October 28, 2019 4:15 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Jury selection begins Monday for the death penalty trial of a man charged in the shooting death of a western Pennsylvania police officer almost two years ago. Testimony is slated to begin next week for the trial of 31-year-old Rahmael Sal Holt in the November 2017 slaying of New Kensington officer Brian Shaw. Prosecutors have said they intend to seek capital punishment if Holt is convicted of first-degree murder. Holt has maintained that he wasn’t the one who fired the shots that killed Shaw following a traffic stop in New Kensington. A judge last week rejected a defense request to remove Holt’s previous gun charges from trial evidence but did agree to bar prosecutors from introducing evidence that Holt had sold drugs prior to the slaying.
October 28, 2019 4:14 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A steady stream of people have been stopping by the closed Pittsburgh synagogue that one year ago was the scene of the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. Lining the fence outside the Tree of Life synagogue stands 11 flowerpots, each bearing one of the names of a person killed in the attack, which also wounded seven others. People have also been piling bouquets and crocheted hearts at the site and hanging signs on the fence saying the city is “stronger than hate” and diversity is its greatest strength. The Tree of Life building has remained closed since the shooting. The three congregations now worship at two nearby synagogues. A memorial service is scheduled for Sunday evening to honor the victims. (Photo: WPXI)
October 28, 2019 4:10 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – A registered sex offender was arrested in Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh on Sunday, wanted for attempted rape of a teen. Carroll Township Police had a warrant out for Russell Marycz. He was picked up this afternoon by the Allegheny County Sheriff Fugitive Task Force. Police said Marycz, 43 — who goes by his middle name Michael — approached a 15-year-old on the street and grabbed him, saying the boy had to help him with directions. The teen told investigators Marycz said his girlfriend was drugged and in danger, and that he had to help Marycz find her or he’d be hurt. Marycz allegedly dragged him to a local winery, forced him into the vineyards and told him, “If you run, I’ll hurt you.” According to the criminal complaint, Marycz offered the teen $500 and then $1,000 for sex acts. After a brief struggle, the victim told police Marycz tackled him and tried to rape him. The teen was able to elbow and punch Marycz to get away. Police said Marycz has a history of sexual assault. Officers have searched homes in Washington County and in Pittsburgh, where he has also been known to stay. He is suspected of a similar incident involving a teenager in Monongahela in June. According to police, they believe Marycz held a screw driver up to the teen’s neck and threatened him before the teen got away.
October 27, 2019 8:16 am
LONDON (AP) – Two British opposition parties want to hold elections even earlier than Prime Minister Boris Johnson has proposed as they try to ensure the country doesn’t leave the European Union without an agreement. The Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats say they will push for a Dec. 9 election, three days earlier than Johnson has proposed and years earlier than the next scheduled vote in 2022. They also plan to ask EU leaders to extend the Brexit deadline to at least Jan. 31 to provide more time to debate Johnson’s withdrawal agreement. Johnson says if lawmakers approve a Dec. 12 election he will attempt to push his Brexit deal through Parliament quickly. He is seeking to delay Britain’s Oct. 31 Brexit deadline by only a few weeks to keep pressure on lawmakers.
October 27, 2019 8:15 am
GREENVILLE, Texas (AP) – A sheriff’s official says two people have been killed in a shooting at an off-campus Texas A&M University-Commerce party that also left at least 14 others injured. Hunt County Chief Deputy Buddy Oxford says the shooting took place just before midnight Saturday in Greenville, around 15 miles southwest of the Commerce campus. Oxford says the shooter remains at large. The shooting came as the university east of Dallas celebrated homecoming weekend. Oxford did not have information on the severity of injuries. Oxford and university officials said the event was a homecoming party but was not a sanctioned school event.
October 27, 2019 8:14 am
VATICAN CITY (AP) – Catholic bishops from across the Amazon have called for the ordination of married men as priests to address the clergy shortage in the region, in an historic proposal that would upend centuries of Roman Catholic tradition. The majority of 180 bishops from nine Amazonian countries also called Saturday for the Vatican to reopen a debate on ordaining women as deacons, saying “it is urgent for the church in the Amazon to promote and confer ministries for men and women in an equitable manner.” The proposals were contained in a final document approved Saturday at the end of a three-week synod on the Amazon, which Pope Francis called in 2017 to focus attention on saving the rainforest and better ministering to its indigenous people.
October 27, 2019 8:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – An ex-White House aide who’s supposed to testify before House impeachment investigators on Monday is seeking guidance from a federal court about whether to comply with a House subpoena or follow President Donald Trump’s directive against cooperating. Former deputy national security adviser Charles Kupperman has asked a judge in Washington to instruct him whether to accede to House demands for his testimony or to assert “immunity from congressional process” as directed by Trump. Kupperman argues that he cannot satisfy the competing demands of the legislative and executive branches. The impeachment inquiry continued Saturday with a focus on Philip Reeker, the acting assistant secretary of state for Europe, who arrived on Capitol Hill to testify.
October 27, 2019 8:11 am
CANONSBURG, Pa. — The Canon-McMillan School District has resolved a situation involving a student bringing a knife to the high school. Officials from the district sent a message Friday stating that the situation was handled and no one was ever in danger, threatened, or targeted. According to authorities, a student at the school reported a classmate to school officials, who commended the student for reporting the weapon. The incident was turned over to North Strabane Police for an investigation.
October 27, 2019 8:09 am
TURTLE CREEK, Pa. (WPXI) – Police have released new details surrounding the incident that ended in a multi-vehicle crash involving a police officer. According to investigators, Jestin Towner, 18, was involved in a “domestic disturbance” in the 100 block of Ninth Street in Turtle Creek when 911 was notified around 6 p.m. Saturday. When officers arrived, police said Towner drove away from the scene and allegedly had a firearm. Police then asked for assistance from neighboring departments as they tried to follow Towner. An Allegheny County police officer was responding as backup and stopped at the intersection of Ninth Street and Airbrake Avenue when Towner collided into the officer’s vehicle head-on. The officer was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated and released for neck and torso injuries. The suspect was also hospitalized and is being evaluated for mental health purposes.Towner will face charges once he is booked into the Allegheny County Jail.
October 27, 2019 8:06 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The first anniversary of the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history is being marked around the world. The shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, killed 11 worshippers and wounded seven others. Numerous community service projects are planned in the city Sunday along with private and public memorial services. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra musicians will perform at a special event in Germany. Thousands are also expected to participate in Sunday’s remembrance through Pause With Pittsburgh, a virtual memorial event created by the Jewish Federations of North America. Last week, Tree of Life leaders unveiled their vision for the damaged building, including a rebuilt space for places of worship, a memorial, and classrooms and exhibitions.
