Dauphin County Court to five counts, including theft by deception. The office says the guilty plea bars Davidson from holding public office in Pennsylvania again. The 59-year-old Davidson, a Democrat from Delaware County, was minority chair of the busy State Government Committee when she was charged in July. She promptly resigned her seat. The attorney general’s office also accused her of asking an unnamed witness to lie to investigators.
December 4, 2021 4:16 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Health officials are reporting the first confirmed case of the omicron variant in Pennsylvania, a man in his 30s from Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced the case in a news release Friday. No other details were immediately available, including whether the man was vaccinated against COVID-19 or if he had been traveling. Health officials say contact tracing is underway. People in at least five other states have tested positive for omicron. Scientists are still learning about the new variant, including whether it is more contagious, as some suspect, and whether it can thwart vaccines.
December 4, 2021 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has pledged to make it “very, very difficult” for Russia’s Vladimir Putin to take military action in Ukraine as U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russian planning is underway for a possible military offensive that could begin as soon as early 2022. The new intelligence finding estimates that the Russians are planning to deploy an estimated 175,000 troops and almost half of them are already deployed near Ukraine’s border. That’s according to an administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the finding. Russia has picked up its demands on Biden to guarantee that Ukraine will not be allowed to join NATO.
December 4, 2021 3:57 am
Castle Shannon police are looking for a man in connection to a stabbing at a gas station on Mt. Lebanon Boulevard. According to our news partners at WPXI, three employees working in the store Friday evening called in an assault to 911 at approximately 7:19 p.m. They explained to officers that there was an argument between a customer and an employee. The customer then pulled a knife and stabbed the employee in the arm. The injury is non-life threatening. The man then fled on foot away from the store. He is described as a Hispanic man, around 5 ft tall, dressed in all black, with a black beanie cap and a black face mask. Anyone who witnessed the incident or who may have related information is asked to call Castle Shannon Police Department at 412-473-3056 or dial 911.
