May 31, 2022 4:15 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A movement known as Christian nationalism is making its presence known in many Republican primary races this year. Most prominent is the campaign of Doug Mastriano, who easily won the Republican nomination for governor of Pennsylvania. He has made his faith central to his personal story and has woven his conservative Christian beliefs and symbols into his campaign. Mastriano and many other candidates reject the label of Christian nationalist. They say they’re applying their values to their politics, just as any citizen would. But scholars say the label fits those who support a fusion of American and Christian values, symbols and identity.
May 31, 2022 4:13 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — (WPXI) – A video on social media is gaining attention after it showed Kennywood’s Aero 360 ride stuck upside-down Monday. The video, taken by a guest at the park, shows the ride rocking back and forth for several minutes with guests left strapped in and suspended in the air. In a statement, Kennywood General Manager Mark Pauls said maintenance staff responded, quickly brought the ride back to the ground and evacuated the riders. Kennywood PR said the riders were stuck for “about five minutes.” The statement also said first-aid staff met with the riders, with three of them visiting the first-aid center as a precaution. “Safety is our first and foremost priority,” Pauls said in the statement. According to the statement, Aero 360 will be closed while an investigation into the stoppage is conducted. (PHOTO: Tina Talley/WPXI)
May 31, 2022 4:10 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Pittsburgh police issued an arrest warrant for another man they say is connected with the drive-by fatal shooting of 18-month-old Baby De’Avry Thomas in downtown Pittsburgh Sunday. Markez Anger, 23, is charged with criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy and firearms offenses. Police said the shooting happened in the 100 block of Fourth Avenue around 2:44 p.m. Sunday. Officials at the scene said it was a drive-by shooting, and a bullet went right through the window of a Jeep, hitting the victim. He was pronounced dead when medics arrived. During a press conference following the shooting, officials said the shooting was a targeted incident. The victim was not the intended target, but a passenger in the car was. Londell Falconer, 26, was arrested Monday morning in connection with the shooting. The criminal complaint said that he was involved in a separate shooting and police went to the hospital and made contact with him. He denied being in North Side all Sunday, but later said that he was visiting family in the Manchester neighborhood. He was shown video evidence of him exiting the vehicle from the downtown shooting in North Side and he said, “I was the driver.”
May 30, 2022 4:06 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Hundreds of flights worldwide were canceled by mid-afternoon Sunday, adding to the mounting number of scrubbed flights during the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend. About 1,460 flights had been canceled as of 7 p.m. EDT Sunday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. That follows more than 2,300 cancellations Friday and another 1,500 on Saturday. Nearly 450 of Sunday’s cancellations involved aircraft scheduled to fly to or from U.S. cities. Delta Air Lines canceled the most flights among major U.S. airlines. Delta said Saturday’s cancellations were because of bad weather and “air traffic control actions.”
May 30, 2022 4:05 am
POKROVSK, Ukraine (AP) – Russian and Ukrainian troops are trading blows in fierce close-quarter combat in an eastern Ukraine city. Local officials reported Russian forces “storming” the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk on Sunday, a situation that the Ukrainian president described as “indescribably difficult.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says 90% of the buildings in Sievierodonetsk have been damaged. The city has emerged as an epicenter of Russia’s quest to conquer Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region. Russia also stepped up efforts to take nearby Lysychansk, where constant shelling was reported. Zelenskyy himself made a rare frontline visit to soldiers in Kharkiv. He declared “I feel boundless pride in our defenders. Every day, risking their lives, they fight for Ukraine’s freedom.”
May 30, 2022 4:03 am
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) – The wreckage of a plane that crashed in Nepal’s mountains has been found, and the bodies of 14 of the 22 people on board have been recovered. The search of the mountainside crash site was continuing, and there was no word on survivors. The Tara Air turboprop lost contact with the airport tower Sunday while flying through an area of deep river gorges and mountaintops. It crashed in Sanosware in Mustang district close to the mountain town of Jomsom where it was heading after taking off from the resort town of Pokhara, west of Kathmandu. The plane’s destination is popular with foreign hikers who trek the mountain trails and with Indian and Nepalese pilgrims who visit the revered Muktinath temple.
May 30, 2022 4:02 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Online videos show renewed clashes between Iranian riot police and angry protesters in the southwestern city of Abadan where the death toll from a building collapse is now at 31. The official IRNA news agency said on Monday that two more bodies were pulled from the rubble of an under-construction tower that collapsed a week ago at the Metropol Building. The deadly collapse has raised questions about the safety of similar buildings in Iran and has also drawn angry protesters to the streets. The semiofficial Fars news agency said violence broke out on Sunday night when a group of protesters attacked the state TV’s crew, prompting police to intervene.
May 30, 2022 3:57 am
AVELLA, Pa. — EMS Crews were busy Sunday afternoon in the Avella area. Ambulance and Chair was dispatched for a physical rescue involving multiple patients who were injured as a result of a collapse while rock climbing. The EMS crews called out the Special Operations Unit for rope rescue. The patients were found around one mile from the roadway and over a high grade embankment. Crews worked for two hours on accessing and extrication of the patient utilizing a hauling system. Two patients were transported to a Pittsburgh Trauma Center. Avella Volunteer Fire Department, West Middletown Vfd, and Jefferson Township VFD, and Franklin (WV) VFD, and STAT MedEvac all worked to clear the scene. (Photo: Ambulance and Chair EMS Facebook Page)
May 30, 2022 3:44 am
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. (WPXI)— All of the tankers that fell into a creek during a train derailment in Harmar Township on Thursday have been removed from the water, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Officials said one of the cars leaked an estimated 3,000 gallons of petroleum distillate into the creek during removal. However, samples taken from the Allegheny River show no detections of any contamination at this time. Freeport Road is still closed until further notice. Additional updates on the situation are expected to be released on Tuesday, after the Memorial Day holiday.
May 30, 2022 3:42 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — A 1-year-old boy was shot and killed in downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon. During a press conference following the shooting, officials said the shooting was a targeted incident. The child was not the intended target, but a passenger in the car was. Officials said that residents shouldn’t feel unsafe at this time. The boy has been identified as DeAery Thomas. According to a release from Pittsburgh Police, the shooting happened at around 2:44 p.m. Officials at the scene said the shooting was a drive by shooting, and a bullet went right through the window of a Jeep, hitting the child. He was pronounced dead when medics arrived. There is no word on any potential suspect. Officials said that investigators have located the car they believe the suspect was driving later Sunday. During the press conference, Mayor Ed Gainey vowed to take action.
