September 23, 2020 2:53 am
PERAVIA — Pittsburgh Pirates No. 3 prospect shortstop Oneil Cruz was under the influence of alcohol when he hit a motorcycle on Monday night in a crash that killed three people, according to a police report and authorities in the Dominican Republic. Cruz, 21, was arrested at the scene and is currently in police custody at the prosecutor’s office in the Peravia province. The prosecution presented a formal accusation against Cruz and requested a hearing for Wednesday. According to the report from the Department of Transit Safety and Ground Transportation, Cruz was driving east on Sanchez highway between Baní and San Cristóbal, near the community of Los Mercaditos de Paya in Bani, when he struck a motorcycle in front of him with three people aboard. According to the report, the motorcycle had no lights of any kind. Additionally, the prosecutor confirmed in a report that both Cruz and the three people on the motorcycle were traveling past the hour of the curfew established by the government of the Dominican Republic in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
September 23, 2020 2:51 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago Bears Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers has died. Sayers made his mark as one of the NFL’s best all-purpose running backs and was later celebrated for his enduring friendship with a Bears teammate with cancer. Nicknamed “The Kansas Comet,” Sayers was considered among the best open-field runners the game has ever seen. Yet it was his rock-steady friendship with Brian Piccolo depicted in the 1971 film “Brian’s Song” that marked him as more than a sports star. Sayers died Wednesday at the age of 77, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Relatives say he was diagnosed with dementia. His wife said she partly blamed his football career.
September 23, 2020 2:49 am
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI) — President Donald Trump made a campaign stop in the Pittsburgh area Tuesday, his fourth trip to Pennsylvania in the month of September. Trump’s Great American Comeback event took place at Atlantic Aviation, a private business near Pittsburgh International Airport in Moon Township. The entire area was packed as Trump touched on fracking, job creation, COVID-19 and condemned aggressive protesters. Not many people were observing social distancing, but a good number were wearing masks at the event. Earlier in the day, Gov. Tom Wolf said that the state had sent a letter to the White House about limiting the crowd for the event to only 250 people. Wolf said he received no response. Biden has made four visits to Pennsylvania this month, including one last week during which he focused on “Made in America,” highlighting the value of manufacturing jobs.
September 23, 2020 2:07 am
A Maryland man accused of holding up several convenience stores across three counties had his charges held for trial in Washington County. Rexford Enoch Prince-Wright faced District Justice Mark Wilson Wednesday. Prince-Wright, 23 of Hagerstown, Maryland is charged with the robbery of a convenience store at gunpoint in New Eagle on August 4. Prince-Wright and an accomplice are also accused of robberies in Monessen, Rostraver and Kennedy Township. Prince-Wright will face four felony robbery, firearms and terroristic threat charges. He will also face three misdemeanor charges. Prince-Wright is being held in the Allegheny County Jail. He is unable to post his $100,000 bail. Prince-Wright is awaiting preliminary hearings in Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties. Prince-Wright’s formal arraignment in Washington County will be October 29.
September 22, 2020 12:24 pm
(AP) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued its first guidance for the holidays, including Halloween, amid the raging coronavirus pandemic in a new posting on its website Monday night. Door-to-door trick-or-treating and costume masks and parties are discouraged this year due to the pandemic, the CDC said. “Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses,” the agency said in its posting. “There are several safer, alternative ways to participate in Halloween>” The new guidance lists “low-risk, moderate and higher risk activities” for celebrating All Hallow’s Eve. Low risk activities include carving pumpkins and decorating your home, outdoor scavenger hunts, virtual costume contests and hosting a movie night with household members.
September 22, 2020 12:18 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey says he’s on board with the Senate considering President Donald Trump’s forthcoming nominee to the Supreme Court right away, despite having endorsed waiting eight months until after the 2016 election to fill a vacancy under President Barack Obama. The difference now, Toomey said Tuesday, is that the Senate and White House are controlled by the same party, so there is no reason to wait until after the Nov. 3 election. Trump said he is obligated to pick a nominee as soon as possible to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday. Democrats says Ginsburg’s seat should not be filled until after voters pick between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.
September 22, 2020 11:57 am
(AP) – The death toll in the U.S. from the coronavirus has topped 200,000, a figure unimaginable eight months ago when the scourge first reached the world’s richest nation. That’s according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University, based on figures from state health authorities. The real number of dead is thought be much higher, in part because many COVID-19 deaths, especially early on, were probably ascribed to other causes. The number of dead in the U.S. is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 67 days. It is roughly equal to the population of Salt Lake City or Huntsville, Alabama. (Photo: CNN)
September 22, 2020 9:28 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Republicans have the votes to confirm President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick before the Nov. 3 presidential election, according to the Senate Judiciary chairman who will shepherd the nomination through the chamber. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tells Fox News that Trump’s nominee will be supported by every Republican in the Judiciary Committee. He adds: “We’ve got the votes to confirm the justice on the floor of the Senate before the election and that’s what’s coming.” Trump expects to announce his pick by week’s end. On Monday, he met with conservative appeals court judge, Amy Coney Barrett, who is considered the favorite to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
September 22, 2020 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department identified New York City, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle as three cities that could have federal funding slashed under a memorandum by President Donald Trump that sought to identify localities that permit “anarchy, violence and destruction in American cities.” The designation drew immediate criticism from local elected officials. It comes as Trump has cast cities run by Democratic mayors as under siege by violence and lawlessness. That’s despite the fact that most of the demonstrations against racial injustice have been largely peaceful. An attempt to cut off federal funding to the cities would likely be met with immediate legal challenges.
September 22, 2020 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is boasting on the campaign trail about his reshaping of the federal judiciary days after the death of liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Trump was holding rallies in Vandalia and Swanton, Ohio, on Monday. He says he’s appointed more than 200 judges to the federal bench during his term. Trump said, “Some presidents never get any – they last a long time. He added: “We’ve had three. It’s blowing their minds.” Trump says he’s considering five women for the lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court. He said he plans to announce his decision Friday or Saturday.
