July 26, 2021 4:14 am
ARNOLD, Pa. — (WPXI) – Ida’s building on Fifth Avenue collapsed on Sunday Evening in Arnold in Westmoreland County. According to Westmoreland County 911 officials, crews were called to the scene near 7:15 p.m. for a building collapse. No one was hurt and it is not known at this time what caused the collapse. (PHOTO; WPXI)
July 25, 2021 7:54 am
LONDON (AP) — Around two-thirds of female veterans in the British armed forces have experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination in their careers, a parliamentary report said Sunday. The report also said that women who reported serious sexual offenses are “denied justice” by an inadequate military court system and complaints process. Parliament’s defense committee found that 64% of female veterans and 58% of serving women said they have experienced bullying, harassment, discrimination in the army. Most say they don’t believe the military does enough to address the problem.
July 25, 2021 7:52 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors in R. Kelly’s sex trafficking case say he had sexual contact with an underage boy in addition to girls, and the government wants jurors in his upcoming sex trafficking trial to hear those claims. Prosecutors aired a wide-ranging raft of additional allegations — but not new charges — against the R&B star in a court filing Friday. Jury selection is due to start Aug. 9 in a New York federal court for Kelly, who denies ever abusing anyone. A message was sent Saturday to his lawyers about the additional allegations. The Grammy Award-winning singer is charged with leading what prosecutors call a criminal enterprise of managers, bodyguards and other employees who allegedly helped him recruit women and girls for sex and pornography and to exercise a lot of control over them. The charges involve six different women and girls, who aren’t named in court filings. Now, prosecutors would also like jurors to hear about more than a dozen other people whom the government alleges that Kelly sexually or physically abused, threatened or otherwise mistreated.
July 25, 2021 7:50 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Jackie Mason, a rabbi-turned-comedian whose feisty brand of standup comedy led him to Catskills nightclubs, West Coast talk shows and Broadway stages, has died. He was 93. Mason died Saturday at 6 p.m. ET at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan after being hospitalized for over two weeks, the celebrity lawyer Raoul Felder told The Associated Press. The irascible Mason was known for his sharp wit and piercing social commentary, often about being Jewish, men and women and his own inadequacies. His typical style was amused outrage.
July 25, 2021 7:49 am
INDIAN FALLS, Calif. (AP) — Flames racing through rugged terrain in Northern California destroyed multiple homes Saturday as the state’s largest wildfire intensified and numerous other blazes battered the U.S. West. The Dixie fire, which started July 14, had already leveled over a dozen houses and other structures when it tore through the tiny community of Indian Falls after dark. An updated damage estimate was not immediately available, though fire officials said the blaze has charred more than 181,000 acres (73,200 hectares) in Plumas and Butte counties and was 20% contained. The fire was burning in a remote area with limited access, hampering firefighters’ efforts as it charged eastward, fire officials said. It has prompted evacuation orders in several small communities and along the west shore of Lake Almanor, a popular area getaway. Meanwhile, the nation’s largest wildfire, southern Oregon’s Bootleg fire, was nearly halfway surrounded Saturday as more than 2,200 crew members worked to corral it in the heat and wind, fire officials said. The growth of the sprawling blaze had slowed, but thousands of homes remained threatened on its eastern side, authorities said.
July 25, 2021 7:47 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Charlie Gerow, a Republican who announced his candidacy for governor last month, said Friday that he is cooperating with a police investigation into an accident in which a motorcyclist was killed, and that shut down the Pennsylvania Turnpike for seven hours. Gerow apparently drove for several miles with the motorcycle stuck to the front of his car, according to a witness. In a statement through a spokesperson, Gerow said he did not cause the accident and he was not injured. Pennsylvania State Police have released little information about the accident Wednesday night just before 10 p.m., saying only that it involved a motorcycle and a car that a Gerow spokesperson identified as the one Gerow was driving. The turnpike was closed for seven hours after the accident in the westbound lanes in Chester County, just west of the King of Prussia interchange, police said in a news release. The Chester County coroner’s office identified the victim as Logan Carl Abbott, 30, of Bradford County. The cause of death is multiple blunt impacts and toxicology tests on the victim are pending, Chester County Coroner Christina VandePol said. It is not clear whether other vehicles were involved, or how the accident happened.
July 25, 2021 7:44 am
McKEESPORT, Pa. — A 16-year-old is in the Allegheny County Jail on Saturday afternoon after police say he gunned down another teen overnight. Phillip Payne turned himself into police at 8 a.m. and is awaiting arraignment on homicide charges. McKeesport police were dispatched to the 1200 block of Soles Street just before 2 a.m. for shots fired and found Dontae McKenith, 18, shot to death. Investigators said the two teens were handling a handgun when Payne pointed it at McKenith and pulled the trigger. He fled the scene. Police said the investigation continues.
July 25, 2021 4:25 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — An East Washington man who was charged with supplying fentanyl-laced heroin to a man who died of an overdose has pleaded guilty in county court. According to reports, Nicholas Retos, 37, agreed to a plea deal that will send him to prison for 5-10 years, with one year of supervision following his release. Back in February of 2019, Retos was arrested for supplying the lethal heroin to 31-year old Justin Platt of Washington. According to court documents, Platt’s girlfriend Amanda Czech was also unconscious after using the drugs, but she woke up and found Platt dead. Judge Valarie Costanzo immediately sentenced Retos Friday, who was scheduled to head to a pre-trial conference on July 26th, and a trial for this case on August 9th.
July 25, 2021 1:26 am
DONORA, Pa. — Emergency crews were called to the scene of a fully-involved structure fire in Donora Borough Saturday morning. According to reports, the call for the fire came in just after 6:30 a.m. at 227 Waddell Avenue. Fire personnel arrived to find flames showing from the residence. There is no word on how that blaze started, or if anyone was in the home at the time of the incident. Donora Fire Crews were first to arrive on scene, and firefighters finished up just before 11:00 a.m. Officials say no one was hurt during this fire. Assisting at the scene included Carroll Township FD, Bentleyville Fire Rescue, and Mon Valley EMS. (Photo: Facebook)
July 24, 2021 10:29 am
SYDNEY (AP) – Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Sydney and other Australian cities to protest lockdown restrictions amid another surge in cases. Police made several arrests after crowds broke through barriers and threw plastic bottles and plants. The unmasked participants marched from Sydney’s Victoria Park to Town Hall in the central business district, carrying signs calling for “freedom” and “the truth.” There was a heavy police presence in Sydney, including mounted police and riot officers in response to what authorities said was unauthorized protest activity. Police confirmed a number of arrests. New South Wales Police said it recognized and supported the rights of free speech and peaceful assembly, but the protest was a breach of public health orders.
