April 20, 2021 4:08 am
BETHEL PARK, Pa. — (WPXI) -There have been some negative side effects reported worldwide from the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, but a Bethel Park woman told Channel 11 she has been affected by something that hadn’t been seen at all yet: paralysis. The 33-year-old woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she felt fine in the hours after getting the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine last week. However, she said 12 hours later, she woke up in the middle of the night with no feeling in her arms or legs. “It was the scariest thing in the world to go to sleep completely fine (and walking), to wake up 1:30 in the morning and not be able to move at all,” the woman said. “I’m literally counting on my daughter to hand me my phone to call to get help.” Paramedics came and rushed her to Jefferson Hospital. In the coming days, she was moved to Allegheny General Hospital in the Northside and then the Cleveland Clinic — as doctors ran a multitude of tests to figure out how and why this happened. An MRI and spinal tap were clear, and her blood work all came came back negative, ruling out any rare diseases or disorders. “There is just nothing they can find wrong with me. No underlying conditions, I have nothing in my history and they are basically telling me, ‘You’re healthy and we can’t figure out why this is going on,’” the woman told Channel 11. Luckily, she has been able to regain feeling and strength in her arms, but she still has no function from her lower chest down besides very slight movement in a few toes. Dr. Dave Weber, an infectious disease doctor with UPMC, said he has not heard of anything like this happening anywhere in the world with the Pfizer vaccine.
April 19, 2021 5:37 pm
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. (AP) – A West Virginia man serving a long prison sentence for sex crimes has been set free after a judge said a county prosecutor erred in instructions to a grand jury. A judge in Marshall County last week dismissed the case against Michael Daniel Bowman with prejudice, meaning the state cannot retry it pending a review. News outlets report the ruling means Bowman was set free and will not be registered as a sex offender. Bowman had served more than three years of a 28- to 70-year sentence. He was convicted in July 2017 of sexual abuse by a custodian, sexual assault and three counts of first-degree sexual abuse.
April 19, 2021 5:36 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration is privately weighing how to handle the upcoming verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, including considering whether President Joe Biden should address the nation. Aides and officials also tell The Associated Press that the Justice Department is dispatching specially trained community facilitators. Closing arguments began Monday in Chauvin’s trial with a prosecutor telling jurors that the officer “had to know” he was squeezing the life out of George Floyd as he cried over and over that he couldn’t breathe and finally fell silent.
April 19, 2021 4:19 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The nation’s largest coal miners’ union says it would accept President Joe Biden’s plan to move away from coal and other fossil fuels in exchange for a “true energy transition” that includes thousands of jobs in renewable energy and spending on technology to make coal cleaner. Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America, says ensuring jobs for displaced coal workers is crucial to any infrastructure bill taken up by Congress. At least 7,000 coal workers lost their jobs last year amid continued declines in the industry. Roberts says Congress needs “to provide a future for anybody that loses their job because of a transition in this country.”
April 19, 2021 4:22 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A suspect was arrested Monday after three people were killed in a shooting in Austin, Texas, over the weekend. The suspect was arrested Monday morning outside Austin after two people spotted him and notified authorities, police said in a statement. Police identified the suspect as Stephen Broderick, 41. He is a former deputy for the sheriff’s office in Travis County, which includes Austin, interim Police Chief Joe Chacon said at a press conference Sunday afternoon. Police responded to a call of a shooting around 11:45 a.m. CT Sunday and found two women and one man injured, Chacon said. They later died. The preliminary indication was that the suspect knew the victims.
April 19, 2021 4:19 am
DETROIT (AP) – Federal safety regulators have sent a team to investigate the fatal crash of a Tesla near Houston in which local authorities say no one was behind the wheel. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday it has sent a Special Crash Investigation team to Spring, Texas, to look into the fiery Saturday night crash that killed two men. Harris County Precinct Four Constable Mark Herman says investigators are “100% sure” that no one was driving the Tesla that ran off a residential road, hit a tree and burst into flames. But they’re still trying to determine whether the electric car was in full self-driving mode.
April 19, 2021 4:18 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Police say the former employee who shot and killed eight people at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis legally purchased the two rifles used in the attack despite red flag laws designed to prevent that. The Indianapolis police say a trace of the two guns found at the scene revealed that suspect Brandon Scott Hole legally bought the rifles last July and September. Indiana has a “red flag law” intended to prevent people from possessing a firearm if they are found by a judge to present “an imminent risk.” Officials have not said whether a ruling was made in Hole’s case that would have prevented him from purchasing a firearm after police seized a shotgun from his home last year.
April 19, 2021 4:17 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The murder case against former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd has gone to the jury. Twelve jurors are beginning deliberations in a city on edge against another round of unrest. During closing arguments, prosecutors argued that Chauvin squeezed the life out of Floyd by pinning his knee against Floyd’s neck last May, ignoring bystanders and common sense. The defense argued that the now-fired white officer acted reasonably and that the 46-year-old Black man died of an underlying heart condition and illegal drug use.
April 19, 2021 4:14 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – One person has died after a fatal shooting took place on Moore Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville Neighborhood, according to police. Police responded to a ShotSpotter alert for 19 rounds being fired at approximately 8:45 p.m. When officers arrived at the home, they found one man dead inside and one man outside with a gunshot in the back. Additionally, one person walked into a local hospital with gunshot injuries. Police explained that there was some form of a party taking place at the home. Police are looking at video surveillance in the neighborhood and talking with people who were at the party, as well as neighbors.
April 19, 2021 4:10 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — (WPXI)- West Virginia University Police have confirmed Benjamin Pravecek, a 20-year-old business major from Harpers Ferry, died April 16. Officers are continuing their investigation, but early indications suggest no foul play was involved. “We are grieving today,” Dean of Students Corey Farris said. “This tragedy reminds us how important the love, care and compassion we share with others can be. We have been in touch with Benjamin’s family and friends to offer our support during this difficult time, and we will continue to provide whatever resources and help are necessary.” “I want our students to know that we are here for you,” T. Anne Hawkins, director of the Carruth Center, said. “If you need to talk, if you just want someone to be with you or if you know someone who may need support, please know that you are not alone.” UPD responded to University Place just after 12:30 p.m. Friday after reports that a person either fell or jumped from the parking garage and landed on the sidewalk below. A Community Notice was issued. Anyone with information that may assist in the investigation is asked to contact University Police at 304-293-3136.
