November 23, 2021 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A committee investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection has issued subpoenas to five more individuals, including former President Donald Trump’s ally Roger Stone and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones (pictured). The subpoenas include demands for documents and testimony from Stone and Jones as well as three people accused of organizing and promoting the two rallies that preceded the deadly attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6. The committee has already interviewed more than 150 people across government, social media and law enforcement, including some former Trump aides who have been cooperative.
November 23, 2021 4:07 am
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) – The case of three white men charged with murder in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery is now with the jury. Jurors got the case Tuesday after a nearly two-week trial in which prosecutors argued that the men provoked the fatal confrontation and defense attorneys insisted their clients acted in self-defense. Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski told jurors that the men cannot claim self-defense if they were the aggressors. The prosecution got the final word because it carries the burden of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutors and defense attorneys spent hours on Monday delivering closing arguments that spilled into a second day.
November 23, 2021 4:02 am
PENN HILLS, Pa. — (WPXI) – Police confirm that a 6-year-old shot and killed their 5-year-old sibling at a home in Penn Hills. Investigators said at around 5:30 p.m. Monday, County 911 was notified of a shooting in the 100 block of Prescott Drive. First responders found the victim had been shot. The child was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead at 6:33 p.m. County police detectives said they believe three young children were left unsupervised in a bedroom where an unsecured gun was located. This comes less than 12 hours after a 4-year-old child was able to get a hold of a gun in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty and kill himself.
November 23, 2021 3:59 am
Residents in Peters Township will see something in 2022 that they have not seen since 2018, a property tax increase. Peters Township Council held a public hearing on Monday evening to present the preliminary 2022 operating budget. The budget is a $39 million spending plan with $22 million in projected revenue. Township Manager Paul Lauer indicates that the gross expenditure numbers are not necessarily what will ultimately be spent. Built into the budget are two large capital projects, an aquatic center at roughly $10 million and a new fire station at roughly $4.5 million. According to Lauer, more than likely only one of the projects will be taken on in 2022 and the remaining project will be put off into the future. Regardless of which project is selected, it will be funded by bond issues. The budget was built to show the financial effect of both projects to allow council and citizens a better understanding of what is coming in the future. The tax increase will be a .078 mil raise. What that means to Peters residents is that based on the average house value of $330,000, the yearly tax increase would amount to $25 annually. Council will adopt the budget at their next meeting on December 13.
November 22, 2021 1:42 pm
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – A legislative investigation has found “overwhelming evidence” that former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo engaged in sexual harassment and ordered state workers to help produce his book during work hours. The report released Monday also found that Cuomo’s executive chamber “substantially revised” a state report to exclude deaths of nursing home residents at hospitals to boost Cuomo’s reputation. In March, the Assembly Judiciary Committee hired a Manhattan law firm to investigate whether there were grounds to impeach Cuomo. The Democratic governor resigned in August to avoid a likely impeachment trial.
November 22, 2021 12:36 pm
HUNTINGTON, N.Y. (AP) – Add Christmas trees to the list of items facing shortages and higher prices this year. Several factors are driving the trend, Newsday reported. These include over-the-top sales last year during the first Christmas during the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues this year. Experts said tree buyers should expect to pay between 10% and 30% more for both live trees and artificial trees this year and also have a smaller selection to choose from. Several factors are at work. Farmers struggling after the economic recession in 2009 planted fewer trees for several years, and demand has been rising in the last several years, experts told Newsday.
November 22, 2021 10:20 am
A video call between Olympic officials and Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai was meant to reassure the world that she was safe – but instead has raised more questions. Concern grew in the last week for the former No. 1-ranked doubles player who hadn’t been seen since accusing a senior Chinese official of sexual assault on Nov. 2. Tennis stars and fans alike demanded to know where she was and the head of the Women’s Tennis Association threatened to pull events from China. On Sunday, the International Olympic Committee said Peng spoke to officials in a 30-minute video call. According to the organization’s statement, she reassured them that she was well. The IOC posted a photo showing the call but did not release video of the call.
November 22, 2021 10:18 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Target will no longer open its stores on Thanksgiving Day, making permanent a shift to the unofficial start of the holiday season that was suspended during the pandemic. To limit crowds in stores, retailers last year were forced to turn what had become a weekend shopping blitz into an extended event with holiday sales beginning as early as October. That forced shift turned out to be a good move. U.S. holiday sales in November and December rose 8.2% from the previous year, and the National Retail Federation predicts that this year could shatter that record, growing between 8.5% and 10.5%.
November 22, 2021 10:16 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – A 4-year-old boy died after he apparently accidentally shot himself in the face Monday morning in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood, police said. The incident happened shortly after 8 a.m. at a home on North Negley Avenue. The boy was taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he died, police said. Investigators said the boy was home with one caregiver. (Photo; WPXI)
November 22, 2021 7:53 am
A fire late Sunday night caused extensive damage to the bar area of Jimmy G’s along S. Central Avenue in Canonsburg. The blaze broke out around 11 p.m. Fire Chief Tim Solobay tells WJPA that the blaze was accidental. According to Solobay, they reviewed video from inside the bar that showed the bartender smoke several cigarettes while preparing to close up for the night. Those cigarettes were put out in an ash tray on the bar. A short time later, the bartender is seen tossing the contents of the ashtray into a garbage can at the bar. The video then shows that garbage can catch fire a short time later. No injuries resulted.
