December 29, 2020 2:28 am
A Donora man charged with homicide in what is described as a suspected home invasion waived all charges to court. Bryan Harris, 23 of Donora is charged with homicide in the shooting death of Brandon Harrison, 34 of Masontown. Harris allegedly shot Harrison as he was trying to break into Harris’ home on December 9. Harrison was pronounced dead in an ambulance on its way to a medical helicopter. Pennsylvania State Police obtained a search warrant for Harris’ home and found 1000 packets of suspected heroin, firearms and ammunition. In addition to the homicide charge, Harris was charged with heroin possession and evidence tampering. Harris admitted to police his attempt to hide the gun and empty shell casings associated with Harrison’s killing. In his preliminary hearing in front of District Justice Mark Wilson, the District Attorney added charges of reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of children.
December 28, 2020 3:36 pm
DALLAS (AP) – Southwest Airlines says it’s not going to furlough workers in 2021 after all. The airline’s CEO says that with Washington’s approval of $15 billion in new federal aid to airlines, furloughs or pay cuts aren’t needed. American and United Airlines, which together furloughed 32,000 employees in October, said Monday they will bring those workers back temporarily. This is the second round of federal aid for the nation’s airlines. Back in March they got $25 billion to cover payrolls for six months and up to another $25 billion in low-interest loans. But with travel still weak, airlines lobbied Washington for more money, and they have been rewarded.
December 28, 2020 2:41 pm
(WPXI) – A 52-year-old man died in a house fire in Bell Township on Monday morning. According to the Westmoreland County Coroner, the victim is Frank Zanavich, 52. Firefighters were called to the house fire on Route 286 shortly before 9:30 a.m. Two people were also hurt and a landing zone was set up at the Kiski School in Saltsburg for two medical helicopters to transport them to the hospital. The fire was initially reported by a passerby who saw smoke coming from the structure, according to dispatch reports.
December 28, 2020 1:44 pm
(AP) – “Full House” actor Lori Loughlin has been released from prison after spending two months behind bars for paying half a million dollars in bribes to get her two daughters into college. Loughlin was released Monday from the federal lockup in Dublin, California, where she had been serving her sentence for her role in the college admissions bribery scheme. Her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, is serving his five-month sentence at a prison in Lompoc near Santa Barbara, California. Loughlin and Giannulli were among the highest-profile defendants charged in the scheme, which revealed the lengths to which some wealthy parents will go to get their children into elite universities. (Photo: CNN)
December 28, 2020 4:16 am
A strong earthquake has struck off the coast of southern Chile on Sunday, causing shaking felt in several cities but without any reports of damage. The U.S. Geological Survey says Sunday’s quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8. Its epicenter was 10 kilometers (six miles) beneath the surface and about 140 kilometers (87.5 miles) west of the town of Corral. Chile’s navy says the quake did not have the characteristics required to generate a tsunami. Chile’s National Emergency Office says that there have been no reports of injuries or damage and that basic services are functioning normally.
December 28, 2020 4:13 am
CHICAGO (AP) – An attorney for a U.S. Army special forces sergeant arrested in an apparently random shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three dead has told an initial hearing that her client may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Duke Webb appeared in a Winnebago County courtroom in Rockford Monday. He faces three counts of murder and three counts of first-degree attempted murder in the shooting at Don Carter Lanes, in Rockford, on Saturday. His lawyer also told the court Webb appeared to have issues with memory loss and that he’ll undergo mental health evaluations. A judge denied Webb bond and set his arraignment for Feb. 16. The Army says Webb had four deployments to Afghanistan, the last ending in July.
December 28, 2020 4:13 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia Republican Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Raphael Warnock advanced to the Jan. 5 U.S. Senate runoff with the challenge of winning over the 2 million voters who chose one of the 18 other candidates in November’s election. Polls show they have largely succeeded. Turnout could be the deciding factor in that race and the runoff between Republican U.S. Sen David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff. One thing helping line voters up is the decision of both sides to run as tickets and make joint appearances. Two wins would give Democrats control of the U.S. Senate. A split or two GOP wins would maintain Republican control.
December 28, 2020 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. health officials believe the coronavirus mutation that set off alarms in parts of Britain is no more apt to cause serous illness or be resistant to vaccines than the strain afflicting people in the United States. That’s according to Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Even so, he says the variant still must be taken “very seriously” and is being studied intensively by U.S. officials now. Fauci endorsed the decision of U.S. officials to require negative COVID-19 tests before letting people from Britain enter the U.S. and declined to weigh in on whether that step should have been taken sooner.
December 28, 2020 4:10 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Federal officials now turn to exploring the monumental task of piecing together the motive behind the Christmas Day explosion that severely damaged dozens of downtown Nashville buildings and injured three. Officials have named 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner as the man behind the mysterious explosion in which he was killed, but the motive has remained elusive. In just a few days, hundreds of tips and leads have been submitted. Yet thus far, officials have not provided information on what possibly drove Warner to set off the explosion. The director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told reporters on Sunday that Warner had not been on the radar before Christmas.
December 28, 2020 4:08 am
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – President Donald Trump has signed into law a $900 billion pandemic relief package, ending days of drama over his refusal to accept the bipartisan deal. At stake was long-sought cash for businesses and individuals and funding to avoid a federal government shutdown. The massive bill includes $1.4 trillion for government agencies through September. Trump signed the bill at his private club in Florida during a holiday break marked by trips to the golf course. Republicans as well as Democrats had criticized the president for creating eleventh-hour chaos around an agreement that had been negotiated with input from the White House.
