October 12, 2019 4:28 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch has told House impeachment investigators that President Donald Trump himself had pressured the State Department to oust her from her post and get her out of the country. Testifying in defiance of a Trump ban, Yovanovitch told lawmakers investigating Trump’s dealings with Ukraine that there was a “concerted campaign” against her based on “unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives.” The diplomat was recalled from Kyiv as Rudy Giuliani – who is Trump’s personal attorney and has no official role in the U.S. government – pressed Ukrainian officials to investigate baseless corruption allegations against Democrat Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who was involved with a gas company there.
October 12, 2019 4:26 am
MASONTOWN, Pa. – (WPXI) – A man who killed the ex-boyfriend of a woman he met on a dating app was found not guilty of murder. Christopher Shellhammer testified on Wednesday about the night he went to Kelly French’s Masontown home, the woman he said he met on a dating app. He said it was their fourth date and he was scared of her ex-boyfriend, Michael Hendrich, who punched him in the face the last time he pulled up to her house. Shellhammer was on trial for murdering French’s ex-boyfriend that night. Police said he shot and killed Hendrich inside the home. He told jurors that after he sat down at the dining room table, Hendrich came around the corner, pumped his chest and said, “Now what did you want to do with my old lady?” Shellhammer said that’s when he pulled out his gun and said, “It’s time for me to leave.” Shellhammer testified he made it to the front door, but it was locked and they cornered him and punched him. He said that is when Hendrich told French to grab his gun, so he had to fire. During cross-examination, the prosecutor asked, “You pulled a gun on an unarmed man?” and Shellhammer said, “I pulled a gun on two aggressive people who had me scared.”
October 12, 2019 4:25 am
HOUSTON – A Pittsburgh heart surgeon was one of eight people arrested after a days-long operation to crack down on online sexual predators targeting children. 38 year old Shawn Paul Robinson, a surgeon from Pittsburgh who was on a fellowship at a hospital in Houston – was arrested for online solicitation of a minor following the undercover operation. In the operation, “Back to School III,” undercover officers chatted with the predators using online personas in various social media apps. They were posing as minors. Robinson, along with the seven others arrested, believed they were talking to underage children, investigators said.
October 11, 2019 1:24 pm
(AP) – A judge has said he will halt lawsuits against Purdue Pharma and its owners for six months in hopes of finalizing a settlement over the OxyContin maker’s role in the national opioid crisis. In a hearing Friday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain strongly brushed aside the argument from a group of state attorneys general that lawsuits against members of the wealthy Sackler family would be essential to getting accountability in the case. His decision does not mean that a tentative settlement struck between the company and about half the states would become a final agreement. Drain says he is looking for input from states on the terms of pressing pause on the lawsuits.
October 11, 2019 4:23 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – President Donald Trump lashed out at potential Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Trump said at a rally Thursday in Minneapolis that Biden became Barack Obama’s vice president because he knew how to curry favor with Obama. The Republican president also targeted Hunter Biden, suggesting a T-shirt that says “Where’s Hunter?” Trump has been spreading groundless claims that the Bidens used their family name to get China and Ukraine to pay them millions of dollars. The Democratic-controlled House opened an impeachment inquiry after a whistleblower complained about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and alleged Trump was abusing his public office for personal political gain. Trump later released a rough transcript of a phone conversation with Ukraine’s president in which he asks for an investigation of Biden.
October 11, 2019 4:19 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Another death has been confirmed at the scene of wildfires in Southern California. Cal Fire spokeswoman Cathey Mattingly says a person was killed in a fire that swept through a mobile home park Thursday in Riverside County east of Los Angeles. Mattingly says there were also some injuries but she does not know the number or severity. Seventy-four structures were destroyed. The fire is about 823 acres and 10% contained. In Los Angeles, a man went into cardiac arrest and died at the scene of a raging wildfire that broke out late Thursday. (Photo: CNN)
October 11, 2019 4:18 am
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Iran’s state-run news agency says two rockets struck an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Saudi Arabia. IRNA quoted a statement from Iran’s national oil tanker firm as saying an attack targeted a tanker it identified as the Sabity. It said the attack happened early on Friday morning. There was no immediate response from Saudi Arabia. The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which oversees the Mideast, says it was aware of the incident, but declined to immediately comment further. The reported explosion comes after the U.S. alleges Iran attacked oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, something denied by Tehran.
October 11, 2019 4:17 am
BEIRUT (AP) – The United Nations says an estimated 100,000 people have been displaced three days into the Turkish military offensive on northeastern Syria, while markets, schools and clinics have been closed. In a statement Friday, the U.N. said most of the displaced have stayed with relatives or in host communities, but an increasing number have sought shelter in areas to the south of the military offensive. The U.N. says the violence has also put a water station servicing al-Hassakeh city out of commission, denying around 400,000 people of a water source. Repair has not been possible because of ongoing fighting and efforts to negotiate a “humanitarian pause” are ongoing, the U.N. said. Only one national hospital is still operating. The U.N Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria expressed deep concern about the unfolding events.
October 11, 2019 4:06 am
The death of a Rostraver woman who was reported missing Tuesday, and who was found dead Thursday morning, has been ruled a suicide. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office says the body of 48-year-old Dina Kotlar was found about 8 a.m. in a wooded area near the Sutersville Trail in Westmoreland County. Police say Kotlar was last seen alive at about 4 a.m. Tuesday as she was driving a white Dodge Nitro sport utility vehicle in Rostraver. According to Rostraver Township firefighters, family members reported that Kotlar’s vehicle was found in the Smithdale area.
October 11, 2019 3:52 am
The Sportsbook at the Meadows Casino is now open and people who enjoy sports wagering are now able to do so. A ribbon cutting ceremony attended by several local sports heroes opened the Sportsbook on Thursday. Steeler stars Mel Blount and Rocky Bleier, Pirates champion John Candelaria and Penguin standouts Pierre Larouche and Bryan Trottier helped Meadows Vice President and General Manager Tony Frabbiele launch the new venture. The Sportsbook is located in the former Vibe location adjacent to The Carvery Restaurant. Guests will be greeted by 15 ultra high definition televisions and 18 self-bet kiosks. Five additional ticket writer windows are also available and all major college and professional sports are available for wagering. The Sportsbook is a brick and mortar outlet only. Hours of operation are from 11:00 AM until midnight.
