December 8, 2024 8:47 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The parents of a 14-year-old Missouri boy who fell to his death from a Florida amusement park ride has won a $310 million verdict against the attraction’s Austrian builder. The Orlando jury on Thursday ordered Funtime to pay Tyre Sampson’s parents $155 million each. The trial lasted only a day as Funtime never appeared in court to defend itself. Icon Park had already settled with Sampson’s family for an undisclosed amount. Sampson stood 6 foot, 2 inches tall and weighed 380 pounds. He fell from the Orlando Free Fall ride at Icon Park because the harness did not fit him and he wasn’t warned.
December 8, 2024 8:48 am
(AP) – The U.S. government has ordered testing of the nation’s milk supply for bird flu to better monitor the spread of the virus in dairy cows. The Agriculture Department on Friday said raw or unpasteurized milk from dairy farms and processors nationwide must be tested on request starting Dec. 16. Testing will begin in six states — California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania. The move is aimed at eliminating the virus, which has infected more than 700 dairy herds in 15 states.
December 8, 2024 8:23 am
DONORA, Pa. — A child was hit by a vehicle in Donora. Washington County dispatchers said emergency crews were called to the 400 block of Allen Avenue at four o’clock Saturday afternoon for reports of a vehicle vs pedestrian crash. Investigators said a nine-year-old was flown to a hospital in Pittsburgh from the scene.
December 8, 2024 8:28 am
(WPXI) – The search for an aircraft reported to have crashed in the Monongahela River has been ended. Greene County Emergency Management and Department of Emergency Services said crews received a call about a small aircraft that may have crashed in the area of Whula Road in Cumberland Township at 12:45 p.m. on Friday. Several departments began searching on and along the river near Masontown on Friday afternoon. They returned to the area on Saturday morning. The Adah Volunteer Fire Department says late into the search, a crew on the water identified an “area of interest” near where “the initial report was given of seeing the aircraft potentially go down.” That area of interest is on the Fayette County side of the Monongahela River in German Township. The search became a joint operation between Greene and Fayette County departments. Greene County officials said the area was searched extensively but nothing was found. The search for an aircraft was ended at 2 p.m. after crews were able to rule out the possibility with side scan sonar.
December 8, 2024 8:36 am
(WPXI) – A local district is warning parents about a new trend. Baldwin-Whitehall officials say multiple students were recently found with “honey packets.” It may sound harmless, but officials warn these packets contain potentially dangerous drugs – including ingredients in popular E.D. medication. The packets can be found at some gas stations and online. The FDA first put a warning out about them years ago, but they are still popular on TikTok. The district superintendent is asking parents to be on the lookout for the products. In a statement issued by the district, officials said that while this may be new to our district, this is not something new altogether. In fact as early as 2017 there was a public notification issued about one of the brands of honey containing other drugs, namely tadalafil (active ingredient in Cialis). These packets are readily available at retailers and online stores such as Amazon and there are no age restrictions for who can purchase them.
December 8, 2024 8:40 am
(AP) – The remains of a woman who fell into a sinkhole were recovered Friday, four days after she went missing while searching for her cat, a state police spokesperson said. Trooper Steve Limani said the body of 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard was sent to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy after rescuers used machinery to bring her to the surface. Limani told reporters Pollard was found at about 11 a.m. approximately 30 feet (9 meters) underground, some 12 feet (4 meters) from the opening of the sinkhole. Limani said Pollard apparently fell onto a cone-shaped pile of debris created by the crumbling mine, then rolled or otherwise moved toward the southwest to where her body was recovered. The autopsy may help determine whether Pollard was killed by the fall, Limani said. The announcement came in the fourth day of the search for Pollard, who had last been seen Monday evening, looking for the cat near a restaurant half a mile (0.8 kilometers) from her home in the village of Marguerite. (Photo: AP)
December 7, 2024 11:20 am
(WJPA/WPXI) – First responders continue to search for a plane that possibly crashed near the Monongahela River in Fayette County. Several departments began searching on and along the river near Masontown on Friday afternoon. They returned to the area on Saturday morning. The Adah Volunteer Fire Department says late into the search, a crew on the water identified an “area of interest” near where “the initial report was given of seeing the aircraft potentially go down.” That area of interest is on the Fayette County side of the Monongahela River in German Township, near Masontown. WJPA spoke with Fayette County 911 supervisors Saturday morning who said there is still a search for this possible plane. Fayette 911 did not have confirmation that the plane was located. Supervisors did confirm that crews are looking in the Monongahela River – not on land – and that dive crews were in the water Saturday.
December 7, 2024 3:48 am
PARIS (AP) — France’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019. The five-year restoration is widely seen as a boost for French President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ambitious timeline, and a welcome respite from his domestic political woes. World leaders, dignitaries, and worshippers will gather on Saturday evening for the celebrations under the cathedral’s soaring arches. First lady Jill Biden, Britain’s Prince William and President-elect Donald Trump will join Macron and nearly 50 other heads of state and government — 1,500 guests in all — for the ceremony. (Photo: AP)
December 7, 2024 3:57 am
(AP) – A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok as soon as next month, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the law – which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — is constitutional, rebuffing TikTok’s challenge that the statute ran afoul of the First Amendment and unfairly targeted the platform. TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court.
December 7, 2024 3:54 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly four days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still do not know the gunman’s name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing. But they have made some progress in their investigation into Wednesday’s killing of the leader of the largest U.S. health insurer, including that the gunman likely left New York City on a bus soon after fleeing the scene. The also found that the gunman left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park. Police are working with the FBI, which on Friday night announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. (Photo: AP)
