Woman Charged With Impersonating A Nurse

July 21, 2025 2:46 am

A routine traffic stop by Pennsylvania State Police in Cecil Township uncovered a woman posing as a nurse. Shannon Womack aka Shannon Larson, 39 of Pittsburgh, was found to have several warrants against her car. During the stop she provided the trooper with false identification. A search of the car revealed 20 aliases, seven social security numbers and medical records from multiple nursing homes from Georgia to Connecticut. Charging documents allege that Womack posed as a nurse in nine nursing homes throughout Western Pennsylvania and countless others in other states. Womack faces 43 charges including felonies of operation of a corrupt organization, endangerment of a care dependent person, forgery and unlawful use of a computer. Womack is not a nurse but falsely presented herself to be a nurse to the facilities. She worked as an R.N., an L.P.N. and an R.N. Supervisor. She was dismissed from many of the health facilities over missing prescription medicines. Womack was formally arraigned on Monday. Her preliminary hearing will be held on August 12.

Investigation Continues Into Death Of Charleroi Man

July 21, 2025 2:49 am

Authorities are investigating the death of a Charleroi man Sunday night. Washington County Coroner Tim Warco says the man has been identified as 33-year-old Duvanet Esperance. There have been few details released at this time. Warco says the circumstances surrounding his death have not been released. An autopsy is pending.

Pittsburgh Airport Is Key Hub Amid Weather Woes

July 22, 2025 4:48 am

PITTSBURGH — When Saudia 35 left King Abdulaziz International Airport in Saudi Arabia on Saturday morning, a landing at Pittsburgh International Airport wasn’t on the schedule for the 13-hour flight. But when bad weather slammed into Washington, D.C., and arrival at Dulles International wasn’t in the cards, Pittsburgh International Airport was where the big Boeing 777 ended up landing safely. Same thing Saturday for United Airlines Flight 804 from Tokyo to Dulles International and, on Monday, American Airlines Flight 168, a Boeing 787-900 flying from Tokyo to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. Each were diverted for a safe landing at PIT when the weather precluded their original destination after many hours in the air across the Pacific Ocean and Canada and holding patterns. It’s been a busy month for diversions at Pittsburgh International Airport, with 70 in June alone and 285 in 2025 through July 14. The busiest day was Tuesday, July 8, where bad weather on the East Coast saw 18 flights on their way to Reagan National and Dulles in Washington landing instead at Pittsburgh International. The flights came from all over the place, whether they were longhauls from London and Frankfurt, Germany, or closer to home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Trump & Philippine President Reach Trade Agreement

July 22, 2025 4:53 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s reached a trade agreement with Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. following a meeting at the White House. Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. will slightly drop its tariff rate for the Philippines without paying import taxes for what it sells there. The online announcement of a loose framework of a deal comes as the countries are seeking closer security and economic ties in the face of shifting geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific region. Marcos’ government had indicated ahead of the meeting he was prepared to offer zero tariffs on some U.S. goods.

Ex-Officer Sentenced In Breonna Taylor Raid

July 21, 2025 4:56 am

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced an ex-Kentucky police officer to nearly three years in prison for using excessive force during the 2020 deadly Breonna Taylor raid, declining a U.S. Justice Department recommendation that no prison time be given. Brett Hankison, who fired 10 shots during the raid but didn’t hit anyone, was the only officer on the scene charged in the Black woman’s death. He is the first person sentenced to prison in the case that rocked the city of Louisville and spawned weeks of street protests against racial injustice and policing five years ago. U.S. District Judge Grady Jennings sentenced Hankison at a hearing Monday afternoon.

FBI Records On MLK Jr. Released Over Family Opposition

July 21, 2025 4:55 am

Martin Luther King Jr.’s two living children are urging people to tread lightly with a newly released trove of records related to their father’s assassination. Martin Luther King III and Bernice King opposed the Trump administration’s decision to release more than 240,000 pages of records concerning the slain civil rights leader. King’s children noted that their father was the victim of sometimes illegal surveillance by then-FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, who viewed King as a radical. Some civil rights activists said Trump is using the King files to distract from his own troubles related to Jeffrey Epstein.

Pentagon Withdraws 700 Marines From Los Angeles

July 22, 2025 4:57 am

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Pentagon has ordered U.S. Marines to leave Los Angeles after more than a month in the city. The 700 Marines were deployed on June 9 during protests against the administration’s immigration policies. Their presence was limited to federal buildings, including an ICE office and detention facility. On Monday, the Pentagon decided to withdraw the Marines following last week’s reduction of half of the National Guard troops in the city. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated the military presence sent a strong message against lawlessness. About 2,000 National Guard troops remain in Los Angeles.

Russian Drones Attack Ukraine Nightly

July 22, 2025 4:52 am

The long-range Russian drones come in swarms each night, buzzing over Ukraine by the hundreds, terrorizing the population and attacking targets from the industrial east to areas near its western border with Poland. Russia now batters Ukraine with more drones in a single night than it did during some entire months in 2024. Analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate. On July 8, Russia unleashed more than 700 drones — a record. Some experts say that could soon reach 1,000 a day. This comes amid a U.S. ultimatum for Russia to reach a ceasefire by Sept. 2 or face tough sanctions -– a timeframe Moscow is likely to use to inflict as much damage as possible.

Sweet Things Happening At Coca-Cola

July 22, 2025 5:47 pm

Coca-Cola finally has confirmed that a version of Coke’s trademark cola sweetened with cane sugar will be released in the U.S. this fall. For decades, Coke and other beverage makers have used high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners in their U.S. sodas. But consumers are increasingly looking for products with fewer and more natural ingredients. Nutritionists say high fructose corn syrup and cane sugar are both sugars with around the same amount of calories. They are equally likely to lead to issues like obesity and tooth decay.  (Photo:  AP)

Body Of Westmoreland County Teen Found In Lake Erie

July 21, 2025 12:43 pm

(WPXI) – Visitors to Presque Isle State Park discovered the body of a young female kayaker who went missing Friday in Lake Erie. Multiple agencies were called to the park’s Beach One – after visitors found the body around 1 p.m. Sunday. Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook identified the body as 17-year-old Madison Gallagher of North Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County. Crews began searching Friday evening after two teens went out near Kelso Beach in a kayak but were put in danger by the surf, Erie News Now reports. A neighbor tried to help on his jet ski and was able to rescue one of the kayakers. He was brought to shore and treated by medics. Witnesses say neither Gallagher nor the other teen was wearing a life jacket. Cook says she expects to rule the death accidental due to drowning. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is investigating the incident.