October 24, 2019 4:19 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – More than two months before the phone call that launched the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Ukraine’s newly elected leader told advisers he was worried about pressure from the U.S. president to investigate Democrat Joe Biden. Volodymyr Zelenskiy gathered a small group together in Kyiv on May 7, where they discussed how to navigate Trump’s insistence for a probe and to avoid becoming entangled in American elections. The meeting was recounted to The Associated Press by three people familiar with the details who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic sensitivity of an issue that has roiled U.S.-Ukrainian relations. The meeting came before Zelenskiy was inaugurated but about two weeks after Trump called to offer his congratulations on the night of the Ukrainian leader’s April 21 election.
October 24, 2019 4:16 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania state senators have voted unanimously to transfer control of what had been the lieutenant governor’s residence at Fort Indiantown Gap to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The Senate voted Wednesday to send the House a bill directing the property be used to support veterans’ programs and National Guard families. The current lieutenant governor, John Fetterman, has chosen to rent an apartment in Harrisburg and opened the Fort Indiantown Gap home’s pool this summer for hundreds of children to swim. Fetterman, a Democrat who presides over the Senate, says he supports the bill and looks forward to signing the legislation. He says the swimming program is expected continue indefinitely. The 2,400-square-foot State House is on the National Guard base property about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Harrisburg.
October 24, 2019 4:15 am
GEYSERVILLE, Calif. (AP) – The power is off to prevent utility company equipment from sparking wildfires for the fourth time in the Northern California town of Paradise since last November, where 85 people died in the fire that largely destroyed the community. The town’s Ace Hardware store is one of the few businesses open Thursday and motorists used to the outages are politely treating darkened traffic lights like four-way stop intersections. Store manager Brenda Miller says she uses a wood stove for heat and battery-operated lanterns when the power is out. She says she sympathizes with residents of wine country in Sonoma County as they flee a fast-growing wildfire. Miller says: “They’re leaving their homes, they don’t know when they can get back in there, and it’s a mess.”
October 24, 2019 4:10 am
DONORA, Pa. – Multiple crews battled a large fire at a Washington County home. According to emergency dispatchers, the fire started around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at a home in the 600 block of McCrea Avenue in Donora. Three fire departments were called to the home to help get the fire under control. No injuries have been reported due to the fire at this point, and it is unclear how the fire started.
October 24, 2019 4:05 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI)- Police in two counties are searching for a registered sex offender. Carroll Township Police have a warrant out for Russell Marycz, who is wanted for attempted rape of a teen. 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. He could be in Washington County or Pittsburgh, according to investigators. Police said Marycz should be considered dangerous, and he is being investigated by multiple departments.
October 23, 2019 5:35 pm
BOSTON (AP) – A California marketing executive and author has been sentenced to three weeks in prison for paying $50,000 to cheat on her son’s college entrance exam. Jane Buckingham was sentenced in Boston’s federal court Wednesday after pleading guilty to a single count of fraud and conspiracy. She is the 11th parent to be sentenced in a college admissions bribery scheme involving dozens of wealthy parents. The 51-year-old Los Angeles resident admitted to paying $50,000 to have a test proctor take the ACT exam for her son in 2018. She gave her son a practice test at home so he would think he took the real test. Prosecutors had requested six months in prison. Buckingham is CEO of the marketing firm Trendera. She has apologized and says she has “absolutely no excuse.”
October 23, 2019 11:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) –
President Donald Trump says Turkey has informed the U.S. it will make “permanent” a five-day cease-fire in Syria. In response, he says he’s directing the lifting of economic sanctions on Turkey. Claiming success at the U.S.-brokered effort, Trump said Wednesday, “this was an outcome created by us.” The cease-fire required Kurdish forces formerly allied with the U.S. against the Islamic State group to move out of a roughly 20-mile zone on the Turkish border. Trump says, “We’ve saved the lives of many, many Kurds.” Trump says nearly all U.S. troops will be leaving Syria but some will remain to safeguard oil fields in Syria. Russian forces have since begun joint patrols with Kurdish forces along the Turkish-Syrian border. Trump says if Turkey breaches the cease-fire the sanctions could be reimposed.
October 23, 2019 7:37 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI)- More than 4,000 customers in the South Hills were without power for several hours Wednesday, according to West Penn Power. Areas affected by the outage included Bethel Park, Elizabeth Township, Jefferson Hills, Pleasant Hills, South Park and Upper St. Clair. South Park Elementary Center was closed because of the outage, the South Park School District’s superintendent said, and Gill Hall Elementary School in the West Jefferson Hills School District was also closed, the district’s website said. According to West Penn Power’s website, the cause of the outage is “equipment damage.”
October 23, 2019 4:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Republicans brought House Democrats’ impeachment investigation to a halt as around two dozen GOP House members stormed into a closed-door deposition with a Defense Department official. Democrats said the move compromised national security as some of them brought electronic devices into a secure room. The GOP maneuver delayed a deposition with senior Defense Department official Laura Cooper until mid-afternoon Wednesday, about five hours behind schedule.
October 23, 2019 4:17 am
BEIRUT (AP) – Once again, Syrian President Bashar Assad has snapped up a prize from world powers that have been maneuvering in his country’s multifront wars. Without firing a shot, his forces are returning to towns and villages in northeastern Syria where they haven’t set foot for years. Analysts say that Assad was handed a victory by President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northeastern Syria. Then they say he got another win from a deal struck between Turkey and Russia, Damascus’ ally.
