September 6, 2019 3:20 am
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) – Hurricane Dorian has come ashore at Cape Hatteras on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, marking its first U.S. landfall since it slammed into the Bahamas days ago. Dorian sideswiped most of the Southeast seaboard from Florida to Carolinas in recent days before its eye made landfall Friday morning. At 9 a.m. EDT, the storm’s center was moving northeast at 14 mph. On Thursday, Dorian raked the Carolina coast with howling winds and heavy rain, spinning off tornadoes and knocking out power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Dorian is expected to accelerate as it moves off extreme southeastern New England sometime Friday night and early Saturday before a weekend approach to Nova Scotia in Canada.
September 6, 2019 3:12 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) – A man charged in connection with a July 4 double shooting in downtown Pittsburgh’s Cultural District will stand trial after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday. Camerin Caldwell remains in jail for the shooting that happened in Katz Plaza after the city’s fireworks show. He turned himself in July 15th after police issued an arrest warrant. Two teenagers, ages 16 and 18, were hurt in the shooting, which happened during one of several fights throughout the course of the night among a large group of juveniles. Police said the fights between two groups were over previously released rap videos in which one group would slander the other. Caldwell is charged with two counts of criminal attempted homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of reckless endangerment and firearms violations. Caldwell’s arraignment is scheduled for October 23rd.
September 6, 2019 3:08 am
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) – Federal prosecutors are recommending a 10-month prison sentence and supervised release for a man whose relatives reported concerns about his behavior and far-right extremist rhetoric after last year’s Pittsburgh synagogue massacre. Jeffrey Clark Jr. pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge in July. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 13 in Washington, D.C. Clark has been jailed since his arrest 10 months ago, and could be released immediately if he receives the sentence that prosecutors recommended in a court filing Thursday. The FBI said the 30-year-old Clark is a self-described white nationalist who followed Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect Robert Bowers on the Gab social media platform and called him a “hero” in a post after the October shooting that killed 11 and wounded seven at Tree of Life Synagogue.
September 5, 2019 5:23 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Drug chains CVS and Walgreens as well as grocery chain Wegmans Food Market have joined the chorus of retailers requesting that customers refrain from openly carrying firearms in their stores even where state laws allow it. The announcements made Thursday follow similar moves by Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, as well as Kroger earlier this week. Starbucks and Target have already asked customers not to openly carry guns unless they’re law enforcement officers. The retailers stopped short of introducing an outright ban because they say they don’t want to put their employees in confrontational situations. The moves come after a string of mass shootings, including one last month inside a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, which killed 22 customers, the deadliest in the company’s history.
September 5, 2019 4:54 pm
(AP) – Washington National Opera has issued a statement saying it is “disturbed and disheartened” by new allegations in an Associated Press story in which 11 women accuse opera legend Placido Domingo of sexual misconduct. In the AP story published Thursday, soprano Angela Turner Wilson said Domingo sexually harassed her during a 1999 production of “Le Cid” at the Washington opera company. Wilson said Domingo forcefully grabbed her breast during a makeup session before a performance and on another occasion tried to kiss her in her dressing room and blocked her from leaving until she allowed him to kiss her cheek. Washington Opera’s statement did not mention Wilson by name and did not say if it plans to investigate her allegations. Wilson performed four seasons with the company and won its “Artist of the Year” award in 2000. The company added that it appreciated the courage it takes women to come forward with such allegations and noted it has zero tolerance policies with regard to harassment and discrimination. Domingo’s spokeswoman did not respond to specific accusations, but instead called the allegations “riddled with inconsistencies.” “
September 5, 2019 4:49 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newsroom has donated the monetary award for their recent Pulitzer Prize to help rebuild the synagogue where 11 people were killed in a massacre last year. Staffers were honored with the award on April 15 for their coverage of the October shooting that left 11 dead and seven others wounded at the Tree of Life synagogue. Along with receiving one of the country’s highest honors for journalistic achievement, the newsroom was awarded $15,000. The Post-Gazette reports that John Robinson Block, the newspaper’s publisher, suggested donating the monetary prize to the congregation to help repair their bullet-riddled temple. Keith Burris, the newspaper’s executive editor, presented the check to Rabbi Jeffrey Myers and president of the congregation Samuel Schachner on Aug. 29. The synagogue thanked the newspaper in a Facebook post, saying “Pittsburgh is truly home to some amazing neighbors!”
September 5, 2019 8:19 am
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – An Afghan official says the Taliban have detonated a car bomb in front of an Afghan military base that houses members of the country’s special forces and that a small number of international forces also were in the area. The Logar province council chief Haseebullah Stanekzai says the car bomb exploded in front of the gate of the base in Puli Alam, the capital of Logar province, south of Kabul. Governor Anwar Khan Es-Haqzai says four civilians were killed and four others were wounded, adding that this information is preliminary. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The blast comes a few hours after a Taliban suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle at a checkpoint in Kabul, outside a compound where Afghan national security authorities have offices. The Interior Ministry says at least 10 civilians were killed in that attack.
September 5, 2019 7:59 am
WEST ALEXANDER, Pa. – A new American Legion pavilion is at the forefront of the West Alexander Fair. The pavilion was dedicated Wednesday on the fairgrounds property. The Washington County Commissioners, along with the Tourism Promotion Agency and West Alexander Agricultural Association teamed up for the dedication. The group also addressed other improvements at the fairgrounds. The Tourism Promotion Agency awarded a $65,000 capital improvement grant for these upgrades. The 113th West Alexander Fair continues this week until Saturday.
September 5, 2019 7:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Authorities say the death of a toddler who reportedly was kidnapped near Pittsburgh last weekend has been ruled a homicide. But a cause of death for Nalani Johnson won’t be determined until officials review the toddler’s medical records and more tests are completed. Johnson, who was to turn 2 this month, was found Tuesday in a park about 37 miles east of Penn Hills, where authorities allege the girl was kidnapped Saturday evening. There were no visible signs of trauma. Sharena Islam Nancy, who authorities say had been romantically involved with the child’s father, remains in custody in Allegheny County. She’s charged with kidnapping of a minor, custodial interference and concealment of the whereabouts of a child, all felonies. No one has been charged in Nalani’s death.
September 5, 2019 3:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Within minutes of media outlets identifying the gunman who killed seven people in West Texas, a Twitter account began spreading baseless information linking the shooter to Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke. The groundless conjecture was promoted online by a member of President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign advisory board. The speed of the misinformation – and how far it subsequently spread – again illustrates the eagerness of some to blame such events on political ideologies, regardless of whether the facts support that. It’s also an early indication of just how difficult it will be for campaigns to combat virulent falsehoods ahead of a 2020 presidential campaign that could to be full of them.
