September 20, 2020 7:50 am
JUNIPER HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Strong winds stoked a wildfire burning for nearly two weeks in mountains northeast of Los Angeles, prompting authorities to issue new evacuation orders for desert communities that lost some homes a day earlier. Meanwhile, officials were investigating the death of a firefighter on the lines of another Southern California wildfire that erupted earlier this month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their baby’s gender. The death occurred Thursday in San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement.
September 20, 2020 7:49 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is promising to put forth a female nominee in the coming week to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, pushing the Republican-controlled Senate to consider the pick without delay. Taking the stage Saturday night at a North Carolina rally to chants of “Fill that seat,” the president said he would nominate his selection despite Democrats’ objections. And, after conducting what he joked was a “very scientific poll” of the Fayetteville crowd as to whether supporters wanted a man or a woman, he declared the choice would be “a very talented, very brilliant woman.” He added that he did not yet know whom he would choose. “We win an election and those are the consequences,” said the president, who then seemed to signal that he’d be willing to accept a vote on his nominee during the lame-duck period after the election. “We have a lot of time. We have plenty of time. We’re talking about January 20th.” But one Republican senator had already broken ranks. Maine’s Susan Collins, who is in a tough reelection battle, said earlier Saturday that she believed replacing Ginsburg should be the decision of the president who is elected Nov. 3. Three more defections from the GOP ranks would be needed to stop Trump’s nominee from joining the court.
September 20, 2020 7:45 am
ALLEGHENY CO., Pa. (WPXI) — A tractor-trailer crashed into a Primanti Bros. restaurant in Allegheny County early Sunday. According to emergency responders, the crash happened around 4 a.m. at the chain’s location on Steubenville Pike (Route 60) in Crafton. Police tape surrounded the front of the restaurant — as the front lobby was severely damaged according to officials. A construction manager told our news partners at Channel 11 the 18-wheeler lost its brakes, hit the guiderail and slammed into the building. Luckily, the restaurant was closed when the crash happened. An engineer is coming in to look at the restaurant for structural purposes, but officials said Primanti’s will remain closed for now. Police are investigating the incident.
September 20, 2020 7:38 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s homestretch push to repeat his razor thin victory in Pennsylvania four years ago won’t happen without white evangelicals, and there are signs that critical component of his coalition hasn’t lost the faith. It’s a group that has often made the difference for Republicans on the Pennsylvania ballot. And while some born-again voters had misgivings about Trump in 2016, they helped him eke out a 44,000-vote margin of victory in the pivotal swing state. This time around, they sound eager to repay him for supporting their agenda. Trump’s policies have helped keep in the fold evangelicals who otherwise might have been discomforted by his style. Their opinions on a range of political issues make them among the least likely voters to jump to former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democrat.
September 20, 2020 7:00 am
Washington County will play host to 16 wiffle ball teams playing their tournament to determine a national champion. The National Wiffle League Association will be at North Strabane Park from September 18 through September 20. Games begin on Saturday morning continue until a champion is crowned after Sunday’s championship game at 4:00 pm. The 16 teams come from 10 states and a team from Canonsburg is representing this area. More information can be found at www.NWLATornament.com.
September 19, 2020 7:46 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. has deployed additional troops and armored vehicles into eastern Syria after a number of clashes with Russian forces, including a recent vehicle collision that injured four American service members. Navy Capt. Bill Urban, spokesman for U.S. Central Command, says the U.S. has also sent in radar systems and increased fighter jet patrols over the region to better protect American and coalition forces. A U.S. official says the deployment includes a half-dozen Bradley fighting vehicles and fewer than 100 additional troops and is meant as a signal to Russia to avoid conflict in the region.
September 19, 2020 7:44 am
JUNIPER HILLS, Calif. (AP) – Homes have been destroyed by an unrelenting wildfire that reached a Mojave Desert community and is still growing on several fronts after burning for nearly two weeks in mountains northeast of Los Angeles. Crews protected homes and chased spot fires sparked by embers blown across neighborhoods in Juniper Hills. Surrounding communities are under evacuation orders. Officials are investigating the death of a firefighter on the lines of another Southern California wildfire sparked by a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their baby’s gender. The death occurred Thursday in San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire.
September 19, 2020 7:43 am
MIAMI (AP) – A hurricane watch is in effect Saturday for coastal Texas as Tropical Storm Beta gains strength in the Gulf of Mexico. A storm surge watch and a tropical storm watch are also in effect for the area during an exceptionally busy Atlantic hurricane season. Beta is forecast to become a hurricane on Sunday. Forecasters ran out of traditional storm names on Friday, forcing the use of the Greek alphabet. Teddy remains a powerful hurricane headed toward Bermuda less than a week after Hurricane Paulette there. And, parts of the Alabama coast and Florida Panhandle were still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Sally, which roared ashore Wednesday.
September 19, 2020 7:41 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday has cast an immediate spotlight on the vacancy on the high court, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowing to bring President Donald Trump’s nominee to a vote with just over six weeks before the election. Democrat Joe Biden says there should be no nomination or vote until the next president is decided. McConnell, in a statement released just over an hour after Ginsburg’s death was announced, declared unequivocally that Trump’s nominee would receive a vote. The Republican-controlled Senate did not give President Barack Obama’s pick a vote in the months ahead of the 2016 election.
September 19, 2020 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a diminutive yet towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, died Friday at her home in Washington. She was 87. Ginsburg died of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer, the court said. Her death just over six weeks before Election Day is likely to set off a heated battle over whether President Donald Trump should nominate, and the Republican-led Senate should confirm, her replacement, or if the seat should remain vacant until the outcome of his race against Democrat Joe Biden is known. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said late Friday that the Senate will vote on Trump’s pick to replace Ginsburg, even though it’s an election year. Chief Justice John Roberts mourned Ginsburg’s passing. “Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice,” Roberts said in a statement. Ginsburg announced in July that she was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for lesions on her liver, the latest of her several battles with cancer. Ginsburg spent her final years on the bench as the unquestioned leader of the court’s liberal wing and became something of a rock star to her admirers. Young women especially seemed to embrace the court’s Jewish grandmother, affectionately calling her the Notorious RBG, for her defense of the rights of women and minorities, and the strength and resilience she displayed in the face of personal loss and health crises.
