September 12, 2021 8:07 am
CASTIAC, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire near Castaic Saturday has led to the closure of a part of a major freeway in Southern California, officials told local media. The fire, known as the Route Fire, reached 392 acres, or a little more than half a square mile, as of 6:28 p.m. and forced the shutdown of a section of Interstate 5, the Angeles National Forest told KTLA-TV. KTLA reported that the Route Fire is threatening structures, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Santa Clarita Valley station. The fire was uncontained as of 6:30 p.m., authorities said. Elsewhere in California, thunderstorms that dropped light rain gave some breathing room to crews struggling to quench the state’s massive wildfires but lightning sparked several new blazes in the drought-stricken north, fire officials said.
September 12, 2021 8:05 am
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran agreed Sunday to allow international inspectors to install new memory cards into surveillance cameras at its sensitive nuclear sites and to continue filming there, potentially averting a diplomatic showdown this week. The announcement by Mohammad Eslami of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran after a meeting he held with the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, in Tehran still leaves the watchdog in the same position it has faced since February, however. Tehran holds all recordings at its sites as negotiations over the U.S. and Iran returning to the 2015 nuclear deal remain stalled in Vienna. Meanwhile, Iran is now enriching small amounts of uranium to its closest-ever levels to weapons-grade purity as its stockpile continues to grow.
September 12, 2021 8:04 am
BEIJING (AP) — A city in southern China that is trying to contain a coronavirus outbreak told the public Sunday not to leave town, suspended bus and train service and closed cinemas, bars and other facilities. Anyone who needs to leave Putian, a city of 2.9 million people in Fujian province south of Shanghai, for an essential trip must have proof of a negative coronavirus test within the past 48 hours, the city government announced. China declared the coronavirus under control in early 2020 but has suffered outbreaks of the more contagious delta variant. Authorities say most cases are traced to travelers arriving from Russia, Myanmar and other countries. In Putian, 19 new infections that were believed to have been acquired locally were reported in the 24 hours through midnight Saturday, according to the National Health Commission. One was reported in Quanzhou, also in Fujian.
September 12, 2021 8:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI late Saturday released a newly declassified document related to logistical support given to two of the Saudi hijackers in the run-up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The document details contacts the hijackers had with Saudi associates in the U.S. but does not provide proof that senior Saudi government officials were complicit in the plot. Released on the 20th anniversary of the attacks, the document is the first investigative record to be disclosed since President Joe Biden ordered a declassification review of materials that for years have remained out of public view. The 16-page document is a summary of an FBI interview done in 2015 with a man who had frequent contact with Saudi nationals in the U.S. who supported the first hijackers to arrive in the country before the attacks.
September 12, 2021 7:54 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Biden has declared a major disaster in Pennsylvania due to heavy rains, severe flash flooding and tornadoes in the commonwealth from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Biden approved a request from Gov. Tom Wolf for a major disaster declaration allowing assistance to individuals for Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and York counties, the White House said Friday night. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for the entire commonwealth, which the Pennsylvania governor had also requested. Damage assessments continue and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be added after they are completed.
September 12, 2021 7:52 am
NORTH VERSAILLES (WPXI) — One teen has died and another one is injured after a shooting at the opening night of the Haunted Hills Hayride along Route 48 in North Versailles shortly before 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Both teens were 15 years old. They were taken to the hospital, where one teen died and the other is listed in critical condition. The suspected shooter is approximately 15 to 17 years old, wearing a black shirt and blue pants and a backpack. Police don’t know if he left on foot or drove from the scene, but he did get away. The road was shut down and Haunted Hills Hay Ride was closed when Channel 11 arrived. Police said the incident occurred in the front of the line to get on the hayride when a group of teenagers started arguing and one pulled out a gun and started shooting. Officers haven’t said what the argument as about, only that it was between a large group of teenagers when three to four shots were fired. Police are still searching for that teenage suspect.
September 12, 2021 1:23 am
SOUTH STRABANE, Pa. — Washington County came together Saturday morning to remember the lives lost and tragedy that struck America that day 20 years ago. South Strabane Police and Fire held the annual ceremony for the September 11th Attacks at the 9/11 Memorial in the old Washington Mall parking lot. This year’s ceremony had a large attendance compared to last year due to the pandemic. First responders and members from around the county came to pay their respects. South Strabane Fire Chief Scott Reese, who organizes the event each year, says he was happy with the turnout, especially two decades after the attacks. Ambulance and Chair member John Patterson serves as the anthem singer each year and says it is important to keep having events like these to ensure the younger generations realize the importance of the day.
September 11, 2021 5:48 am
A 45 year-old Pittsburgh man died Friday night in a motorcycle crash in Ligonier. Adam Kocher was riding his Ducati motorcycle about 9:15 p.m. on Route 30 west when he failed to negotiate a curve and crossed the roadway and hit a metal fence and sign. Westmoreland County Coroner pronounced him dead around 10:24 p.m. from blunt force injuries to torso and extremities. The Ligonier Valley Police Department is investigating. Toxicology results are pending.
September 11, 2021 4:17 am
VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis is making his first foreign trip since undergoing intestinal surgery in July. His four-day visit to Hungary and Slovakia starting Sunday will not only test his health but also provide what may be one of the most awkward moments of his papacy – a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the sort of populist, right-wing leader Francis scorns. Francis is only spending seven hours in Budapest before moving on to a three-day, hopscotch tour of neighboring Slovakia. The lopsided itinerary can’t help but suggest that Francis wanted to avoid giving Orban the bragging rights and political boost that come with hosting a pope for a proper state visit.
September 11, 2021 4:16 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Firefighters battling massive California blazes say thunderstorms that dropped light rain gave them a little breathing room but lightning sparked several new blazes in the drought-stricken north. Storms rolling through Thursday night and Friday dumped up to a half-inch of rain over portions of the Dixie Fire in the Sierra Nevada. The Dixie Fire is the second-largest blaze in state history. Firefighters say the wet vegetation will slow its progress for a couple of days until things begin heating up and drying out again. Meanwhile, lightning strikes ignited at least 17 new fires, although most were tiny. More than 13,000 firefighters are working to rein in 13 major blazes across the state.
