September 9, 2019 5:38 pm
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) – Crews battled a large fire at a Pittsburgh church Monday afternoon according to officials. The fire started at the Sheraden United Methodist Church located on Chartiers Avenue around 3 p.m. Heavy smoke was seen pouring out of the church, and multiple firefighters were trying to put out the blaze. Officials say one firefighter was taken to the hospital with a minor arm injury. The church is three stories tall, but it is unclear how the fire started or if anyone was inside when it did start. Witnesses said they saw the roof was on fire and appeared to have collapsed.
September 9, 2019 4:52 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal health authorities say vaping giant Juul Labs illegally pitched its electronic cigarettes as a safer alternative to smoking, including in a presentation at schools. The Food and Drug Administration issued a stern warning letter to the company Monday, flagging various claims by Juul, including that its products are “much safer than cigarettes.” The FDA has been investigating Juul for months but had not previously warned the company. The FDA letter highlights an incident recounted by two New York high school students during a congressional hearing in July. The students said a representative of Juul was invited to address the school on addiction issues. During the presentation, the representative told students the company’s product was “totally safe.” Juul says it discontinued its school programs last September.
September 9, 2019 3:50 pm
CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) – Maryland’s Highway Administration has removed several road signs for “Negro Mountain” over concerns about racial insensitivity in the name. Agency spokeswoman Lora Rakowski confirmed to news outlets Sunday that four signs along Interstate 68 and U.S. Alternate Route 40 were removed in April. Rakowski told the Cumberland Times-News the agency is working with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and community members going forward. Historian Lynn Bowman told the newspaper the origin of the mountain’s name is unknown, but some accounts refer to it being named after a black man who died in a battle with Native Americans. Lynchings were also said to have taken place on the mountain. The mountain’s ridge runs 30 miles through the Allegheny range and peaks in Pennsylvania.
September 9, 2019 12:47 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvanians who won’t be able to vote in person this fall will be able to apply online for absentee ballots for the first time. The Wolf administration said Monday voters can use the new site next week, for absentee ballots in the Nov. 5 election. +Applicants will need a PennDOT driver license or ID number, although that is expected to change next year. It will also be expanded in 2020 to military and overseas voters. The online option will add convenience to an existing system that requires applicants to fill out paper forms and deliver them by hand or mail to county elections offices. Critics have argued changes to Pennsylvania’s comparatively strict absentee voting rules would make voting easier and more widespread. Applications will be accepted starting Monday, Sept. 16.
September 9, 2019 12:21 pm
JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. (AP) – The U.S. Coast Guard says it has rescued three of four trapped crew members from an overturned cargo ship off the coast of Georgia. Lt. Lloyd Heflin tells The Associated Press in a text message that three men have been extracted and rescuers are working on extracting a fourth. Heflin said the four South Koreans who were trapped aboard the Golden Ray are in the propeller shaft room near the stern of the ship and that rescuers cut into the hull there to pull them out. Responders made contact with crew members Monday morning, more than 24 hours after the vehicle carrier overturned while leaving a port call in Brunswick, Georgia. The Golden Ray flipped onto its side and caught fire Sunday as it left Brunswick with more than 4,000 vehicles inside. (Photo: CNN)
September 9, 2019 8:18 am
LONDON (AP) – British Airways says it has had to cancel almost all flights as a result of a pilots’ 48-hour strike over pay. In a statement Monday, the airline said it had “no way of predicting how many (pilots) would come to work or which aircraft they are qualified to fly.” As a result, it said it had “no option but to cancel nearly 100%” of its flights. BA said it stands ready to return to talks with pilots’ union BALPA and that it is offering affected customers full refunds or the option to rebook. The union accuses BA is making massive profits at the expense of workers who made sacrifices during hard times. A further strike is penciled in for Sept. 27. BA operates up to 850 flights a day.
September 9, 2019 7:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Congress returns for the fall session with pressure mounting on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to address gun violence, election security and other issues.
The Kentucky Republican leader has promised a “Grim Reaper” strategy of burying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s legislative priorities from House Democrats. But without a robust GOP agenda it could prove unsatisfying for lawmakers facing restive voters ahead of 2020 elections. President Donald Trump has not fully explained what he’d like to see Congress accomplish, particularly on gun control. That leaves McConnell mainly focused on confirming the White House’s administrative and judicial nominees. Big-ticket legislative victories are highly unlikely as the legislative calendar folds into campaign season. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut complains that the Senate has become little more than an expensive lunch club.
September 9, 2019 7:57 am
JEANNETTE, Pa. — Counselors are available to students and faculty after a man was shot and killed outside of a western Pennsylvania stadium during the final minutes of a high school football game. Officials on Monday also will discuss security for future games at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. Authorities say 40-year-old Greg Harper shot and killed 48-year-old Dameian Williams. Harper is held without bail on homicide and reckless endangerment charges. Both are parents of high school students.
September 9, 2019 7:54 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) — The juvenile who was accidentally shot by another boy in Duquesne Heights Sunday has died. Reports say Alexander Alman, 16, was shot in the face at a home on the 300 block of Fingal Street around 3:30 pm Sunday when he and another teen were playing with a gun. Authorities arrived and found Alman unresponsive and he was taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital in critical condition, but he died around 1:30 am Monday. Police say there are no charges at this time but they are still investigating to see who owned the gun and whether it was legal.
September 9, 2019 3:30 am
STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) – OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma says it’s continuing to negotiate a settlement over the toll of opioids, a day after some state attorneys general sent a letter to their colleagues saying talks with the company had reached an impasse and that they expected the company to file imminently for bankruptcy protection. In the statement, the company said it believes “a settlement that benefits the American public now is a far better path than years of wasteful litigation and appeals.” The company is being sued by more than 2,000 state, local and tribal governments. The first federal trial on opioids is scheduled to begin next month, adding pressure on the parties to settle. Two attorneys general told officials in other states the company had rejected offers from the states.
